Summary: Learn to distinguish perceived and actual danger

Here is a nice story from someone who went blind during a space walk. And some nice imagery on what it is like to go to space.

Video link

Summary: Positive thinking can be a way to silence healthy doubt

The video suggests that positive thinking for the sake of it is delusional.

I would prefer to call it delusional optimism. The problem is that people are not allowed to warn others of problems they see, in the name of optimism.

Summary: Doom and gloom on current capitalism.

No solution is proposed.

Perhaps things are so bad that progress is just to realise things will not automatically get better, as politicians seem to promise lately.

Summary: Praying mantis with 3D glasses

Researchers in Newcastle have put 3D glasses on preying mantises to study their stereoscopic vision.

They seem to have it as they are fooled by 3D glasses the same was as humans do.

Summary: by a senior member of staff…

Here is an interview of a senior member of staff, who was part of a committee discussing PostDocs. He starts an interesting discussion, here is what I kept:

Postdocs are invisible. Many departments don’t even know how many they have. There is no responsible person for them, at best it is the same person that worries about PhD students.

Summary: A call for a new enlightenment

Here is an interesting idea: we need a new enlightenment!

My summary: Progress since the enlightenment is centred around what we can achieve. The main means have been science/technology, markets and bureaucracy. However: