Reading

“More than 1 in 4 [students at University of Maine at Presque Isle’s online MyPace program] finished their entire degree course load in a single eight-week session, half the length of a traditional academic semester.” — The Washington Post

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Thanks to the hassle of reading, writing, doing equations, performing lab experiments, speaking to professors and peers, comprehending topics, growing as a person, and, in general, learning, going to college is extremely time-consuming. That’s why our university offers an online degree program, during which you will not need to read, write, do equations, perform experiments, speak to anyone, comprehend topics, grow, or learn.

You could have completed your first semester instead of reading that paragraph.

Watchdog asked to investigate after party's home affairs spokesperson 'guarantees' areas electing Reform MPs will be exempt from 24,000-capacity migrant facilities

Reform UK repeatedly cold-called journalist Lucy Gape asking if she would stand as a local candidate. When she looked into it, it revealed a world of poor vetting and murky data practices

With warmth, humor, and occasional run-ins with bodily fluids, science journalist (and frequent McSweeney’s contributor) Elizabeth Preston leads a highly accessible tour of cutting-edge research into how and why other animals and humans care for their young. She discovers that we evolved to raise our kids in cooperative groups, and that the tools we’ve inherited for caretaking aren’t only for moms or dads—they’re the basis for our human society.

Today, we’re happy to share an excerpt from The Creatures’ Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care. It is available to purchase at the fine bookseller of your choice.

At 9:03 a.m., Ms. Delgado makes the mistake of asking the class what their parents do for work.

“Dentist,” says Maya.

“Firefighter,” says Liam.

“Bus driver,” says Emma.

Oliver raises his hand. “My dad mines crypto.”

Ms. Delgado nods politely, the way adults do when they encounter a sentence they hope will not require follow-up questions.

Unfortunately, Sophie raises her hand. “What’s crypto?”

Ms. Delgado considers saying she doesn’t know. Instead, she says, “Imagine everyone has stickers.”

The class brightens immediately. Stickers are a language they understand.

“Everyone gets ten stickers,” Ms. Delgado says, drawing circles on the whiteboard. “You can trade them with each other.”

Oliver nods approvingly. “Yes,” he says. “That’s like crypto.”

“Great,” says Ms. Delgado. “So if Liam wants one of Maya’s stickers, he gives her something for it.”

Liam raises his hand. “What if Maya says she never gave me the sticker?”

Rhun ap Iorwerth claims only Plaid Cymru can stop Reform taking power in the Senedd, as he urges Labour and Green voters to back him in a "straight fight" against Farage's party

“We spoke with voters who cast their ballots for Mr. Trump and said they were disappointed with his second term. A few said they even regretted their votes.”
— New York Times

MODERATOR: In one or two words, finish this sentence: “I’m feeling ‘blank’ about the Empire these days, now that the galactic superweapon I willingly supported hovers overhead.”

The income and wealth inequality that continues to grow in most advanced nations has led to some new terminology being introduced into the lexicon of economic terms, the – K-shaped economy: When growth moves in two different directions. When this pattern of growth is identified you know how far out of kilter the world has…

Showrunner Russell T. Davies shared his reaction to seeing this weekend's SNL UK - including that Doctor Who sketch - live in-studio.

I’m planning an affordable housing and homelessness study tour of Amsterdam and Rotterdam for February 2027. More info is available here: https://nickfalvo.ca/study-tours-2/

While discussing the recovered episodes, Doctor Who Showrunner Russell T. Davies shared why he hopes the Christmas Special goes spoiler-free.

The ichthyosaurs had some tremendous survival skills

The post What Hurt This Jurassic Sea Monster? appeared first on Nautilus.

Peter Raven, the transformative conservationist and father of “coevolution,” passed away this week

The post Farewell to a Giant of Botany appeared first on Nautilus.

After throwing their support behind Gov. Janet Mills, party leaders are left doing an about-face on the insurgent candidate.

The post Graham Platner Handed Centrist Dems a Bruising Defeat in Maine appeared first on The Intercept.

We know they’re there, we just don’t know how deep they are

The post Uncovering Hidden Martian Glaciers With Drones appeared first on Nautilus.

A conversation with renowned neuroscientists Lisa Feldman Barrett and Earl Miller about categories, “folk psychology,” beginner’s mind, and thinking fast and slow

The post How Does Your Brain Know a Cat Is a Cat? appeared first on Nautilus.

And when the trumpets sounded, behold, the lamb opened the first four seals, letting forth four horsemen upon the world of man. The first horse, signifying War, was adorned with golden, ill-fitting hair. He was recognized immediately as the great protector of Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone 2 and as a ’90s rap euphemism for wealth.

“You’re fired!” proclaimed the first horse. “Remember me? That was kind of my catchphrase in the early aughts.” He then remarked on the beauty of his daughters, thus bumming the vibe for all who heard.

And a second horse then approached, signifying Famine. The horse spoke thusly, with a gravelly voice, similar to his father’s, but lacking in charisma and clarity, “We’re going to end the war on red meat and bring back measles,” he said, clothed in the finest jeans and flanked by the sixth most popular nu metal artist of 1998. “The only cure for whooping cough is cod liver,” he proclaimed, dragging the carcass of a mighty, dead bear behind him.

A new-ish community gathering, happening May 2026.

In his lawsuit against OpenAI, Elon Musk evoked a “Terminator” scenario. He said nothing about the people AI is already killing.

The post Musk Warns of Killer AI — While He and the Rest of Silicon Valley Cash In on AI That Kills appeared first on The Intercept.

And what it has to do with Thomas Edison

The post Here’s Why Dreams During Naps Are So Weird appeared first on Nautilus.

MIRANDA PRIESTLY: You go to your floor beside your bed, and select that Nirvana shirt because you’re trying to tell the world that you are a proud Gen-Xer so moved in middle school by Kurt Cobain’s deadpan honesty and self-loathing that Nirvana became your favorite band, and now that you’re almost fifty, the nostalgia is unbearable… but what you don’t know is that Target licensed the “anti-corporate” band’s logo from massive global licensing hubs Live Nation Merchandise and Universal Music Group, off of which the band’s estate earns a significant portion of its revenue today.

You’re also blithely unaware of the massive legal battle over the iconic smiley face logo that Nirvana LLC claimed Cobain drew in 1991, and then I think it was Marc Jacobs who got sued by your favorite nonconformist punk alternative band for merely using a similar smiley face in one of his collections, sparking a lengthy legal war that only ended when former Geffen Records art director was able to prove he actually designed it. I think you need some pants now.