America's 50 worst charities rake in nearly $1 billion for corporate fundraisers Dirty secrets of the worst charities | Tampa Bay Times

In 2013, companies and organizations can't survive a single fuck-up without being hanged, drawn and quartered by the long arm of justice (read: social media) with terrifying speed and momentum. Sometimes it's justified, sometimes it's not.

But there'll always be a place for a comprehensive, researched list like this: charitable organizations who take your cash and do fuck-all with it. Be aware.

On the other side of the coin, check out some of Charity Navigator's top ranked orgs. They're making the most of your dollar.

On Meatloaf

Here's the thing.

For years, we've all assumed – some joking, some serious – that said "only thing" Meatloaf won't do for love is anal.

But I guess my issue is thus: does Meatloaf really seem like a guy who absolutely won't do anal?​

I have questions.​

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Mars One Wants to Send 4 People to Mars. Permanently. →

​Chances are very, very good that this entire endeavor falls through, and quickly. Or maybe it'll be ten years or so, and then they'll run out of money and crash and burn. Theoretically, of course.

Or maybe, just maybe, this is the kind of crazy shit that needs to happen to keep planetary exploration going. Because the federal budget sure isn't gonna cut it.​

I'd love to see more private money come on board early, to give the entire project some legitimacy. Otherwise it's gonna be difficult to even get to the reality show stages. That said, if they do get there, it could be a phenomenon like we've never seen.​

I can't wait.​

Stonehenge Settled 5,000 Years Earlier Than Thought : Discovery News →

This is kind of crazy. 5000 years is a relatively long time for modern archaeology fact-finding. Oops. Obviously 5000 years is a tiny window when we're talking about dinos, but stick with me here for a sec.

​1. Jamestown was 400 years ago. Historical Jesus wandered around 2000+ years ago, and some adorable people think that's when the earth popped out of the oven.

2. This dates Stonehenge back to 7500 BC - that's 10,000 fucking years ago!​ We were off by 5000 years!

Also, fun fact: the excavation was prompted when they found evidence of a natural spring where animals and later, people, would make home. Fresh water = habitable zone. Tried and true. Just more evidence that Los Angeles shouldn't exist!​

UPDATED: America Fails

​...Or was it just the Senate? But don't we elect our senators? But wait -- aren't they supposed to reciprocate our vote by casting their own, according to the collective interests of their respective constituents? Is that what happened today? Or wasn't it?

As horrific and heartbreaking as every gun shooting in America may be, and Newtown so much worse than ever before, we were above all shamed to discover that in the face of international gun restrictions and violence statistics, we're near the bottom.​ And yet, some argued that we were different. That it's more complex than laws and regulations (tell that to seat belts).

We didn't fix anything today. And the shame continues.​

Let Congress know how you feel. Go here and find out how your senator voted today. Then call him or her.

It used to make a difference. I don't know if it does anymore.​

UPDATE: here are the Twitter handles of the senators who voted no today. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2013/04/17/senate-background-check-bill_n_3104250.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

How Exercise May Help Memory - NYTimes.com →

What these findings suggest, the authors conclude, is that endurance training and weight training may have different physiological effects within the brain and cause improvements in different types of memory.

​The NYTimes with research -- again, and again, and again -- on how exercise improves brain function.

Going for a run doesn't exactly equal an Alzheimer's-free brain (as this article details), but in fact aerobic exercise plus weight training gives you the best chance of not forgetting, well... everything. 

Melissa McCarthy Hosts SNL →

Melissa McCarthy is a comedic genius.

I honestly believe that after years of Kevin James bullshit, she's stolen the mantle of the next John Candy. ​You judge her for her looks, but she's so much more. And she's happy to exploit it.

Here's two great examples from last night's SNL.

She's imposing and physical:​

She's heartfelt and sympathetic:​

She's hilarious. ​

Gizmodo: How NASA's Nuclear Rockets Will Take Us Way Beyond Mars →

The first people to step on to the surface of Mars won't arrive aboard the chemical-fueled rockets that delivered Apollo 11 to the Moon—they simply don't provide enough thrust to get to the Red Planet before exposing their crews to months of dangerous space radiation. Instead, NASA is turning to long-ignored nuclear-thermal rocket technology to deliver the first Martian explorers into history.

Gizmodo put together a nice history of nuclear rocket development. Unfortunately the headline's a little misleading. Manned nuclear rocketry is in no way guaranteed, as the details here prove.​ 

​The piece also doesn't give any consideration to legitimate competing ideas, like solar sails (sounds crazy, but they'd work - kind of - and would need to be huge) and especially futuristic sounding ion engines (slow start, but capable of huge speeds as the ship progresses). 

​And there's little here on timing, aside from how long it'll take to develop the plutonium. Sadly, we're in no rush to send humanoids to Mars. Building a feasible rocket is just a baby step.

WashPo: Expensive batteries are holding back electric cars. What would it take for that to change? →

The cost of batteries will go a long way to determining how quickly electric vehicles catch on. And the big question is whether we’ll need sweeping chemical breakthroughs to get us there, or whether baby steps can do the trick.

Not just cost, but weight.

And not just cars, but everything else we use (and bitch about), namely: your phone.​ Wireless charging is fun! Bullshit. What if your phone lasted for weeks and it didn't matter if you plugged it in?

Whomever drives the next battery revolution (pun intended...you're welcome) makes the big bucks.​ 

NYT: Girls Who Code →

“The dividing line is learning to code,” Ms. Wennmachers said. “You either tell the computer what to do and you’ve got lots of great career options. Or the computer tells you what to do and you end up working in a shoe store.”

Great NYTimes post about getting young girls – and women in general – into coding and tech. In a world where educating girls has become essential (in many places it's the much needed, and often violently suppressed, catalyst for real economic and political change), it's good to see the glitterati of the tech world reinvesting their experience into leveling the playing field.

As noted, it's gotta start before women reach for, and many times are stymied by, the male dominated executive culture. The education has to begin even before women try to run a tech startup – for equal opportunity, it has to start with learning the language of code. Man or woman, if you can't even comprehend the language (whether it's coding, design, ordering ingredients or drafting a linebacker), you're already behind.

This article reminded me of a great episode of Mac Power Users, with guest Jean MacDonald. Jean started a program called "App Camp for Girls" with a notion along the lines of: If the barrier for entry into software development is lower than ever, isn't this the ​perfect time to bring in a new wave – girls? Imagine a world where this entirely new perspective is enabled from the ground up. I'm excited.