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A Book Of Beasts [via mefi projects] contains illustrations of 62 strange beasts, creatures, and other things of interest, with descriptive passages to tell you everything they are.
posted by exceptinsects at 4:59 PM PST - 12 comments

“Fallback fonts are like the bus that picks up the slowest race runners when the street needs to be reopened for car traffic—at that point it’s less about finishing the race, and more about avoiding a disaster” — Marcin Wichary explains how fonts, browsers, and operating systems cooperate to ensure we almost always see the the written word as its writer intended.
posted by Monochrome at 4:11 PM PST - 12 comments

Gladys West is a mathematician and an early computer programmer who was among a small group of women who did computing for the U.S. military. When she got her first post-college job at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, she was one of only four African American employees. Her work in the late 70s and early 80s, modelling the shape of the Earth, became the basis for modern GPS systems. She mentioned this fact in a sorority newsletter contribution and this resulted in her being inducted into Space and Missiles Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2018 (the same year she earned her PhD). Listen to her briefly tell her own story here.
posted by jessamyn at 4:07 PM PST - 4 comments

A secret ‘man cave’ has been discovered in a room beneath Grand Central Station. “The supervisor of the locksmith shop – who is not a licensed locksmith – could not access the room because only actual locksmiths had access.” However, it pales in comparison to the full-sized secret badminton court discovered during the redevelopment of Kings Cross.
posted by adrianhon at 3:43 PM PST - 38 comments

Read Paper Republic publishes English translations of Chinese fiction, usually new short stories. The short story "Saint Marie" by Da Si, translated by Caroline Mason, portrays a student's gradual discontentment with a French landlady whose hospitality proves stifling (in a way that goes beyond Ask vs. Guess cultures). "If Marie had made it plain before I moved in that she wanted my company, I would never have chosen to live with her."
posted by brainwane at 3:37 PM PST - 3 comments

Do you like shoegaze? Powerpop? Alt rock? Would you list Pavement or Julianna Hatfield among your favorite artists? Do you frequently find yourself staring wistfully out of windows while listening to the Pete & Pete soundtrack wondering where that Blake Babies sound went? Do you miss the 90s? Do you wonder what the 90s is like now, in 2020? It's been a while but Beabadoobee is here to assure you the wait was worth it. [more inside]
posted by Lonnrot at 11:15 AM PST - 21 comments

German has distinct verb combinations for airing out flats and recommendations are getting more and more precise. [more inside]
posted by katta at 8:11 AM PST - 45 comments

The go-to dish for when there’s no one to satisfy but yourself, too simple or too weird to try out on guests, the house meal is a messy signature dish, and the epitome of experimental home cooking. [via]
posted by ellieBOA at 3:17 AM PST - 94 comments

Yes indeed, Trump tests positive for the Coronavirus

The “October surprise” is here

Trump and first lady Melania test positive for coronavirus

The president’s infection means he will need to cancel in-person events in the coming weeks

El presidente Donald Trump y la primera dama dan positivo por covid-19 y se ponen en cuarentena

Jetzt kommt es auf Trumps Immunsystem an

posted by bertran at 2:36 AM PST - 3072 comments