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Science is observation: What I learned while walking my dog

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Science is observation: What I learned while walking my dog  by Jen Davies, nerd  Feb 25, 2026   About a year and a half ago my spouse and I adopted a dog for the first time. She is a black lab and boxer mix, so she wants to be everyone's friend but you have to know she's in charge. We've had cats, but this was the first dog, and walking her daily has led to some observations on my part. And as a social scientist, I realize there are lessons I can learn from my dog.  Lots I can't see  Sometimes my dog stops to sniff nothing, just spots on the road or in people's yards, and there is absolutely nothing that my eyes can see that could have drawn her attention. Clearly there's something there (probably another dog's pee from the day before), but I can't detect it. And that reminds me that human senses are so very limited: we only see a segment of the light spectrum, our noses are pretty good but we miss a lot compared to molecules that are available in the...
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I love Alien, but I don't like horror: The thin line between scifi and horror

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Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu_Mythos I love Alien, but I don't like horror: The thin line between scifi and horror by Jen Davies, nerd Feb 11, 2026 If you asked me, do I like horror? I would tell you that I absolutely do NOT. That said, some of my favourite science fiction films and ALL of my favourite Table Top Role Playing Games (TTRPGs) are often categorized as horror. So let me explain to you why I see properties like Alien (the things that are canon*) and also the modernized work of HP Lovecraft (which reduce the painful racism in the original work) as really excellent science fiction rather than as horror. To begin, let's look at a definition of science fiction. My own internalized version without reference to any other source is: a work of fiction based in a futuristic/alternate and consistent "universe" that leverages real scientific (hard scifi) or pseudo-scientific (science fantasy) explanations for elements of the story that help t...
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Getting with the times: Relocating this blog to Substack

Im moving my blog to Substack! https://jendaviesgenxnerd.substack.com/
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Why I'm a lifelong Dune lover (even the Lynch movie)

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Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_%28novel%29 Why I'm a lifelong Dune lover (even the Lynch movie) by Jen Davies, nerd Jan 29, 2026 If you’re not familiar or hesitant to get into Dune , let me encourage you to start with the very recent Denis Villeneuve films. They do not follow the book in every detail but in the overall story they’re right on the mark, and they are visually mesmerizing in addition to hosting incredible acting performances. Start there, if you’re just starting. I grew up in a sci-fi loving household, but somehow we had not had a copy of Dune on hand for me to read among all the other books. The sci-fi I had read was heavy on the science, dominated by Asimov and Sagan, before I tripped onto Dune , which became the only book I’ve probably read 5 times. I discovered Dune very much by accident: I was at a garage sale and I spotted a bound book of photos from a movie I’d never heard of (the 1980s Dune ), and Patrick Stewart happened to be in t...
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If you can't say something nice… and other life lessons from films

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  Image from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/if-you-cant-say-something-nice-dont-say-nothing-at-all--3166662230787516/      If you can't say something nice… and other life lessons from films by Jen Davies, nerd Jan 21, 2026 I realize I’ve learned a lot about living life respectfully and effectively from the movies I watched in my childhood/youth. A lot of these lessons weren’t even from films that turned out to be favourites, but these phrases and the meanings behind them have stuck to me and still affect how I choose to be in the world today. I decided to share them! If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all ( Bambi ) This advice, clearly taught by Thumper’s mother, is guidance I wish would be heeded by folks who feel the need to offer unsolicited opinions on the internet, particularly when those opinions are not informed by lived experience or science. There are few life situations in which being rude is called-for, so it’s often best to keep your opi...
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The back-half of my life: Challenging myself to be myself

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  Adorable certificate explained below The back-half of my life: Challenging myself to be myself by Jen Davies, nerd Jan 14, 2026 (not my bday) Last week I completed the rotation around the sun that almost certainly represents the mid-way point of my lifespan. In fact, that rotation may have happened a few years ago and I just didn't know it, but I'm quite confident now that I'm in the back-half of my life. I think golfers would call my upcoming years "the back nine". I'm grateful that I have no inclination to change my marital relationship, buy a sports car, or pursue surgical alteration to hide my age. I'm not bothered to be well on my way to 50 years old, not everyone gets even that many years. Still, I'm always grateful when someone tells me I don't look 50 - I say the secret is to stay overweight and push the wrinkles out from behind! Like autobody repair. This is the point in life when some people start wondering about what kind o...
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Interstellar and father-daughter relationships

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  Images from 65 and Interstellar respective film IMDB pages. Note: Contains spoilers for the film Interstellar. Interstellar and father-daughter relationships by Jen Davies, nerd Jan 7, 2025 My mother told me that when I (a girl) was born, my father was relieved because he wanted to teach his children about engines and camping and it was more socially acceptable to do “tom-boy” things with a daughter, than it would be for my mother to teach a boy about her pastimes (eg, baking). That was a reflection of the gender expectations of the 1970s and 80s to a great extent, but even today I imagine there are communities where my father’s relief isn’t unusual when a baby girl arrives in the world. After her father has a closed-door conversation with the school principal about a fight the daughter had with a student over discrepant textbooks… Daughter: “How did it go?” Father: “I got you suspended.” If you’ve seen Interstellar - and if you haven’t, you should - then you know the scene, and...
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