This is why you shouldn’t believe that exciting new medical study – Vox “In 2003, researchers writing in the American Journal of Medicine discovered something that should change how you think about medical news. They looked at 101 studies published in top scientific journals between 1979 and 1983 that claimed a new therapy or medical technology was very promising. Only five, they found out, made it to market within a decade. Only one (ACE inhibitors, a pharmaceutical drug) was still extensively used at the time of their publication. “ tags: weekly research science press truth lies reality It’s Okay To Be Smart • Science and art share a common mandate—to find… “Science and art share a common mandate—to find surprise in the ordinary by seeing it from an unexpected point of view.” Bloom tags: science art quote weekly New Tropes for Old – Futility ClosetFutility Closet “The steps below will, “like machinery in factories,” convert a Gothic romance into a sentimental novel:” tags: weekly ds106 fodder language What it’s like to teach evolution at the University of Kentucky – Boing Boing ““If we evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?” My response was and is always the same: We didn’t evolve from monkeys. Humans and monkeys evolved from a common ancestor. One ancestral population evolved in one direction toward […]

ActiveLit “Set up your own private area for creating and playing interactive stories and text-based games. Find out more” tags: english tool cyoa chooseyourownadventure writing games creativity itrt weekly McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: Why a Gorilla Nanny is the Right Choice for Our Family. Makes for an interesting way to research and write about any animal . . . tags: gorilla nanny McSweeney’s animal creative writing writingprompt english weekly The problem with education? Children aren’t feral enough | George Monbiot | Comment is free | The Guardian My children are feral but I’m working on taking them to the next level. I do wonder if it’s less about wilderness per se and more about real experiences. You could probably do many things in the city/suburbs that would engage kids in a similar way. tags: education children feral outdoors freerange itrt weekly The Cursing Stone – Futility Closet This is a serious curse. tags: curse weekly from the top of their head to the soles of their feet, before and behind, within and without. I take from them, and cast down all the good deeds that ever they did, or shall do The Pain and the Glory: Running Iowa’ BIG Competency Based School | ThinkThankThunk tags: thinkthankthunk competency project itrt weekly It’s not about pigeon-holing the project, it’s about being open to […]

Super Punch “From Luc Besson’s AMA, regarding writing The Fifth Element: At 16, i wrote 200 pages and threw them in the garbage because it was bad. I then wrote 200 more which also finished in the garbage. Then I wrote 400 pages that i kept, waited for 15 years, and wrote a first draft. I have done 16 drafts for the fifth element, and finished the script with 300 pages in two parts. The producers refused to part the film in two parts because it was too expensive and forced me to rewrite everything in one film. I guess at the time filming in two parts wasn’t popular yet. Compared to writing Leon: Regarding Leon, i had to wait 2 weeks to get an answer from a studio to know if they were going to make the fifth element or not. The wait was horrible. So i wrote Leon in 15 days and nights to stop me from thinking about the wait.” tags: writing progress time patience weekly Welcome to GoatTalk.com – the friendliest place on the net “GoatTalk is where goat husbandry is taught with ethics and great compassion for you and your goats. Whether a long-time herd owner or a beginner with pets GoatTalk Members are there to help and support your efforts as you move from […]