October 28, 2023
Ostriv: peaceful 18th-century farming simulator
"Ostriv is a city-building game that puts you in a role of a governor of an 18th century town to challenge your creative skills and management abilities." [more inside]
The Corpse Can’t Play
The Chordettes Discography
Single-bladed floating wind turbine promises half the cost, more power
On all sides is the sea
I keep expecting the killing to begin. Will it be when I get undressed and enter the water, as I am sucked into a whirlpool? Or now, as I swim around the bend, to see the spectacle of the mountain’s water barreling down? Or will it happen with the next nervous return swim, to see that waterfall just one more time, to be drawn into its power, the thrilling proximity? Because what keeps me swimming back and forth in this vathra to the dangerous waterfall is the exhilaration, like a flirtation. Yes—with each return—I feel foolhardy, but also brave, before the crush of the mountain pool. from The Island That Eats People
Good Times
If you haven't already seen the Nile Rodgers & CHIC: Tiny Desk Concert, it's well worth half an hour of your time! [SLYT]
Shadow Moving Slow: Halloween Mix 2023
Here's a mixtape to get you in the mood for next week's festivities, featuring The Shacks, Midnight Sister, The Budos Band, Skullcrusher and More. (Youtube Spotify Tidal) [more inside]
All Crimewaves Are Bullshit
Target and other chains have overblown the impact of shoplifting. The rash of store closures across the nation are, as might have been suspected, driven by other factors - in the case of Rite Aid bankruptcy to avoid opiate lawsuits.
"Gaza is Being Strangled"
Gaza Is Being Strangled”: U.N. Says Israel’s Siege Will Lead to More Palestinian Deaths The United Nations has warned that many more Palestinians will die due to catastrophic shortages of food, water and medicine, as Israel’s nonstop bombardment of the Gaza Strip entered its 21st day. [more inside]
"a scorpion disappeared, reappeared in the sky and fell on my head"
The Largest Peacetime Disaster in American Naval History
Calhoun knew that not everyone from his ship had made it. He wondered how many still flailed in the oil-coated water. And the engine- and fire-room crews deep inside the ship: had they been trapped down below, or were they pulled out by the undertow as the ship rolled? Those men—his men—had been 150 yards from shore with no way out of the ship. On shore, when Herzinger mentioned to Calhoun that the losses were great, as many as 20 or 30 sailors, the young captain’s response was grave: “My God, I know—but we will not discuss it now.” from Dead Reckoning
Rediscovering Tradition in Pu’er Country
The tea forests on Jingmai date back over 1,800 years. In addition to their archaic method of growing tea — referred to in scientific circles as “understory tea cultivation” for the way the tea trees are left to grow in the shade of larger trees — the residents of nearby villages also observe ancient religious practices involving a spirit known as Pa Ai Leng, the tea ancestor. designated the “tea spirit tree,” and it is forbidden for residents to cut them down or pick their leaves. Every year before the spring tea is picked, people make offerings of rice, wine, tea, and other items to these spirits. This September, the “Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er” was officially added to the UNESCO World Heritage List for its mix of ancient cultivation techniques, unique tea culture, and rarely seen village layouts, making it the world’s only tea-centric cultural heritage site. But the story of Jingmai isn’t purely about preservation: The techniques and rituals spotlighted by UNESCO’s citation have undergone a period of rediscovery and reinvention in recent years — a complex process driven by a mix of residents, local officials, and market incentives. [more inside]
« Previous day | Next day »