Aliens, everywhere: Why scientists once assumed every planet was inhabited
Friday, May 2
Robert Reich
The Great Pushback?
Friends,
Yesterday’s May Day demonstrations across America showed that the opposition to Trump continues to grow.
Hundreds of thousands of people swelled in resistance to his dictatorial agenda. Not just in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, but also in small communities that voted overwhelmingly for Trump.
The size and breadth of these demonstrations will almost certainly lead to larger national mobilizations. On Sunday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said, “It’s time to fight everywhere and all at once. Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I am now.”
Republican town halls are becoming so combative that many Republican lawmakers have stopped holding them altogether (in many cases, Democratic lawmakers have appeared in their places).
At A Glance
(4/9/25) A 30-second test reveals how well you're aging.
(4/29/25) What your earwax says about your health.
(4/9/25) What is your state's median household income?
(4/2/25) Farmer seeks to revive a biblical superfood.
(4/23/25) The 77-year-old as fit as a 25-year-old.
(4/4/25) Rock used as doorstop turns out to be worth over $1M.
(4/30/25) Child damages $57M Rothko painting.
(4/17/25) Panama City Beach is calling it quits with spring break.
(4/21/25) Meet the northern snakehead, the invasive land-walking fish.
(4/2/25) Why you might be tired despite getting enough sleep.
(4/8/25) America's 51 most beautiful places to visit.
Clickbait: Olympian demolishes other school parents.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Barbra Streisand announces new studio album to be released June 27; will feature collaborations with Sir Paul McCartney, Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, Ariana Grande, and others (More)
> Renowned sports agent Jeff Sperbeck dies at age 62 after sustaining injuries from falling off a golf cart driven by NFL legend John Elway (More)
> Nominations for the 78th Annual Tony Awards (June 8) to be announced this morning (8:30 am ET, CBS) (More)
Science & Technology
> Brain study reveals human consciousness may depend more on sensory input than previously believed and challenges two leading theories on its origin in the mind; results of seven-year study may inform treatments for incapacitated patients (More)
> Researchers achieve strongest-ever coupling between a qubit and a light particle; advance may allow the readout of information from quantum computers in a few nanoseconds (More) | Quantum computing, explained (More)
> Young bats learn to tell the difference between the sounds of various prey at an early age, suggesting the ability is not an ingrained evolutionary trait (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow +0.4%, Nasdaq -0.1%) as investors digest a batch of new economic data and earnings reports (More)
> Microsoft shares rise nearly 7% in after-hours trading after beating forecasts, with quarterly revenue rising 13% year-over-year to $70B, driven by cloud business (More) | Meta shares rise 5% in after-hours trading after posting stronger-than-expected Q1 results, with quarterly revenue rising 16% year-over-year to $42B (More)
> Amazon plans to invest $4B by end of 2026 and add 200 delivery stations across the US as part of its expansion into small towns and underserved areas (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Ukraine and the US sign deal giving the US preferential access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals, oil, and gas in exchange for ongoing military support; countries will co-own and manage an investment fund for extraction projects in Ukraine (More) | See latest war updates (More)
> Pakistan says it has credible evidence India will strike within 36 hours; statement comes amid heightened tensions following last week's gun attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir (More) | See previous write-up (More)
> Diabetes deaths fall to their lowest levels in years, new CDC data finds; in 2021, the condition was the eighth leading cause of death in the US (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Our Downsized Home
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Our downsized home of 1,400 square feet is smaller than our previous of 2,600 square feet but a little bigger than the 1,300 square feet that was on the first level in which we lived 99% of the time.
Our yard was an acre and now our yard is 1/4 to 1/3 of that size and takes considerably less time to mow and maintain.
We have lived in this house for almost two years now and find it a more pleasurable experience that our previous home, especially since there are no stairs to climb up or down.
Our neighbors on both sides and across the street are our age and are very friendly and supportive, plus we have younger neighbors farther away that are also very friendly.
Don't get me wrong, this house was not perfect when we moved in, and we have made a lot of changes and done quite a lot of refurbishing, but we got it to where we are content and pleased.
We have used our experiences and our savings and investments to pretty much have exactly what we want for the next decade and a half of our lives. If we live longer than that, it may be assisted living that we move into next.
Physicists Found an Entirely New Way to Measure Time
Determining the passage of time in our world of ticking clocks and oscillating pendulums is a simple case of counting the seconds between 'then' and 'now'.
Down at the quantum scale of buzzing electrons, however, 'then' can't always be anticipated. Worse still, 'now' often blurs into a haze of vagueness. A stopwatch simply isn't going to work for some scenarios.
A potential solution could be found in the very shape of the quantum fog itself, according to a 2022 study by researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden. Their experiments on the wave-like nature of something called a Rydberg state revealed a novel way to measure time that doesn't require a precise starting point.
Rydberg atoms are the over-inflated balloons of the particle kingdom. Puffed up with lasers instead of air, these atoms contain electrons in extremely high energy states, orbiting far from the nucleus.
Thursday, May 1
Robert Reich
We are inching ever closer to the end
Friends,
May Day has two meanings, both of which are directly applicable to today. It commemorates the solidarity of the labor movement (139 years ago today, workers gathered in the streets of Chicago to demand an eight-hour day).
“Mayday!” is also a distress signal used by pilots to indicate imminent danger or a life-threatening emergency (derived from the French phrase “m’aider,” meaning “help me”).
That about sums it up: Our solidarity is necessary to overcome the imminent dangers we now face — all from Donald J. Trump.
I doubt we can wait until the midterm elections to contain him. Unless we stop the damage he’s doing to both our democracy and our economy before then, much of it will be irreversible. It’s not even clear what sort of election we’ll be able to have 18 months from now.
At A Glance
Seagull imitators compete in European screeching championship.
Blue Jays player makes behind-the-back catch after falling.
Professors staff a fake company entirely with AI agents.
... and why you shouldn't always rely on Dr. Google.
What are core memories, and how do you create them?
Forbes releases list of the richest person in every state.
Disney and Make-A-Wish celebrate 45 years with week of wishes.
What happens to the Sistine Chapel during a conclave?
Clickbait: The newest "Golden Girls" move into the Philadelphia Zoo.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Beyoncé's 32-date "Cowboy Carter" world tour kicks off from Los Angeles (More) | Mike Peters, frontman for new wave band The Alarm, dies at age 66 after three-decade battle with cancer (More)
> Paris Saint-Germain tops Arsenal 1-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal; Inter Milan takes on FC Barcelona in the other semifinal today (More)
> Trump administration says the University of Pennsylvania violated Title IX, which guarantees women equal opportunities in athletics, by allowing a transgender athlete to compete for the women's swim team (More)
Science & Technology
> Global analysis links exposure to phthalates—chemical precursors used to make common plastics—to more than 350,000 heart disease-related deaths worldwide per year (More)
> Meta launches a standalone AI app meant to compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT; platform will reportedly include social networking features, including sharing your AI conversations with friends in a discover feed (More) | Generative AI explained in three minutes (More, w/video)
> Neuroscientists discover the chemical dopamine released along a specific brain circuit helps extinguish the sense of fear following an acute stressor; research may lead to new therapies for PTSD (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +0.8%, Nasdaq +0.6%) (More) | Hims & Hers Health shares rise 23% after Novo Nordisk says it will offer weight-loss drug Wegovy through the telehealth provider (More) | Want to go deeper on markets, tariffs, and more? Sign up for 1440 Business & Finance (Join here)
> President Donald Trump signs order preventing steel and aluminum tariffs from being stacked on top of 25% tariff on imported vehicles (More) | US consumer confidence falls to lowest level in five years amid trade tensions (More) | Amazon denies report of plans to display tariff costs next to its product prices after White House criticism (More)
> UPS to cut 20,000 jobs, close 73 leased and owned facilities by end of June amid effort to reduce the amount of Amazon shipments it handles by over 50%; Amazon was previously UPS' largest customer, accounting for 12% of revenue (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> US Navy says it lost a $67M fighter jet after it rolled off an aircraft carrier and slid to the bottom of the Red Sea; the incident, which is under investigation, comes as Houthi rebels in Yemen say they launched missiles toward the carrier (More)
> Harvard University releases internal watchdog reports on antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias on campus; recommendations include new criteria in admissions process to vet for empathy, ability to engage in civic dialogue (More) | Wisconsin Supreme Court suspends Milwaukee judge accused of helping man evade immigration authorities (More)
> Florida lawmakers pass bill to ban additives in water, sending the bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) desk for signature; if passed, Florida will become the second state to ban the chemical compound fluoride after Utah (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Morning/Evening
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Some of us like the mornings, others like the nights. When I wore a younger man's garments, I was a night owl but after fifty years of more than ample mileage, I have decided that nights are for sleeping and it is the mornings that should be enjoyed.
My mornings begin with giving a treat to our three cats and a fourth cat that thinks he belongs to us. I tend to our cats first, then to him. My wife calls him LITTLE BOY... I just call him cat.
Next is my thyroid pill, and coffee made with my Keurig pod machine - nothing fancy but I regret that now, because I cannot use a universal holder for ground coffee.
I watch FOX News while drinking my coffee until they start repeating themselves. Before 2015, I was watching CNN and CBS but found they censor the news while FOX News does not, even though they ALL ARE BIASED.
My political views support neither party; I just want low taxes, no illegals, a strong military, free speech, and for the govt to stay the hell out of my life. I'm not a fan of war or of the 2nd Amendment.
Mornings and Afternoons are spent working on my blogs and writing novels that will never be published as I just love to write and don't care of earning more money than I need.
I might watch a couple of episodes of a SciFi series or listen to a book on tape. Sometimes, I will go for a walk or drive the car to the lake and just admire the beauty I see.
BUT... mornings are my special time... I am typically alone with my own thoughts, feelings, and emotions and can dream about anything I want. It is a quiet peaceful time, especially now that I am retired.
I stay busy which is what being retired really means... staying busy but working for anyone, being told what to do that made no sense. Being retired does not mean doing nothing.
Each day goes by quicker than the day before.
4-legged hydrogen-powered robot you can actually ride
CORLEO isn’t your typical off-road vehicle. Instead of wheels, it has four robotic legs that move independently, allowing it to handle uneven ground like rocks, grass and steep inclines. Kawasaki says the design was inspired by the skeletal structure of lions. The name CORLEO is derived from Cor Leonis, the brightest star in the constellation Leo. Riders mount it like they would a horse, but instead of gripping handlebars or using pedals, you control CORLEO with your body. Lean forward, and it moves ahead. Shift your weight to the side, and it adjusts its steps accordingly.
CORLEO is also environmentally friendly. It uses a battery paired with a 150cc hydrogen engine. The hydrogen engine generates electricity, which is stored in the battery. Kawasaki has been pushing hydrogen-powered vehicles for years, and CORLEO is their latest effort to combine sustainability with innovation.
Wednesday, April 30
Portrait of a Musician
This painting by Thomas Hart Benton is a portrait of an African American jazz musician who played in Kansas City. In this painting, you can see that the curving lines of the double bass the musician is playing are repeated or echoed in the curves of the his face, hands, and body. Seeing the repetition of so many lines in similar but different ways reminds us of the way that jazz music often repeats the same musical phrases with variations, making the music sound similar but slightly different each time it is repeated.
The model for Portrait of a Musician was a jazz bassist who played in a Kansas City nightclub that Benton often went to in the 1940s. He was interested in representing African American culture in Missouri and he particularly enjoyed drawing and painting jazz players and folk musicians. African Americans were often ignored by most white artists in the first half of the 20th century, making this an unusual painting for the time period.
The model for Portrait of a Musician was a jazz bassist who played in a Kansas City nightclub that Benton often went to in the 1940s. He was interested in representing African American culture in Missouri and he particularly enjoyed drawing and painting jazz players and folk musicians. African Americans were often ignored by most white artists in the first half of the 20th century, making this an unusual painting for the time period.
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