Telecommunication goes back a lot further than you might expect. While the word has become synonymous with television broadcasting and phone communication‚ it really describes any communication system over a distance‚ and could include smoke signals. These simple signals were used to convey messages from "the enemy is approaching" to the fact that a whale has beached itself and can be butchered for meat. While some ancient cultures varied smoke colors to convey further information‚ there's only so much you can get across with a big fire. One particularly cool ancient version of telecommunication‚ which aimed to convey more precise meanings‚ was the hydraulic telegraph‚ used in Ancient Greece in around 350 BCE.The idea – thought to have been invented by Aeneas of Stymphalus‚ a writer on the military at the time – was simple‚ but neat. Each person you want to communicate with is given a jar of the same size‚ filled with the same amount of water. Inside the jar is a floating rod‚ on which was inscribed identical messages that are useful to pass along."In each section should be written the most evident and ordinary events that occur in war‚ e.g.‚ on the first‚ 'Cavalry arrived in the country‚' on the second 'Heavy infantry‚' on the third 'Light-armed infantry‚' next 'Infantry and cavalry‚' next 'Ships‚' next 'Corn‚' and so on until we have entered in all the sections the chief contingencies of which‚ at the present time‚ there is a reasonable probability in wartime‚" a translation of a contemporary account by Polybius reads.When someone wanted to send a message‚ they would signal to the receiver using a fire. Then at the same time‚ the two would pull out a spigot and allow water to drain out of the jar into the basin below (waste not‚ want not and all that). The result was that the water level should be at the same height for both participants‚ with the rod floating to display the same inscribed message.  Centuries later in Britain‚ civil engineer Francis Whishaw invented another‚ more complex‚ system for communicating information at a distance using water. This system linked two devices via pipes‚ and used changes in pressure to alter water levels in the receiving device‚ again conveying information via water levels. Despite successful demonstrations‚ the idea did not take off.

Evolutionary psychology has come a long way in recent years when it comes to more realistic representations of women. Far from the early theories of female sexuality‚ which stereotyped women as primarily coy and monogamous‚ newer hypotheses present a broader view. Whilst this might seem like a win for both science and feminism‚ a new study has found that antifeminist online communities‚ collectively known as the “manosphere” have been misappropriating this research to reinforce their own views.Analyzing the manosphereThe term “manosphere” has been in the media a lot lately‚ whether in heated debates about the influence of self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate‚ or documentaries exploring “incel” culture. It’s a primarily online community‚ connecting people all over the world in their misogynistic and anti-feminist beliefs.Researchers from the University of Kent analyzed over 9‚000 pages of online manosphere discourse‚ including transcripts of audio and video content‚ Reddit posts‚ books‚ forum threads‚ and web articles. They approached the analysis by asking two primary questions: what academic concepts get appropriated in the manosphere and to what end‚ and if so‚ has the scientific literature been distorted or misinterpreted?The study found that appropriation of evolutionary psychology is ubiquitous within the manosphere‚ but is most shared and discussed by the “incel” (involuntary celibate) community – one entry to an online incel encyclopedia cited over 100 evolutionary and behavioral science studies from mainstream journals.Misappropriating the dual-mating strategy theoryThe bulk of the paper focuses on a case study demonstrating how the dual mating strategy hypothesis is often misused by the manosphere. This theory suggests that‚ on an unconscious level‚ ancestral women may have taken on extra partners as a way of ensuring both security from their primary partner‚ and “fitter” genes for their offspring from additional partners.The researchers found that within the manosphere‚ this theory is frequently misunderstood as scientific truth. Although they acknowledged that not all in the community may agree with extremely misogynistic views‚ many members were still using the theory to reinforce or add apparent legitimacy to their negative beliefs about women and female sexuality. As an example‚ one forum post read: “Further proves that foids [women] are brainless primates that can't control their biological behaviour that could lead to other people suffering from their actions. This is why they shouldn't be allowed to control society or else this world will go to shit.”The paper also points out that within their analysis‚ there were no mentions of extra-pair mating behavior in males‚ despite similar theories being well-established in scientific literature. As the authors describe: “[T]he age-old sexual double standard is reproduced in these seemingly scientific discussions.”“The hypothetical nature of evolutionary behavioural science is always obscured. The ‘manosphere’ is taking hypotheses out of context and embedding them in their broader grievances‚ personal experiences‚ and sexist tropes‚” said Louis Bachaud‚ who led the research‚ in a statement. “There is a bias towards presenting women as more determined by biology than men‚ and mostly applying the evolutionary lens towards women‚ but more rarely towards men and their behaviour.”Is prevention the cure?Whilst the researchers acknowledge that it’s fairly unlikely that we can fully avoid research being misused by the manosphere‚ they suggest that some steps can be taken to make it more difficult. For example‚ they recommend that researchers should be careful in how they frame their writing‚ adopting neutral language where possible and emphasizing that evolutionary psychology theories focus on past behavior. They also propose that researchers take an active and public approach to debunking misinterpretations of their research.There’s also an emphasis that the manosphere is large and complicated‚ and more research is required to fully understand how its members are misusing research. “This research is just a first milestone in the direction of disentangling the complex appropriations of science in the ‘manosphere’‚” concluded Bachaud.The study is published in Evolutionary Human Sciences.

Picture a skunk. Bit of an odd request‚ but go with us here. You’re probably seeing the common striped skunk: a small‚ furry mammal with a pattern of white stripes along its black fur. As it turns out‚ though‚ those characteristic stripes are far from universal. There’s a huge amount of variation in skunk markings all across the North American continent‚ and the authors of a new study think they’ve hit on the reason why.Researcher Hannah Walker‚ from the University of Montana‚ used almost 750 photographs of museum specimens to map the distributions of skunks with different coat colors across North America. The large sample size meant that all of the 13 subspecies of the striped skunk‚ Mephitis mephitis‚ were represented in the data.Against this data‚ the team plotted various factors that they thought could be contributing to the variation in coat patterns. One factor began to emerge as a strong contender: the presence or absence of predators.Some examples of the variety of skunk coat markings‚ showing where these are distributed in North America.Image credit: Prof Tim CaroA skunk’s iconic coloring‚ Chanel-esque though it may be‚ is not for decoration. It’s a signal to predators to stay away‚ lest they get a faceful of toxic anal spray. “Warning coloration is an antipredator defence whereby a conspicuous signal advertises the ability of prey to escape predation‚ often because it is toxic or has spines or is pugnacious‚” said co-author Professor Tim Caro of the University of Bristol in a statement. “Usually predators have to learn the significance of this signal and so it is predicted that warning colouration will look very similar across prey individuals of the same‚ as well as perhaps different‚ prey species to be an effective education tool. Yet some warningly coloured prey show rather different advertisements even within the same species.”Indeed‚ in areas where the skunks’ territory overlapped with comparatively few mammalian predators‚ variation in fur color was seen even within litters of kits from the same family. However‚ skunks in regions with lots of dangerous predators displayed far more uniform markings.Interestingly‚ this effect was less evident when the team only considered predatory birds‚ like great horned owls. This could be because birds have a poorer sense of smell than mammals‚ and thus are less deterred by the stinky spray that the stripes are warning against.The evolutionary process that is driving the loss of stripes in some skunks is called relaxed selection. It happens when selection for an important trait is weakened by changes in the environment – in this case‚ fewer dangerous mammals sniffing around. Simply put‚ it’s just less important for skunks to have a uniform warning signal when there aren’t so many potential predators around to see it.“We now know why not all skunks look alike‚ and perhaps why members of other warningly coloured species look different from each other‚” summarized Professor Caro.The next step is to see whether similar trends occur between other species of skunks in North America with different coat patterns (not to mention incredible gymnastics skills). As Professor Caro explained‚ “If relaxed selection operates within species‚ it should do so across prey species too. More broadly‚ this study provides another brick in the wall of explaining the evolution of coloration in nature.”The study is published in the journal Evolution.

The sun is approaching its explosive peak‚ known as the solar maximum‚ when it becomes more active and prone to launching solar storms. Scientists have observed several signs that the solar maximum could arrive sooner and be more powerful than expected. One of these signs is the emergence of an enormous sunspot archipelago on the sun’s surface. Sunspots are dark patches that indicate regions of intense magnetic activity on the sun. They are often the source of solar flares‚ which are bursts of light and radiation‚ and coronal mass ejections (CMEs)‚ which are eruptions of plasma and charged particles. These phenomena can affect Earth’s atmosphere‚ radio signals‚ power grids‚ satellites and space missions. The first sunspot group‚ named AR3490‚ rotated onto the sun’s nearside on Nov. 18 over the star’s northeastern shoulder. The dark patch was quickly followed by another sunspot group‚ AR3491‚ which trailed in its wake‚ Spaceweather.com reported. In total‚ the massive collection of sunspots spans around 125‚000 miles (200‚000 kilometers) across‚ which is more than 15 times wider than Earth‚ according to Spaceweather.com. Scientists are monitoring the sunspot archipelago closely as it rotates across the sun’s face. They expect more solar activity from this region in the coming days and weeks. The sunspot archipelago is one of the largest and most active sunspot groups ever observed‚ and it could signal that the sun is gearing up for its explosive peak. The post Sunspot archipelago wider than 15 Earths could unleash powerful solar flares appeared first on Anomalien.com.

The mystery surrounding the unidentified flying object seen over Imphal airport continues‚ which caused the airspace to be temporarily closed and flights to be suspended for more than three hours‚ reports indiatimes.com. According to a source from the Airports Authority of India‚ the object disappeared from the sky after sunset and has not reappeared since. A source in the Airports Authority of India said the object‚ which vanished from the sky after sunset‚ had not re-appeared‚ and the IAF was investigating. Some reports indicated that it may have been a drone‚ but defense officials and AAI did not confirm it. “It was suspected to be a drone or a balloon. But IAF has not shared any investigation details with us. It may be submitted to the Union civil aviation ministry directly‚” said an official of Bir Tikendrajit International Airport‚ Imphal. Three outbound flights were halted at Imphal airport during the air space closure time‚ while two flights‚ coming towards Imphal‚ were diverted to Guwahati and Kolkata respectively. A source said the size of the object was so small that the airport radar could not detect any signal from it. The post Indian Air Force hasn’t shared details of UFO over airport appeared first on Anomalien.com.

At least California Gov. Gavin Newsom‚ the former mayor of San Francisco‚ admits it. On the eve of a visit to San Francisco by China’s Xi Jinping‚ the city somehow‚ someway cleared out downtown homeless encampments. Newsom flat-out cops to the reason why. The governor said‚ “Folks say‚ ‘Oh they’re just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming into town.’ That’s true. Because it’s true. But it’s also true for months and months and months‚ prior to APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)‚ we’ve been having different conversations.” I recently met the CEO of a large California-based fence and gate company. He told me that San Francisco hired him to install fencing to wall off certain areas downtown‚ so the Chinese leader would not see the city’s homeless. I asked where the homeless went. He said‚ “I have no idea. My job was just to install the fencing.” As I explain in my new book‚ “As Goes California: My Mission to Rescue the Golden State and Save the Nation‚” California‚ with 12% of the nation’s population‚ has an estimated 30% of the nation’s homeless. Interestingly‚ blacks in California account for 6.5% of the state’s population‚ but a Housing and Urban Development study found that blacks account for 40% of the state’s homeless. This suggests that family breakdown‚ particularly acute in the black community where nearly 70% of children enter the world without a father married to the mother in the home‚ plays a role. But few politicians‚ particularly democrats like Newsom‚ would dare say such a thing‚ let alone offer ideas about what to do about it. In “As Goes California” I write: “Homelessness hurt the homeless more than anyone. If a woman is homeless on the street in Los Angeles‚ there’s almost a 100 percent chance she will be raped -- and more than once. Out there it’s call ‘romancing.’ As reported in the Los Angeles Times‚ in the summer of 2021‚ city personnel working over six weeks removed tents and other handmade shelters from the Santa Monica boardwalk and the beach‚ with outreach workers persuading ‘more than 200 people to accept shelter with the hope of eventually finding permanent housing.’ But rather than accept the shelter that was offered‚ dozens of people just moved elsewhere and set up new homeless encampments. Most of the fires in Los Angeles are started by or in homeless encampments‚ where there is open drug use and trafficking.” Just days ago‚ over 164 firefighters battled a massive fire that started underneath an overpass of the busy Los Angeles 10 freeway‚ used daily by hundreds of thousands of commuters. Angelenos can look forward to an indefinite closure‚ expensive repair‚ snarled traffic and lots of wasted commuter time. While the cause is under investigation‚ the fire took place near a homeless encampment‚ and at least 16 people living underneath that part of the freeway were placed in shelters. No matter the cause of this fire‚ the Los Angeles Fire Department says the homeless population causes 80% of the downtown Los Angeles fires and 54% citywide. In “As Goes California‚” I write: “Dr. Ben Carson‚ the former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development‚ whom I consulted during my (2021 California governor recall) campaign‚ told me the homeless problem could be solved. ‘We have the money to treat people‚’ he said. ‘We have large areas of federal land in California. ...And we had already worked out a deal with the democrat mayor of Los Angeles to use these large parcels of land to build small‚ low-cost housing at a fraction of the normal costs.” Carson said the plan stopped cold when former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Meanwhile‚ a new poll finds Newsom’s ratings at an all-time low. The primary reasons? Crime and homelessness. While a 49% approval rating for Joe Biden might be cause for high fives for the president‚ for Newsom it represents an all-time low since elected governor. Maybe California voters are finally waking up. It is two years too late for 2021 California gubernatorial recall election‚ but maybe it is not too late for California. Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host. To find out more about Larry Elder‚ or become an “Elderado‚” visit www.LarryElder.com. Follow Larry on Twitter @larryelder. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists‚ visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

On Saturday's Fox &; Friends Weekend‚ the show gave coverage to how atrocious California's gun rights situation is as the Fox weekend anchors spoke with a Los Angeles resident whose concealed carry permit was revoked after he used his firearm to fight off two armed home invaders who are still at large. As dramatic video of the attack and shootout was shown on screen‚ co-host Will Cain recalled: "Caught on camera‚ a Los Angeles resident seen defending his home and family from would-be robbers earlier this month." Co-anchor Rachel Campos-Duffy further filled in viewers: "That gun and home owner now says he's been stripped of his concealed carry permit by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department after the terrifying neighborhood shootout." The third member of the weekend team‚ Pete Hegseth‚ brought aboard Vince Ricci and his wife‚ and began by asking if a reason was given for why the permit was revoked. Ricci responded: "No‚ they haven't given us any written statement. We've requested a written statement. We've constantly reached out to them and emailed. My wife has constantly reached out. They haven't said anything to us." After Cain followed up by asking if a temporary suspension under such circumstances was typical‚ Ricci added: "I think it's unique to the district I'm in in California. They usually will suspend it temporarily from what I've heard‚ but then they sent -- they temporarily suspended it‚ and then they immediately called and said it's revoked." He then recalled that he had been told over the phone without any written notice‚ and without a reason given: Yeah‚ they said over the phone -- no written email‚ no confirmation‚ nothing. Because I just -- I feel like it's a petty attempt to strip me of my ability to protect myself and because there's so much publicity around the case and they haven't caught anybody that are at large -- that it's easier for them to do that than to actually go and catch the criminals. On the previous night's The Ingraham Angle‚ Fox News host Laura Ingraham also devoted a segment to Ricci's situation‚ speaking with him and gun rights activist Colion Noir about the issue. Ricci recalled that‚ because he was on his own property‚ he did not even need his permit to use a firearm in that situation: " But it's not even a CCW matter because I was on my own property. I was walking into the driveway and entryway of my house‚ so this petty attempt for them to strip me of my ability to carry outside of my house for something that happened on my property‚ it's just unexplainable." He went on to note that his permit was revoked even though the two men who attacked him have not been found. Noir and Ingraham then weighed in on the Democrat-controlled California government's hostility to legal gun owners and Governor Gavin Newsom's attempts to weaken the 2nd Amendment. This important story regarding the right to self-defense was paid for in part by The Farmer's Dog‚ Constant Contact and Hobby Lobby. Their contact information is linked. Let them know you appreciate them supporting such important reporting. Transcripts follow: Fox's The Ingraham Angle November 17‚ 2023 7:33 p.m. Eastern VINCE RICCI‚ LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: But it's not even a CCW matter because I was on my own property. I was walking into the driveway and entryway of my house‚ so this petty attempt for them to strip me of my ability to carry outside of my house for something that happened on my property‚ it's just unexplainable. LAURA INGRAHAM: I see what you're saying. D.C. has really strict concealed carry rules. You have to register one gun at a time. So is the gun you used registered as a concealed carry? RICCI: Yes‚ the gun -- a Glock 26 -- is registered as my one concealed carry -- which‚ at the time‚ like I said‚ I never really thought I was going to have to use it. And I went about it the right way -- I acquired it the right way. They granted me the right to carry. Now‚ they're stripping me with the men at large that were looking for me and not giving me a way to defend myself. And I hope Sheriff (Robert) Luna is listening. INGRAHAM: Well‚ Colion‚ what's the reason? What's the reason? COLION NOIR‚ GUN RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I mean‚ I think it's pretty blatant what the reason is. California has had a notorious reputation for being anti-gun and anti-anybody being able to carry a firearm unless you're part of the government somehow. So this aspect of him stripping him of his ability to carry a firearm‚ especially when you're talking about a situation that happened on his property‚ it just reeks of their hatred for citizens -- law-abiding citizens for that matter -- being able to carry firearms to protect themselves. (...) Fox &; Friends Weekend November 18‚ 2023 9:40 a.m. Eastern WILL CAIN: Caught on camera‚ a Los Angeles resident seen defending his home and family from would-be robbers earlier this month. RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY: That gun and home owner now says he's been stripped of his concealed carry permit by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department after the terrifying neighborhood shootout. PETE HEGSETH: Here with their story‚ Vince Ricci alongside his wife Karla‚ who was just on the other side of the door when the gun fight broke out. Thank you both for being here. We were commenting on your story earlier‚ the courage it took to do what you did to defend your family. Now‚ I will get into that story in a moment‚ but your permit was revoked. Did they give you a reason why? Like‚ why are you the one that pays the consequence? VINCE RICCI‚ LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: Well‚ thank you for having us on. No‚ they haven't given us any written statement. We've requested a written statement. We've constantly reached out to them and emailed. My wife has constantly reached out. They haven't said anything to us. WILL CAIN: Vince‚ as a follow-up to that‚ is it standard protocol that after a firearm is discharged or something like that in this kind of incident‚ do they suspend it for a while? Or is this‚ as you can tell‚ as far as you can tell‚ unique to your situation? VINCE RICCI: I think it's -- I think it's unique to the district I'm in in California. They usually will suspend it temporarily from what I've heard‚ but then they sent -- they temporarily suspended it‚ and then they immediately called and said it's revoked. CAIN: It's revoked. VINCE RICCI: Yeah‚ they said over the phone -- no written email‚ no confirmation‚ nothing. Because I just -- I feel like it's a petty attempt to strip me of my ability to protect myself and because there's so much publicity around the case and they haven't caught anybody that are at large -- that it's easier for them to do that than to actually go and catch the criminals.

These easy recipes are a great way to use any leftover turkey. We love having leftovers every year to make new recipes for our family.  The hot brown is a favorite with us and is a Kentucky recipe.  The turkey salad is delicious and who doesn’t love soup for lunch.  Sandwiches to go with your...

Nobody had ever reached this level. Continue reading…

Six decades after his assassination in Dallas‚ a look at songs with references to the fallen president of the United States. Continue reading…