Glass Wings Blog

The Glass Wings mailing list and blog is for general idle chit-chat about things we find interesting, especially humor, animation or other subjects relevant to the Glass Wings web site.

GPS Only Exists Because Of Two People: Albert Einstein And Gladys West

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 05:21:47 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2021/02/18/gps-only-exists-because-of-two-people-albert-einstein-and-gladys-west/?sh=6af96585864f>

"Over the span of a single lifetime, the world has changed in ways that would
have been virtually unimaginable in the first half of the 20th century. Two
major breakthroughs that occurred in physics — relativity and quantum physics —

Jamaica should repeal homophobic laws, rights tribunal rules

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 05:18:25 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/17/jamaica-should-repeal-homophobic-laws-rights-tribunal-rules>

"The Jamaican government is responsible for violating the rights of two gay
people and the country’s homophobic laws should be repealed immediately,
according to a ruling by an international human rights tribunal.

Interview: Professor Jun Murai – The Father of the Internet in Japan, the Past 40 Years, and the Future to Come

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 05:14:27 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

https://www.ccrc.keio.ac.jp/jun-murai-kgri-interview/

"The development of the internet in Japan, a changing world, and the future of
internet culture … These are some of the many themes about which we wanted to
hear from “The father of the internet in Japan.”

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine accidentally predicted the 2020s by writing about the 1990s

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 05:13:22 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.vox.com/culture/22273263/star-trek-deep-space-nine-past-tense-prediction-2024>

"Science fiction is almost never really about the future, and shouldn’t aim to
be — it’s much more effective as a way to make sense of the present. A book
like Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Talents (about a brutally racist,

Giant rainbow road commemorates the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 05:17:54 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://mashable.com/article/rainbow-path-australia-sydney-marriage-equality/>

"Australians can remember the explosively emotional moment when the country
overwhelmingly voted for marriage equality in 2017 by wandering down a giant
rainbow path in a Sydney park.

Plastic in the ocean kills more threatened albatrosses than we thought

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 05:16:50 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/plastic-in-the-ocean-kills-more-threatened-albatrosses-than-we-thought-154925>

"Plastic in the ocean can be deadly for marine wildlife and seabirds around the
globe, but our latest study shows single-use plastics are a bigger threat to
endangered albatrosses in the southern hemisphere than we previously thought.

Global weekly COVID cases are falling, WHO says — but ‘if we stop fighting it on any front, it will come roaring back’

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 05:15:59 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/global-weekly-covid-cases-are-falling-who-says-but-if-we-stop-fighting-it-on-any-front-it-will-come-roaring-back-155355>

"The number of reported global weekly COVID cases is falling and has dropped
nearly 50% this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said overnight. This
incredibly encouraging news shows the power of public health measures — but we

Children with same-sex parents do better at school than their peers

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 05:15:12 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/children-with-same-sex-parents-do-better-at-school-than-their-peers-155205>

"Children with same-sex parents get higher scores on standardised tests than
children with different-sex parents. This is the key finding from our study
published today in the journal Demography.

Weird Al Yankovic Explains How Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Changed His Life

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 05:28:41 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a35520993/weird-al-yankovic-elton-john-goodbye-yellow-brick-road/>

"Weird Al Yankovic, accordion-playing pop music parodist from Lynwood,
California, who got his big break at age sixteen in 1976 when he handed a
cassette of his polkaheavy comedy songs to LA deejay Dr. Demento.

Library Holdings from the University of Tokyo Now Available Through the Internet Archive

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 05:26:50 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://blog.archive.org/2021/02/16/library-holdings-from-the-university-of-tokyo-now-available-through-the-internet-archive/>

"As our global society grows ever more connected, it can be easy to assume that
all of human history is just one click away. Yet language barriers and physical
access still present major obstacles to deeper knowledge and understanding of