I remember learning that most atoms heavier than hydrogen and helium came from supernovas and it blew my mind. It was explained in a book in the college library that I checked out for no reason other than it being fascinating.
It also talked about dendrochronology - the science of dating wooden objects like boats and buildings by the tree rings in the wood. Rings from different trees of known ages have been matched with trees from other eras with partially overlapping patterns, creating timelines that span thousands of years. These can be matched up with wood used by humans, in some cases pinpointing the exact year the wood was cut down.
There was a chapter about how magnetic particles in rocks line up with north when the rocks form. Measuring how far off they are tells us about the movement of the land they’re on, helping map continental drift.
I’m just scratching the surface - this book covered a broad range of subjects. The jacket said it was meant to be a textbook for an introductory course in cosmology. This was all way back in the 1970s and for many years I’ve struggled to find this book again. I even physically looked for it in the library during a college reunion. No idea of the title or authors.
I’d suggest scanning here: https://search.worldcat.org/search?q=cosmology&datePublished=1769-1979&itemSubType=book-printbook&itemSubTypeModified=book-printbook It is like searching all major libraries at once.
Thank you! The first one on that search looks like it could be the one, except I’m sure the word “Cosmology” was not in the title. It might have contained the word “universe” but I just don’t know. It’s a real needle in a haystack.
You’d be surprised if you play around with the search parameters. :)
That mantis shrimp familiar is badass.
Do familiars count as dependents?
It’s ok, the atoms in the tax forms were also forged in ancient stars.
This is such a dumb comment, I love it. It honestly made me feel better about things. Everything is just star remnants trying to coexist.
And behold God said “You will create an arbitrary way to live that has no meaning among the rest of my creations, and you will kill each other for it.”
speak for yourself, yank.
I live in a country that is in the sweet spot between me telling the government how much I owe them, and the government reaching directly into my account to pay off a debt I did not know I had
Good for you
Good for me
as someone out of work in sweden my interaction with taxes consists of getting a mail that my taxes are ready, checking the document to see “income: 0, tax: 0”, and sagely nodding before going about my day like usual.
Like this is literally the tax document i get:
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Are taxes not also stardust?
Yep, it’s stardust all the way down.
Ah shit I still need to do that…
Sounds like a problem for April 14th Me
I’ve always done my taxes ASAP and always avoided the traffic jam to get them in the mail on the last night. One year I was particularly happy about this, then on the night of April 14 my gf called up - “Can you drive me to the post office before midnight?” So there I sat in the traffic jam with all the other schmucks. I remember postal workers with shopping carts were going from car to car.
“no” is a complete sentence btw.
In the US? You have to pay taxes. Don’t need to file. See Substitute For Return (SFR). I’ve done this ever since the Bush administration.
Intuit are quick to point out the massive deductions you’re missing out on. Until you pay for their services, and those theoretical deductions evaporate.
Free federal return. State is $15.
Can you still just print and mail a 1040?
2024 was my first year married, and my wife tells me I will be filing this year.
Yes you can. Though given the current state of affairs, if you’re able to efile, you’re more likely to get your refund (assuming you get a refund) faster than if you paper file.
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