November 30
The pathology of fetishizing pathology isn't limited to Louisiana. Abuse, Fear and Intimidation: How Viral Videos Masked a Prep School's Problems
"The philosophical canon, such as it is, was not always so European and male, even by the lights of European men." A deep, moving dive into Asian, Muslim, American, and European traditions of women in philosophy:
Europa Excursion, a children's book about anthropomorphic animals exploring one of Jupiter's most interesting moons, just met its Kickstarter goal. There's still time to get in on the book and other early bird rewards:
November 29
2.4-million-year-old tools found in Algeria place hominids there far earlier than previously thought. Don't miss the Rihanna reference in the URL slug. :)
Life expectancy in the US continues to drop. "People are essentially dying from preventable deaths due to stress, hopelessness, and desperation, reflected in the suicide and overdose numbers."
Jack White has a "no phones" policy at his concerts. "The no-phones policy illuminated something about smartphone use that's hard to see when it's so ubiquitous: our phones drain the life out of a room."
The Fake Rolex of Canned Foods. "According to the guy who oversees the certification of those tomatoes, at least 95 percent of the so-called San Marzanos in the U.S. are fakes."
Opioid overdoses have fallen sharply in Dayton, Ohio. City officials attribute the drop to greatly expanded access to treatment (esp for low-income people) and other factors.
November 28
Street style photos of NYC kids. "Q: What inspires your style? A: Fortnite."
November 27
November 26
Fox News Isn't A Normal Media Company. We Have To Stop Treating It Like One. "Liberals have spent decades complaining about, mocking, and fact-checking Fox News. Instead, we should remove it from polite society."
November 21
Hackers, the 1995 movie starring Jonny Lee Miller & Angelina Jolie, is free to watch on YouTube. It's an official stream too, which doesn't seem appropriate somehow...
Some good analysis from Gothamist: Does New York's HQ2 pitch to Amazon make sense? "There are other ways New York could spend its money that would also generate lots of new revenue."
November 20
A 2000 interview with David Foster Wallace previously unpublished in English. "The internet is almost the perfect distillation of the American capitalist ethos, a flood of seductive choices."
Genetic analysis of rare microbes leads to the development of a new "supra-kingdom" of life. "Hemimastigotes are more different from all other living things than animals are from fungi."
Instagram influencers are selling Adobe Lightroom presets to their followers. Amazing how social media has turned so many people into wannabe Ansel Adamses.
November 19
November 17
How hackers are stealing high-profile Instagram accounts. "When reached for comment, Brooks replied by email: 'becauze im a savage bitch Guciiiiii 4 lyyyffeee skrt skrt.'"
November 16
Inside the world of hacking sleep apnea machines. As we use more devices that collect more data, this trend is only going to grow
November 15
A 31-km-wide asteroid impact crater has been found under the Greenland ice sheet. Evidence suggests the impact could have occurred just 13,000 years ago.
Getting people to talk earnestly about things they are proud of doing is tough to do, which is why oral histories are often so good. This one about Nirvana's Unplugged taping is particularly great.
Batkid Is Now Cancer-Free After Stealing Everyone's Heart In San Francisco. I'm not crying, you're crying!
November 14
A review & behind-the-scenes of a art exhibition curated by Wes Anderson & Juman Malouf for Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum. "These are things that would not normally be shown..."
A previously undiscovered galaxy has been found very close to the Milky Way. Its detection was hindered by its low light & density and hiding place behind the Milky Way disc.
"Massachusetts offers a model for dealing with gun violence that the rest of the country could follow." Guns in the state are registered & licensed, like cars & driving privileges.
November 13
November 12
The intricate carving on the Pylos Combat Agate is centuries ahead of its time. "The representation of the human body is at a level of detail and musculature that one doesn't find again until the classical period of Greek art 1,000 years later."
Good summary of recent genetic research on how the Americas were peopled. Rather than an orderly north-to-south settling, people moved around...and quickly too.
November 9
NASA's Voyager 2 could be nearing interstellar space. It would join Voyager 1 as the only man-made objects to leave the cozy confines of solar system.
November 8
Learning to Read in Your 30s Profoundly Transforms the Brain. "The learning process leads to a reorganization that extends to deep brain structures in the thalamus and the brainstem."
November 7
Phew: Flickr Commons will remain available. Flickr Commons is still one of the very best things on the web.
Exit Polls: How Voting Blocs Have Shifted From the 80s to Now. Interesting charts.
November 6
New Yorker writer & national treasure Roger Angell is 98 years old, first voted in 1944 for FDR (!), and has a message for us all: go vote.
November 5
Noah and PJ's Surprise Wedding First Dance. The ending is *amazing*.
Rainy Day People is a potential new AMC show from the creators of Halt and Catch Fire. "...a workplace drama set in a wellness center-style mental health and rehab facility..."
Over the past century, we've redefined our basic units of measure (meters, seconds, etc.) in terms of constant properties of the universe. The last holdout, the kilogram, has finally been cracked.
From XKCD, a zoomable map of the 2018 midterm election challengers. "The bigger the candidate's name, the higher the office and the better their chances of success"
Costumes from a "mundane" Halloween party in Japan, featuring "a girl who just gave blood and now can't do anything for a few minutes" and "guy at hotel breakfast buffet"
November 3
November 2
November 1
If you don't have a pro account, Flickr is going to *permanently* delete all but your 1000 most recent photos in January. All those conversations presumably gone too. :(
We're the Organizers of the Google Walkout. Here Are Our Demands. "We demand an end to the sexual harassment, discrimination, and the systemic racism that fuel this destructive culture."