November 30
The Omicron variant was "already spreading in western Europe before the first cases were identified in southern Africa". Again, we should be thanking Botswana & South Africa for raising the alarm so quickly here.
A look at how The National Gallery made frames by hand for six massive paintings by Titian. The gold gilding process was interesting...I'd never seen that done before.
Artist Sophie Calle took a job as a hotel maid and "with a camera and tape recorder hidden in her mop bucket, she recorded whatever she found in the rooms that she had been charged with cleaning." Fascinating project (and artist).
TIL that the person who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey was an enslaved Black man named Nathan "Nearest" Green. Green went on to become the first master distiller for the Jack Daniel Distillery (but was written out of the story until recently).
November 29
A long profile of legendary director Hayao Miyazaki, who is coming out of retirement (again) to make a new film. "He still draws the majority of the frames in each film, numbering in the tens of thousands, himself."
TIL that the Chevy Suburban has been in production under that same name since 1935. The concept of the "suburb" seems so tied to the 40s and 50s that the name feels almost prophetic to me.
South Africa is being unfairly punished for having one of the world's best Covid variant detection systems in the world. They should be lauded for warning the rest of us about what is already out there circulating.
Jack Dorsey has stepped down as Twitter CEO (again). He will also give up his seat on the board.
Why We Need to Upgrade Our Face Masks — and Where to Get Them. Once more, with feeling: if you're still using a cloth mask indoors, upgrade your mask (and wear it properly).
Watching creativity happen in real time as Paul McCartney conjures a hit song out of seemingly nowhere. "Paul really has nothing at the 30 second mark – but 45 seconds later he's got the makings of a hit single."
We've been living in a flu pandemic era since 1918. A universal flu vaccine, which is currently being pursued by many research teams, could potentially rid us of all influenza in one fell swoop.
November 28
What?! Fashion designer Virgil Abloh has died of cancer at the age of 41.
November 26
The WHO has named the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 a "Variant of Concern". This really doesn't look good.
November 24
The Covid booster shot doesn't just restore immunity against symptomatic infection, it "elevates protection well above the peak level from two doses". Booster shot = increased safety for yourself and your community.
Is that the Three Identical Strangers with Madonna on the streets of NYC?! (Yes, and it turns out this is from Desperately Seeking Susan.)
November 23
Covid vaccination rates vs death rates in Europe. There appears to be an inflection point around 75%. (The US is currently at 71%.)
The climate crisis demands bold action. "City governments should purchase an electronic bicycle for every resident over the age of 15 who wants one" and "shut down a significant number of streets to be used only by bicycles".
A ranking of all 63 US National Parks. Yosemite, Redwood, Olympic, and Glacier all score high, but several other well-known parks get dinged for being too crowded.
November 22
Succession, the Montessori preschool version. "We'll go full... fucking... duck-duck-goose!"
One of my all-time favorite online things is someone anonymously posting an iconic Henri Cartier-Bresson photo to Flickr and unaware commenters ripping it apart. "If this is a planned shot, it just didn't come out right."
November 19
The CDC and FDA approved Moderna and Pfizer Covid booster shots for everyone over 18. Go get your shot if you're eligible!
A lovely series of drawings and observations by @edithzimmerman of the first few weeks with her newborn daughter. "Rarely have words felt so insufficient."
November 18
Nice review by @MKBHD of the R1T, Rivian's new compact EV pickup truck. Looks interesting but I had a nice chuckle at all the extra storage spots and literal optional kitchen sink.
On Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction. "When a woman's body and sexuality were violated, the person to blame was the woman, especially if she was a woman of color. She brought it on herself by having a body."
November 17
Nice review by @mariabustillos of Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography as well as an interview with its author, Laurie Woolever. "It seems clearer to me than ever that the real Bourdain never appeared on TV, and few ever knew him."
The Infinity Saga: a fan-edit of "every MCU movie from Iron Man to Endgame cut into chronological scene order". It's 50 hours long.
November 16
Why Health-Care Workers Are Quitting in Droves. "About one in five health-care workers has left medicine since the pandemic started."
I've Heard You Have Some Questions About the New University My Friends and I Are Starting. Reader, I chortled.
Would 100% watch this movie. Indi Jones and the Looted Statuary.
Americans Need to Learn to Live More Like Europeans. "The U.S. economy could be healthier if it were less reliant on consumption."
November 15
A Secret History of Monopoly. The original inventor of the game, Lizzie Magie, was written out of the story by Parker Brothers because of her anti-capitalist views.
Craig Mod is taking another long walk around Japan and documenting it for us, chunking it up into short stints in 10 cities around the country. "I like big walks with strange rules."
Teaser trailer for the new Downton Abbey movie (out in March 2022). Always down to spend some time with the Crawley family.
November 12
"Covid cases are surging in Europe. America is in denial about what lies in store for it." Reasons include insufficient vaccination (including of kids), waning of immunity, and abandonment of mitigation measures (masks, distancing, etc.)
Just sent out the latest issue of the @kottke newsletter. (It was delayed this morning due to a power outage at my house. Ah, rural life.)
An oral history of the Processing programming language. "We saw a potential for learning how to code in a more essential and foundational way — that was really the vision of Processing."
November 11
Largest psilocybin trial finds the psychedelic is effective in treating serious depression. "29.1% of patients in the highest-dose group were in remission three weeks after treatment, compared to 7.6% of those in the control group."
How to make a CPU. Step 1: Get a rock. Step 2: Smash the rock.
Robin Sloan, a self-proclaimed "full-fledged enemy of Web3", writes about the proposed new version of the web. "So, here comes Web3 – and the basic emotional appeal of NEW OPTIONS cannot be overstated." This is really good.
The UK may be on the verge of completely eliminating cervical cancer in young women (through HPV vaccines). The US, of course, has been less successful. "I'm very, very disturbed that we can't do better in this country."
A New Jersey arcade maintains a list of former patrons who are banned for life, including now-middle aged adults who were banned in the 80s as troublemaker teens. "You can only get off the list by dying."
November 10
When Nikola Tesla Claimed to Have Invented a "Death Ray," Capable of Destroying Enemies 250 Miles Away & Making War Obsolete.
November 9
The Untold Story of Sushi in America. "They set out to build God's kingdom – and somehow ended up selling America's raw fish."
Alexis Madrigal writes about his experience getting Covid after 18 months of being ultra-careful. "Don't be fooled: The world's normal only until you test positive."
A graduate student from India shares his impressions after 2 months in the US. "The very first thing you notice when you land in the US is the, umm, 'bigness' of it all" and "Policemen are heavily, scarily equipped".
An 8-Year-Old Explains the Metaverse. "One minute you get scammed, another minute you're having the best time of your life, making billions of dollars."
A parents' guide to cutting children's screen time. "Once you have attained mastery [of the martial arts] at the brown-belt level, you are ready to guard your phone or iPad from your children."
U.S. Covid Deaths Get Even Redder. "In October, 25 out of every 100,000 residents of heavily Trump counties died from Covid, more than three times higher than the rate in heavily Biden counties (7.8 per 100,000)."
Does Having Kids Make You Happy? "A deep puzzle remains: Many people would have had happier lives and marriages had they chosen not to have kids – yet they still describe parenthood as the 'best thing they've ever done.'"
November 5
Has anyone tried the 4-7-8 breathing technique to fall asleep? I have no problem going to sleep at night but if I wake after 2am, it's almost impossible for me to get back to sleep.
Pfizer halted the trials for its experimental antiviral pill for Covid-19 early because it was so effective. "Fewer than 1% of patients taking the drug needed to be hospitalized and no one died" vs 7% hosp. and 7 deaths in the comparison group.
November 4
Why are rapid at-home Covid tests still so hard to find (and expensive) in the US? This is INTOLERABLE. FIX IT.
Clive Thompson built a fun web app for right-angle doodling. "It's been pretty well-established that doodling is cognitively useful."
The Root 100, a list of the most influential African Americans aged 25 to 45 for 2021. The list includes NIH viral immunologist Kizzmekia Corbett, 1619 Project instigator Nikole Hannah-Jones, and tech video maven Marques Brownlee.
China's plan to reduce their carbon emissions hinges on nuclear power. "China is planning at least 150 new reactors in the next 15 years, more than the rest of the world has built in the past 35."
November 3
November 2
Bookshop and Penguin Random House are working with independent book stores to provide copies of The 1619 Project to schools and community organizations. You can donate a copy or two, via your local bookstore, here.
November 1
9 Ways to 'Rewild Your Attention'. "How to inject more weirdness and randomness into the stuff you read and see." I use many of these techniques in my work here at @kottke.
Which famous old people could identify Nintendo's Mario? "Not only does Rushdie know who Mario is, but also Luigi and, I don't think this is too much of a stretch, Yoshi, Bowser, and the Koopalings."
These 4 charts explain why the stakes are so high at the U.N. climate summit. "The world is not on track to avoid extreme climate change."