Best August so far and other monthly meta

As Infidel 753 noted and I quoted, I post regular digests of my statistics of this blog.  I just finished compiling the stats for August 2016, so it's time to post them.

Last month was the best August ever and the fourth best month in the history of the blog so far with 19,821 page views from 31 posts during 31 days.  This means that the number of page views per day and per post were identical at 639.39.  All of those were much higher than for August 2015, when the blog received 14,981 page views for 38 entries over 31 days, resulting in averages of 483.26 page views per day and 394.24 page views per entry.*  All of those were new records for the blog at the time.  However, last month saw a 32.3% increase in total page views and page views per day, and a whopping 62.2% increase in page views per post.  The goal I set for myself in March to increase my page views per post while still growing my readership is still succeeding spectacularly!

On the other hand, last month's comments were disappointing.  The month also saw 27 comments for an average of 0.87 comments both per day and post.   That's a lot less than last August's 41 comments, which were the most since February 2014 and a new record for last year through the end of August.  In terms of total and per day, they declined 34.1%.  Comments per entry declined less, as I posted 38 entries last August for an average of 1.08 comments per entry.  The result is a decline of 0.21 comments per entry or 19.4%.  That looks less bad.  Also, I am recognizing a most commented on entry over the jump, unlike March 2016 when no post merited the honor.  For what it's worth, this month looks better already with 22 comments to 9 entries over 10 days.  It's not on pace to beat September 2015's 74 comments, but at least participation in the comments section will look respectable and hopefully not full of spam!

Before I review the most read posts, I'm featuring the ones that got the most attention on social media.  This month, I institute a new recognition, most retweeted on Twitter.  This month, the honor goes to U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan candidates for 2016 from August 27, 2016, which was the most retweeted post of the month with five retweets during August, six overall.

Three posts tied for most pinned on Pinterest with 2 pins during July.  "Star Wars Drinks for Star Wars Day" from May 4, 2015 repeated from last month.  "Drinks for the Democratic debates: Joe Biden" from October 10, 2015 was the second post tied for most saved on Pinterest in August.  The final entry tied for most pinned on Pinterest was "Great Lakes cities and their roles in the regional economy" from June 26, 2014.  Pinterest also drove enough traffic to one of my entries to place it in the top ten, a story I'll tell over the jump along that those of the most read entries during August.

North Korea tests fifth nuclear device

During the past five plus years, I haven't blogged about either North Korea or nuclear proliferation much.  In fact, the last time I posted about North Korea, it was in the context of Dr. Evil airing his grievances for Festivus.  As for nuclear proliferation, I had good news the last time I mentioned it in Iran nuclear deal eases fear premium.  Unfortunately, today does not bring good news, as CNN reports North Korea claims successful test of nuclear warhead.

North Korea has hit the button on its fifth and potentially most powerful nuclear test, claiming to have successfully tested a nuclear warhead. CNN's Steven Jiang reports.

For more, read the story on CNN's site.

This is the third nuclear test by North Korea since I began this blog and the fifth in the country's history.  I ignored the other two, so I guess the third time is a charm.  Besides, I should be covering this story.  As I wrote in Hiroshima 70 years later, "for a blog about the collapse of civilization to ignore the beginning of the time when nuclear weapons were feared and expected to be the most likely cause of the end of civilization would be a shameful act of neglect.  Under the guise of 'better late than never,' I'm avoiding this dereliction of my duty as a doomer blogger by" reporting on this test.  Thanks to Kim Jong Un, who I jokingly call "Kim Young One," I'm now paying attention.  I'm not particularly grateful.

While I take North Korea's nuclear threat seriously, I don't take "Kim Young One" himself that seriously, so I'm going to have some fun at his expense with the assistance of Skyy the Tipsy Bartender.  Follow over the jump.

Happy 50th Anniversary to Star Trek from the actors, NASA, and the Planetary Society

I've already celebrated "Star Trek"'s 50th anniversary with coins and stamps, but today is the 50th anniversary of the airing of the first episode, "The Man Trap" on September 8, 1966, so I'm going to celebrate again with three videos from the show itself, NASA, and the Planetary Society.

First, Star Trek Legends Wish The Series A Happy 50th Anniversary from Star Trek's own YouTube channel.

Starfleet's own William Shatner, Brent Spiner, Jeri Ryan, Michael Dorn, and Scott Bakula offer greetings for the golden jubilee.

An actor from every series!

Next, it's Happy 50th Anniversary Star Trek from NASA.

In recognition of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary NASA wishes the entire Star Trek family a happy anniversary. Thanks for the inspiration, Live long and prosper.

We've seen the actors and the scientists.  Now to put both of them together with the fans in The Planetary Post - Star Trek's 50th Anniversary at Comic-Con 2016 with Robert Picardo from the Planetary Society.

This month, we're on the floor at San Diego Comic-Con 2016 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek's first televised episode.

In this episode, Robert Picardo gives Star Trek fans a pop quiz to test their space science knowledge. And, for fairness, he asks space science experts to boldly go and test their Star Trek trivia knowledge. Robert also hosts a panel discussion about the relationship between Star Trek and NASA with some of the greatest minds at NASA.

Looks like the scientists do better with the "Star Trek" questions than the fans do with science.  On the other hand, it's good to see that "Star Trek" has been so inspirational to scientists, including me.

Infidel 753 and I talk fossils

Last week, Infidel 753 namechecked my blog to begin Ten years -- a bit of blowing my own horn.

Some blogs such as Crazy Eddie and Politics Plus post regular digests of their statistics, which give a glimpse of what interests their readers and where those readers are drawn from.  I haven't ever done that, but having just reached my ten-year anniversary, I took a look back at the whole history of the blog via the stat counter, out of curiosity.

I expressed my gratitude in the comments.

Congratulations on ten years of blogging! I'm flattered to be mentioned as an example of posting regular digests of my statistics and of playing a minor part in inspiring you to write this entry.

That's not what really caught my eye.  This was.

#10: "important things that happened in 2006"
#9 "infidels 753"
#8 "calenche ranae manos" (?????)
#7 "things that happened in 2006"
#6 "infidel 753"
#5 "arthropod"
#4 "title"
#3 "eurypterid"
#2 "eurypterids"
#1 "infidel753"

#5, #3, and #2 are explained here, and I guess a lot of people see something I've written elsewhere on the net (I use the name "Infidel753" almost everywhere) and look me up.  Aside from that, I'm baffled by these.

Those search terms reminded me that I have been ignoring one of my areas of expertise.

As for "eurypterids" being the second most used search term for your blog, I'm envious. Mine is "game of thrones dungeons and dragons." I'm the paleontologist and you get the traffic for a prehistoric animal? Of course, it might help if I actually blogged more about extinct organisms. Most of my posts with the paleontology label are about the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movies.

That admission surprised Infidel.

You're a paleontologist? That had slipped by me. Well, feel free to borrow the eurypterids -- perhaps they'll prove a critter of good internet fortune for you as well.

See the illustration.

Yes, I'm a paleontologist. As I wrote on LiveJournal nine years ago, "I am the world's expert on the fossil snails and clams of Rancho La Brea. Seriously. Of course, that and $1.60 plus tax will get me a tall coffee at Starbucks. It's still my claim to scientific fame." I've since updated how much a grande tall Starbucks coffee costs and the boast to "Yes, I was the first person to identify 33 species from the most famous fossil deposit in North America. That, and $1.65 plus tax will get me a tall coffee at Starbucks. :-)" As I wrote, I really need to write about fossils more at my current blogging home. I might start with the eurypterids and that image, which is from "Swimming with Sea Monsters."

Here's the photo in question.


I may have recalled the show's title as "Swimming with Sea Monsters," but it's really called Sea Monsters: A Walking with Dinosaurs Trilogy.

Infidel encouraged me in his final reply.

I'd definitely be interested in a fossil snail post. And I'm glad you also appreciate Lady Gaga.

Thank you, Infidel.  I've already borrowed the eurypterids and blogged about Lady Gaga.  I'll have to write about fossil snails, not just living ones.  Stay tuned.

P.S. Infidel wasn't the only blogger inspired at least in part by my example.  Paul W. of You Might Notice a Trend referred to both Infidel and me in Ten Years Blogging And All I Got to Show For It Is a T-Shirt.  Their examples inspired me.  Sometimes inspiration circles back to its source.

Trump and Stein visit Detroit

I concluded Presidents on Labor Day by mentioning two presidential candidates who campaigned in Detroit over the weekend.

The first WXYZ clip also mentioned Donald Trump's visit to Detroit on Saturday.  I'll have more on that visit as well as that of Green Party nominee Jill Stein tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

I begin with WXYZ, who reported Saturday Trump's visit leads to protests in Detroit.


Mike Duggan had a busy weekend.  Not only was he in the Labor Day parade marching next to Bill Clinton, he was in the protest as well.  He wasn't alone.  The Detroit Free Press showed him next to U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence in Protesters gather outside Donald Trump's Detroit appearance.  Another Democratic politician involved was Rasida Tlaib, who was quoted in Arab-American News' Detroiters say no to Trump.  If Tlaib's name looks familiar to my readers, she was one of the people who organized the demonstration when Trump was greeted by protesters in Detroit the last time he visited.  Any time Trump comes to Detroit, he should expect her to organize a demonstration against him.

Green Party nominee Jill Stein also visited Detroit on Saturday.  Follow over the jump for a report on her visit.

Presidents on Labor Day

Happy Labor Day!  I begin this year's celebration with President Obama's Weekly Address: Building Upon the Legacy of Labor Day.

In this week’s address, President Obama commemorated Labor Day by highlighting the economic progress we’ve made over the course of his administration.

For more, read the White House's Labor Day Proclamation.

Mr. Obama wasn't the only president, past, present, or future celebrating Labor Day.  WXYZ reported this morning on Bill Clinton to march in Detroit's Labor Day parade, which also mentioned that Hillary would be in Cleveland today for that city's Labor Day parade.


Here's the actual footage of Clinton walking in Detroit's Labor Day parade .


The previous clip mentioned that "prominent Democrats" usually appeared in the Labor Day parade.  That's certainly the case here.  In addition to Mr. Clinton, I saw Senator Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell, and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan walking alongside the former President and his Secret Service detail.  I'm sure others more familiar with Detroit political figures could recognize City Council members, County Commissioners, and other local politicians in the video.

The first WXYZ clip also mentioned Donald Trump's visit to Detroit on Saturday.  I'll have more on that visit as well as that of Green Party nominee Jill Stein tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

The Archdruid and I talk drum corps

It's been a while since I've posted a coversation with The Archdruid here.  The last time I quoted his words here was in Paul Wartenberg, Infidel753, and The Archdruid comment on me, which was a conversation about me, not with me.  The last conversation between us that I recreated here formed part of Cthulhu and Pluto plus Mordor and Charon.  That was more than a year ago, so I was wondering if I'd post another.

Fortunately, Greer and I had a conversation last month in the comments to The Emperor's New Art: A Parable that was not only perfect for an entertainment Sunday, but especially this Sunday in particular.  I got Greer to discuss drum corps in much the same way that I elicited him to mention Steampunk, although I don't expect him to write an entire post about the topic.  Since today is the championship for Drum Corps Associates, the all-ages drum corps organization, as well as a Sunday, I can think of no better occasion to post it.  Follow over the jump to read a conversation with The Archdruid about drum corps, of all topics.

Detroit just had its warmest summer on record

For the planet, July 2016 was the hottest month on record yet. Here in Detroit, that helped produce the warmest meteorological summer on record.* Here's the infographic from the National Weather Service in Detroit/Pontiac, which my wife found for me. Thank you, dear.


We broke the average from 2012. I remember that summer. I wrote about the heat wave and drought throughout the Midwest, along with special attention to record high temperatures here in metro Detroit. That summer followed the warmest meterological spring in Detroit history, including the warmest March. The odd thing is that I don't recall the days being that warm this year. They weren't, as the infographic after the jump shows.

CNN visits Midway Island to promote documentary on plastic pollution

The theme of World Oceans Day this year was plastic pollution.  It seems CNN took that to heart, as they posted Every bird on this island eats plastic to their YouTube channel yesterday.

CNN gained rare access to Midway Atoll to see the shocking amounts of plastic that makes its way across the Pacific Ocean and into our food chain.

CNN has more in Midway: Why Barack Obama visited a tiny island in the Pacific.

1.5 million Laysan albatross call Midway home. The albatross carry five tons of plastic onto the island each year - plastic that was created, consumed and then dumped by humans, and is now is being fed by these birds to their chicks.

The plastic bags, coffee cups and toothbrushes we use each day don't magically disappear when we throw them away. Some plastic gets recycled, but a lot of it - 8 million tons each year - ends up in the world's oceans.

CNN visited Midway this summer, where an endless plastic tide washes up on shore every day, poisoning and killing the island's rich wildlife. Plastic is part of the sand and part of the fish, and experts fear it could be making its way into the food we eat.

Our exclusive documentary from one of the remotest island chains on the planet is due out soon. It explores the damage that plastic pollution is doing to the world - and the damage it could be doing to you.

Plastic pollution in the oceans has been a recurring subject of this blog.  In addition to this year's World Oceans Day, I've written about the Pacific Garbage Patch, banning plastic bags, and shoes made from marine plastic.  I couldn't resist posting about this topic again when the opportunity arose.

As for the documentary itself, I have high hopes.  The last environmental documentary I recall CNN releasing was "Blackfish."  Even though it was snubbed by the Oscars and got a lot of pushback, it had its intended effect, as SeaWorld is phasing out its current Orca shows in San Diego.  May the upcoming feature be as effective!

That 'alien signal' is likely a false alarm

It's been exciting lately for fans of science fiction becoming true.  Last week, I reported on the discovery of the nearest extrasolar planet in Did we just discover Wunderland? No, Moiroi.  This week, the possiblity that we may have evidence of a technological alien civilization was in the news. CNN has the story in Radio signal sparks alien life speculation.

CNN's Anderson Cooper speaks with Miles O'Brien about a signal from a sun-like star, sparking speculation of alien life.

O'Brien isn't the only one expressing skepticism.  So are Vox and Wired.  Looks like a false alarm.  Darn.  Like Anderson Cooper, I'm just a little disappointed.