September News

* Overheard in the store:
"We're really happy because, Space Vampires."
"Now everyone's wearing masks -- no more facial recognition software for you, Surveillance State!"
"'Sexy Sorting Hat' was a Halloween costume that just didn't fly."
[Customer holding a copy of DUNE]: "Do you have a less-thick version of this?"

* We're sorry to report the death of incredibly popular fantasy author Terry Goodkind, who passed away in September at the age of 72: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/books/terry-goodkind-dead.html

* RIP Richard A. Lupoff; writer, fan, Edgar Rice Burroughs expert, dear heart and old friend. https://locusmag.com/2020/10/richard-a-lupoff-1935-2020/

* With regret we report the death of amazing author and lovely person Rachel Caine at age 58. https://preview.mailerlite.com/x6r7e1

* A bit belated, but still stunning -- watch nearly 11,000 lightning strikes spark the awful mid-August Bay Area fires via a compilation of more than 400 satellite images: https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/08/20/watch-heres-what-10800-bay-area-lightning-strikes-sparking-367-wildfires-looked-like-from-space/amp/

* 15 recent sci-fi books that have shaped the genre: https://www.polygon.com/21516173/best-new-science-fiction-books-scifi-last-15-years

* Care for a cup of Satanic tea?  This company is making traditionally "cozy" tea a lot more metal: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/25/style/care-for-a-cup-of-satanic-chamomile.html

* A viable (and relatively safe) fusion reactor by 2025?  https://www.livescience.com/nuclear-fusion-reactor-sparc-2025.html

* This NASA spacecraft is losing precious study-able rubble: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/oct/23/nasa-spacecraft-osiris-rex-asteroid-rubble

* "Animals keep evolving into crabs," said the Popular Mechanics headline "which is somewhat disturbing," said the Popular Mechanics headline.  Gee, you think?!: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a34389129/crab-evolution-carcinization/

* Just what everyone needs! A life-size, knitted Thanos!   (Thanks to sponsor Jo F. for pointing this out.) https://nerdist.com/article/life-sized-knitted-thanos/ Photos here: https://www.instagram.com/woolymcwoolface/

* A much-too-short article, but some science to back up our strong supposition that growing up surrounded by books is a Very Good Thing Indeed: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/growing-surrounded-books-may-bolster-skills-later-life-180970523/

* Crowdsourcing your moral code? What could possibly go wrong? https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/oct/22/aita-how-a-reddit-forum-posed-the-defining-question-of-our-age

* Not super surprising but still incredibly cool: definitive evidence of water on the moon!  (Not to mention that just the phrase "flying telescope" is pretty nifty.) https://www.sfgate.com/cnet/article/NASA-telescope-uncovers-definitive-evidence-of-15675446.php

* Well, this was absolutely terrifying.  A short UK film on the "logical conclusions" of tech we already have: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HipTO_7mUOw

* This subterranean freshwater fish named after Gollum belongs to a never-before-described taxonomic family: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/subterranean-fish-named-gollum-belongs-new-family-180976123/

* What happens to your body when you die in space? https://www.popsci.com/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-die-in-space/

* Whether it's a sundial, a "witches' mark", or something else entirely, this mysterious carved medieval graffiti is pretty interesting: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/witch-markings-thought-ward-evil-spirits-are-discovered-england-180976112/

* "Imagine an albatross with a hacksaw for a mouth" -- scientists have identified what may be the largest flying bird ever, with a wingspan of roughly 20 (!) feet: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/scientists-reveal-what-may-be-largest-flying-bird-ever-180976128/

* This is just cool.  Rather than build entirely over the hundreds and hundreds of years of history their Dublin grocery store was going to cover, these folks decided to feature it instead:  https://mymodernmet.com/medieval-viking-building-dublin/

* The footage is incredible, no question about it -- but we're not sure why they keep putting the word "spy" [referring to the hummingbird-style drone photographer] in quotation marks in this article: https://mymodernmet.com/butterfly-swarm-video/

* A design studio has developed a concept for a spaceship that would take tourists into space: https://mymodernmet.com/priestmangoode-neptune-spaceship/

* An envelope hidden in a wall for 100 years solves a minor mystery at the Winchester House: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/winchester-mystery-house-windows-true-facts-14444695.php

* 14-year-old Anika Chebrolu was named America's Top Young Scientist in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge for her work in finding a molecule that could lead to a cure for COVID-19: https://mymodernmet.com/3m-young-scientist-coronavirus-drug/

* An alternative to GoodReads: https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/social-media/2020/08/better-goodreads-possible-bad-for-books-storygraph-amazon