There are a dizzying 2 trillion galaxies in the universe, up to 20 times
more than previously thought, astronomers reported on Thursday. The
surprising finding, based on 3D modeling of images collected over 20
years by the Hubble Space Telescope, was published in the Astronomical Journal...
Using deep space images from Hubble, Conselice and his team
painstakingly converted them into 3D to measure the number of galaxies
at different times in the history of the universe.
And each of those galaxies can have a hundred billions stars... But, according the Sky and Telescope, "we do not "also have to update the number of stars in the observable universe, which now numbers around 700 sextillion."
What is particularly interesting to me is that Michelangelo created a small notch on the upper aspect of each pupil to simulate the reflection of sunlight off a moist surface.
Source for photo lost; I believe it was a screencap from this brief video of the every-two-month cleaning process.
It's not just one team or one sport. I see athletic jerseys everywhere including "Junior" after last names. This man's "junior" status references his father's first name; he is a Paul Junior or David Junior or such, not Forbes Junior. If it applied to the last name, we would all be "juniors."
Oh, the agonies of being an English major in this modern world.
I honestly hate to recurrently cite The Onion on this topic, but it continues to be true. Today's other stories include Exhausted Doctors Pronounce Patient Dead Enough, The Onion Stands With Israel Because It Seems You Get In Less Trouble With That, and Florida Students Locked In Decontamination Room After Exposure To Book.
Our doorstep last night was graced by the visits of numerous neighborhood children, dressed as superheroes and monsters, or wearing the predictable bright pink jumpsuits. But the prize for most innovative costume goes to a young man named Soren, who crafted this himself. Those familiar with The Lord of the Rings will appreciate the wordplay.
A 64-year-old woman with hypertension presented to the otolaryngology clinic with a 4-day history of abnormal sounds in her left ear. On the day of symptom onset, she had awoken to the feeling of a creature moving inside her left ear. Subsequent incessant beating, clicking, and rustling sounds had led to insomnia. On physical examination, a small spider was seen moving within the external auditory canal of the left ear (see video). The molted exoskeleton of the spider was also present. The tympanic membrane was normal. The spider and exoskeleton were removed with the use of a suction cannula placed through an otoscope. In cases of larger spiders or insects in the external auditory canal, instillation of lidocaine or ethanol is recommended for killing the animal before removal in order to prevent excessive movements and subsequent damage to the structures of the ear. However, liquids should not be introduced into the ear if the tympanic membrane has been perforated. After removal of the spider and exoskeleton, the patient’s symptoms immediately abated.
A representative at the Subaru dealership was evaluating my 12-year-old car to assess its trade-in value when he lifted the lid on the trunk floor and found my stash.
I was raised in Minnesota, so I have always kept "survival rations" in my cars. They came in handy back in the 1970s when I was commuting from the university to a my rural Kentucky home and the car slid on ice off the road into a ditch literally miles from the nearest house on a midwinter night. IIRC, my survival rations that night was a box of Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes.
The Subaru guy laughed when he saw these, but he reprimanded me (earnestly) for putting my car's integrity at risk. He had spent decades working in the Service department and had seen numerous instances of rodents chewing their way though vital structures (including brake and fuel lines) in efforts to reach food stored in a car.
These white license tags — known officially as special registration plates — always feature the letter "W" followed by a second letter and a series of numbers. Issued primarily to drivers convicted of driving drunk, they have taken on the nickname "whiskey plates" as whiskey represents the letter "W" in the NATO phonetic alphabet.
Minnesota is one of two states that under certain conditions require DWI offenders to surrender their traditional plates and replace them with whiskey plates — the other is Ohio...
Under Minnesota law, courts are required to order drivers to display whiskey plates if their first DWI offense resulted from having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of at least 0.16% — twice the legal limit for driving. The special tags are also mandatory for drivers convicted of several DWIs within 10 years, DWI with a child under 16 in the vehicle, or refusing to take a BAC test within 10 years of a DWI conviction.
Details about their issuance, implementation, implications etc in a longread at the StarTribune.
I first saw Columbus three or four years ago and gave up on it partway through because it seemed so slow to get to the point. But this past year I tried again, and was rewarded to discover that it was thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting. The two young actors are superb in their roles, and the film rates 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
This video essay addresses the important role of architecture in the film:
If you have agreed with my previous movie recommendations, consider giving this one a try.
Reposted to add the trailer for "After Yang."
After Yang was not on my radar list; I had not seen any reviews of it anywhere, but it was recommended by reader pambamboo in the comments about Columbus.
The storyline is simple and basic modern sci-fi (and a Sundance Film Festival winner in the sci-fi category). A biracial couple adopts an infant of Asian descent, and realizing that they will never be able to raise her with a full appreciation of her cultural heritage, they purchase Yang - a second-hand (refurbished) robot/android/humanoid of Asian phenotype who has been extensively programmed with an immense database of Chinese history, literature, language etc, so that he can be the older brother of the little girl as she grows up. He eventually malfunctions, and during the repair process it is discovered that he had been implanted with a non-conventional chip that has allowed him to choose moments of his life (lives) to remember. The movie then ventures into considerations of the meanings of life, humanity, death, memories etc.
The four principal actors in the movie are superb in their roles.
Like "Columbus," this is a "quiet" movie. The only "action" sequence is the opening credits scene embedded below. Both movies are by Kogonada, who was the screenwriter, editor, and director. These are the only two movies he has created; if he makes any more, I will be first in line to view them.
Here are the opening credits (in which the family is participating in a nationwide live dance competition).
I hope I've convinced somebody to see one or both movies. I would suggest pairing them up for an intense evening of pleasant viewing; both should be available as DVDs from your local library with probably no waiting list.
Uncommonly seen in Wisconsin because it is an immigrant from warmer climes to the south, this Common Buckeye greeted me yesterday at the University of Wisconsin Arboretum. It was keeping the wings horizontal to maximize the solarizing process on a coolish afternoon. I only see about one or two per year, so this was a pleasant surprise.
"One Revolution Per Minute follows the space station SSPO Esperanta as it journeys through different parts of the solar system. The Esperanta itself is designed like “a hotel or cruise ship,” according to a note Mr. Wernquist attached to the video. At various points throughout the video, viewers can see a wall of mirrors or a relaxing lounge complete with filled wine glasses."
From commentary at Universe Today, where this other video was recommended:
In March 2021, sheriffs in Etowah county, Alabama, arrested Ashley Caswell on accusations that she’d tested positive for methamphetamine while pregnant and was “endangering” her fetus.
Caswell, who was two months pregnant at the time, became one of a growing number of women imprisoned in the county in the name of protecting their “unborn children”.
But over the next seven months of incarceration for “chemical endangerment” in the Etowah county detention center (ECDC), Caswell was denied regular access to prenatal visits, even as officials were aware her pregnancy was high-risk due to her hypertension and abnormal pap smears, according to a lawsuit filed on Friday against the county and the sheriff’s department. She was also denied her prescribed psychiatric medication and slept on a thin mat on the concrete floor of the detention center for her entire pregnancy.
In October, when her water broke and she pleaded to be taken to a hospital, her lawyer says, officials told her to “sleep it off” and “wait until Monday” to deliver – two days away.
During nearly 12 hours of labor, staff gave her only Tylenol for her pain, the suit says, allegedly telling her to “stop screaming”, to “deal with the pain” and that she was “not in full labor”. Caswell lost amniotic fluid and blood and was alone and standing up in a jail shower when she ultimately delivered her child, according to the complaint and her medical records. She nearly bled to death, her lawyers say...
Data suggests the county is the national leader in arresting women under the guise of protecting their fetuses... The group logged 649 cases in which women in the state were arrested or faced other criminal consequences in the name of protecting their fetuses or to punish actions that authorities said endangered their pregnancies.
