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Searching HN for "mirror cells", I see at least 1 article warning of the dangers from more than 10 years ago. So, this has been a thing for a while. Any biologists here that can chime in on just how big of a risk they do pose? Is there a general consensus throughout the community that this research should end? Is this something that could be developed for bio-terrorism? Should work be started on developing mirror immune system cells, just in case?

Great story, and LeMessurier is certainly deserving of praise. I'm curious about his initial mistake. The article mentions that he placed the pillars at the middle edges, as opposed to corners, because this is beter for resisting the quarterly winds. So he clearly knew they were a thing. Why then did he not do the calculations for how they would effect the chevon braces until the call from the student? That seems like a pretty huge lack of oversight. Was it pride? The moment of inspiration is described romantically, sprawling designs on the back of a napkin and such, and he was disappointed that the chevrons would be hidden behind the aluminum skin/facade - consoling himself with the thought "It'd be there for God to see".

The article describes the whole situation as a perfect storm of sorts (no violation of building code, industry standard of bolts instead of welding, etc), but I can't get past how he didn't crunch the numbers for something that seems like it should go without saying.

I didn't know Bob or know who he was until reading this horrible news. After reading these stories of how he brought people together and had a strict "no-judgement" policy, I'm inspired to try and make a shift toward that mindset. My condolences to his friends and family.

What enrages me is how it's become accepted as 'the right way' for parents in my culture, along with other "techniques" like feeding schedules, where many people end up essentially starving their child without realizing it, and then wonder why they can't sleep through the night. What I know to be true is that infants are completely dependent on their caretaker/s, and they cry to communicate what they need when they need it. Ignoring this feels wrong to me - so I don't do it. I understand that different families have different needs, and that work schedules make things more difficult than they were in the past when children were raised communally. Every family needs trial and error to figure out what works for them, and yes some infants will sleep better alone. What I take issue with is the industry around this that has convinced what seems like most parents that this is The Best Way.

Isn't a few hours of discomfort in exchange for years of good sleep and happiness a good trade off?

It could be - that's a decision for each family to make. I will point out that many families think their baby is sleeping through the night - when what's really happening is they are still waking up repeatedly but have given up on crying (accepting that nobody will come to help them).

You're absolutely right that every baby has different needs and I'm glad to hear that you figured out what's best for yours. It was not my intention to suggest that every baby should co-sleep - I meant to address the very commonplace (IMO misplaced) fear that if they do, then they will never leave their parents' bed and develop independence. There are obviously some babies who are ok or even better off sleeping alone. My frustration is with the mainstream acceptance that this is The Proper Way - to the point where families are leaving infants screaming for nights on end in order to "train" them.

The fact that this is so commonplace in my culture (USA) is frustrating and enrages me. As a parent, it is your evolutionary instinct to comfort a crying infant. They are quite literally helpless and look to caretakers for all their needs. There's a deep seated biological reason it feels bad to ignore it. The fact that it is so uncommon in other cultures should make this obvious. What are the odds that the rest of the world and entire history of humankind were mistaken the whole time, until some behaviorists came along and figured it all out in the last century? Talk about infants having "attachment issues" makes my blood boil. They are supposed to be attached to you. It is very much possible to co-sleep and then gradually transition them to their own bed. Yes, it is frustrating and will interfere with your sleep. This is one of the many sacrifices of parenthood.

I enjoyed the piece and this is one part that I disagree with. As I understand it, being in a flow state simply means being totally absorbed by what you are doing during that time frame - it doesn't necessitate taking any more time away from other activities/priorities that you otherwise would if not in a flow state. I also enjoy working like this, and can relate to the feeling of frustration when being interrupted when the going's good. The most effective way I've found to avoid it is communicating that I'm "head down" and turn off all (non-emergency) notifications. Being able to shift away from work when you're not on the clock is a certain kind of discipline that is necessary to living a healthy and (IMO) worthwhile life - working in a flow state does not have to impede this.

This is really cool. Listening to themes from different places and eras, I can place myself there in my mind. It's like a nostalgia for something I never actually experienced. Is there a word for that?

Slow Travel 4 years ago

Appreciate the detailed answer - I was unaware that contrails were significant. TIL!

Slow Travel 4 years ago

emissions tend to do more damage at high altitude than they do at ground level

I've always been a bit dismissive of aviation as a carbon emissions contributor because globally it only accounts for around 2%. Thanks for pointing this out, I was unaware of this fact. Is the relationship between altitude and warming effect known? Are we talking linear or something worse?

Why not to build nuclear powerplants away from lands used for other purposes?

Because the longer the transmission lines the more power is lost - so plants are generally close to where they are delivering electricity.

Lyme is scary. As an avid MTBer I'm constantly worried about ticks - I get too hot while riding for long pants/ sleeves to be an option, and I cannot stand the nastiness of deet. I'm pretty vigilant about checking myself - but if one were to get on my scalp I don't think I'd ever find it. This is great news.

That's not selfish - we only have so much time. The expectation that one should engage with everybody all the time will lead to misery. It's totally okay to say " no thanks, have a nice day" Edit: I realize your pointing out the prudence of an upfront decision of whether or not to engage means we probably agree here, I just consider the word selfish to be a bit harsh

I'm curious about the nature of the damage. article mentions that the affected mirror will be adjusted to minimize the distortion that was introduced, so obviously not a crack. So, more like a tiny scratch? It's hard for me to conceptualize the impact of hypersonic dust on a mirror