Author: Trisha Leigh

Posted on

A Woman Asked, “Am I Wrong for No Longer Cleaning Up After My Boyfriend?”

I know that everyone can be lazy, and that we all have those down days when we don’t feel like being a responsible adult and taking care of ourselves and our space.

That said, across the board, it seems like while the women in relationships have days like these, the men in those relationships have fewer responsible days than the other way around.

Just my personal observations, you understand.

This woman is finding herself in one of these all-too-common relationships, where she’s been the one cleaning up after her partner like she’s the only adult in the home.

She gives a few specific examples, like how he refuses to put the scoop for the cat food back where it goes. She’s started leaving it where he did, which he, of course, finds annoying.

I have come to realize my bf rarely moves items back to their original homes. Yes, I have talked to him about this and we haven’t resolved anything, hence the post here.

So, my boyfriend will not put anything back to where it should be. This includes kitchen utensils (I’m not OCD, I just think the cutting knives should go near the cutting board), toilet paper, qtips, and most recently, the cat food feeding scoop.

Specifically, he feeds the cats in the morning, and leaves the scoop by whoever he feeds last (they’re all fed in separate rooms, we have a fast eater). I feed the cats at night, and have to wander around until I find it, and then I put it back in with the cat food, which is where he goes in the morning. I started replacing it to exactly where he leaves it now, and he’s getting annoyed it’s not in with the food in the morning.

Then there’s the toilet paper, which she now totes around to see how long he will go without replacing the roll, and the Q-tips he would rather forgo than replace.

Toilet paper. He will never replace it. So I started bringing my own roll into the bathroom, and if the bathroom roll is empty, I don’t replace it. This goes for the qtips as well. He won’t replace them in the bathroom. I have not replaced them in a month and it seems like he just stopped using them…

He doesn’t even empty the grocery bags, just shoves them in their general locations and assumes she will empty and organize things later.

Things came to a head, here, when he accidentally put some chicken into the pantry that went bad.

Finally, when we go grocery shopping, he just shoves all the bags into the fridge/freezer/pantry for me to empty later. I have stopped emptying the bags and organizing the fridge, and just remove my item from a bag and leave it as it was.

This probably upsets him the most, since last time he put a pack of chicken in the pantry last time, that I “didn’t notice”. I really didn’t notice it though, that’s what he said to me. I assumed he at least checked the bags to be going in their general locations.

Is she wrong? Is he right to be upset?

Anyway, we have been fighting about this and today he got upset the cat food scoop was not with the food, and in the kitchen (where he left it).

AITA for trying to make a point that I can’t constantly be fixing everything?

I think (hope) you all know the answer to this one, but let’s check out the comments just the same.

The grocery bag thing is just a whole new level of lazy.

Image Credit: Reddit

And no, it’s not her job to “raise” him. His mother should have done that.

Image Credit: Reddit

Every action has consequences. It’s about time he learned that, even the hard way.

Image Credit: Reddit

There did seem to be a consensus on where at least part of the blame here does reside.

Image Credit: Reddit

It’s the infuriating expectation that SHE do it that really did people in.

Image Credit: Reddit

I think the fact that they’ve already had discussions about this actually makes it worse. She’s told him it bothers her, and not only does he not make an effort to change, he expects her to pick up his slack.

Big ol’ nope.

Give us your take on it in the comments!

The post A Woman Asked, “Am I Wrong for No Longer Cleaning Up After My Boyfriend?” appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

A Woman Asked, “Am I Wrong for No Longer Cleaning Up After My Boyfriend?”

I know that everyone can be lazy, and that we all have those down days when we don’t feel like being a responsible adult and taking care of ourselves and our space.

That said, across the board, it seems like while the women in relationships have days like these, the men in those relationships have fewer responsible days than the other way around.

Just my personal observations, you understand.

This woman is finding herself in one of these all-too-common relationships, where she’s been the one cleaning up after her partner like she’s the only adult in the home.

She gives a few specific examples, like how he refuses to put the scoop for the cat food back where it goes. She’s started leaving it where he did, which he, of course, finds annoying.

I have come to realize my bf rarely moves items back to their original homes. Yes, I have talked to him about this and we haven’t resolved anything, hence the post here.

So, my boyfriend will not put anything back to where it should be. This includes kitchen utensils (I’m not OCD, I just think the cutting knives should go near the cutting board), toilet paper, qtips, and most recently, the cat food feeding scoop.

Specifically, he feeds the cats in the morning, and leaves the scoop by whoever he feeds last (they’re all fed in separate rooms, we have a fast eater). I feed the cats at night, and have to wander around until I find it, and then I put it back in with the cat food, which is where he goes in the morning. I started replacing it to exactly where he leaves it now, and he’s getting annoyed it’s not in with the food in the morning.

Then there’s the toilet paper, which she now totes around to see how long he will go without replacing the roll, and the Q-tips he would rather forgo than replace.

Toilet paper. He will never replace it. So I started bringing my own roll into the bathroom, and if the bathroom roll is empty, I don’t replace it. This goes for the qtips as well. He won’t replace them in the bathroom. I have not replaced them in a month and it seems like he just stopped using them…

He doesn’t even empty the grocery bags, just shoves them in their general locations and assumes she will empty and organize things later.

Things came to a head, here, when he accidentally put some chicken into the pantry that went bad.

Finally, when we go grocery shopping, he just shoves all the bags into the fridge/freezer/pantry for me to empty later. I have stopped emptying the bags and organizing the fridge, and just remove my item from a bag and leave it as it was.

This probably upsets him the most, since last time he put a pack of chicken in the pantry last time, that I “didn’t notice”. I really didn’t notice it though, that’s what he said to me. I assumed he at least checked the bags to be going in their general locations.

Is she wrong? Is he right to be upset?

Anyway, we have been fighting about this and today he got upset the cat food scoop was not with the food, and in the kitchen (where he left it).

AITA for trying to make a point that I can’t constantly be fixing everything?

I think (hope) you all know the answer to this one, but let’s check out the comments just the same.

The grocery bag thing is just a whole new level of lazy.

Image Credit: Reddit

And no, it’s not her job to “raise” him. His mother should have done that.

Image Credit: Reddit

Every action has consequences. It’s about time he learned that, even the hard way.

Image Credit: Reddit

There did seem to be a consensus on where at least part of the blame here does reside.

Image Credit: Reddit

It’s the infuriating expectation that SHE do it that really did people in.

Image Credit: Reddit

I think the fact that they’ve already had discussions about this actually makes it worse. She’s told him it bothers her, and not only does he not make an effort to change, he expects her to pick up his slack.

Big ol’ nope.

Give us your take on it in the comments!

The post A Woman Asked, “Am I Wrong for No Longer Cleaning Up After My Boyfriend?” appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

The Flat Particle That Could Be The Key to Unlocking Quantum Computing

We don’t hear much on the news or in our daily lives about quantum computing per se, but the majority of the technological advances that have changed our lives over the past several decades are thanks to increased computer power.

Now, physicists have confirmed the existence of a particle they’re calling an anyon, and it could be the key to unlocking many more computing possibilities in the future, says Discover.

“These particle-like objects only arise in realms confined to two dimensions, and then only under certain circumstances – like at temperatures near absolute zero and in the presence of a strong magnetic field.”

Physicists have theorized that these anyons exist since the 1980s, but their nature has made them hard to pin down.

Those same qualities would make them very valuable to quantum research and computers, though, so scientists haven’t stopped trying to prove they exist.

Image Credit: YouTube

Purdue University talked about their many potential uses in a recent press release.

“Anyons have characteristics not seen in other subatomic particles, including exhibiting fractional charge and fractional statistics that maintain a ‘memory’ of their interactions with other quasiparticles by inducing quantum mechanical phase changes.

Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Frank Wilczek, professor of physics at MIT, gave these quasiparticles the tongue-in-cheek name ‘anyon’” due to their strange behavior because unlike other types of particles, they can adopt ‘any’ quantum phase when their positions are exchanged.”

Researchers were able to train a miniature particle accelerator to “sort” particles and notice anyons, then came up with a maze that would phase out all of the other particles in order to end up with only the mysterious particles they were searching for at the start.

Image Credit: Cornell Chronicle

What they found was that it worked so well because, like electrons and photons, anyons “braid” – and this is good news for quantum computing, says researcher Mikael Rechtsman.

“Braiding is a topological phenomenon that has been traditionally associated with electronic devices.

We hope to show that a whole class of topological phenomena can be useful not only for electronic devices, but also photonic devices, such as lasers, medical imaging, telecommunications, and others.

We also expect that this new type of topological physics could be applied to quantum information systems, particularly those based on photons.”

With more particles in their toolkit, physicists are sure advances are to come – and we have the anyons to thank.

Who knew?

The post The Flat Particle That Could Be The Key to Unlocking Quantum Computing appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

The Flat Particle That Could Be The Key to Unlocking Quantum Computing

We don’t hear much on the news or in our daily lives about quantum computing per se, but the majority of the technological advances that have changed our lives over the past several decades are thanks to increased computer power.

Now, physicists have confirmed the existence of a particle they’re calling an anyon, and it could be the key to unlocking many more computing possibilities in the future, says Discover.

“These particle-like objects only arise in realms confined to two dimensions, and then only under certain circumstances – like at temperatures near absolute zero and in the presence of a strong magnetic field.”

Physicists have theorized that these anyons exist since the 1980s, but their nature has made them hard to pin down.

Those same qualities would make them very valuable to quantum research and computers, though, so scientists haven’t stopped trying to prove they exist.

Image Credit: YouTube

Purdue University talked about their many potential uses in a recent press release.

“Anyons have characteristics not seen in other subatomic particles, including exhibiting fractional charge and fractional statistics that maintain a ‘memory’ of their interactions with other quasiparticles by inducing quantum mechanical phase changes.

Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Frank Wilczek, professor of physics at MIT, gave these quasiparticles the tongue-in-cheek name ‘anyon’” due to their strange behavior because unlike other types of particles, they can adopt ‘any’ quantum phase when their positions are exchanged.”

Researchers were able to train a miniature particle accelerator to “sort” particles and notice anyons, then came up with a maze that would phase out all of the other particles in order to end up with only the mysterious particles they were searching for at the start.

Image Credit: Cornell Chronicle

What they found was that it worked so well because, like electrons and photons, anyons “braid” – and this is good news for quantum computing, says researcher Mikael Rechtsman.

“Braiding is a topological phenomenon that has been traditionally associated with electronic devices.

We hope to show that a whole class of topological phenomena can be useful not only for electronic devices, but also photonic devices, such as lasers, medical imaging, telecommunications, and others.

We also expect that this new type of topological physics could be applied to quantum information systems, particularly those based on photons.”

With more particles in their toolkit, physicists are sure advances are to come – and we have the anyons to thank.

Who knew?

The post The Flat Particle That Could Be The Key to Unlocking Quantum Computing appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Meet the Woman Who Pushed for a Black Character to Join the “Peanuts” Gang

There’s almost no chance you don’t know who the Peanuts gang are. Even if you’re too young to realize that they were born as comics, and even though there isn’t an updated version on Nickelodeon, the holiday specials have pretty much ensured that Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest are forever lodged in American culture.

In 1968, though, the Peanuts gang were anything but nostalgic history. At the height of its popularity, Charles Schulz and the world he created were about to break barriers with the introduction of its first African American character, Franklin Armstrong.

It was April of 1968 when Los Angeles-area schoolteacher Harriet Glickman, who thought media had a role in shaping the views and attitudes of children, wrote a letter to Schulz:

Image Credit: Charles M. Schulz Museum

“Since the death of Martin Luther King, I’ve been asking myself what I can do to help change those conditions in our society which led to the assassination and which contribute to the vast seas of misunderstanding, fear, hate, and violence. …the introduction of Negro children into the group of Schulz characters could happen with a minimum of impact. The gentleness of the kids … even Lucy, is a perfect setting. The baseball games, kite-flying … yes, even the Psychiatric Service cum Lemonade Stand would accommodate the idea smoothly.”

Schulz replied to the letter, telling Glickman what he would “like very much to be able to do this,” but confessed that he and other cartoonists were “afraid that it would look like we were patronizing our Negro friends.”

Image Credit: Charles M. Schulz Museum

He told her he didn’t know what the solution was, and Glickman took that as a challenge to help him figure it out. She offered to pose the question to some of her Negro friends and get back to him, to which Schulz replied that he would be “very anxious to hear what your friends think of my reasons for not including a Negro character in the strip.”

They corresponded back and forth for some weeks, and the letters culminated in a strip, to be published on July 31, 1968, that Schulz told Glickman he thought would please her.

Franklin Armstrong entered the Peanuts strip that day, the first Black and first minority character to appear in any major, mainstream comic strip.

Image Credit: Fair Use

Later in his career, Schulz spoke about the particular strips featuring Franklin that received pushback from his editors.

“There was one strip where Charlie Brown and Franklin had been playing on the beach, and Franklin said, ‘Well, it’s been nice being with you, come on over to my house some time,’” Schulz recalled. “[My editors] didn’t like that. Another editor protested once when Franklin was sitting in the same row of school desks with Peppermint Patty, and said, ‘We have enough trouble here in the South without you showing the kids together in school.’ But I never paid any attention to those things, and I remember telling [United Features president] Larry [Rutman] at the time about Franklin—he wanted me to change it, and we talked about it for a long while on the phone, and I finally sighed and said, ‘Well, Larry, let’s put it this way: Either you print it just the way I draw it or I quit. How’s that?’ So that’s the way that ended.”

When Harriet Glickman passed in 2020, the director of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, Karen Johnson, wrote about the woman she says is a hero.

“Heroes are hard to come by. I admire a lot of people, but not to the extent to call them a hero. But Harriet Glickman truly is MY hero.”

As far as Harriet, she was proud of Franklin, too, calling him her “third child.”

I love this story because it shows what can be accomplished when people take the time to listen to people who are different from them, to have an open and honest dialogue about a perceived impasse, and then work together to find a way to topple it effectively.

I’m not surprised at all that the Peanuts gang teaches us this one last lesson – it is, after all, what they do best.

The post Meet the Woman Who Pushed for a Black Character to Join the “Peanuts” Gang appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Meet the Woman Who Pushed for a Black Character to Join the “Peanuts” Gang

There’s almost no chance you don’t know who the Peanuts gang are. Even if you’re too young to realize that they were born as comics, and even though there isn’t an updated version on Nickelodeon, the holiday specials have pretty much ensured that Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest are forever lodged in American culture.

In 1968, though, the Peanuts gang were anything but nostalgic history. At the height of its popularity, Charles Schulz and the world he created were about to break barriers with the introduction of its first African American character, Franklin Armstrong.

It was April of 1968 when Los Angeles-area schoolteacher Harriet Glickman, who thought media had a role in shaping the views and attitudes of children, wrote a letter to Schulz:

Image Credit: Charles M. Schulz Museum

“Since the death of Martin Luther King, I’ve been asking myself what I can do to help change those conditions in our society which led to the assassination and which contribute to the vast seas of misunderstanding, fear, hate, and violence. …the introduction of Negro children into the group of Schulz characters could happen with a minimum of impact. The gentleness of the kids … even Lucy, is a perfect setting. The baseball games, kite-flying … yes, even the Psychiatric Service cum Lemonade Stand would accommodate the idea smoothly.”

Schulz replied to the letter, telling Glickman what he would “like very much to be able to do this,” but confessed that he and other cartoonists were “afraid that it would look like we were patronizing our Negro friends.”

Image Credit: Charles M. Schulz Museum

He told her he didn’t know what the solution was, and Glickman took that as a challenge to help him figure it out. She offered to pose the question to some of her Negro friends and get back to him, to which Schulz replied that he would be “very anxious to hear what your friends think of my reasons for not including a Negro character in the strip.”

They corresponded back and forth for some weeks, and the letters culminated in a strip, to be published on July 31, 1968, that Schulz told Glickman he thought would please her.

Franklin Armstrong entered the Peanuts strip that day, the first Black and first minority character to appear in any major, mainstream comic strip.

Image Credit: Fair Use

Later in his career, Schulz spoke about the particular strips featuring Franklin that received pushback from his editors.

“There was one strip where Charlie Brown and Franklin had been playing on the beach, and Franklin said, ‘Well, it’s been nice being with you, come on over to my house some time,’” Schulz recalled. “[My editors] didn’t like that. Another editor protested once when Franklin was sitting in the same row of school desks with Peppermint Patty, and said, ‘We have enough trouble here in the South without you showing the kids together in school.’ But I never paid any attention to those things, and I remember telling [United Features president] Larry [Rutman] at the time about Franklin—he wanted me to change it, and we talked about it for a long while on the phone, and I finally sighed and said, ‘Well, Larry, let’s put it this way: Either you print it just the way I draw it or I quit. How’s that?’ So that’s the way that ended.”

When Harriet Glickman passed in 2020, the director of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, Karen Johnson, wrote about the woman she says is a hero.

“Heroes are hard to come by. I admire a lot of people, but not to the extent to call them a hero. But Harriet Glickman truly is MY hero.”

As far as Harriet, she was proud of Franklin, too, calling him her “third child.”

I love this story because it shows what can be accomplished when people take the time to listen to people who are different from them, to have an open and honest dialogue about a perceived impasse, and then work together to find a way to topple it effectively.

I’m not surprised at all that the Peanuts gang teaches us this one last lesson – it is, after all, what they do best.

The post Meet the Woman Who Pushed for a Black Character to Join the “Peanuts” Gang appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Things You Can Do Every Day to Look Youthful as You Get Older

Everyone wants to think that they’ll be able to keep looking in the mirror and recognizing the person they see there – that, even as you get older, you retain something of your youthful self.

It turns out there are some simple things you can do every day that will help you age slower, and look more youthful as you do – here are 18 of them you can start incorporating today.

style expert Sharon Haver, founder of FocusOnStyle.com.

18. Up your protein intake.

Image Credit: iStock

Lean muscle requires protein, so you’ll want to make sure you have enough in your diet to feed your muscles, says Erin Palinski-Wade, author of Belly Fat Diet for Dummies.

“A loss of muscle can lead to a loss of strength and balance, accelerating the aging process. Less defined muscle on the body can also cause the appearance of looser, sagging skin, making you appear older than your biological age.”

17. Rethink your eyeliner.

Image Credit: iStock

You’ve probably been using a basic black eyeliner for years, but makeup artist on What Not to Wear Carmindy says it’s time to re-think it.

“Keep eyeliner light, like chocolate brown instead of black, and apply it as close to the roots of the upper lashes as possible. Keep away from using liner under the eyes, which can look aging.”

16. Get strong.

Image Credit: iStock

Exercise in general is great for keeping young, but if you’re not already strength training, Palinski-Wade says you should be.

“Regular strength training, with your own body weight or using external weights, can help to increase metabolism, increase strength, and improve balance. In addition, increased muscle tone helps to provide a more youthful appearance.”

15. Grab some antioxidants.

Image Credit: iStock

Vitamins A and C are great warriors against free radicals, which help you maintain a younger appearance, according to Palinski-Wade.

“When free radicals from diet or the environment threaten to damage skin cells, antioxidants may help to fight against damage from the sun and the environment, and protect against inflammation which accelerates aging.”

Oranges, strawberries, blueberries, bell peppers, and spinach are great choices to get more!

14. Look into pilates.

Image Credit: iStock

Pilates improves posture, and standing up straight with more energy smacks of younger folks, reminds Palinski-Wade.

“Pilates can help to increase core strength and improve posture. Holding your body more upright with improved posture improves balance, protects against falls, and helps you look younger.”

13. Lighten up your makeup.

Image Credit: iStock

If you’ve got wrinkles, heavy face makeup will settle into them and make them pop. Carmindy says your best bet is a primer followed by a light foundation and then some concealer.

“If you use a sheer dewy foundation first all over the skin, chances are you will need much less concealer. Then just add a spot of matte concealer over any areas that are still visible.”

12. Make sure your hairstylist is up to the task.

Image Credit: iStock

As we age our hair changes, and if you’re keen to keep your hair long, the cut becomes super important, says stylist Jenna Mast.

“Some women feel attached to length because they think it makes them look younger, when in fact, it just hangs and doesn’t do anything to flatter or soften features. Long, heavy hair really pulls down the face. Lifting up layers and adding texture to frame the face will take years off.”

11. Reach for the pink lipstick.

Image Credit: iStock

Sure, red is fun. That said, Carmindy says it’s not the best choice if youthfulness is your goal – pink is a girl’s best friend.

“Dark shades will make lips recede. Use a clear or flesh-color lip liner to seal in the color without getting that ring-around-the-lip look.”

10. Get plenty of rest.

Image Credit: iStock

Beauty sleep isn’t a myth, says sleep expert Richard Shane, creator of the Sleep Easily Method.

“Lack of sleep dries out your skin, making wrinkles deeper and more visible. Collagen production increases during sleep, preventing sagging, and blood flow increases so your complexion looks better and younger.”

9. Reduce your sugar and salt intake.

Image Credit: iStock

Palinski-Wade reminds us that what we put into our bodies has a huge effect on what people see on the outside, so don’t ignore it.

“Added sugars and excessive salt intake can increase inflammation in the body, which can accelerate the aging process. Inflammation produces enzymes that break down collagen in the skin. The end result is accelerated wrinkling and sagging of the skin, leading to an aged appearance.

This study found that people with high blood sugar look older, and another that found that salt increased cell aging in people who are already overweight.

8. Bangs might be a mistake.

Image Credit: iStock

You might think that bangs will mix up your look and keep things fun and fresh, but hairstylists Mast says you should take a breath and assess before jumping in with your scissors.

“Too often I see women with these awful, unflattering, boxy bangs that they have because they think it makes them look younger, when really it just ages them further. If you have bangs that suit you, the bangs will bring out your facial features and distract from your problem areas.”

7. Apply your blush correctly.

Image Credit: iStock

Placing blush just under your cheeks makes you look bony, rather than like you have high cheekbones, says Carmindy.

“Place it high on the apples of the cheeks and use a big fluffy powder brush to apply it in a nice natural flush. Small brushes blend on too much, and placing blush under the cheeks makes faces look too angular and severe.”

6. Whiten your teeth.

Image Credit: iStock

The whiter your teeth, the longer you look, and now it’s fairly affordable to have it done professionally or at home.

Dentist Nancy Rosen does recommend that if you decide to do it yourself you read and follow all of the directions on the box – you don’t want to mess with your chompers.

5. Paint your nails.

Image Credit: iStock

One study found that painted nails makes hands appear younger – and not only that, it’s fun and allows you to express your individual personality and passions.

No rules here!

4. Embrace the gray.

Image Credit: iStock

Mast says that “for some women, upkeep becomes impossible and you actually look younger and fresher with a full head of gray or white natural hair with a gloss over it, rather than fully covered. It depends on maintenance and the the time you are willing to spend.”

Add up all the hours you spend waiting on color and decide if you wouldn’t rather spend them somewhere else!

3. Let go of toxic relationships.

Image Credit: iStock

Your body and mind will thank you for kicking that stress to the curb – research shows that love releases oxytocin, which makes everyone feel good. It also lowers your blood pressure and improves blood flow, says Dr. Orloff.

“Positive relationships nurture the positive energy in you. Love and appreciation from others makes you happy, more relaxed, and more attractive.”

2. Wear your hair down.

Image Credit: iStock

Messy buns and ponytails might be easy, but Mast says they aren’t doing you any favors as far as a youthful appearance.

“If hair is too coiffed, there is a definite feeling of ‘I put a ton of effort into looking younger,’ versus something that is less tight, less uptight, and more casual with a feeling of effortlessness.”

1. Just say no.

Image Credit: iStock

Alcohol might take the edge off, but it has poor effects on our bodies at even a cellular level, according to several studies. You don’t have to quit altogether, says Palinski-Wade, but like with sugar and salt, you’ll want to watch your intake.

“Alcohol can dehydrate skin and increase inflammation, both of which can accelerate aging and give skin a dry, wrinkled appearance.”

I’m definitely going to add a few of these into my daily routine, how about you?

Tell us in the comments which tips are going to work for your life!

The post Things You Can Do Every Day to Look Youthful as You Get Older appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Uranus Passed a Gas Bubble 22,000 Times Bigger Than Earth

I don’t think it’s possible for a planet to be embarrassed, but if it were, Uranus should definitely be ashamed of the gas bubbles that are emerging from its bowels.

Do farts stink in space? There’s a question for NASA the next time I’ve got them on the line.

In all seriousness, this discovery is something special, because with all of the information we’ve been able to gather from various planets in our solar system – earthquakes on Mars, grooves in Saturn’s rings, jet streams on Jupiter, and even Pluto’s heartbeat – our image and knowledge of Uranus hasn’t been substantially increased since Voyager 2 passed by the blue beachball in 1986.

Image Credit: iStock

In 2020,though, two planetary scientists noticed an anomaly that everyone had overlooked – a magnetic bubble, perhaps.

Their report appeared in Geophysical Research Letters, and has led scientists to take another look at the mysterious planet.

Gina DiBraccio and Daniel Gershman are two of the scientists who are brushing off old research, seeing what else we might have missed. They’ve spent hours manually looking at 30-year-old data, and found that by focusing on what Voyager 2 considered extraneous noise, there is much we could have missed.

Specifically, they spotted a 60-second long section of the 45-hour flyby where the magnetic field rose and fell in a way they immediately recognized.

It was a plasmoid.

Those are charged globs of atmosphere blown out into space when solar winds whip around planets, and losing them can transform a place over a long period of time.

Image Credit: Public Domain

Studying them is one of the ways scientists believe they can gain insight into how planets live – and how they die.

DiBraccio explained,

“We expected that Uranus would likely have plasmoids.

However we didn’t know exactly what they would look like.”

The plasmoid looks similar to ones they’ve seen emitting from Saturn and Jupiter, but it’s much larger – it formed a cylinder roughly 22,000 times larger than Earth.

Uranus is ripe for study, with updated imaging showing a world that’s not just blue, but painted with white, candy-striped clouds. We’ve also really never understood that way it rolls instead of spins, tipped on its side with its poles pointing either toward or away from the sun.

It’s magnetic field is different, too. It’s offset from the planet’s center, around 60 degrees to the side instead. Planetary astronomers have never really been able to see it or how it works, though the Hubble can occasionally catch an indirect glimpse.

NASA and other space researchers have a growing interest in sending a dedicated probe to Uranus or Neptune. Sketches of possible missions have emerged over the past three years, and DiBraccio confirms they’re likely not going to stop until one is approved to go ahead.

Image Credit: iStock

The plan is to send a Cassini-style orbiter to circle the planets for years, surveying the magnetic field and studying its heat flow. There would also be at least one smaller probe the ship could fire into the atmosphere to measure invisible gasses leftover from the planet’s formation.

Uranus and Neptune, made from heavier molecules (water and ammonia) than the more common “gas giants” in our solar system, aren’t anomalies anywhere else. Neptune-like planets are one of the most common in the galaxy, and understanding more about them could tell scientists about the fundamental ways our galaxy seems to differ from the majority of known space.

Image Credit: iStock

Still, nuclear power will have to catch up, and getting to the outer reaches of our galaxy will be a years-long mission, even after it gets off the ground, says Heidi Hammel, a planetary astronomer and VP for Science at the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy.

“Even with our current best rockets and gravity assists, it’s still a decade to get out there. Most of us tend to think in multi-decade time scales.”

“I dream about exploring Uranus and Neptune and I dream about fantastic space telescopes. That’s how we get through tough times. We dream about the future.”

We’ve certainly had plenty of tough times lately, so let’s hope it pays off when we see some of these dreams and visions of the future come true.

The post Uranus Passed a Gas Bubble 22,000 Times Bigger Than Earth appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

This is Why You Should Embrace the New Normal of Always Texting Before You Call

As a child of the 1980s, I can tell you that I do, in fact, remember growing up during a time when, if you wanted to talk to someone, you had to actually call the on the phone. At their house. Where their parents might answer.

I know. The horror.

While there are many things about that sunlight, technology-free youth that I miss, I have to admit, I’ve totally embraced the “text don’t call” attitude that has followed the placement of a cell phone in the majority of hands.

Image Credit: iStock

Society has evolved quickly, along with technology, and most people now feel like calling without texting first, or without trying a less intrusive manner of communication, feels entitled and demanding of someone’s time.

Like, drop what you’re doing right now and talk to me.

Not only do most people not enjoy an unscheduled phone call, one that’s missed is also less likely to be returned than a text message that’s waiting there in black and white, suggesting gently that you remember to reply.

Image Credit: iStock

If someone waits to reply to a message until they have the time to focus on it, you’re also likely to get a more well thought out response, rather than something they say to you in a harried moment if you’ve called and snagged them at a bad time.

You probably have contacts you don’t follow these rules – your parents, your kids, your siblings, and close friends probably enjoy hearing your voice, and are also close enough to you to tell you they just don’t have time to chat.

Also, emergencies and perhaps illness or deaths in the family, other conversations that feel too impersonal to share over text, warrant a call.

Image Credit: iStock

Except for those few circumstances, though, you’re going to want to start texting – your relationships will be healthier, you’ll be happier, and there will be less stress all around.

And if that doesn’t sound like the ideal world, I don’t know what does!

The post This is Why You Should Embrace the New Normal of Always Texting Before You Call appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Toxic Behaviors That Society Pretends Are Romantic

If you ask me, there are way too many things in the books and movies that are made out to be romantic but are decidedly not at all. Most of them we can let slide, because everyone deserves their weird fantasies and whatever, but when those norms start to slide into reality, maybe it’s time to call them out.

That’s what singer and songwriter Naya Ford thought, anyway, when she posed the question “What’s something that people glamorize that’s actually just extremely toxic” on TikTok.

@nayaaford

What’s something that glamorized but is ✨toxic✨ #NewYearNewMiO #WordsOfWisdom #toxic #withouttellingme #fyp

♬ original sound – Naya A Ford

Naya started with wanting a boyfriend or girlfriend that’s rude to others (so no one will try to steal them away), and plenty of others piled on after that.

Here are 10 answers that are totally on point, so don’t believe what you hear!

10. Trying to change people.

“People who think it’s a goal or make it their mission to change someone. Not only is that a waste of your both their time because in my personal opinion people don’t change they become what they were supposed to be. In some instances you can help somebody to help who they are or whatever but at the end of the day they did it themselves, honestly I don’t think you get to take that credit.

You are taking their moment of self discovery or their self-love and acting like it’s your responsibility, or that you’re the reason for it. Not saying that you can make somebody happy, but at the end of the day happiness with oneself must be found by oneself. They have to to realize that they’re happy you can’t make it happen. So to think that you can change someone, their attitude, their style, whatever you can possibly to all that but it’s not gonna do as much good as you think.

At the end of the day you are turning them what you want them to be instead of who they’re meant to be and that’s selfish.”

9. Being blunt – to a fault.

“Y’all please because imma need y’all to listen to this one real quick. One of the biggest pet peeves of mine and it comes a lot in friendships and is the reason why a lot of my friendships have ended is that people will try to pass off being a complete a-hole as them being “blunt.”

My thing is I get the whole “I like to tell how it is” type of thing BUT there’s a difference between telling people how it is and completely bringing everyone around you and I thing a lot of people get that mixed up. And what really bothers me is that a lot of people won’t see the wrong in them doing this.

And then they have the nerve to be surprised when no one wants to be around them. Like sis maybe if you didn’t point out all my insecurities.”

8. Taking people for granted.

“For me, it’s people who think that caring the least is cool and [that] it gives you an upper hand over people who care about you. That’s so toxic. If you value them and want them in your life, show up for them in your way — in the best way you can. But don’t treat people less than just because you know they care about you and they’ll be there for you.

Don’t [take them for granted] because you think they’ll always be there, because one day you’ll wake up and they won’t be. And let’s care about people who care about us, and let’s show up for each other.”

7. Shopping away your feelings.

“Impulse shopping isn’t a problem. It’s a symptom of a deeper problem.”

6. Being a “ride or die.”

It’s fine to be there, no questions, but…sometimes you should really ask a few questions, don’t you think?

5. Working more than one job.

“Working two or three jobs just to survive and make ends meet so you don’t even have time for your family.”

4. Not looking for new friends.

“This concept of ‘no new friends’ — we gotta cut that out. You close yourself off from meeting people who could become a better friend than the one that you have. ‘Cause that friend is probably toxic.”

3. Treating mental health issues like a fun personality quirk.

“Mental health issues. Having a mental issues is not a little quirk of personality, no that’s not it. And it’s the same people that get upset when people don’t take their mental health seriously but when you treat is as a quirk who is gonna take it seriously.

Those people that literally sit there and brag about having depression, oh yeah I haven’t cleaned my room in a week because I have depression, oh yeah I haven’t showered in like a couple of days because I have depression. Like OKAY see therapist.”

2. Having a rude significant other.

“When people say, ‘I want a significant other that is rude and mean and not friendly to anybody.’ Girl, no one’s gonna cheat on you. It’s okay”

1. Acting like your marriage is perfect.

“The perfect marriage that you think you have, that you post all over social media. You’re trying to set some kind of standard that’s impossible. Marriage is hard; it’s not always fun. It takes patience and work and compromise.

And if you have issues in your marriage, you’re not broken — you’re normal. Because no one in marriage is perfect.”

We definitely need to stop pretending all of these things are cool, asap.

What else would you add to the list? Share with us in the comments!

The post Toxic Behaviors That Society Pretends Are Romantic appeared first on UberFacts.