Pocket Reading List : Week 2 of April
Study Finds Jack Shit : This story just might hit close to home for a lot of people in science/academia/research. Although it is a satirical piece by the Onion on how a study ended without producing any meaningful results and what the opinions and mood of the researchers involved are, a lot of what's written actually happens. A lot of the time research, addressing a question simply leads to another. Money goes down the drain. Years spent analysing data or conducting the survey turn to dust. People are driven into depression. So, the next time you come across that scientist friend of yours, hug him and tell him that it'll be alright!
“Moon Hoax Not”: Short Film Explains Why It Was Impossible to Fake the Moon Landing : I strongly believe in the fact that NASA landed man on the moon. Multiple times. It's not even belief at this moment. It's blind faith, much like religious faith of a large portion of my family. I've argued with people who don't believe in the moon landing and call it a hoax. I've read about how to disprove the arguments that these non-believers give. This video gave me a completely new set of rebuttals and ways to prove the non-believers and conspiracy theorists. It talks about how it was technically not feasible for NASA to record and playback the whole thing given the state of the recording and playback instruments at the time! And he also comes off as funny and sarcastic. I don't know how he does it!
The Seas Will Save Us: How an Army of Ocean Farmers are Starting an Economic Revolution : This is a brilliant article, which I have been pondering upon everyday. In fact, this article is seriously making me consider quitting what I'm doing now to become a fisherman. Rather, a sea farmer. The article talks about an ex-fisherman who was driven further and further out into the sea every year to catch fish and make a living who now grows sea weed in the ocean to make a living. It's surprising that we ignore a large portion of plant life, albeit under water, from our diet, even though it's just as, if not more, nutritious! It also talks about the need for a new model of economy that benefits the farmer and not the middle man!
These Birds Learn to Recognize Humans They Hate : Birds fascinate me! I've lived for six and a half years on a beautiful campus filled with mesmerising bird songs early in the morning and luckily I'm now living in a huge township that is just as, if not more, diverse in terms of the bird species that inhabit it! This article is an account of how one species of birds can recognise humans, specifically their faces, who posed a threat or caused harm to them or their brethren earlier.
Sherpa: They Die, We Go Home : Scores of westerners try to climb the everest every year. And a lot of them die in the process. Which are of course reported in the news and what not. What goes unreported, as this article points out, is the fact that for every paying westerner who dies trying to climb the everest, there is atleast, if not more than, one Sherpa who also dies. Sherpa are the people who carry the equipment. Who pave the path and make it more secure. And while the agencies that bring the westerners earn in Dollars, the Sherpa probably get paid in Rupees i.e a lot of money is being made by the man-in-the-middle. I, personally, would not put another man's life in risk just to climb, what is currently, the highest peak in the world.