catching up

I want to use this blog well, but the reality is that I have a badly flaring chronic illness, an active infant approaching toddlerhood, have spent the autumn moving and unpacking, and just can't keep up with thoughtful, well-written posts. Thus, I've decided that instead of putting things aside for sharing "when I can write about them better," I'm just going to give up and share.

So here, at 6 am today, while my husband and I were hanging out with a very happy, awake infant, we were also laughing at this video. Mind you, it started with serious ooohs and aaahs at the wonder and science of melting brine turning into some sort of weird frozen stalactites projecting from the ice sheets of the Antarctic into the cold water below, then it just became a riot of giggles at the timelapse shots of starfish trying to escape the "Day after Tomorrow" scenario. It's worth a watch.

That's great, it starts with an earthquake? again?

The BBC reports in one of today's headlines that there's a "Tiny chance of planet collision," and in its first paragraph, reports that this won't happen for at least a billion years.

New Scientist, on the other hand, which can be a bit overdramatic in its headlines, says "Solar system's planets could spin out of control" and in its first paragraph, qualifies that with "one day."

The graphics are fabulous, in either case. I get the sense that the smash simulations at the end of the video are more about "hey, check this out, BAM!" than they are about "here is a scientific illustration that will make everything more clear."