More On Boston

The Boston Marathon Bombing have sparked an incredible amount of stories.  If you're so inclined to read any of it, I've compiled a few of them below.  Observant readers may notice that great sources for information are @Mashable, @Alyssa_Milano, and Reddit.

My Previous Posts On This Topic:

About Today's Bombings

Young Turks On Reacting To Tragedy

Help For Victims & Their Loved Ones:

Register here to find loved ones. (via @MattersofGrey)

Immediate Aftermath:

Boston Blast: Man Knocked Over By Explosion, Got Up, Finished Race (via @nprnews)

Police Tweet Request for Video From Boston Marathon After Blast (via @mashable)

Obama Addresses the Nation Following Boston Blasts (via @mashable)

Aftermath of Boston Marathon Bombing: How Do Terrorists Use Improvised Explosive Devices? (via @sciam)

Inspiration And Stuff:

(via @Alyssa_Milano)

Did Mr. Rogers say that his mother responded to scary news by telling him, "Look for the helpers"? (via @snopes)

"This could help restore your faith in humanity after yesterday: http://bostonmarathonconspiracy.com/" (via HuffPost Politics)

Chicago Tribune Sports Section Expresses Solidarity With Boston After Marathon Bombings (PHOTO) (via @Alyssa_Milano)

10 Powerful Images of NYC Showing Its Love for Boston (via @Alyssa_Milano)

Boston Marathon Tragedy Met With Unbelievable Acts Of Kindness (via @Alyssa_Milano)

The Internet Offers Pizza to Displaced Boston Marathoners (via @mashable)

Boston Marathon Volunteer Who Helped Injured Shares Story on Reddit (via @mashable)

Official Responses:

American Humanist Association (via @hemantmehta)

American Atheists (via @hemantmehta)

On How To Deal With It:

Boston Marathon bombings: How to talk to your kids about tragedy (via @Alyssa_Milano)

Boston Marathon Explosions: How You Can Help (via Reddit)

Atheists Giving Aid - Boston Marathon Tragedy (via @OmahaCoR)

General:

Less Than Four Hours After Boston Bombings, There’s a Theory For Whatever You Want

The Boston bombing produces familiar and revealing reactions (via The Wrong Stuff)

Twitter Mentions of 'Boston' Increased 20,000% (via @mashable)

Rumors and conspiracy theories associated with the Boston Marathon bombing (via @snopes)

5 viral stories about Boston attacks that aren't true (via @Alyssa_Milano)

Atheist Groups Team Up to Fundraise for Boston Bombing Victims and Their Families (via @hemantmehta)

Our Values Must Unite Us After Tragedy in Boston (via @HuffPostRelig)

Other Compilations Of Links:

Live Update Thread On Reddit (via @mashable)

Live Update Thread #2 On Reddit

Live Update Thread #3 On Reddit

Live Update Thread #4 On Reddit

Live Update Thread #5 On Reddit

Live Update Thread #6 On Reddit

Live Update Thread #7 On Reddit

Live Update Thread #8 On Reddit

Live Update Thread #9 On Reddit

Summary Of Events On Reddit

Crazy People Reacted Too:

Alex Jones On Boston Blasts: U.S. Gov't Is "Prime Suspect"

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Saturday Morning Shares - 03-30-2013

Here's the links & tweets to share from the last week.  Most were also shared on this Facebook page or retweeted.  Please feel free to add any fun or informative stories I missed in the comments.

Random Stuff:

5 Alternatives to Unfriending Someone on Facebook (via @mashable)

Top NewsMax headlines. For those thinking NewMax reports news, you'd be wrong. It's all conservative BS twitpic.com/cdqyfx
— Clay Skot (@ClaySkot) March 23, 2013

Tea Partiers boycotting FOX News for being too leftist. (via @jteberhard)

(via George Takei)

Science!:

Gay Stuff:

GLAAD to Fox News: You're on Thin Ice (via The Advocate magazine)

(via Americans Against the Tea Party)

Religion Stuff:

(via Steven Olsen)

‘Militant Atheism’ Isn’t a Religion; It’s an Oxymoron (via @hemantmehta)

Creationist offers $10,000 to anyone willing to challenge literal interpretation of Genesis in court (via Bob)

How Skeptics Can Break the Cycle of False Beliefs (via Becky)

(via @hemantmehta)

Secular Coalition of America's Weekly Update:

National Secular Movement Update Call (03/28/2013)

Asshole Of The Week:

Once you redefine marriage - who's to say you can't redefine it again - and again - and again? "Do you Fluffy take this human..."
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) March 26, 2013

Funniness:

Is it ok to ask a very pregnant librarian if she's overdue?
— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) March 25, 2013

Saturday Morning Shares - 03-23-2013

Here's the links & tweets to share from the last week.  Most were also shared on this Facebook page or retweeted.  Please add any fun or informative stories I missed in the comments.

Random Stuff:

(via George Takei)

Science!:

There Are Whales Alive Today Who Were Born Before Moby Dick Was Written (via Sarah)

Two ships passing in the night: neuroscience and social media (via @Alyssa_Milano)

Shorter-winged swallows evolve around highways (via Mark)

Secular Coalition of America's Weekly Update:

National Secular Movement Update Call (03/21/2013)

Religion Stuff:

The High School Performing a Play About ‘Adam and Steve’ Isn’t Being Anti-Christian (via @hemantmehta)

(via Atheism)

Cardinal asserts that child raping priests shouldn’t be punished. (via @jteberhard)

Frans de Waal's Bottom-Up Morality: We're Not Good Because Of God (via Omaha Coalition of Reason)

(via @tsh1118)

An Increasing Number of Atheist and Agnostic Alcoholics Anonymous Groups Are Altering the Twelve Steps (via @hemantmehta)

Digital Bible Reaches 100 Million Listeners (via @mashable)

Atheist Student Questioned By Police For Being an Atheist (via Kansas City Atheist Coalition (KCAC))

Expert: Gay Rights Opponents Misrepresenting Religious Liberty

(via @jteberhard)

ACT NOW:  Tell your Senators not to use your taxpayer money to fund religious schools! (via @OmahaCoR)

Pope Stuff:

Geography of the Conclave: Where Do the Cardinals Come From? (via @ZacharyNelson)

(via Rational Hub)

Asshole Of The Week:

Saturday Morning Shares - 03-09-2013

Slow news week?  Here's a few things I found worth sharing.  Please feel free to add to it in the comments.

Random:

(via @ThinkGeek)

Science!:

Is This Star Older Than the Universe? (via @mashable)

Rare Photos Capture Two Comets Together in Night Sky (via @mashable)

Forest Whitaker's Non-Profit Thinks Tech Will Bring Peace to Africa (via @mashable)

About Religion:

Secular Coalition of America's Weekly Conference Call (03-07-2013)

Asshole Of The Week:

Anti-faith secularists are holding up scientific progress: USCCB pro-life official

Saturday Morning Shares 02-23-2013

Here's what I found to share during the last week:

Not At All About Religion:

5 Creative Uses for Old USB Flash Drives on.mash.to/Xn7sl2

— Pete Cashmore (@mashable) February 20, 2013

Calvin and Hobbes Photoshopped Into Photographs of Real

On Religion:

Police called to DMV after man refuses to remove pasta strainer from head | The Raw Story

 How To Suck At Your Religion - The Oatmeal

Zack Kopplin, The 19-Year-Old Face of the Anti-Creationist Movement (From Atheist Youth)

Godless Groups Just Get Together To Do Shit dlvr.it/2yp3GS
— BibleName (@BibleName) February 18, 2013

You could have the best atheist career ever: working for @campquest! bit.ly/UMVu7z
— JT Eberhard (@jteberhard) February 21, 2013

And some about our friends at the Vatican:

Vatican raises possibility of breaking tradition and starting papal election much earlier huff.to/XccoMG
— HuffPost Religion (@HuffPostRelig) February 16, 2013

Benedict, in apparent fear of legal prosecution, will remain in the Vatican indefinitely: ow.ly/hLXFL
— KC Atheist Coalition (@KCAtheists) February 16, 2013

Cardinal Roger Mahony: I Forgive Those Who Are Angry at Me for Covering Up Child Rape bit.ly/WEmPr5
— Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) February 18, 2013

Catholic School Administrator Fired for Supporting Marriage Equality in Blog Post bit.ly/XONcvA
— Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) February 16, 2013

 Papal resignation linked to inquiry into 'Vatican gay officials', says paper

Want To Name Pluto's Moons?

Pluto has a few moons that need names, and the public's input is being requested. Visit plutorocks.com^[1] to vote.

They have a pre-selected list to choose from, following the tradition of pulling from the mythology of Ancient Greece. But they're also allowing write-in votes. I think the Internet would missing a opportunity if we didn't have a campaign to write-in the name Tyson[^[2][3][4].

Too bad we'll probably end up getting them named after cats^[5].

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1.  Found via @mashable
2.  Space.com, Astronomer Responds to Pluto-Not-a-Planet Claim

3.  

4.  
5.  NPR, The Iron Is Out, A Cat Is In As 'Monopoly' Changes Game Pieces

We Should Try Science In America

I doubt I have to convince many inclined to read a blog with the word "atheist" in the title how awesome science is.  It brings us new and amazing things on a regular basis.  And that brings us to Glow-in-the-Dark Highways.  

By mid-2013, the country will use photo-luminizing powder to replace road markings and ultimately produce glow-in-the-dark tarmacs, Wired.Co.UK reports.

The powder will charge on sunlight, soaking up enough energy to power 10 hours worth of highway light during nighttime. Special paint will also be used to draw snowflakes across the roads. The snowflakes will only become visible when the temperature dips to a certain point, indicating to commuters that the surface is likely slippery.

This is in the Netherlands.  Not America.  The Netherlands.  And this is just one thing.  They have further plans.

Within the next five years, the Netherlands hopes to add interactive lights along highway routes that power on when cars pass them and even wind-powered illumination.

I'm not so jingoistic as to think European shouldn't be doing cool stuff.  But it would be nice if it were that they doing cool stuff too, instead of them doing it while we do nothing.  Can you see something innovative like that happening in America?  I can't.  At least not with today's current political environment.  We're too worried about cutting everyone's taxes instead of paying our bills.  How could we be expected to actually make the investments that would get us the technology of the future?

(found via @mashable)