I remember exactly when I read Project Hail Mary. I had picked it up because I liked The Martian, but I didn’t expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. What stayed with me wasn’t just the story, but the science behind it. Astrophage, Tau Ceti, the Eridians… it all…
Category: Pop Culture & Little Delights
Pop Culture & Little Delights
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Magneto vs Wolverine: Who Are We Really?
I recently watched all the X-Men movies again, and it took me back to the first time I discovered that world. I think X-Men was actually what introduced me to mutants and superheroes in the first place. The first comic book I clearly remember reading was an X-Men comic, and…
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What Drivers Really Look Like on the Motorway: A Small Study No One Asked For
AbstractRoad travel gives a small but interesting view into human feelings. During a motorway journey of about 65 miles, I carried out a simple observation from the passenger seat to look at the faces of nearby drivers. Drivers were grouped by whether they appeared to be men or women, and…
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Train Dreams
Spoilers ahead! As a self-confessed cinephile, I’ve watched a lot of films over the years. Some of them I forget almost immediately. I might remember that I watched them, but not much else. Others stay with you long after the credits roll. There are films I gave no thought to…
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Getting Back to Reading!
I went through a phase where I just didn’t read. I still liked books. I still bought them occasionally. I just never finished them. By the time the kids were in bed and the house was quiet, my brain was tired. Reading felt like another task instead of something relaxing,…
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Odd and Beautiful!
There’s something very reassuring about being “normal.” Normal people wake up at reasonable hours, eat sensible breakfasts, maintain well-behaved hobbies, and rarely insert sharp objects into their own eyes. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that the people who changed our understanding of the world were rarely tidy,…
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The Night That Created Frankenstein: Storms, Genius, Tragedy, and Why I’m Finally Ready to Watch the New Netflix Adaptation
Every once in a while, a story rises quietly from the corners of literary history and taps me on the shoulder. Lately, it has been Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, especially now that Netflix has released a new adaptation starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi. I see it everywhere. Numerous bloggers have spoken…
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When Scientists Weren’t Nerds: An Unexpected Discovery
Recently, I found myself revisiting some of my favourite scientific personalities. It began, as it often does, with Richard Feynman. His book Surely You’re Joking, Mr Feynman! has always been one of those rare reads that makes science feel playful. Instead of the stiff, socially withdrawn image we often associate with scientists,…
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The World of Pluribus: Do I Want That?
If you’ve watched the first two episodes of Pluribus, it’s hard not to ask: what if our world really became a shared mind? No more wars and hate; a planet synchronized by euphoria and “humanity.” Given how things are going, that doesn’t sound so terrible. My husband disagrees. He thinks…
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United by Storytelling – A Day at MCM Comic Con London
The underground to ExCeL was choked with people of all sorts, in the most fascinating costumes you could imagine. Capes brushed against coats, wigs in every colour of the rainbow bobbed in the crowd, and lightsabers peeked out of rucksacks. If you were unaware of what was happening at ExCeL…