Geniuses at Northeastern University figured out how to make parrots happy: touch-screen video games. They created a game where birds can chase and pop on-screen balloons by pecking at the screen. https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/03/20/parrots-playing-tablet-games/

Be kind to yourself today. Do what you need to do to process these disappointing election results. Rage. Cry. Vent. Do whatever you need to do in the moment.

Tomorrow, let's get back to work.

I think I'll cope with (waves hands around) by telling y'all about happy things for a bit.

"You can now explore Hawaii’s stunning collection of flora without ever leaving your computer. The Bishop Museum and State Museum of Natural and Cultural History have announced a 'digitization milestone' — an online database that features information on — and photos of — 180,000-plus specimens of Hawaiian plants." https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/03/22/online-database-features-more-than-180000-specimens-hawaiian-plants/

Know how I felt like we were waiting for biopsy results? Now I feel like we all have stage 4 cancer and half the country voted for it.

I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you

--10 Years After, I'd Love to Change the World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTUsFm0BAu8

Game of Life, simulating itself, infinitely zoomable https://oimo.io/works/life/

Overheard:
Way back in high school I tried to come up with an easy way to remember the difference. This is what stuck for me:
e.g. = egsamples
i.e. = “in effect”

"The Developers in Politics Survey Report captures a comprehensive look into the political sentiments, behaviors, and regulatory concerns among software developers in the United States, reflecting the increasingly intertwined relationship between the tech sector and political discourse."

Free login for full report, but the summary is probably enough. https://evansdata.com/politics/US-developers-and-politics.php

GIANT RATS IN TINY VESTS is my new band name.

Researchers trained rats to pick up on the scent of elephant ivory, rhino horn, African blackwood, and pangolin scales. https://www.iflscience.com/giant-rats-in-tiny-vests-trained-to-sniff-out-illegally-trafficked-wildlife-76598

I laughed

Shopping for an inexpensive keyboard? This one looks cool but is not a good fit for me. https://amzn.to/3UC5l2C

ICYMI, NASA reconnected with Voyager 1 after a brief pause https://scitechdaily.com/15-billion-miles-away-nasas-voyager-1-breaks-its-silence/

"Historical dance teacher Lottie Adcock told BBC Radio York that she has seen a rise in the number of students wanting to learn the style of dances seen in Bridgerton, any number of Jane Austen adaptations and other period dramas set in the Regency era of the early 1800s." https://deadline.com/2024/03/bridgerton-pride-and-prejudice-inspires-fans-demand-for-regency-era-dancing-lessons-1235860275/

We all need a moment of zen, today.

A new study says we’re getting closer to a universal anti-venom for snake bites. https://theconversation.com/were-a-step-closer-to-having-a-universal-antivenom-for-snake-bites-new-study-224664

"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." ~ Susan B. Anthony

Real-time map of every Starlink satellite in orbit. Worth peeking at just for the #WoahDude visual. https://www.starlinkmap.org/

Selling 700,000 copies in its first year, the 1999 theme park strategy game RollerCoaster Tycoon helped keep its publisher Atari alive and kicking. Today [March 2024] is its 25th anniversary.
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/mar/22/rollercoaster-tycoon-at-25-its-mind-blowing-how-it-inspired-me

Finally (?): A flame thrower for your drone https://throwflame.com/products/flamethrower-drone-kit/