Robyn’s Tiny Desk Concert

NPR recently welcomed Swedish pop star Robyn to their office for a Tiny Desk Concert. She sings four songs, including one of her first hits, Show Me Love.

Every choice here is a tender one, down to the teardrop glued to her cheek. Every move is confident, yet comes from a place of vulnerability. Most of these arrangements play up the quiet desperation in her outsized songs, though on “Ever Again,” Robyn pulls off a magic trick by inviting us into the conversation, opening a broken heart to defiant resilience. “Light Up,” in particular, sounds revelatory, a glitchy synth banger reborn as a piano ballad. “I was looking at you like a mirror,” she sings with a catch in her throat, like an old memory surfacing for a split second, as she builds to a moment of emotional release.

Robyn was 16 years old when “Show Me Love” appeared on her debut album, Robyn Is Here. “For me, this is where it all started, in a way,” she tells the audience, understating the foundational impact the hit would have on late-’90s pop. Behind the Desk, its lite new jack swing slows to something more spacious and reflective, if no less flirtatious. She lets the music age with her.

• music
• robyn
• Tiny Desk Concerts
• video

A recent documentary called Capturing Bigfoot offers proof that the famous clip of Bigfoot was a hoax in the form of “a lost 16mm film shot in 1966, the year before the famous Bigfoot footage, and what it shows is a kind of rehearsal for it.”

‘Capturing Bigfoot’ Review: An Astounding Documentary Uncovers the Truth · variety.com

Marq Evans's fascinating movie shows us how the famous footage of Bigfoot came to be, and reveals the tawdry family saga behind it.

Techno Marching Band!

When someone says “German techno group”, you probably have a pretty good picture in your mind. MEUTE, on the other hand, is an 11-piece techno marching band that plays electronic music with acoustic instruments: tubas, trombones, drums kits, etc. Reset (above) is a single from their new album, KOSMOS. I love this.

• Meute
• music
• remix
• video

Staying Cool at the Airport

A comment by Adam Keys about showing grace in airports over on Craig Mod’s site reminded me of this story from the introduction of Genny Rumancik’s book The Wisdom of Feeling: Finding Clarity, Courage, and Connection Through Emotional Intelligence:

I was in the last boarding group, and when they finally called our zone, there was a bottleneck of people trying to get in line to board. As I stood waiting and shuffling around, I watched as a man took a step forward to get in line and saw him step right in front of a woman who was on her last nerve.

She threw her hands up in the air and spoke angrily but passively to the man’s back, “What an ass. Oh, well, I guess you must be sooo important—you should just go right ahead! Don’t worry about the rest of us.”

She rolled her eyes and heaved heavy sighs, throwing a little tantrum.

The man didn’t realize he’d done anything wrong, and it took him a moment to realize the kerfuffle happening behind him was related to his actions. As he turned around and saw how flustered she was, he reacted with genuine wide-eyed surprise and apology, “Oh, I’m sorry! Please, go ahead.”

The woman doubled down.

Hands up, avoiding eye contact, exaggerating sighs, and waving him forward. “No, no, no, go ahead, Mr. Big Shot.”

The man paused and turned like he was going to walk forward but then stopped.

He took a breath, turned all the way around to face the woman, and gently said, “This feels important to you. Please, I would like for you to go ahead of me.”

He stepped to the side and calmly gestured for her to go forward. There was no passive aggression, no sarcasm, no hidden agenda. Those of us watching could feel that he meant it.

At this, the woman deflated. Her aggressive energy melted.

She began apologizing, “No, I’m sorry, I’ve had such a hard day. That damn delay just put me right over the edge…”

“I completely understand,” he responded, smiling and nodding back at her.

By then the line was moving forward. I took my place behind them and listened to their amicable conversation about holiday plans as we boarded the plane.

This was a small moment in time—an interaction that took maybe ninety seconds in total—that impacted me deeply. I was so impressed by how this man was able to be present to this woman’s aggressive behavior in a tense, public setting without taking it on or responding defensively.

He remained calm, present, and genuinely kind, and in doing so helped her regain her own composure, which then resulted in a warm connection between the two of them.

His maturity neutralized the tension in the space, making it safer for everyone else in the vicinity, too.

There’s so much aggression in airports…it brings out the worst in people. Ever since reading this passage, I have been trying to be more mindful and chill in crowded public spaces.¹ Part of that effort, as it relates to airports in particular, involves this advice: “Arrive early and move through the airport like the Dalai Lama.”

1. This advice works for crowded online spaces too. I feel like the KDO community guidelines are geared towards creating this type of atmosphere in the comments section here. ↩

• books
• Genny Rumancik
• The Wisdom of Feeling

Scientists have identified a new species of penguin, the first in 100 years. “Genetic evidence shows that what scientists once treated as a single, widely distributed gentoo penguin species is actually made up of four separate species.”

Scientists discover first new penguin species in more than 100 years · sciencedaily.com

Genetic evidence has revealed a previously unknown gentoo penguin species on the remote Kerguelen Islands and shown that gentoos actually consist of four distinct species. The discovery also highlights a growing threat, as warming oceans could leave several island populations with little suitable ha

What Will Starting a Creative Career Look Like in the Next Few Years? “We can’t keep asking where all the good designers are if we’re unwilling to help anyone become one.”

Starting a creative career has never felt harder – 28 industry voices on what comes next · itsnicethat.com

What will starting a creative career look like in the next few years? And what can everyone – new creatives and the organisations who employ them – do to navigate this situation?

Why Does Japan Have Such Good Railways? “Successful public policies can be emulated by one good government. Much about Japan’s railway system could be replicable around the world.”

Why Japan has such good railways · worksinprogress.co

Japan's railways are the finest in the world. Other countries can copy its formula.

“I Made a Film in Excel, and I Don’t Know Why”

Animation director Maria Tomazou made a short animated film entirely in Microsoft Excel.

There’s no reason for this film to exist. Yet, I made it and it took ages to put together. To keep going and keep creating something that is pointless is actually very painful. I wish my love for making films was enough of a why to keep going, but sometimes it’s not. I’m glad I made this film. I don’t need to know the why for everything.

Three cheers for creating pointless things.

• animation
• excel
• Maria Tomazou
• video

Watch the morning fog flow like ocean waves into the town of Triesenberg, Liechtenstein. (Also on Instagram.)

Advice for the incoming Democratic Congress: 8 Bold Ideas to Fix America. Bold? I dunno…it seems like a lot of this stuff is closer to the floor than the ceiling of what they should be considering.

Opinion | Democrats Are in Power Now. This Is What They Should Do. · nytimes.com

8 writers and experts on the legislation Democrats should consider.

Could a modern chess engine on a Pentium have defeated Kasparov in 1996? “It (almost certainly) wouldn’t have even been close.”

Could a modern chess engine on a Pentium have defeated Kasparov in 1996? · nicholas.carlini.com

A fun experiment where I back-port all the improvements we've made to chess engines over the last 30 years and run it on a 1996 Pentium Pro to see what we could have done if only we knew more at the time.

A short history of Lego instructions from 1955 to the present. “Prior to [1955] the only ‘guidance’ for products containing plastic bricks were drawings on the packaging to serve as inspiration for consumers.”

LEGO® building instructions through time | LEGO® History · lego.com

The history of building instructions starts with very simplified instructions as early as 1955. Prior to this the only ‘guidance’ for products containing plastic bricks were drawings on the packaging to serve as inspiration for consumers. There were also examples of small leaflets with inspirational

Satellite images of sand dunes migrating in Egypt. They move about 13 meters a year.

Daily Overview · instagram.com

Pushed by northerly winds, crescent-shaped barchan dunes in Egypt’s Kharga Oasis move about 13 meters a year, leaving roads buried and rerouted to curve around the advancing sand.

USPS Announces Mythical Creatures Stamps for 2027

The US Postal Service recently released a partial list of the stamps it’s putting out in 2027. One of the sets is Mythical Creatures, featuring five cryptids.¹

The legend of Mothman has endured for more than six decades, but of the creatures encountered on these stamps, this flying, man-sized, red-eyed being emerged the most recently. The cryptid was first reported in West Virginia in 1966. Several nights after a gravedigger reported a winged, human-sized creature swooping above, two couples on a midnight drive in the rural outskirts of Point Pleasant reported being chased from overhead at great speed as they fled back to town. Newspapers dubbed the creature “Mothman.” After a year of eerie sightings was followed by a local tragedy, some interpreted the appearances as harbingers of disaster. In the years since, a lighter side of Mothman has been embraced by festival attendees, many in “spooky-cute” costumes that evoke this increasingly popular cryptid.

Unlike most of the creatures on these stamps, the Jackalope has been spotted by a great many Americans. It has multiplied rapidly, especially in the West, since first appearing in the 1930s in Douglas, Wyoming. This antlered rabbit was the creation of two young brothers studying taxidermy by mail who, in a moment of inspiration after a hunting trip, crafted the hoax. When the masterful mashup was displayed at a local inn, the Jackalope quickly sprang into regional folklore. Today, Jackalopes are found in gift shops in the Great Plains and Western states — on postcards, stickers, and T-shirts, and as plush toys and mounted specimens. The fanciful hybrid endlessly inspires the imaginations of those who encounter it, and who add to its lore with their own stories, songs, and artworks.

The Squonk hides away in northern Pennsylvania’s dense hemlock forests, so distressed by its own appearance that it cries constantly. This piglike animal, wrinkled, blemished, and self-conscious, was first described in print in a 1910 collection of lumberjack folklore, Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods. The book — recounting tales often spun and re-spun by the fireside in remote logging encampments of the 19th and early 20th centuries — relates an episode of a Squonk captured in a bag: As the hunter carried his prey, its weeping faded and the sack grew lighter. Investigation revealed that the Squonk had melted into “nothing but tears and bubbles.” In recent years, the melancholy character has been revived as a darling mascot of introverts and anyone else who relates to the Squonk’s social anxiety.

Sasquatch captures the American imagination like no other cryptid. Nobody, though, has captured Bigfoot, as this large hairy hominid is commonly called, nor even retrieved a confirmed strand of hair from its notoriously stinky, shaggy fur. In the Pacific Northwest, ancient Indigenous tales of mysterious, hairy humanoids encouraged caution in the wild and mindful custodianship of forest habitat. By the late 20th century, reported sightings of Sasquatch and similar regional creatures had taken hold and spanned the nation. In fact, tales of huge bipeds are told worldwide, almost anywhere shadowy terrain could conceivably conceal such elusive beings. Hoaxes abound, including blurry films and casts of outsized human-like footprints, but the most notable impression Sasquatch makes is its lasting mark on American popular culture. Even if our most famous mythical creature is nowhere to be found, Sasquatch is everywhere.

Champ, as the Lake Champlain monster is affectionately known, is said to dwell within the nation’s sixth largest lake, which defines more than 100 miles of the New York–Vermont border. A glacial lake reaching 400 feet deep and 14 miles wide is bound to contain mysteries — over the last few centuries, hundreds have claimed to see the serpentine organism. Cryptozoologists have tried to determine what it could be: perhaps a descendant of an aquatic, dinosaur-era reptile or whale, as found in fossils? Skeptics point to more mundane possibilities: sturgeon and other large fish that inhabit the lake, swimming deer, waves, mirages, and tree trunks riding currents. While a living specimen has proven elusive, Champ is ever-present as a beloved mascot of the region, celebrated in business logos, and in festivals and museum exhibits.

The stamps feature the artwork of tattoo artist Nat Power and will be available next year.

1. The 2027 stamp lineup also includes a set of unicorn stamps. So many fantastical animals! ↩

• design
• stamps
• USPS

How to Build a Police State. “Bukele didn’t declare a dictatorship on day one. He built toward it incrementally, each step framed in the language of anti-corruption, public safety or efficiency.”

How to build a police state | William Wheeler · theguardian.com

To understand where Trump is trying to take the US, we should look to the authoritarian playbook of his favorite ally: El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele.

How Much Wealth Does It Take to be Safe in the United States?

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and illustrator Mona Chalabi’s new book is about wealth inequality in America. Ten Lives: How What We Have Shapes Who We Are (Amazon) follows ten people with ten different incomes, from the bottom 10% to the top 10% and everything in-between:

For five years, data journalist Mona Chalabi followed them all, documenting how wealth shaped their feelings, their choices, their identities, and their insecurities. She researched the data behind their taxes, groceries, inheritances, and so much more to understand the systems that keep people stuck. But then, she too found herself facing the same fears, when her mother’s sudden illness and subsequent medical bills threatened her own financial safety and made the questions she had been writing about all too real. How much money is enough? To live a “good” life? To protect the people you love in an emergency?

This looks great — Chalabi’s work is always worth a look. Shades of Studs Terkel and What Do People Do All Day crossed with Barbara Ehrenreich. Chalabi did a recent interview with It’s Nice That about the book.

Part of the message of the book is that class doesn’t show up enough in our intersectional identities, and that that’s fundamentally dishonest. I would hope that people read the book and then get much more fluent and comfortable with describing their current wealth and income, as well as the one that they grew up in. I think that’s kind of ambitious, but you never know.

Ten Lives is out today in the US.

• books
• illustration
• infoviz
• Mona Chalabi
• Ten Lives
• usa

Great title for an article about London’s invasive parakeet population: The Pollycrisis. “Do we want tens of thousands of Himalayan parrots squabbling all over our cities?”

Feral Parakeets Flock to London · thebaffler.com

Are the feral parakeets taking over the United Kingdom avian friend or foe?

100 Big Unanswered Scientific Questions

The NY Times recently asked 100 scientists from across dozens of disciplines: “What is a big unanswered question in your field?” Here are some of their questions that caught my eye:

4. When and where did the cognitive capacities that made language, mathematics and complex societies possible first emerge?

9. Why does full writing — complete sentences that can make sense to readers out of context — appear so late in human history?

37. Why are humans the only species with a chin?

40. What is dark matter?

48. Do organisms use quantum effects, such as entanglement and superposition?

54. Will we ever decipher Linear A, Cypro-Minoan and other important ancient scripts?

61. What would be the global impact of a supervolcanic eruption in modern times?

70. Blue whales are the biggest animals ever to exist on Earth. Where are their babies born?

81. Chemical reactions have had a speed limit, described more than a century ago. Can we learn to surpass it?

93. Can environmental sustainability be achieved under capitalism?

• lists
• science

Another banger from neal.fun: Battle Draw. Sort of an open world tower defense “game”?

Battle Draw · neal.fun

Draw armies and watch them fight

Crimson Star

Watch the Sun’s atmosphere pulse and flow in extreme UV. Images are from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and “conformed, repaired, graded, blended, rescaled & retimed” by Seán Doran, whose video work is always incredible.

It would be great to see this in IMAX or some other large screen format, like in the observatory on the ship in Sunshine.

• Sean Doran

The most intense shoe salesman you’ll ever meet, a CBS News report by Charles Kuralt from 1983 about a “champion” shoe salesman.

The Welcome Rain Falling From the Sky

I love Taiwanese artist Kuang-Yu Tsui’s 1997 conceptual art piece The Welcome Rain Falling From the Sky but I couldn’t really tell you what it means. Something about the way people are bombarded with advertisements for consumer goods? I also couldn’t help but think of the iOS game co-created by Neven Mrgan, The Incident.

• art
• Kuang-Yu Tsui
• video

Award-winning photographer Stephen Voss is making a book about the world’s largest data-center hub in Northern Virginia. “Forests have disappeared. Empty fields have become enormous buildings.”

Every Past and Tomorrow: The Physical Landscape of AI · kickstarter.com

Photographs from the world’s largest data-center hub, where AI infrastructure collides with homes, forests, cemeteries, and history.

Computer Chips Are the Most Magnificent Things Humanity Has Ever Made. “The phone in your pocket is several orders of magnitude more sophisticated than the computers used for the Apollo mission. One AirPod could easily calculate a path to the moon.”

Computer Chips Are the Most Magnificent Things Humanity Has Ever Made · newyorker.com

They power our phones, cars, dishwashers—and the A.I. systems that prop up the economy. They’re also at the heart of fierce geopolitical rivalry.

A YouTuber discovered that most videos contain inaudible background audio that can be geolocated by using airplane flight data. Incredible. I wonder how long the NSA has known about this though…