Fun Mole Facts To Pique Your Interest

do you know what slope intercept form is and can you tell me please math is hard :{

yeah sure, so slope intercept form (sometimes called “a linear equation”) is simply [y = mx + b], and it is basically just one way of mathematically condensing all the information you need to generate an infinitely-long straight line

y and x represent the y and x axes of the graph, and aren’t ever going to change, really. you could do [x = my + b], too, but no one really does that because it just overcomplicates things. so, for the most part, just ignore x and y. they’re just variables.

m indicates the slope, or steepness, of the line. so if m is 3, then for every 1 unit you move right (x-ward) you’d also move 3 units up (y-ward). larger m values indicate steeper lines. a negative m value indicates the line slopes downwards to the right

b is the y-intercept: where your line intersects with [x = 0]. this basically just shifts the entire line up or down on the y-axis, which is necessary for figuring out where the line actually is in 2d space

get some graph paper and a ruler and practice making some lines using this formula, changing the m and b values to whatever you like. you should be able to grasp it pretty quickly with this hands-on approach. good luck in your studies!

Behold the pocket-sized western pygmy possum! (Cercartetus concinnus). One of the world’s smallest possums, this species typically weighs just 0.5 oz (14 g)—the size of an AA battery. This dainty marsupial is a nectarivore, meaning that its diet consists primarily of plant nectar. It inhabits treetops in forests throughout parts of Australia, using its long prehensile tail like a fifth limb as it moves from branch to branch.

Photo: gilliank, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

i always convince myself i dont sound that weird and then i go out in the world and get involved in anything longer than transactional small talk and its like ohhh thats right ive only been hanging out with gay people who speak in riddles

idk. too many people drive like they don’t realize (or care) that they could die and/or kill someone. as a result of the way they are driving. sorry if i sound lame or ancient i just feel insane witnessing the lack of concern on a regular basis. The vehicle you are in is thousands of pounds going many miles an hour. do you know this

This danger noodle isn’t very dangerous—unless you’re a lizard, arthropod, or rodent! Meet the Arabian sand boa (Eryx jayakari), a non-venomous snake found in parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Notice its unusual eyes? Because they’re positioned at the top of the boa’s head, this species can remain almost perfectly concealed in desert sand while watching for prey. After ambushing its victims, this snek constricts its soon-to-be meal, squeezing until suffocation or immobilization occurs. 

Photo: sindic, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, iNaturalist

day 1 at the communal puzzle club: i see a puzzle with a sign next to it that says "please help with our communal puzzle" and i say to myself "don't mind if I do" and did the whole thing

genuinely one of the worst things that’s happened to television in the last few years (exacerbated by streaming services) is death of Filler. going from 20 episodes to 8 because “we didn’t really need that episode where the main characters went to the beach right? it had no long lasting effect” but we DID!!! we needed to see how they act without the Big Bad Plot and to establish the dynamics between the characters and lay in the sun (do they forget sunscreen? how do they react to a thieving seagull? do they get buried in the sand or do they do the burying?). the plot isn’t everything. the action doesn’t hit as hard without the quiet moments. give us character development and our little scenes back

getting older can be so amazing? you get more familiar with yourself. learn tips & tricks for troubleshooting your own brain. trial & error helps you build routines that minimize discomfort, maximize reward. your preferences/interests don't get set in stone, but you do find out which ones are going to stay with you in the long-term, and which ones are fun but transient joys to appreciate in the moment.

you learn that the world is so much more complex than you were taught, and that that's okay, and that there's an endless supply of things you can learn or watch or experience or think about if you want to. if you're lucky, you loosen up, stop putting so much pressure on yourself. if you're lucky, you learn to recognize that negative inner voice, and whack it with a baseball bat until it hushes up. if you're lucky, you learn to treat yourself gently, not because you are fragile but because you are worthy of gentleness. (i hope you are lucky.)

and some things will change. some things will get better. some things will get good. and maybe you start to recover from the dehumanizing stress of childhood/education. maybe you learn the power of your own autonomy. maybe you learn how to walk away from bad situations (which is a superpower even if you don't realize it yet). and you get to choose your own clothes. and your own food. and which relationships to pursue! and what you do with your free time. and with your life (but don't worry you get to choose that gradually). and that's crazy! and sometimes scary. and extraordinarily, indescribably precious.