JPL Asteroid Watch Dashboard. After 2021 SG, a football field-sized asteroid “snuck up” on us coming from the direction of the Sun on September 17th, I decided to start this post, so next time we can all freak out together. I’ve added to that single link and decided to call it “Some of my favorite websites.”
According the EarthSky, “The Chelyabinsk meteor that did so much damage and caused so much consternation in 2013 also came, unexpectedly, from the sun’s direction.” The rock, which passed 153,000 miles from Earth traveling at more than 53,000 miles per hour, would have done serious damage to our planet had it hit us. It passed by just over half the distance to the moon.
An asteroid is actually prophecized in the book of Revelation (8:10-11) to hit the Earth in the future. Those of you interested in Near Earth Objects can track them using the dashboard mentioned above. See also an updated article here. Fortunately, most objects that strike the Earth as small and burn up in the atmosphere. But, then there are the big ones that do not . . .
Blogs
The Conversation: Always looking for scholarly solicitations.
Devshed: Website development, software solutions, open source, etc.
Quora: Areas you can choose from include the Coronavirus, Higher Ed, Philosophy, and more.
COVID
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (COVID-19 Resource page.)
Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center: A good, if not, the best source for CV-19 news and stats.
Med Page Today (COVID News.)
Environment
James Lovelock Organization: Author of my favorite books on Gaia.
National Wildlife Federation and National Audobon Society
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Faith
Bible Hub: An excellent online, Bible reference tool. Interlinear Hebrew and Greek plus commentaries and more.
Christian Meditation: A good first step towards the contemplative life.
Logos: Online Biblical library, study guides and Hebrew/Greek lexicons and interlinear materials.
Stack Exchange: Hermaneutics.
Street Soldiers: Faith in action.
Government
January 6, 2021 insurrection legal docs (complaints, indictments, plea bargains, etc.)
Federal Bureau of Investigation Capitol riot tip and resource page.
Sedition Hunters: Not a government website, but rather an ad hoc organization to identify people involved in the assault on the Capitol.
University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST). The 1/6/2021 coup U.S. attempt and more.
News
BBC: Some bias but comprehensive and accurate.
Doomsday Clock from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Approximates how close we are to annihilation (i.e., midnight) based on geopolitical events or climate change.)
NPR One: Like all media, there is some bias with NPR reporting. But stories are much more indepth then other sourcesand I listen to it whenever I can.
My favorite Online newspapers: The NY Times and The Washington Post. The NY Times is a bit too liberal/progressive for me, but one can compensate for the bias. And the news from these two papers is generally trustworthy. If you follow the federal government closely, The Washington Post is indispensable. Both have reasonable online subscription rates.
People
Dr. Michio Kaku: My favorite quantum physics professor. Explains string theory, black holes, branes, etc. in easy to understand lay terms.
Dr. Adrienne Mayor: My favorite scholarly author (Stanford University)
Dr. Anne Simon: My favorite virologist and research scientist. Wonderful to talk to with a great sense of humor. An authority on the X-Files because she was Chris Carter’s science advisor. Loves pasta and horseback riding.
Politics, Economics and National Security
38 North: Tracks nuclear developments in North Korea.
Atlantic Council: Foreign policy think tank.
Digital Forensic Lab: Digital intelligence. Affiliated with the Atlantic Council.
Fivethirtyeight: The most accurate polling on the web in many cases. Politics, economics, science plus sports. There’s a puppy or pony there for everyone.
Global Security: “An American nonpartisan, independent, nonprofit organization that serves as a think tank, research and consultancy group, and website.”
Marine Traffic: Locate where ships are anywhere in the world. Excellent resource when there are geopolitical threats to waterways, backlogs in shipping, etc.
Nuclear map: Estimate the deaths and damage of a nuclear blast near you.
Terrorism and National Security: Peter Bergen. Appears regularly on CNN. I’ve followed his career for more than a decade. If you needed one “go-to” source on foreign and domestic terrorism, he would be mine. He’s frank but not inflammatory, insightful, abd plugged in to the right sources. Follow him on Twitter @peterbergencnn.
The War Zone: Military affairs.
Research and scholarship
Aspen Institute: You need not travel to Colorado to participate. Program description from their website: “The Aspen Institute Socrates Program provides a forum for emerging leaders from various professions to convene and explore contemporary issues through expert-moderated dialogue. Socrates also provides the opportunity for participants to enter into a diverse professional network, and into the broader range of the Aspen Institute’s programs.” I am currently enrolled for a three day online workshop on CRT in February 2022. Learn about what you favor or oppose before you reach a conclusion. And the Aspen Institute may count as professional development with your employer, and looks great on your Vita!
Galileo Project: Harvard University’s project that searches Earth for evidence associated with extraterrestrial technology.
Google Scholar: A step up from Google, but selections are more general than JSTOR hits.
JSTOR: My “go-to” source for social science research.
Nobel Prize official website.
Fiverr: Logo and graphic design, digital marketing, music and other freelance digital services to meet your needs
University of the Third Age (U3A). Promotes lifelong learning, especially among seniors.
Wikipedia: I’m probably one of the few academicians who endorse Wikipedia. Great intro to unfamiliar topics and excellent footnotes.
Science
Federation of American Scientists: Good indepth analysis of current events.
Mars (SpaceX)
Social media
Twitter. Please follow me @ron_velten.
Technology, including AI and robotics
Boston Dynamics: State of the art robotics.
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency): Annual competition spurs robotic development.
My favorite operating system: macOS Big Sur. 11.6. Not that great, but still better than Windows. If MS offers XP again, I’d switch back. If Apple brought back Snow Leopard, I wouldn’t.
WordPress
Hostgator: Better than average hosting and at a competitive rate. They usually leave you alone once you’re up and running. No down time in three years that I’m aware of. May be difficult to intially set up with a new domain, etc., but they eventually get it right.
Oak and Cove: The most elegant WordPress themes and the best customer and technical support I’ve found. Mojo Marketplace has a much larger selection of themes, but Oak and Cove has much better customer service.
Leah
December 31, 2021I love Michio Kaku as well! One of the few physicists who write books I can read without falling asleep. 😉
Thanks for the blog shout out. Hope you are well, friend!