April 30
April 29
The pandemic clearly exposed the deadly inequality of our economic and political systems. But will we finally do anything about it?
Dodai Stewart, The Case for a National One-Week Vacation. "We could all take a deep breath and go outside. Feel the sunshine. Sit in the park. Hike. Bird watch. Make out with a stranger."
April 28
Informative photoessay: How Pfizer Makes Its Covid-19 Vaccine. "Pfizer currently operates on a 60-day timeline from start to finish, and more than half of that time is dedicated to testing."
This update on what James Turrell is up to in the Arizona desert with his Roden Crater project is bonkers. "The spaces inside are far more elaborate than Turrell has ever revealed in public."
April 27
Getting the Shot. @hels and photographer Dina Litovsky went to talk to newly vaccinated New Yorkers. "As soon as it happened, I felt a wave of relief, which is pretty cool. It's kind of euphoric."
3D Print 18,000 Famous Sculptures, Statues & Artworks: Rodin's Thinker, Michelangelo's David & More.
Epicurious won't be publishing any new recipes or articles featuring beef. "Our shift is solely about sustainability, about not giving airtime to one of the world's worst climate offenders."
The Covid-19 vaccination rate in the US is declining. But "resistance" isn't to blame – mostly people need more info, it needs to be more convenient, and systemic inequalities need to be overcome.
April 26
Yahoo, the Destroyer. "How the historic company became known as a bumbling villain of internet culture."
SiriusXM is buying 99% Invisible. The podcast landrush & consolidation continues.
April 23
A malaria vaccine has shown up to 77% efficacy in a trial of 450 children in Burkina Faso. If this result holds with further trials, this is an amazing breakthrough that will save millions of lives.
A tribute to 11 great NYC sandwiches. Delighted to see the bologna & American cheese sandwich from Sam's Deli on there. I've had dozens of comforting sandwiches from Sam's over the years.
Gonna be a slow day on @kottke today – feeling some vaccine side effects and am going to rest up. Got the newsletter out this morning though, take a peek.
Possible public health messaging to target American men who refuse to get vaccinated: Covid-19 lowers your testosterone and increases erectile dysfunction. That's perfect: hit them right in the groin.
Is there anything more wholesome than Kermit the Frog and Debbie Harry singing a duet of The Rainbow Connection on The Muppet Show? This was the only performance of the song on the show.
April 22
Women in the US are getting vaccinated for Covid-19 at a higher rate (~10% more) than men. Literal toxic masculinity. Tracks w/ all the m/f couples I've seen walking around, her masked and him unmasked.
'World Travel: An Irreverent Guide' by Anthony Bourdain & Laurie Woolever. I've seen so many people in my feeds reading this book.
Winners of the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards. OMG, the face slapping one!
The NY Times published their profile of stoner workaholic Seth Rogen on 4/20. "[Marijuana is] just a tool we use to make our experience more palatable."
April 21
Advice for post-pandemic re-socialization from someone who was previously house-bound with a health thing. "If you feel overwhelmed [around people], just park your ass on a bench and centre yourself: treat people like bees. It works."
Adam Serwer on the limits of this single criminal conviction. "There will be more Derek Chauvins, because his conviction alters nothing about this system."
A look (with graphs!) at how well the vaccines are working in the UK, US, and Chile. "We now have clear, real-world data from many countries showing...the vaccines are reducing infections, reducing hospitalisations and reducing deaths."
Ibram X. Kendi: Compliance Will Not Save Me. "For Black and brown people, this is the terror of American policing. When we do not comply, we die like Daunte Wright did. When we do comply, we die like Adam Toledo did."
April 20
April 19
This is pretty cool: a DIY open-source split-flap display. If I had a small IRL business of some sort (bakery, cafe, package shipping place), I'd 100% have a functioning split-flap display on the wall.
How Fit Can You Get From Just Walking? "Walking is probably the single most underutilized tool in health and wellness."
They're making a second Downton Abbey film. Inject this low-stakes Britishness right into my veins!
Why You Can't Hear The Dialogue in Tenet. This drove me nuts – one of the reasons I was really disappointed in Tenet.
The rules for Covid chess. "The queen just got her first dose of the Moderna vaccine and now thinks she can fly diagonally, horizontally, or vertically to Austin for vacation."
April 16
Decades ago, Mac computers came with a sound that played when the machine couldn't boot properly. Behold, the Mac Chimes of Death.
The Nation's Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil. "I think it's probably an underestimate. There are areas where there's probably a centimeter of topsoil left."
April 15
I love the economic way in which this story by @migold & @choire is written: quick, dense sentences, short paragraphs, lots of links, informative but also opinionated. Reminds me of Suck.
An interview with Roxane Gay about art and art collecting. I love hearing curious and creative people talk about new obsessions – you tend to get a hybrid expert/beginner perspective that's really valuable.
April 14
Return the National Parks to the Tribes. "All 85 million acres of national-park sites should be turned over to a consortium of federally recognized tribes in the United States."
Maybe America Is Racist. "Of all the manufactured hypotheses that attempt to explain these racial disparities, none of them even comes close to the simplest explanation. It's racism."
April 13
April 12
Russia's official Covid-19 death toll in 2020 was ~57,000, but their total excess deaths were more than 362,000. "[The excess deaths] belie Putin's contention that the country has managed the virus better than most."
The Marshall Project has released a new style guide: 'What Words We Use — and Avoid — When Covering People and Incarceration'. For example, instead of "inmates" or "convicts", they recommend using "incarcerated people".
Today I learned you can buy meal kits directly from Xi'an Famous Foods. Hand-pulled noodles at home!!
A list of the 100 Greatest Korean Films Ever, as chosen by 158 international film critics from 28 countries. Films by Bong Joon-ho, Lee Chang-dong, and Park Chan-wook all rank highly.
The first genetically modified mosquitos will be released in Florida this spring. "When released GM males breed with wild female mosquitoes, the resulting generation does not survive into adulthood, reducing the overall population."
A short compilation of research on how being wealthy affects people's psychology. "To understand how money affects politics, we need to understand how money affects psychology."
April 9
A ranking of Anthony Hopkins' 20 best movie performances. Somehow, Silence of the Lambs *isn't* #1.
Thandiwe Newton Revealed That Everyone Has Been Spelling Her Name Wrong For 30 Years. "from now on, Thandiwe will be going by her given name, which is pronounced 'tan-DEE-way.'"
April 8
Light a virtual candle to honor the memory of someone murdered in the Holocaust. For a virtual experience, this was surprisingly moving. Did some research on my person: only 43 of 1600 people transferred to Auschwitz with her survived.
New vocab word: "deal friends". Realizing I don't have those kind of friends. I've learned how to figure out who just wants things from me, then I just stop engaging on that basis, and they drift off in search of others to feed on.
"FDA approves first test of CRISPR to correct genetic defect causing sickle cell disease". CRISPR & mRNA vaccines are going to change a lot of things in the next 10 years.
Terrifying short science fiction story. "What great message to another civilization can you possibly send with only 248 bits of information?"
A new documentary reveals why the supposed Leonardo painting Salvator Mundi was not displayed at the Louvre as planned. "The scientific evidence was that Leonardo da Vinci only made a contribution to the painting. There was no doubt."
A new HIV vaccine has shown promise in Phase I trials. "The vaccine successfully stimulated the production of the rare immune cells needed to generate antibodies against HIV in 97 percent of participants."
CDC (finally!): The risk of Covid-19 infection from contact with contaminated surfaces (fomites) is low. Let's end this "deep cleaning" hygiene theater and focus instead on hand washing, masking, and ventilation.
April 4
The Galactic Federation interviews Earth for membership. "Is there enough food to go around? It's looks like some people are starving."
April 2
The conservative movement is rejecting America. "A recent essay in a prominent right-wing outlet gives an unusually clear window into the modern right's anti-democratic worldview."
How QAnon Is Tearing Families Apart. "Long before Mark walked in the door of their Chicago home one day last year carrying a machete, Elena knew that their 20-year marriage was coming to an end..."
Bhutan is racing to get initial Covid-19 vaccine shots to their entire eligible population within a week. After much planning and a massive push, they should be done in the next day or two.
April 1
Dr. Matt Lodder discovered he had an imposter. "I found a video clip of him at a conference, reading out a chapter I'd written. He was dressed like me. He had even copied my tattoos."
Podcast: @debbiemillman interviews @robynkanner, senior creative advisor for the Biden/Harris campaign. "Kanner's sponsor asked what her goals were. She said she was going to elect the next president of the United States."
How the pandemic changed our friendships. "Over the past year, she said, we stopped exploring, often limiting our rare encounters to tiny groups of trusted intimates. We didn't get new ones."