Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 51m

Nine, by my count.

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 54m

Of course, there're lots & lots of books about the subject - but here are two that were very informative for me.

"Rise&Fall" is the classic - and, a good read too.

Tim Snyder's book is very recent, & will give you a lot of background information that you probably weren't aware of.

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 1h

I remember learning a bit about nylon, in chemistry @ uni.
There are a lot of different "nylons".
But I remember noticing that one of them had peptide-like links between the sub-units.

|
C=O
I
NH
|

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 3h

Picture from:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...

Redirecting...

www.facebook.com

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 3h

1

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 3h

... to eat all the plastic that we've made - a novel kind of biogenic chemical, as cellulose once was.

1 1

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 3h

That would be coal, wouldn't it ?

Anyway, I'd not thought about things that eat cellulose not having evolved yet. Interesting. I suppose be there still aren't too many things - cows & termites rely on tummy bugs ...

Maybe (in 20 million or so years), things will evolve ...

1

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 5h

What do you think of the idea of petroleum being made by subterranean bugs, rather than being fossilised dead yuck from the floors of ancient oceans ?

1

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 6h

... like prams, and cots, and single beds.

Medicals & risk - yes, I agree with you there (although, it was ever thus, with regard to risk - and, if you look back 2 or three generations, the risk is now a lot lower)

😀👶🙄

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 6h

Food - not much, really. Two can live as cheaply as one, and 3 (where #3 is very little) can live almost as cheaply.

Clothing - in our experience, so many people gave us their (children's) out-grown clothing, that all we had to buy new was shoes.

Same goes for lots of other baby things, ...

1

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 6h

... (baby or not) will always turn a bigger profit, in the long term.

Income foregone - it was ever thus.

Childcare - I'd probably agree with you there. Over-regulation, IMHO, is probably one of the culprits here.

Schooling - primary & secondary schooling still free, here.

1

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 6h

Housing - I think you're actually underestimating the cost of rental housing - it's probably twice or more than that, now!
But - back to baby - while bigger accommodation is nicer, you don't actually need that for the first couple of years.
And, if you can manage to buy, buying earlier ...

1

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 17h

My mum knew this, when I was a baby.
Sixty years ago.

(She also knew that fluoride was a poison, used for killing insects. She was involved in that sort of research at CSIRO.)

Whether something's "good" or "bad" depends on what you're using it for, & how much you use.

2

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 17h

One bullet, two holes.

2

Reposted by Godfly

Kristin Carao @mikaelakristin.bsky.social · 1d

Victorian inquiry hears from regional cult survivors about their isolation and shame - ABC News share.google/jm269u7Ndcby...

Cult survivors speak of isolation, shunning and shame at parliamentary inquiry

Cult survivors have told a Victorian parliamentary inquiry how religious and fringe groups operate outside the public gaze.

share.google

2 3 4

Reposted by Godfly

EDEN GATEKEEPER @edengk.bsky.social · 18h

GAY NAZI TECH BILLIONAIRE PT IS INSANE

GAY NAZI TECH BILLIONAIRES OWN TRUMP AND THE PRESIDENCY

STOP GENOCIDE

STOP NAZI VANILLA ISIS

CC TRANSHUMANISM

ELON GTFOH!!!

Evil Billionaire Peter Thiel Has Completely Lost His Mind | The Kyle Kulinski Show

YouTube video by Secular Talk

youtu.be

1 6 6

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 18h

😔
🙏

Professor Darkness @professordarkness.bsky.social · 18h

Nice that they lined up Caucasuan Jesus's hand hole (historically NOT in the right spot) with Kirk's neck Whistle Hole. Conservatives are so ridiculous.

1 3

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 18h

... other parents would overload us with.

Of course, we had to buy nappies. Lots.

But, that was about it.

1

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 18h

Is it really true that raising children is wildly expensive ?

We had ours 20 years ago, so things might have changed - but the only substantial expense I remember (& that not much) was shoes.

Here (Aus), medical costs for the birth were almost nothing, things like prams & clothes -

1

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 19h

I've just finished reading this.

If you're feeling a bit nihilistic & depressed, read it - you'll feel worse.

2

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 20h

Our bloody immigration people sound as bad as the Americans'.

😡

Irish News 🇮🇪 @news-flows-ir.bsky.social · 23h

‘Big John’ Fisher’s Australian takeaway: get the right visa next time

British social media star sent back by border force after apparently arriving on tourist paperwork but with several appearances scheduledBritish social media personality “Big John” Fisher has cut short a tour and appearances...

‘Big John’ Fisher’s Australian takeaway: get the right visa next time

British social media star sent back by border force after apparently arriving on tourist paperwork but with several appearances scheduled

www.theguardian.com

2

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 22h

This reply was hidden by BlueSky:

Hidden reply by @aliceofearth.bsky.social:

"So when are you Americans going to organise and defend yourselves?"

Labelled as "Rude".

1

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 22h

Who would you get then ?

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 23h

I'm sure it isn't - the story I remember had no human, or any animate, characters at all. Just machines. The anthology editor specifically mentioned that.

Anyway, I'll look up "Lungfish" ...

Ah ha ! I've found it on the interweb already!
www.astro.sunysb.edu/fwalter/AST3...

Thanks very much! 😀

www.astro.sunysb.edu

1 1

Godfly @godfly.bsky.social · 1d

Here zher is again - not in focus, but with ruler for scale.

Spider mite, with ruler, showing body size as 1 mm.