Tag: information

sixpenceee:

Earth’s Moon is normally seen in subtle shades of grey or yellow. But small color differences have been greatly exaggerated to make this dramatic mosaic image of the Moon’s gibbous phase. Though exaggerated, the different colors are recognized to correspond to real differences in the chemical makeup of the lunar surface – blue hues reveal titanium rich areas while orange and purple colors show regions relatively poor in titanium and iron. (Source)

unexplained-events:

Galen’s Hidden Text

This 1400 year old book of archaic hymns and religious text is being examined by scientist at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California. It’s being examined not because it’s a priceless and historic artifact, but because the original text contained in the book belonged to Galen of Pergamon, a Greek physician and philosopher born under the Roman Empire during the 2nd century.

 He was known as one of the greatest medical minds of antiquity. The parchment contained within this 1400 year old book was originally inscribed with the teachings of Galen, translated by an unknown hand centuries after the physician’s death, before being hidden by psalms for an entire millennium. Scientist believe that Galen’s text was covered up for economic reasons (parchment used to be expensive) and not for malicious reasons.

For nearly a decade, scientists and scholars have been using multi-spectral imaging to try to reveal the scrubbed traces of the ancient underlying text, and thanks to a team at SLAC’s Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, we might finally succeed in deciphering the hidden words. What they have found so far has been “incredibly mind-blowing” and they still have over 200 pages left to decode.

SOURCE

We’re taking steps to protect against future interference in our political conversation by state-sponsored propaganda campaigns

hyperewok1:

knitmeapony:

staff:

Hi Tumblr,

We’re all grappling with the influence that state-sponsored disinformation campaigns can have on our political conversations—and how wide-spread that interference turned out to be. So please take a moment to read this, think about it, and talk about it.

Last fall, we uncovered 84 Tumblr accounts linked to the Russian government through the Internet Research Agency, or IRA. These accounts were being used as part of a disinformation campaign leading up to the 2016 U.S. election. After uncovering the activity, we notified law enforcement, terminated the accounts, and deleted their original posts. Behind the scenes, we worked with the Department of Justice, and the information we provided helped indict 13 people who worked for the IRA.

Now that the investigations are done, we want to let you know how we’re going to help protect Tumblr in the future and what you can do to help.

Here’s what we know about these accounts

The IRA employs more than 1,000 people who engage in electronic disinformation and propaganda campaigns around the world using phony social media accounts. Their goal is to sow division and discontent in the countries they target. What makes them so difficult to spot is that they’re not spambots. They’re real people who get trained and paid to spread propaganda.

As far as we can tell, the IRA-linked accounts were only focused on spreading disinformation in the U.S., and they only posted organic content. We didn’t find any indication that they ran ads.

Remember, the IRA and other state-sponsored disinformation campaigns play off our zero-sum politics. They want to drive a wedge between us so that we spend our time fighting with each other instead of building towards the future. We’ll be watching for signs of future activity, but the best defense is knowing how they operate and how to judge the content you see.

What we’re doing in response to the interference

First, we’ll be emailing anyone who liked, reblogged, replied to, or followed an IRA-linked account with the list of usernames they engaged with.

Second, we’re going to start keeping a public record of usernames we’ve linked to the IRA or other state-sponsored disinformation campaigns. We’re committed to transparency and want you to know everything that we know.

We’ve decided to leave up any reblog chains that might be on your Tumblrs—you can choose to leave them or delete them. We’re letting you decide because the reblog chains contain posts created by real Tumblr users, often challenging or debunking the false and incideniary claims in the IRA-linked original post. Removing those authentic posts without your consent would encroach on your free speech—and there have been enough disruptions to our conversations as it is.

What we’re doing to stop future disinformation campaigns

You’ve probably read that U.S. intelligence officials expect foreign agents to try similar propaganda campaigns in the future. We’ll be monitoring Tumblr for signs of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, and if we see anything we will


  • Terminate the accounts and remove their original posts.
  • Notify you if we determine that you’ve liked, reblogged, replied to, or followed a propaganda account.
  • Add the username to the public record.
  • Alert law enforcement.

There are also things you can do to help stop the spread of disinformation and propaganda.

  1. Be aware that people want to manipulate the conversation. Knowing that disinformation and propaganda accounts are out there makes it harder for them to operate. The News Literacy Project has this handy checklist for spotting their tricks.
  2. Be skeptical of things you read. Disinformation campaigns work because they know people don’t fact check. Look for reliable sources, and double-check that the source really says the same thing as the post. You can also check Snopes and Politifact. Both are award-winning resources and usually have the latest viral claim fact checked on the front page. 
  3. Correct the record. When you see people spreading misinformation—even unintentionally—politely say something in a reblog or reply. If it’s your friend, send them a message to let them know.

One last note: Please vote.

Transparency won’t mean a thing if we don’t participate in the process. Whatever your political stance, voting ensures a government that represents your interests. For our U.S. users: You can register online or by mail, and many states are holding primaries right now.

Honestly, you know Facebook is fucked up when the Tumblr staff manages to get it more right than they do

Hey how about those anti-propaganda tactics, like the radical notion of fact checking and getting sources before you reblog 

coralstuffandthings:

Saltykova was born to into wealth and luxury in 1730. 

 Some state that the reason for her decline into madness was a love affair gone sour. She took a lover after her husband died, and when he betrayed her, she nearly killed him with her own hands. Her lover and his lover fled from the region, but the incident seemed to awaken a kind of bloodlust in Saltykova. Though she was a woman of great refinement, she became famous for her tempers and her sudden mood swings. 

Court records from her trial stated that she would grow incensed and suddenly throw logs at the girls who were trying to serve her. Sometimes this would quell her rage, but other times, she would simply begin to beat them violently.

Eventually, Saltykova’s violent outbursts became even more cruel. There were whispered reports of her casting young women and girls into the snow to die of cold, of beating them until their bones broke and of pouring boiling water over their bare bodies.

She continued with these terrible murders until 1762. That was the year when two serfs finally presented their case to Catherine II, the empress of Russia.

Catherine II proclaimed a strange sentence on Saltykova. She was to be displayed for an hour in Moscow’s famous Red Square wearing a sign that said “I have tortured and murdered.”

she spent the next 33 years of her life imprisoned. At first she was kept in a windowless cell in absolute darkness. A nun would come and offer her food and a candle, removing the candle when the food was done. In later years, she would be allowed to go to church, though she could only stand outside and hear the sermon, though not enter.

Source: coralstuffandthings

Ch138 (Text Spoilers)

akumadeenglish:

Okay, I read ch138 and it was completely different from what I had expected, but it was interesting nevertheless. I never thought OC and Sebastian had negotiated the (conditions of the) contract in such detail lol.

Anyway here are my personal highlights of this chapter. 

Warning: TEXT SPOILERS

Sebastian vs. OC – round 1 (real Ciel’s death)

  • Sebastian tells OC that he has 3 wishes and the first thing OC asks Sebastian is whether it’s possible to bring back dead people.
  • Sebastian’s like “Yeah sure, you want to live a happy, peaceful life with your brother? I’ll grant you that.”, but OC sees through Sebastian’s lie and says “You are lying. You said ‘what has been sacrificed can’t be returned anymore’. So all you can do is make me ‘believe’ that Ciel is alive, but in fact you can’t bring him back. Am I right?”.
  • Sebastian is impressed by OC like “Oh, you are smarter than I thought. But well, if I can make you ‘believe’ that your brother is still alive, it doesn’t really matter whether your brother really is alive or dead, no?” to which OC reacts like “f*ck you”

Sebastian vs. OC – round 2 (conditions of the contract)

  • Sebastian: “Oh by the way, wishes such as ‘granting more wishes’ or ‘canceling the the contract’ are invalid.”
  • OC: “Dammit.”  
  • this was the funniest part imo xD

Sebastian vs. OC – round 3 (poor OC)

  • OC chooses his 3 wishes very carefully in order not to get deceived/betrayed by Sebastian. But only after OC said his third and last wish and the contract was officially formed, Sebastian reveals the most important condition of the contract, namely that he’ll get OC’s soul as a reward at the end of the contract. Hence, OC’s shocked face at the end of the chapter.

Most important part of this month’s chapter: Foreshadowing(?) related to OC’s health

  • There’s a scene where OC wonders why he hasn’t had any asthma attacks lately. So it seems it’s not plot convenience that a sickly & asthmatic child like OC survived that 1 month in that horrible state, but there definitely seems to be a good reason for that. Maybe there was something like

    Munchausen syndrome by proxy going on between OC and RC, idk.

Anyway, I had secretly hoped this chapter would conclude the flashback, and therefore I’m a little bit sad we’re still stuck with it, but this month’s chapter was really good and I liked it!! 😀 

EDIT:

Forgot to mention one thing. I think with this chapter we finally got the answer to the question “What was OC referring to when he asked Sebastian ‘You wouldn’t lie to me?” in ch128?”.

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I assume OC wanted Sebastian to once again confirm the fact that it is impossible to bring back dead people. And Sebastian’s reply “No, Sir. Regrettably, I do not tell lies”

image

is basically him re-confirming that not even demons can bring dead people back to life.

my-hardcore-kittens:

indie—cat:

rainamermaid:

memewhore:

sean3116:

sixpenceee:

As someone who wants to study the human consciousness I found this very interesting.

Scott Routley was a “vegetable”. A car accident seriously injured both sides of his brain, and for 12 years, he was completely unresponsive.

Unable to speak or track people with his eyes, it seemed that Routley was unaware of his surroundings, and doctors assumed he was lost in limbo. They were wrong.

In 2012, Professor Adrian Owen decided to run tests on comatose patients like Scott Routley. Curious if some “vegetables” were actually conscious, Owen put Routley in an fMRI and told him to imagine walking through his home. Suddenly, the brain scan showed activity. Routley not only heard Owen, he was responding.

Next, the two worked out a code. Owen asked a series of “yes or no” questions, and if the answer was “yes,” Routley thought about walking around his house. If the answer was “no,” Routley thought about playing tennis.

These different actions showed activity different parts of the brain. Owen started off with easy questions like, “Is the sky blue?” However, they changed medical science when Owen asked, “Are you in pain?” and Routley answered, “No.” It was the first time a comatose patient with serious brain damage had let doctors know about his condition.

While Scott Routley is still trapped in his body, he finally has a way to reach out to the people around him. This finding has huge implications.

SOURCE

HOLY STEAMING SHITFUCKS

WHY IS EVERYONE NOT LOSING THEIR SHIT ABOUT THIS

What a fucking nightmare, just kill me.

I know a girl who was hit by a drunk driver and in that state for a year. When she woke up the first thing she did was tell off the doctor who tried to convince her mom to pull the plug. She heard *everything* while being called brain dead.

Omg^

Source: sixpenceee

i don’t really understand why you would be pro-zoo. like i understand nature reserves and sanctuaries where people can observe from afar, but it doesn’t seem right to me when they’re locked up in generally small confined areas for people to watch them do nothing all day. idk maybe i’m getting this wrong, and i still really respect you, i just don’t understand this. like i interned at a zoo and felt uncomfortable with how small their living areas were and how they had no stimulation

loveiseldritch:

kd-concannoness:

elenilote:

oscarwetnwilde:

zoogeek327:

nyxetoile:

merp-a-derp69:

useless-zoofacts:

bigcatawareness:

Zoos don’t look like this anymore.

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They look like this:

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Good zoos do not keep their animals in “tiny spaces” with no enrichment.  I’m not pro-roadside zoo.  I’m pro-accredited zoo.  Zoos are incredibly important for conservation and education.

There should be way more pictures of modern zoos so i just add some more

Seriously zoos do so much important conservation work as well I hate when people shit all over zoos as if the animals are locked up and not looked after

The SF Zoo has two sea lions. Now, if you know SF, you know that sea lions are a Thing. They’re all over Pier 39 and various other beaches in N California. In fact, the zoo is near the ocean, so there are sea lions not 200 yards from the zoo entrance. So having sea lions in the zoo seems sort of superfluous.

Except the sea lions are blind. One was found as an adult after suffering a gun shot wound to the face that destroyed his eyes. The other was found as an adolescent, weak and starving because it had been blinded and unable to hunt. So they were rescued and introduced and the zoo built them a nice pool where they can swim and sunbathe and people toss them fish. It’s not the biggest exhibit, or the fanciest. But it’s a home for them, where they’re safe and well fed. Sea lions aren’t the most romantic of animals, but they’re a part of SF culture and a lot of us have a soft spot for the loud, bulbous things. And because of zoos, these two get to live long, happy lives.

Whenever anyone complains about zoos, I think about Silent Knight and Henry. 

I think it’s St. Louis zoo that is saving big cats in Africa. Scientists couldn’t figure out what was killing off the local lion population. They were dying off from Canine Distemper. The local unvaccinated dogs of the towns would spread the disease to other animals or have it themselves. When the lions ate the infected animals they would catch it as well. You know what that Zoo is doing to stop this disease? They are going over to those towns and vaccinating the dogs for free. The community loves it and people from other villages comes for miles to get their dogs vaccinated as well.

They also do work with camel populations because the local human population use the camels for food sources the zoos help monitor the camels health.

Another zoo, I want to say it’s the Oregon zoo but don’t quote me on that, is helping female inmates. The zoo works with the female prisons by encouraging the inmates to assist in the breeding and raising of endangered species of butterflies. They plant the specific plants that the butterflies and catapillars need, raise them, and release them. These inmates get noted in any scientific journals that get published. They are giving these inmates a sense of accomplishment and validation.

Zoos not only save species but bring together and assist communities in an effort to save the environment. Zoos, good zoos, are essential to the future and I will fight anyone who tries to say otherwise.

PS you don’t see PETA doing any of this.

One of the local zoos in my area at one point rescued a bald eagle that had been shot and kept it in the zoo to let it recuperate until they freed it again. Some of the zoos in my state will keep injured animals there until they heal again.

Helsinki Zoo is the world leader in snow leopard and Amur leopard conservation, in their care these endangered species have managed to breed more than anywhere else in captivity and this in turn has enabled the re-introduction of these animals back to their native habitats. https://www.korkeasaari.fi/helsinki-zoo/

I work at a zoo that is instrumental in the California Condor recovery program (among dozens of other conservation projects). We went from 42 surviving individuals left to over 400, over 200 of whom are in the wild. We’re part of the amur leopard species survival plan with two young animals who are eagerly attempting to make babies. We host one of North America’s only bachelor troops of western lowland gorillas, preserving the social structure of wild gorillas. All of our bald eagles are rescues who would not survive in the wild. All our keepers participate in field research and conservation work in addition to a full time team of conservationists. We host the most genetically valuable male Masai giraffe in North America, who has sired 5 offspring with 1 on the way, increasing the genetic diversity of his entire species. If you’re against zoos, you don’t know what zoos do.

Want to be sure a zoo is accredited? Check out the AZA (association of zoos and aquariums) website. They check every zoo at least every 5 years and have standards for everything and anything, including diet, habitat, medical care, enrichment, safety, financial stability, breeding and conservation programs, education, etc. I kid you not, if they find one enclosure that they say isn’t big enough they often pull the accreditation on the spot.