Interesting Links for 21-11-2018

[andrewducker]

George R.R. Martin, now 'in hiding,' has wondered if he'll ever finish The Winds of Winter

(tags: gameofthrones GeorgeRRMartin )

The predictions of Robert A. Heinlein, from the Cold War to the waterbed

(tags: robertheinlein predictions )

Flat Earth conference attendees explain how they have been brainwashed by YouTube and Infowars

"It looks like you're easily taken in, how about you watch a video about how to join cults next?"
(tags: youtube videos fraud OhForFucksSake )

Nicola Sturgeon vows to work with Tory rebels and Labour to build Commons 'coalition' against May's Brexit deal

(tags: SNP uk europe )

They Shall Not Grow Old was an amazing piece of documentary filmmaking. I was riveted.

(tags: wwi history documentary peterjackson )

Bringing the Android kernel back to the mainline

(tags: android linux )

An independent Scotland should be allowed to rejoin EU, Spanish foreign minister says

(tags: Scotland Spain Europe )

New Labour was far more leftwing than it is given credit for

(tags: labour UK history )

Ruth Coker Burks, the cemetery angel

(tags: aids usa history death )

Brain-Destroying Prions Also Spread Through Victims' Eyes

(tags: eyes brain disease )

RPGs are Done with Edgelords and Bigots | Pop Culture Uncovered

(tags: roleplaying society racism sexism OhForFucksSake )

Amber Rudd admits new Brexit referendum on table if Theresa May's deal rejected by parliament

(tags: uk europe )

A mathematical proof that every odd integer is the difference of two squares - which fits in a tweet!

(tags: twitter mathematics )

The greatest Christian schism in hundreds of years happened last month.

(tags: christianity russia ukraine )

Lancet restaurant gives medical professionals discounts based on publication impact factor

(tags: medicine research food china )

The Brown One, The Honey Eater, The Shaggy Coat, The Destroyer - why bears are called anything but their real name

(tags: bears language )

Comments

[mountainkiss]

I thought I'd got this from you, which says the opposite of the bear thing, but I could be muddling my sources.

[andrewducker]

That was from me. They don't seem to be opposing though. Well, different - one says the arctic was named after Arcturus which is named after bears, the other that the arctic was named directly after bears. (I'm more inclined to believe this link than the Tumblr one, even if I'm more entertained by the Tumblr one).

[mountainkiss]

I was more thinking that the bear was overnamed bear rather than not being called bear.

[andrewducker]

Aaaaah, yes!

Certainly in our own official naming convention.

[jack]

The Brown One, The Honey Eater, The Shaggy Coat, The Destroyer - why bears are called anything but their real name

Oh! Rakshas=destruction? I'm guessing that's related to "rakshasa", Indian demons (as I learned from the Jungle Book, Lord of Light, Code Geass and Aru Shah and the End of Time) -- does anyone know if that's correct?

I'm fascinated if that's cognate with "ursine"

[andrewducker]

Sadly my Hindi knowledge is...non-existent. I'll see if I can get an opinion from a more knowledgable friend!

George R.R. Martin, now 'in hiding,' has wondered if he'll ever finish The Winds of Winter

[jack]

I wonder if he should actually stop. The last book was really hard too, and it doesn't seem unlikely that with so much weight of history behind the story, it's almost impossible to make the narrative of the last books end up in a decent place, especially if he wants to stick to the outline he originally intended.

And unlike many authors, the basic ideas will still become public throw the show, so the series won't be left hanging.

I mean, I don't like *advocating* for not finishing a series, but I also try to respect reality.

That said, I wonder if some of the specifics are exaggerated.

"I've had dark nights of the soul where I've pounded my head against the keyboard and said, 'God, will I ever finish this?'" he said. "The show is going further and further forward and I’m falling further and further behind. What the hell is happening here? I've got to do this.'"

I mean, that sounds very despairing, but AFAIK lots of authors suffer these kinds of doubt constantly, it doesn't necessarily mean he's less likely to finish than he was before (which I agree was doubtful).

And I think he's *always* had a shack he used for writing retreats, I'm not sure it's a new thing.

And I mean, he's written a lot of good books that have nothing to do with Game of Thrones (and aren't especially think either, and not especially gory). Maybe writing something else would be an opportunity.

[simont]

A mathematical proof that every odd integer is the difference of two squares - which fits in a tweet!

I was wondering why that was difficult – even under the original 140-character rule, it would have been trivial to fit "2n+1 = (n+1)² − n²" into a tweet.

But now I see that the actual tweet is aimed at people who can't read algebra, and also has explanatory pictures, which does make it more of a challenge!

[zotz]

Quite some time ago a friend of mine wrote a quick assessment of Heinlein's predictive abilities. Apparently he's spent the last twenty years having email debates with people who read things on his site and insist on discussing them with him.

[nancylebov]

Heinlein's biggest failed prediction was that he expected WW3 to happen, I think by the 50s.

I'd say he did predict the cell phone.

[skington]

I wonder if people like to call New Labour neoliberal because in foreign policy they were allied with the American neocons? (Once again, Iraq colours everything.)

[calimac]

To write the tag "robertheinlein" like that, without spaces or capitals, looks to me as if it should be pronounced "rober the inlein".

[agoodwinsmith]

This, yes.

[andrewducker]

And now I'm trying to think of a decent pun about Wells' Robur.

[threemeninaboat]

Oooo.... I wonder how many corneal transplant patients have CJD...

[andrewducker]

Hopefully not many!