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New model predicts that we’re probably the only advanced civilization in the observable universe. Via Universe Today.Well, playing with the Drake equation and the Fermi paradox is always fun and educative, as long as you assume that you are on a purely speculative ground. We actually don’t know, and the “probably” adverb in the title is central.From the original paper’s abstract (Dissolving the Fermi Paradox - PDF):[…] The expectation that the universe should be teeming with intelligent life is linked to models like the Drake equation, which suggest that even if the probability of intelligent life developing at a given site...

1. Terrifically tiny You’d think that most people would find miniature versions of makeup products mildly aggravating, because why have less when you can have MOAR? But the daintiness of diminutive perfume bottles, lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes like the NARS Wanted Mini Eyeshadow Palette have me hoarding all teh tiny treasures. So what if they aren’t always practical? — especially the tiny tubes of mascara. (My hands suddenly seem Shrek-sized when I’m holding one of those tiny wands.) They’re just so darned cute. I was looking at some of Connor’s tiny toys the other day and remembered how I used...

Well, this was a first. I can say with 100% certainly that I’ve never been as excited about reusable shopping bags as I was on Christmas Day when I opened those sets of Trader Joe’s Mystery Bags. I was hoping for bags from remote locales (remote to me, like Anchorage and Key West), so I gnashed my teeth when I saw this one from another town in Northern California… [SIGH] There’s a donkey on it saying, “Eureka!” though, which kinda makes up for it. My favorite is this one from Louisiana, which has seafood nestled in what appears to be...

M87 Black Hole Size ComparisonxkcdAlt/title text:“I think Voyager 1 would be just past the event horizon, but slightly less than halfway to the bright ring.”More:- Explain xkcd- Focus on the First Event Horizon Telescope Results - The Astrophysical Journal Letters - IOPscience- NASA news: Black Hole Image Makes History; NASA Telescopes Coordinated Observations- NSF Media resources- Event Horizon Telescope (Official website)- A Non-Expert’s Guide to a Black Hole’s Silhouette by Matt Strassler - APOD: First Horizon-Scale Image of a Black Hole

I’m wearing another pumpkin spice latte look today! (More reviews on the key makeup products, all the new things from MAC that are out right now, in just a sec.) But first, my latest Starbucks adventure… Like I mentioned yesterday, for years I thought the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte was limited to the standard-issue #PSL, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. If you look around, you can find TONS of different versions of the PSL (even healthy-ish ones)! If you’re not into the super sweet OG latte (which, I admit, can be a little much, even for my sweet...