News & links for late October

I don’t have a lot of news from the last fortnight, but what I do have you’ll find at the end of this post. First, interesting links:

• Overconfidence in one’s ability to read facial expressions can have tragic consequences.
• Nice overview article on slime moulds (though I don’t get the bit about relative vs absolute values).
• Once in a while I update my old blog post about sun-bearing exo-constellations. Most recently I was prompted to do so my Mark Rosenfelder’s article on the nearest stars.
• Effects of alcohol are largely in your head.
• Stars reionised the universe in only 200 million years.
• Remember this cartoon? Turns out it’s actually true. (Contains disturbing content, but makes you think.)
• Photograph of a planet in the process of formation.
• How to build a moonbase. (Bet it won’t happen any time soon & would cost more than forecast if it did.)
• Mineral could reveal exactly when Mars was wet.

We had a small earthquake here in Adelaide in the early hours of the 19th, which I felt.

On the 15th, Dad was rushed to hospital with an allergic reaction. The trigger is unknown, but hypothesised to be an ingredient in a medication he was taking. An upcoming appointment with the allergist will hopefully settle the matter.

I spent today with my parents, who were in town. Among other things we spent some time at the reception gathering for the World Solar Challenge in Victoria Square.