Friday Links (voles in danger edition)

I am happy that it is Friday. I am even more happy that it is not last Friday. My father entered hospice care last Friday midday, but before he was transferred from the hospital there was some wholly unnecessary drama which kicked off a series of triangulation attempts the likes of which you wouldn't believe. Seriously, if I wrote in a novel the altercation that resulted, it would be universally panned as wholly unbelievable. Anyway, that seems to be over, now. Though I was 1200 miles from the funeral, so if anything happened there I might not hear about it for a while.

Oh, wait, I promised someone I would phrase things this way: We weren't really close. We hardly ever spoke for forty years.

Meanwhile, here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week, sorted into various topic areas.

Link of the Week

What I Gained from Having a Miscarriage: When It Comes to Pregnancy Loss, There's So Much We Don't Talk About or Understand.

This Week in Tech

Confessions of a Luddite professor: Hi, my name is Dan, and I have grown wary of using technology in the classroom.

This Week in Diversity

Merriam-Webster brilliantly smacks down complaints about new ’politically correct’ dictionary words.

Savage Love Letter of the Day: Bonus Reader Advice for Kids Who've Lost Parents to Fox News.

How to Explain Mansplaining.

This week in People Doing Good Things

A compassionate judge sentences a veteran to 24 hours in jail, then joins him behind bars.

This week in Topics Most People Can't Be Rational About

Twenty Years Ago, Australia Found a Way to Stop Mass Shootings. It Worked.

News for queers and our allies:

Instead of trying to ‘fix’ me, my mom protected me from her homophobic boyfriend: The first time someone slurred me with the other f-word, she had my back.

Gay Men Tell Us Why They Wouldn't Choose to Be Straight.

LGBT anti-discrimination employment bill advances in Louisiana Senate.

Senate Dems Introduce Bill To Ban Ex-Gay Torture.

NCAA adopts anti-discrimination process for sites bidding on championships.

Science!

The extinction crisis in a warming world - North America’s most endangered mammals: the Amargosa vole.

An Image Processing Trick Shows Mars in Unprecedented Detail.

300TB of Data From the Large Hadron Collider Are Now Available to Download. I'm going to need more hard drives...

Absolutely Massive Subglacial Lake Found Beneath Antarctica's Ice.

THE SCIENTIFIC REASON WHY MEN GROW BEARDS.

Researchers have accidentally made batteries that could last 400 times longer.

Motherly love helps children's brains grow bigger, scientists find .

An orbiting 'Microscope' is about to discover if Einstein was right.

Risks of harm from spanking confirmed by analysis of 5 decades of research.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

Hugo awards shortlist dominated by rightwing campaign.

The Hugo finalists: John Scalzi on why the sad puppies can't take credit for Neil Gaiman's success.

A discussion on twitter with a rabid puppy.

...most of the finalists on this year's ballot have no business being on any awards list of any kind. Some of them really didn't deserve to be published to begin with, and probably wouldn't have been if it were not for a certain racist, sexist, homophobic dipshit with an ax to grind and a pile of money handed to him by his mother.

We Have Always Been Here & Always Will Be: On the Hugo Awards and Cultural Vandalism.

This week in Writing

More Omniscient.

This Week in History

The Forgotten Lessons of the American Eugenics Movement.

Culture war news:

Rated “R” for Research: Sexualizing Women’s Health and Censoring Student Research at UMBC.

All the Things You Can No Longer Buy if You’re Really Boycotting Trans-Friendly Businesses.

People in Stone Mountain Park, Georgia valiantly defend racist flag.

Theater Takes Legal Action Over Utah Deadpool Censorship.

When Doctors Refuse to Treat LGBT Patients.

Newsweek's bold new cover: Women bleed. Get over it.

'These Freaks Are Going To Get Us All Killed': Rick Wiles Warns Target Restroom Policy Will Spark Nuclear War.

Oxford, Alabama to Jail Transgender People for Using ‘Wrong’ Bathroom.

This Week in the Clown Car

THE KILLER INSIDE ME - I CAN'T HATE TED CRUZ — WE HAVE TOO MUCH IN COMMON. "My empathy for Ted stems from recognizing not just a shared freakish compulsion to quantify human interaction, but sensing that it comes from the same source: We were both smart kids who changed schools a lot and had driven, professional parents... Ted’s and my paths diverged very shortly after we came up with our respective crusades of middle-school Machiavellianism. After I put together my “Mission: Popular” plan, I didn’t go through with it... Cruz, on the other hand, not only went through with his plan, but — to this day — believes it worked. He thinks it’s still working."

Women play the #womancard on Twitter in response to Trump.

10 reasons Cruz’s Fiorina gambit will likely flop.

Nutbag Cruz Supporter Steve Deace Melts Down On CNN, Screams That Everybody Is Lying.

Trump refuses to rule out nuclear strike against ISIL.

This week in Other Politics:

What Hillary Clinton gets that Bernie Sanders doesn’t: Identity politics.

The Return of the Women Scorned: We're still coming to grips with 1990s misogyny, which has complex implications for Hillary Clinton.

How imperialism and eugenics during America’s Progressive Era spawned international drug control.

Alleged Hastert victim files $1.8 million lawsuit.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 4/23/2016 – Republican child molesters, redux.

Confessions of a bad son.

Confessions of an absent-minded misplacer.

Confessions of a fan fiction fan.

Videos!

Liberal Redneck - American Family Association Boycotts Target:



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Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band "Purple Rain" Prince Tribute:



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Tegan and Sara - Boyfriend [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]:



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Friday Links (farewell, o' purple majesty)

Ordinarily this post would begin with a declaration of gratitude for the arrival of Friday. Ordinarily this post would have a lot more links than you will find below. There has been a slow stream of unpleasant health news from my extended family for the last few weeks, only some of which have I mentioned online. Most of the news has involved extended family members. Last night I learned of a much closer family moving into hospice care. Several of my immediate family members are naturally distraught, and I am trying to be supportive. I will eventually go into things in more detail, but I think this is all I'll say for now.

Meanwhile, here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week, sorted into various topic areas.

Link of the Week

Ingrid Lyne’s Murder Is Every Woman’s Worst Fear.

This week in Design

Episcopal Church Fonts.

This Week in Tech

Google just scored a major victory against US authors.

This Week in Diversity

Petition Against School Play Backfires in New Jersey.

This week in Evil People

Rush Limbaugh's contract is up, his benefactors are broke, and his audience 'toxic.' Next?

AP: S. Korea covered up mass abuse, killings of 'vagrants'.

News for queers and our allies:

A New LGBTQ Victory Is a Victory for All of Us: The Social Security Administration Does the Right Thing.

In the Early 20th Century, America Was Awash in Incredible Queer Nightlife.

In Landmark Decision, Court Rules That Federal Law Protects Trans Students’ Bathroom Access.

Companies with openly LGBT employees at senior level are more profitable.

Science!

Panicdotal Evidence: “Anal Tearing”.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to a reporter's seemingly sarcastic comment by launching into a genius explanation of quantum computing.

Dara got to visit the certified quietest spot on earth: anechoic thunderdome.

Modern human females and male Neandertals had trouble making babies. Here’s why.

Why Our Science Institutions Fail Us: The Case Of Boaty McBoatface.

How Magicians Trick Your Brain - They hijack its limited ability to deal with perceptual ambiguity.

Astronomers just discovered a huge galaxy orbiting our own.

NASA has detected strange signals coming from the gravitational wave source.

Human brawn may be an evolutionary fluke — courtesy of our big brains.

Let’s go ahead and make Earth invisible to aliens, just in case.

Paleontologists find first fossil monkey in North America – but how did it get here?

Study Finds Straight Parents and Gay Parents Have Equally Healthy Kids.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

'He Wears the Mask Just to Cover the Raw Flesh'.

How Sleepy Hollow Single-Handedly Destroyed Their Own Show.

FISKING “AN OPEN LETTER TO REY FROM STAR WARS”.

Film's lost Nessie monster prop found in Loch Ness.

Good Omens: Neil Gaiman to adapt Terry Pratchett collaboration for TV.

This week in Writing

It’s Not Just You.

Novelist Gabby Rivera On Creating A Young Adult Novel With A Queer, Teenage Latina Protagonist.

Culture war news:

Target Shows How Simple It Is To Be Welcoming Of Transgender People.

Religious children are meaner than their secular counterparts, study finds.

Uline supports homophobic, anti-choice politic.

Stop Using Women’s Safety To Justify Transphobia.

10 Things We’ve Learned From the North Carolina Debacle.

Calif. school district bans atheist scholarships — but allows them from Scientology.

Catholicism’s multi-billion dollar brand is struggling — despite Pope Francis.

Corporate opposition to LGBTQ discrimination laws shows the GOP alliance has shattered.

Belinda Carlisle Rips Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant: ‘You Are Making Life Hell on Earth’ for LGBT People.

The Writing’s on the (Bathroom) Wall: State Anti-Transgender Laws Are About to Get Flushed.

The South's new divide: Blue cities and red states.

This Week in the Clown Car

Seth Meyers Decimates Donald Trump's Claims About a 'Rigged' Delegate System.

John Kasich Doesn't Understand Why Anyone Would Think He Was Blaming Victims For Sexual Assault.

John Kasich to LGBT People Facing Discrimination: 'Can You Just Get Over It?'

Donald Trump Tells Supporters He'll 'Bring Back' Penn State Coach Joe Paterno. He apparently doesn't realize that the legendary coach has been dead nearly four years...

This Week in Racism

PLEASE WATCH THIS INCREDIBLY RACIST HISTORY LESSON FROM VANCOUVER PORT COMMISSIONER JERRY OLIVER.

Why Do So Many Americans Think They Have Cherokee Blood? The history of a myth.

This Week in Misogyny

vox day, eric raymond, and the lambda conference blacklist.

Why Does Hollywood Keep Disrespecting Melissa McCarthy?

Farewells:

Pop music superstar Prince is dead at 57.

Prince Rogers Nelson: 'Every song was either a prayer or foreplay'.

Doris Roberts, Star of 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' Dies at 90.

Gareth Thomas, Blake's 7 actor, dies aged 71.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 4/16/16: Republicans shielding sex criminals (again and again and again).

Why I hate hay fever reason #6273.

I love walking.

Videos!

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN - Teaser Trailer (HD) {I had no idea that I wanted a remake of this classic, but then I watched the teaser trailer; Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt? Why, yes, I'll take some!}:



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Stephen Colbert: A Word About North Carolina:



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God is a Boob Man - SNL:



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Purple Rain Prince AVI:



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The Best Prince Videos Available on YouTube.

Friday Links (interactive analysis edition)

Thank goodness it's Friday! It has been more than a week since the end of my third round of antibiotics, and there has not been a return of the sore throat or ear ache! I think, maybe, it finally worked. On the other hand, two different cousins had seriously bad medical issues pop up this week, both requiring emergency surgery for very different things. So while I may be getting better, not all of the news around me is good.

Meanwhile, here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week, sorted into various topic areas.

Links of the Week

THE LARGEST EVER ANALYSIS OF FILM DIALOG BY GENDER: 2,000 SCRIPTS, 25,000 ACTORS, 4 MILLION LINES. It's not just data, it has amazing interactive graphs.

I'm on the Kill List. This is what it feels like to be hunted by drones.

And other news:

Attawapiskat declares state of emergency over spate of suicide attempts - Chief Bruce Shisheesh desperate for mental health services after 11 attempts on Saturday night alone.

Gay Air France cabin crew object to Iran flights over death penalty fears.

This week in History

The ugly truth about Confederate memorials.

Make the Confederacy's Defeat a National Holiday.

This Week in Tech

A farm in Kansas receives non-stop threats and harassment because of mapping glitch.

THE SECRET RULES OF THE INTERNET - The murky history of moderation.

The dark side of Guardian comments.

This Week in Diversity

Nobody Knew She Was There….

Writing Women Characters Into Epic Fantasy Without Quotas.

The Triumphant Return of Archie Comics' Gay Character.

Adam Lambert: Music execs are still ‘scared’ of gay men singing about male lovers.

Why I Came Out As A Gay Children’s Book Author.

‘Anyone Can Die?’ TV’s Recent Death Toll Says Otherwise.

How African writers are taking LGBT issues mainstream.

Superheroes Get Progressive With LGBTQ Superteam THE PRIDE.

This Week in Not Understanding Diversity

Bridal Party Problems: How Bachelorettes Are Ruining Gay Nightlife.

This week in Difficult to Classify

I'm an American living in Sweden. Here's why I came to embrace the higher taxes.

The dark side of Guardian comments.

News for queers and our allies:

MSNBC Posts Report On Harlem Hate Church’s Coming Bankruptcy Hearing & Ali Forney Center.

LGBTQ advocates need to get over their championship hangover.

Reimagining an Uncle’s Secret Transgender Life in the 1950s .

Transgender teenage ballplayer at Santa Monica prep school spreads message of hope and acceptance.

Trans Kids Can Be Happy Kids, With Support.

Appreciating and lamenting the influence of a porn king - How Chuck Holmes Engineered Gay Beauty.

How to debunk the religious right’s transgender scare tactics.

Reclaiming The Queer Dance Floor.

I Didn’t Know I Was Transgender.

Science!

US Homeland Security Returns Rare Dinosaur Fossils To Mongolia.

The Science of Why You Do Your Best Thinking While Walking.

Birds on Islands Are Losing the Ability to Fly.

Billionaire Yuri Milner And Stephen Hawking Team Up To Send Nanospaceships To Alpha Centauri.

Scientists Have Published a New Tree of Life.

This Optical Illusion Will Break Your Brain.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL STOP SCREAMING IN ALL CAPS.

New Hypervelocity Binary Star Challenges Dark Matter, Stellar Acceleration Models.

The Brazil Nut Effect Is More Complicated Than You Think.

Oil Industry’s Suppression of Climate Science Began in 1940s, Documents Reveal.

For the first time ever, a human with paralysis can move his hand again.

How a Sense of Purpose Adds Years to Your Life, According to Scientists.

The Surprising Science Behind Blue Balls (And Blue Vulvas).

A swarm of thousands of crabs headed in the same direction in the Pacific is baffling scientists.

Humans Can Still Do One Thing Better Than AI.

Robots, apps and chickens: The 2016 White House science fair.

What a young scientist found when he started researching a famous 'boiling river' in Peru.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

Stephanie Burgis on Finding the Fantasy in History.

Women in SF&F Month: Elizabeth Bonesteel.

Five SF/F Books With Asexual Protagonists.

Culture war news:

Federal Appeals Court Confirms Gay Marriage Is Legal in Puerto Rico Despite Judge’s Ruling.

Tennessee Legislature Resurrects Discriminatory Transgender Bathroom Bill.

A Bunch Of People Dressed As Angels To Protect Teens At An LGBT Dance.

Pope Francis Quashes “Who am I to judge?” Speculation in Amoris Laetitia.

Lesbian teen asked to prove gender, ejected from McDonald’s for using women’s toilet.

Pope Francis: It’s aggressive narcissism to teach kids about safe sex and protection.

Can LGBTQ people ever forgive Christian evangelicals for their sins?

Porn Site Bans North Carolina Users Due To State’s Anti-LGBT Laws.

Planned Parenthood shooter admired abortion foe who killed Fla. doctor.

Tenn. AG: Anti-Trans Bill Will 'Almost Certainly' Cost State Millions.

Cosponsor of Tenn. Transphobic Bill Accused of Sexual Harassment.

NC Guv Issues Executive Order That Doesn't Change Anti-gay Law One Bit.

A Trojan horse of hate: North Carolina’s new bill is a “hostile takeover of human rights”.

Corporations Criticize N.C. LGBT Law — But Aren’t Dropping Donations To GOP Governors Group.

A researcher explains how racial resentment drives opposition to gun control.

Boycotts and responses to one particular front in the Culture War:

Cyndi Lauper To Donate All Profits From Raleigh Concert To Equality North Carolina.

Lawmakers drive backlash against LGBT rights across the historically conservative South.

Bipartisan group of U.S. Senators urge NBA to move '17 All-Star Game.

It's easy to dismiss everything below the Mason-Dixon Line. It's harder and more necessary to actually help people in this troubled part of the world.

Why Should My Store Be Boycotted Over a Law I Despise?

Forget the boycott: This is how we teach North Carolina and Mississippi a lesson.

I sympathise, but I think this is spot on: Boycotts Are Supposed to Hurt.

This Week in the Clown Car

Ted Cruz’s 3 Biggest Donors Reveal Just How Creepy He Really Is.

The Time Ted Cruz Defended a Ban on Dildos.

Zombie nominee: These new Trump poll numbers are hideously, unbelievably awful.

John Kasich Supports 'Moving On' From Gay Marriage Debate.

Ted Cruz: Immigrant-Loving Socialist NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio Will Be Finished Once I’m President.

This week in Other Politics:

Hillary Clinton rakes in Verizon cash while Bernie Sanders supports company’s striking workers.

Bernie Sanders must accept that Pope Francis isn’t a friend to the left: The pontiff can’t be a true humanitarian with his anti-woman and anti-LGBT views.

Hillary Clinton’s superdelegates should stop whining: Why Sanders supporters have every right to challenge their super-votes.

The progressive movement is in the shadows: It’s time to rally, protest and get in politicians’ faces to become a force they can’t ignore.

Farewells:

The readings that helped make Open Books.

Things I wrote:

Another anti-gay politician caught molesting children.

Confessions of a technology addict.

A Day of Pink and the Stupidity of the Transgender Bathroom Argument.

Videos!

Bob Mould - Hold On (Official Music Video):



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Marvel's Doctor Strange Teaser Trailer:



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Friday Links (worse than North Carolina edition)

Thank goodness it's Friday! We didn't quite get the record-breaking heat forecast yesterday, but we've have more than enough pollen in the air all week to make me miserable.

Meanwhile, here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week, sorted into various topic areas.

Links of the Week

My Father’s House - After my brother died and my father was partially paralyzed, my family traveled 7,000 miles in search of an old home, a new house, and the things we’d lost on the road in between.

Runs in the Family - New findings about schizophrenia rekindle old questions about genes and identity..

9-year-old reporter breaks crime news, posts videos, fires back at critics.

Happy News!

Badass Mom Defends Son And His "Girly" Socks.

Cities for Everyone.

This Airport's Guard Dog Is A Total Badass.

This week in security

The Panama Papers: what you need to know.

And other news:

Oregon standoff figure Jake Ryan found hiding in shed in Clark County.

This Week in Tech

The time that Tony Fadell sold me a container of hummus.

This Week in Diversity

Tabletop Gaming has a White Male Terrorism Problem.

“I JUST DON’T IDENTIFY WITH THE CHARACTER.”

Why LGBT Performers Never Won 'American Idol' - Series was built on being mean. But a special sort of meanness was reserved for auditioners that fell into the queer end of the spectrum.

Write Female Characters Better - Or: that time we came up with a novel about boob-spies.

News for queers and our allies:

Jessica Williams' Brilliant Daily Show Segment on Anti-Trans Bathroom Bills.

Middle School Vs. My Gay Kid.

My Trans Identity Is Not a Fetish.

Why Everybody Wants Some!! Is Accidentally One of the Gayest Movies of the Year.

Documentary focuses on gay Hutterite leaving home.

What is it like to be the mother of a transgender child?

'Formation's Representation of the Black Queer Community Inspired This Amazing All-Male Dance Cover.

Science!

Deer on Scottish Islands May Have Come From Distant Lands.

How to Use the Feynman Technique to Identify Pseudoscience.

The ‘hobbit’ was a separate species of human, new dating reveals.

Ancient Fossils Show Some Of The Earliest Forms Of Multicellular Organisms.

12,400-year-old ancient puppy fossils open new avenues for scientists to study Siberia’s diversity of life.

The ‘darker link’ between ancient human sacrifice and our modern world.

Does a white doctor understand a black patient's pain?

WHAT THE DIRECTION YOUR TOILET PAPER HANGS SAYS ABOUT YOU, ACCORDING TO SCIENC.

Water Ice on Ceres Boosts Hopes for Buried Ocean [Video].

This Swedish Scientist's Transparent Wood Could Transform Architecture.

Scientists find evidence of 'anti-memories', and it could change our understanding of neuroscience.

It Turns Out a Brief Conversation Really Can Change Minds on LGBT Issues.

The most mysterious star in the universe.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

Introducing ConFinder.

The Critically-Acclaimed 1960s Series 'The Outcasts' Needs to be Released on DVD (or Blu-Ray).

Read This: Batman and Robin have been mistaken for gay since the beginning.

Supernatural miracle pregnancies and the hatred of pregnant women.

Closing the Gap: The Blurring of Fan and Professional.

20 superheroines who were saving the world before Wonder Woman.

This week in Writing

How Data Can Help You Write A Better Screenplay. The title is misleading. There's lots of data about what kinds of screenplays go wrong, but there isn't a how-to in there...

Culture war news:

Mississippi: We're Even Worse Than North Carolina, Says Funny or Die.

TEXAS GOPER OPPOSES BILL PROMOTING FEMALE SCIENTISTS BECAUSE IT ‘DISCRIMINATES’ AGAINST MEN .

Wicked composer bans all productions in North Carolina.

Corporate America Just Became the LGBT Community’s Most Powerful Ally.

Mississippi law opens a new front in the battle over gay rights.

This will make you even madder about North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law: Right-wing backers have the gall to say they’re the victims.

Why North Carolina’s New Anti-LGBT Law is a Trojan Horse.

TV show and PayPal projects canceled in North Carolina in response to GOP’s anti-LGBT law.

Things Just Got Even Harder for LGBT Taxpayers in Mississippi.

Club Ordered To Pay $15K To Trans Man Beaten And Assaulted By Bouncers For Using Men’s Restroom.

Man who wore loincloth at gay pride parade wins appeal.

This Week in the Clown Car

“As a full-blown nut job, I freakin’ love him”: “SNL” skewers Donald Trump defender Scottie Nell Hughes.

Face it: Ted Cruz is as far from the Republican mainstream as Donald Trump is.

Kasich: Trump Would Spend His First 100 Days as President Looking for the White House Bathrooms.

Trump’s New Magic Number Is 40 Percent Of The Vote - His support isn’t rising as fast as the bar for winning.

Veterans’ Charities Await Funds Raised by Donald Trump.

This week in Other Politics:

The Republicans’ Gay Freakout. "OUR infrastructure is inexcusable, much of our public education is miserable and one of our leading presidential candidates is a know-nothing, say-anything egomaniac who yanks harder every day at the tattered fabric of civil discourse and fundamental decency in this country. But let’s by all means worry about the gays!"

The GOP’s (other) convention nightmare.

Denying Housing Over Criminal Record May Be Discrimination, Feds Say.

Swiss police raid UEFA as Panama Papers scandal spreads.

“Were your eyes stitched closed?”: Elizabeth Warren skewers Federal Reserve regulator who played “pivotal” role in 2008 financial crisis.

The Most Important Election Yesterday Wasn’t The One You Were Paying Attention To.

How 'Religious Freedom' Laws Hurt Businesses.

This Week in Racism

Judge rules against Urban Outfitters defense in Navajo case.

This Week in Hate Crimes

James Dixon Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter of Transgender Woman Islan Nettles.

Gay Man Brutally Beaten in Miami Burger King.

Transgender Teen ‘Intentionally Struck’ by Hit-and-Run Driver in L.A.

Farewells:

Merle Haggard Died this Week on His 79th Birthday.

Things I wrote:

Sunday Funnies, part 17.

And then I felt better about the world.

Which part of ‘love thy neighbor’ confuses you?

Videos!

Marble Mountain, a themed marble machine "...a large marble machine still under construction. It consists of 25 sections that mesh together to form one kinetic sculpture. Every element is themed (or will be upon completion) to an aspect of my life or to something that I find interesting. Some of the elements include a roller coaster, ski jump, Times Square, Lombard Street, and a skatepark. It took 3 years to get to this point of being able to turn it on and watch it go...":



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Parson James - Temple:



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Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddam:



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Friday Links (no foolin' edition)

Thank goodness it's Friday. This was a weird week: the first day back at the office after the con was busy, but full of good news; then things started going awry and I spent the middle of the week trying to get certain software to work so I could make a deadline; finally fixed the situation by installing software on my personal laptop and cramming a few days worth of work into a single evening. I don't know yet if I'm going to make the deadline.

Today is not only Friday, but it is also April 1, which is a day that has become problematic. My own rules about April Fool's jokes have always included at least this: if it causes someone distress it is not a joke, and you have missed the point. Anyway, I collected all of these links before today, and as far as I can tell none of them are meant to be jokes. Which in a couple cases is more distressing the the most in-poor-taste April Fool's joke I've ever heard of.

Meanwhile, here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week, sorted into various topic areas.

Links of the Week

You (and Almost Everyone You Know) Owe Your Life to This Man.

This week in security

Follow the money: Apple vs. the FBI. I think he's only half right. Yes, the success of Apple pay depends on encryption, but a company can also believe in doing right by its customers.

Questions Hang Over FBI After Apple Showdown Fizzles. (hmmmm, when we lie to the FBI it's a felony, but when the FBI lies to a judge and the entire American people, it's only a fib?)

5 authentication methods putting passwords to shame.

And other news:

Facebook post on collecting human remains leads police to raid witch's Mid-City home, find bones, teeth.

This week in Health

Wentworth Miller Shuts Down Body-Shamers With Powerful Message On Mental Health.

This Week in Diversity

Stop using “anyone can die” as an excuse.

DIVERSITY 102: 5 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE PUTTING TOGETHER A DIVERSITY PANEL.

This week in awful news

Suicide bomber kills at least 9 in central Somalia.

7 police killed in latest Turkey bombing.

2 Russian Police Killed in Separate Bomb Attacks in Dagestan.

Taliban splinter group claims attack on Christians at Pakistan park; 60 dead.

This week in Evil People

Seattle tree cutters could face felony charges.

News for queers and our allies:

Turning moments into momentum for LGBT equality.

Global health group takes on gay conversion therapy.

AMERICA’S FIRST PUBLICLY OUT TRANSGENDER HIGH SCHOOL COACH IS OPENING MINDS IN THE CONSERVATIVE RURAL TOWN OF GLOCESTER, R.I..

Science!

Scientists may have discovered the fossilised skull of a ‘Siberian unicorn’.

Scientists solved the Spallanzani's dilemma. Newts are the masters of regeneration.

Link between fossil fuels and Great Barrier Reef bleaching clear and incontrovertible.

The More We Empathize With Others, The More Generous We Are.

See how to spice guard your bird feed – and other nifty chemistry life hacks.

Ancient arachnid was almost a spider.

Scientists have identified a universal Nope face.

‘Tumbleweed Tornado’ caught on camera in Albuquerque.

2,500-Year-Old Monument Could Help Crack the Mysterious Etruscan Language.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

How 'Sailor Moon' Fandom Became a Refuge for 90s Queer Kids. Video starts automatically.

How Did Batman Go From Being Fun and Gay to Sad and Boring?

Introducing ConFinder.

Culture war news:

The Biggest Legal Attack On Unions In Decades Is Dead.

This new lawsuit explains exactly why North Carolina’s anti-transgender law is so vile.

North Carolina Sued Over Anti-LGBT Law.

As More States Legislate Transgender Americans’ Bathroom Use, Illinois Eyes Its Own Bill.

Judge awards Tennessee lawyers $2 million for marriage equality case.

Commentary: 'Religious freedom' laws are about the freedom to discriminate.

North Carolina's anti-trans law is downright dangerous.

Why Georgia governor defied his base over religious liberty.

Infamous Colorado Pastor Targets Girl Scouts, Saying LGBTQ-Positive Scout Leaders Should Be Executed.

Montel Williams says of HB2: ‘Discrimination, pure and simple’.

Protesters Flood North Carolina Streets as Discrimination Law Backlash Grows.

State may be sued if religious freedom bill becomes law.

Mississippi Same-Sex Adoption Ban Unconstitutional, Federal Judge Rules.

Saudi government ‘wants to EXECUTE gay people who show their sexuality in public & online'.

This week in Other Politics:

Corporations Grow Nervous About Participating in Republican Convention.

Voter Suppression: The Elephant (and Donkey) in the Room.

Farewells:

Patty Duke, Child Star and Oscar Winner, Dies at 69.

A Garry Shandling Photograph That Closes the Book on a Late-Night Era.

The Last Email Garry Shandling Ever Sent Me.

Silence or Violence: Logan, Suicide, and the Culture of Masculine Silence.

Things I wrote:

It’s a nerd, nerd, nerd, nerd world!

Stark raving nerd.

Onion arguments and thorny questions.

Life, Death, and Unanswerable Questions.

Heading off to camp!

Videos!

Watch This Italian Gay Couple Dance for "Italy's Got Talent," and Try Not to Cry (no English subtitles, but once the dancing starts you won't miss it):



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North Carolina and Georgia Anti-LGBTQ Laws: A Closer Look:



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A-ha - Take on Me - live @ the O2 Arena, London, 26/3/2016:



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Pet Shop Boys perform The Pop Kids on Graham Norton , March 25 2016 (New album released today! I preordered, so got the download last night):



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Pet Shop Boys interview on Graham Norton , March 25 2016:



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