August 31
The Village Voice is finished. It will no longer be posting new stories; a skeleton staff is winding down the site's archives.
The Village Voice Is Officially Dead. "Due to, basically, business realities, we're going to stop publishing Village Voice new material."
August 30
Miami Will Be Underwater Soon. Its Drinking Water Could Go First
August 29
A collection of photos of sinkholes from around the world. That 2010 Guatemala City sinkhole is terrifying.
August 28
A list of more than 100 nonfiction articles from 2017 "that will stand the test of time". That's your end-of-the-summer beach reading sorted then.
Great article & thread about how completely driverless cars are still a ways off. "The edge cases are endless."
An Apple I computer is going up for auction this month. One of only 200 produced, it's expected for go for $300,000+.
August 27
Director Boots Riley: "I keep waiting for someone to point out Richard Scarry's influence on Sorry To Bother You." If there's an actual Goldbug reference, I'm going to freak out!
Woo! The audiobook version of Emily Wilson's The Odyssey will be out in November, narrated by Claire Danes. Preorder here.
The Museum in a Box project looks really cool. Headed up by George Oates, who initiated the amazing Flickr Commons project.
August 26
Robert Caro superfan Conan O'Brien has been trying to get the author on his show for 25 years. "I know that someday I'm going to turn on Fallon and see Caro playing Pictionary. And I'm just going to be enraged."
August 24
August 23
Do Men Enter Bathtubs on Hands and Knees So Their Balls Hit the Water Last? (The internet can still be weird and wonderful!)
To draw attention to low pay and poor conditions, America's prisoners are going on strike. Even if their demands are met, our prison system will remain one of the world's worst.
The Google Image search for "tramp stamp" is really something. The folk art of our times.
They're making a Monument Valley movie? Is this the first iOS game to make the leap to the big screen?
"Christie's will become the first auction house to offer a work of art created by an algorithm." This fails to note the artwork's resemblance to the botched Monkey Jesus painting.
August 22
August 21
August 20
August 17
What happens to cities when temperatures reach 50 degrees Celsius (122 F)? It's starting to happen, all over the world
Five smart points about the genre of self-help books from Austin Kleon. "1. It's good (and healthy) to be skeptical of self-help."
August 16
Men in central Paris can now pee into sidewalk urinals that look like mailboxes. How about more public bathrooms for everyone everywhere?
Madonna is 60 years old. The NY Times considers her ever-shifting cultural legacy.
August 15
The consumption of mayonnaise is declining. That's cool though, more for me!
August 14
Nearly 11 months after Hurricane Maria, the last household without power finally had their power restored today. This is a complete and utter failure by the US to help its citizens.
littleBits has acquired DIY. These are both great products/services...I can't wait to see what they do together!
August 13
Rebecca Mead writes in the New Yorker about leaving the US. "My son told me that he was relieved we were moving to England, because there are no school shootings there."
August 12
August 9
"The Fugitive" is to the city what "Die Hard" is to buildings. In praise of the durable action film for adults
"Loss aversion" is a key idea in behavioral economics. But it's not clear if it actually has a big impact on us
August 8
The Tesla Model 3 reviewed not as a car but as a connected device. "It's a giant iPhone — for better and worse."
Tour of a futuristic new grocery store in Hangzhou, China. "Pricing is displayed and can be changed dynamically via wifi-connected, e-ink price tags."
August 7
From Nicky Case, An Interactive Introduction to Attractor Landscapes. A quick scientific explanation of, among other things, this Hemingway quote about how bankruptcy happens: "Gradually and then suddenly."
Good news everyone! Thanks to the EPA, asbestos is back! (jk jk, this is actually unbelievable & terrible news)
Three Children, Two Abortions. "What a woman chooses to do with her body should not be up for debate in 2018."
August 6
SF's Folsom Street Fair: "taking photos of people in a public place is the same as touching people inappropriately". Social mores about photography might be shifting due to everyone having a camera w/ them all the time.
The hot, dry British summer has been good for one thing: archaeology. Dry land is good for spotting "parch marks", the outlines of vanished castles, settlements, and burial sites.
Fun airline safety videos are cool and all, but I wonder what the info retention is for new & infrequent flyers vs. more straightforward videos. Do these safety videos actually increase safety? Do *any* of them increase safety?
August 5
August 4
Today might be the hottest day in the history of Europe. Sky News is tracking record temps live in Portugal & Spain (currently 46.6C or 115.9F).
August 3
August 2
This 6-Year-Old Might Be The Best Running Back Of All Time? This is AMAZING.
August 1
The 100 best TV episodes of the 21st century. Way too much reality TV, Arrested Development, The Americans, and Deadwood are all listed too low, and True Detective at #4? AND FUCKING LOST?!! Jesus, come on.
What is QAnon? A: "Q claims to be a government insider exposing an entrenched, international bureaucracy that is secretly plotting all sorts of nefarious schemes against the Trump administration". WTaF?
Parents are hiring Fortnite coaches for their kids. Sure, LOL, but is this any different than taking piano lessons or private soccer instruction?
The 50 greatest special effects movies of all time, feat. Citizen Kane, 2001, Alien, and The Matrix