‘In 2002, QiQi, the last known dolphin of its kind, died after spending its final years alone in a tank at the Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan. Later efforts to find others of the species in the wild have come up empty, but its apparent demise is providing the next generation of conservationists with hard-won lessons for the new challenges still ahead.…’ (via IFLScience)
‘A new study adds to the growing body of evidence that lobsters feel pain, with the crustaceans seemingly responding to electrical shocks with emotional distress.…’ (via Live Science)
‘A small portion of DESI’s year-five map showing the large-scale universe structure, created by gravity. Each dot represents a galaxy, whereas the denser areas represent regions where galaxies and galaxy clusters clump together to form the cosmic web.…’ (via Gizmodo)
‘A seemingly endless torrent of criticism directed toward Trump from former MAGA allies suggests the president is losing support from his base.…’ (via WIRED)
Be careful what you wish for. The movement can only become more insidious and formidable when stripped of Trump’s buffoonery, malignant narcissism, cognitive limitations and impulsivity
‘Reciprocard is a search engine for reciprocal library cards. Search for a library, and Reciprocard returns a list of reciprocal libraries, as well as cards that are available in person or for a fee. Reciprocard is the perfect companion to a tool we have covered previously, Library Extension, which checks e-book and audiobook availability right from Amazon, Goodreads, and multiple other book sites.…’ (via Boing [Boing)
‘If you are an avid book reader, you owe it to yourself to download Library Extension. It’s the best kind of extension. It does one thing and does it well. When you are looking at a web page for a book, it inserts the book’s availability from your local library right on the page.
The Library Extension has saved me hundreds of dollars by reminding me I can get just about anything from the library. If you are lucky enough to access multiple libraries, you can add them all. The extension supports thousands of libraries and tons of online bookstores. It also supports Goodreads, Library Thing, and Storygraph. It is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.…’ (via Boing Boing)
‘A national effort to circumvent the Electoral College has gained another state.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a bill Monday that adds the state to the National Popular Vote Compact, an agreement among states to award their presidential electoral votes to the nationwide popular vote winner.
With Virginia, the total number of states signed on to the interstate compact is now 18, plus the District of Columbia, for a total of 222 electoral votes.
The compact doesn’t go into effect, though, until there are enough states signed up to reach the required 270 electoral votes to elect a president.…’ (via NPR)
‘Running a terrible record on foreign policy, Trump bootlicker JD Vance went on television to condemn Iran for “economic terrorism” in the Strait of Hormuz. Vance then immediately suggested that the United States would respond by doing the exact same thing, because nothing says moral clarity like immediately copying the behavior you just denounced.…’ (via Boing Boing)
‘…it’s well known that Trump has always had the final word on what ends up on his social media feeds, and the history of his presidencies is littered with examples of his advisers being unable to stop Trump from posting or reposting things he personally comes across. While the post has been deleted (rare!), it appears that anyone in the White House who’d be trying to stop Trump from posting more blasphemous images is failing to do so: On Wednesday morning, Trump posted yet another AI-generated image from a follower that depicted him and Jesus embracing in front of an American flag. “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this,” he wrote, “but I think it is quite nice!!!”…’ (via The Verge)
