When we feel overwhelmed, we look for relief
When we feel overwhelmed with what is dominating our thoughts and our senses, it is often the margins to which we look for relief. This issue not only signposts you towards links that help you make sense of much that is going on right now, but also to resources to help provide that relief, and feed your other interests. It’s only when we can step out of fear mode that we can respond strategically, creatively, and with empathy.
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Thursday morning dog walk
Endurance has been found.
Discovered at 3000 metres on 5 March 2022
100 years to the day since Shackleton was buried
#Endurance22 https://t.co/Edvc4nzl01
Ukraine
The Ukraine War: A View from Moscow
In this podcast episode, the hosts discuss Russian perspectives on the war, decision-making in the Kremlin, why President Putin appears to have miscalculated so badly and what the next few weeks might hold for the fighting. They look at the danger of the crisis escalating into a wider confrontation between Russia and NATO, potentially through one side misunderstanding the other’s intentions, and at ways to avoid that happening.
How Does It End? What Past Wars Tell Us about How to Save Ukraine
Analyzing data from past wars shows that the window to end the violence and find an offramp from the escalating crisis in Ukraine will shrink after the first 30 days. We are halfway there.
There’s lots more below the paywall for subscribers and you’ll also get access to my 30,000 Days project too. Thanks to my paid subscribers who make all this possible.
What to Tell Kids about Ukraine
How do you answer children’s questions, and can war be explained at all? In an interview with Spektrum der Wissenschaft, the German-language edition of Scientific American, Torsten Andersohn, a Berlin psychologist and longtime family counselor, argues for an open approach to the topic.
Narrated articles
A few people have come back to me saying that they really appreciate how I curate things you can watch and listen to, as well as read. In that spirit, here’s a New York Times link I’m making freely available to my readers through my personal subscription (don’t worry, this is allowed), with five articles from the newspaper, read aloud by the reporters who wrote them.
Five articles from around The Times, narrated just for you.
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Each International Women’s Day, posts appear on social media from brands eager to show their support for gender equality. But this week, a Twitter account sent back pay gap data of companies, schools and nonprofits. https://t.co/5y61B6mHDM
Behaviour insights
Is your happiness their happiness too? Back in 2016, Emily Anthes reported on the Positive Lexicography Project, an attempt by the positive psychologist Tim Lomas to catalogue foreign terms (relative to the English language) for happiness. Still relevant today.
Have you contemplated a big life change during the pandemic? If so, Dr. Sarb Johal says you're not alone. @sarb joins @piya to explain how the pandemic has sparked a collective existential crisis – and why that isn't necessarily as scary as it might sound.
https://t.co/Zsy3nhBxHP
The Enduring Power of Profanity
I seem to type FFS a lot these days. Here’s a fascinating history behind the words that get us in trouble.
Adolescents increasingly used social media during the pandemic. Like all habits, this could be good or bad. Marciano et al. showed that well-being improved when disclosing to friends and with funny posts but declined with social comparison, fear of missing out, and negative posts https://t.co/bpsiiWosOk
Why Does My Body Feel Tight When I Wake Up?
The temperature in New Zealand is dropping. I know I can feel like this on these colder mornings. So, wherever you are in the world, what is this about and what can you do to feel better?
The pandemic continues ...
Ignoring behavioral and social sciences undermines the U.S. response to Covid-19
Efforts to stop Covid-19 have failed in part because many decision-makers have ignored insights and expertise from the social sciences. Just as it was in the beginning, so it will continue: it’s about behaviour, behaviour, and more behaviour.
A blueprint on moving to the 'next normal' in pandemic
A bipartisan group of scientists and health and policy experts calling themselves the COVID roadmap group are releasing a blueprint Monday on how we could move into what they call “the next normal.” A member of that group is Michael Osterholm, the head of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. This one comes as an audio link too - click through to listen.
The natural world
Octopuses were around before dinosaurs
Oldest known ancestor of octopuses unearthed in Montana in form of approximately 330m-year-old fossil. But if an octopus used to have ten legs, is it still an octopus?
Dave came back to visit. Just to see the girls then back off again https://t.co/PYjH9bZVB0
Crow Family Leaves Little Gifts for Human Who Kindly Feeds Them
Pair of crows started giving “thank you” gifts after accepting plenty of peanuts from their kind neighbor.
Curiosity rover spotted this ‘flower’ on Mars. It "likely stemmed eons ago from a flow of mineralized water.” via @PopSci https://t.co/5hA3YO4ofW https://t.co/iEIFoxTY8x
What I'm watching
Women's Cricket World Cup 2022
Yes, I stumped up the $$$ to have access to all the matches live, and I’ll be going to all the local games I can manage. It’s not often you get a World Cup competition on your doorstep in the middle of a pandemic. And the standard of cricket so far has been incredibly high.
Six-Word Sci-Fi: Stories Written by You
Here’s a fun distraction from WIRED: in six words, write a story about surviving a high-tech disaster, Click for how to submit, and an illustrated archive of past favorites.
That’s it for this week. Don’t forget to ‘like’ this newsletter if you do. Sharing it in any way you choose is really helpful, as is recommending it to your friends, colleagues and family. It takes a bit of effort to put together, so all your appreciation is well appreciated! Take care out there.
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