Magnetic coil setup guides microrobots without seeing them SMU researchers have created an electromagnetic coil system that can control microrobots without requiring continuous visual tracking of their position—a significant advancement that could enable micr...

Sometimes my curious scifi writer's brain must post articles that need to find their way into a script: techxplore.com/news/2026-04...

Hygroscopic salts pull lithium from mining waste using only moisture from air The world cannot have enough of the third element on the periodic table. From smartphones and laptops to state-of-the-art EVs, all are powered by lithium batteries. The demand for metal is only going ...

Some #goodnews in energy innovation this am: techxplore.com/news/2026-03...

“Vice President JD Vance thinks aliens are visiting earth and that they are Demons” is the most “I wish Carl Sagan were alive” moment I’ve had in a while.

Kentucky woman rejects $26M offer to turn her farm into a data center | TechCrunch A "major artificial intelligence company" reportedly offered a Kentucky family $26 million to build a data center on their farm.

Love this news. Good on them:

techcrunch.com/2026/03/24/k...

Project CETI on Instagram: "Moment-by-moment of a sperm whale birth. A new CETI paper, published in @nature.portfolio’s Scientific Reports, details the first time a sperm whale birth has been scienti... projectceti on March 26, 2026: "Moment-by-moment of a sperm whale birth. A new CETI paper, published in @nature.portfolio’s Scientific Reports, details the first time a sperm whale birth has been sci...

The carousel post from Project CETI on IG is glorious: www.instagram.com/p/DWW_ApkCEe...

Scientists captured female sperm whales on video working together during a birth to protect the calf Scientists have captured rare footage of a sperm whale giving birth, offering a window into the large mammals' behavior.

This is the most incredible footage and research by Project CETI. Two families of female sperm whales assisted in the birth of the calf and lifted it up for hours to breathe until it was able to swim. The cooperation! Simply awe inspiring.

apnews.com/article/sper...

White and brown husky dog sleeping on a trio of stuffed animals.

Doom Scroll Break!

Kubo reminding us that it’s okay to lean on our friends when we need to.

screenshot of a resignation letter expressing sadness at leaving NASA

My resignation letter

Film Review: “Project Hail Mary” - The Sweet Smell of Science Fiction Wonder - The Arts Fuse "Project Hail Mary" is an antidote to dystopias, real and imagined.

I'm a new fan of @theartsfuse.bsky.social and their Review of “Project Hail Mary”: The Sweet Smell of Science Fiction Wonder (Also agree with their review of Marty Supreme) artsfuse.org/325954/film-...

This High School Student Invented a Filter That Eliminates 96 Percent of Microplastics From Drinking Water Virginia teenager Mia Heller’s filtration system harnesses the power of ferrofluid, a magnetic oil that binds to microplastics in flowing water

And now some actual good news

"Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul"
-Marcus Aurelius "Meditations" 180 AD

(Doesn't apply to Marc Andreessen)

Being reminded that exactly 6 years ago today I was in NOLA prepping to shoot a movie and production was halted because of Covid. I flew back to LA the next day, Fri 3/13, just as the world shut down.

Taking the moment to reflect and yes, grieve.

It’s almost Pi Day again?!

(that’s the post)

Future Vision XPRIZE Win $2M+ depicting a hopeful and optimistic vision of the future with a sci-fi sizzle. Show the world a future worth building.

For years I’ve argued we need more “protopian” future stories on screen, not just dystopias.

Finally someone with clout and connections is putting money towards it. Check out the announcement for Peter Diamandis’ $3.5M Future Vision XPRIZE. Let's GOOO 🚀🌎
futurevisionxprize.com
#filmmaking #scifi

Me too! Do you have a favorite film(s) that showcase more hopeful futures?

Future Vision XPRIZE Win $2M+ depicting a hopeful and optimistic vision of the future with a sci-fi sizzle. Show the world a future worth building.

For years I’ve argued we need more “protopian” future stories on screen, not just dystopias.

Finally someone with clout and connections is putting money towards it. Check out the announcement for Peter Diamandis’ $3.5M Future Vision XPRIZE. Let's GOOO 🚀🌎
futurevisionxprize.com
#filmmaking #scifi

Took me long enough, but finally jumped into The Broken Earth trilogy. @nkjemisin.bsky.social is brilliant- this storyworld is riveting and has so much to teach. (And love reading how @philplait.bsky.social and a NASA meetup were original influences 🪐 )

The New Scratch How is anyone who writes making any money right now?

“We are living through a moment where the labor of writers is being exploited to create rapacious technologies that make everything stupider, exponentially hasten the demise of the planet’s ecosystems, and prop up fascists and dictators worldwide.”

Enter SCRATCH www.talkscratch.com/the-new-scra...

I chopped my hair AND Netflix pulled out the WBD deal.
#crazytimes #hollywood

A low angle photo of two palm trees at night with the crescent moon and planets and stars behind them

"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." —Buddha

I want to be @astrokatie.com when I grow up.

...If the big tech CEOs and the govt. tell me to eradicate poverty, hunger, disease, climate breakdown... okay great. But they aren't. They talk about innovation & efficiencies. And putting ads in your chatbot apps. Market economics solves everything? I'm so disappointed.

Watching the Eric Dane message that he left his daughters, thinking on disease, inequality and hunger at a time where 600 billion dollars will be spent on AI infrastructure next year. For what? Seriously. FOR WHAT?...

The venerable monks’ 2300 mile 108 day walk for peace has had such a profound impact on me, and I know I’m not alone. My heart is full that they have reached D.C now garnering world wide attention, and hope for their message to be felt far and wide. Stay safe.

WestJet won’t fly to 10 U.S. cities this summer amid ‘notable’ travel decline | Globalnews.ca WestJet says several routes to U.S. cities are being suspended for summer 2026 as fewer Canadians are travelling south of the border.

16 routes suspended this summer due to drop in demand. it’s hard to fathom the cross border damage this admin has done in just a year. globalnews.ca/news/1166119...

Prominent climate scientist argues it's time to ditch the 'myth of neutrality' | CBC Radio Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe talks to Bob McDonald about the polarization of science and why she thinks scientists should stop pretending to be neutral when it's our planet at risk.

“Scientists should stop trying to be neutral and instead embrace their values,”says a group of top climate scientists, including @katharinehayhoe.com. The neutrality myth is harming the reputation of science right when we need it most.” #ClimateCrisis

Science isn’t neutral. It’s science.

Such an incredible 17 days for my hometown. I didn't know you were such a seminal part of it.

Why we need more older female role models at work Aging men are cast as mentors, leaders, or lovers; aging women are quietly written out, unless they conform to unrealistic beauty standards.

"When women in their 50s or 60s are made visible, it is often on the condition that they look 10 or 20 years younger..." Vital article by Laetitia Vitaud - w/ research from @geenadavisorg.bsky.social. www.fastcompany.com/91480383/why...

Once Thought To Support Neurons, Astrocytes Turn Out To Be in Charge | Quanta Magazine New experiments reveal how astrocytes tune neuronal activity to modulate our mental and emotional states. The results suggest that neuron-only brain models, such as connectomes, leave out a crucial…

While neurons engage in short-range, rapid-fire signaling, astrocytes monitor higher-level network activity. When vertebrate animals are startled, for instance, astrocytes trigger the brain to switch into a dramatically different state.

Good night, #FlowerReport.

Thank you for encouraging
different ways of seeing life.

Dream well.

Alt text would have been:

On the end of a stem is a bead of water. Refracted, upside down within the bead is a bright pink and white wild radish flower, that can also be seen, blurred, beyond.