November 1, 2017
A Wolf in Dancing Shoes
Dan Erlandson (aka DanceHer) has been accused of rape and other sexual misconduct by dozens of women for many years within Seattle's ecstatic dance community. After a failed attempt by the community itself to conduct restorative justice, this week's Seattle Weekly cover story blew the story open.
Your hard drive will be deleted in 4m 26s, to stop please call....
RIP Consumerist (2005-2017)
After 12 years, The Consumerist is no more. Founded by Gawker Media (also RIP), Consumerist was sold in 2009 to nonprofit Consumer Reports and reborn as a nonprofit consumer affairs blog with a snarky, savvy tone. On October 30, Consumer Reports moved toward its long-term strategy of "transitioning Consumerist from a standalone site" by shuttering the site and firing the writing staff: Chris Morran, Mary Beth Quirk, Laura Northrup, Kate Cox, and Ashlee Kieler. [more inside]
Overlooked Authors . . . for Various Reasons
The first article is about writers who've faded into obscurity and some who could repay new fans. Most of them are British, but the story of one who quit after being a best-selling author and went into an entirely new line of work—well, he was American. The second article is about horror authors who deserve movie or tv adaptations of their work. Some have had small success, some have never been on any screen. Horror writers
“It seems video games have a thing for world-pivotal trees.”
An Ode To The Greatest Trees In Video Game History [Now Loading] “With trees being a fairly common sight in all but the harshest environments found on Earth, it's only natural that they soon made their transition into the digital world. From the blurry emerald blobs found in the top-down games of the '80s, to the fluffy 3D structures seen in Super Mario 64, trees have been with us gamers all the way. Sometimes, they have a purpose beyond aesthetics. As in Black and White where your divine avatar is able to pick them up and use them for ungodly purposes, or in today's MOBAs where the fog of war created by trees is an essential part of the mechanics. But mostly, they're just there to create a recognizable and immersive world. Let's take a closer look at some of the defining trees in the history of games” [more inside]
Practical Antitrust Action
Attorneys general from 46 states and the District of Columbia have filed an antitrust complaint against the $75 billion generic drug sector of the pharmaceutical industry to include 18 companies and at least 15 drugs. The 230-page consolidated brief is here for your reference in case you come across news purporting to summarize the merits or conflate them with any virtuous cause of action to "break-up" Amazon, Twitter, Google, Facebook, or other forms of "prescription benefit management" (PBM). [more inside]
Saint Tolkien?
"On Saturday 2 September, a Traditional Low Mass was held at the Oxford Oratory to mark the anniversary of the death of world-renowned Catholic writer & philologist JRR Tolkien. The Mass was offered, however, not for the repose of Tolkien's soul – but rather praying for his Cause for Beatification to be opened." [more inside]
Scents from a Mall
A social experiment in demographic diversity
Revisiting the Greenbelt Towns, a Forgotten 1930s Attempt at American Utopia - “They didn’t want these towns built because they would be put into direct competition with the private housing market.“ (NYT blog) - StoryCorp interviews with long time Greenbelt residents
I should really deal with that soon
Jonesing for just one more scary story after Halloween? Check out the short comic The Door In The Kitchen by Abby Howard.
College Scholarship Tycoon
Can you improve your school's rankings without discriminating against the poor? Probably not, as it turns out. This Vox article and browser game will simulate how selective colleges make their student acceptance and aid package decisions (in a very simplified way). Decent overview of the market failures in the system and in the way America ranks its universities, so that poor students are discriminated against while richer kids with better SAT scores get aid they probably don't really need.
“He’s not a grandstander."
Mark Hamill has always embraced his “Star Wars” legacy, but when he was invited back for “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi,” he hesitated: “I was just really scared.” from Luke Skywalker Speaks [SLNYT]
Get Covered
It's health insurance time again. Open enrollment season starts today in the United States for individuals. Need to sign-up? It's time to get covered on HealthCare.gov by December 15th. The marketplace offers lower costs for most Americans this year, yet "daunting obstacles" and widespread confusion persist amid sabotage attempts, causing much higher costs for some. And a grassroots group works to do what the government won't to Get America Covered. More details inside, in increasing levels of wonkery. [more inside]
Oh My Gourd
Stop. Haeckel time!
Haeckel's legacy as a biologist includes the phrases "ecology" and "stem cell", but he is most known for his amazing illustrations. His radiolaria images are iconic. Wait, you say, haven't we seen him on here before? You have indeed, but not since 2009, so you might not yet know that his book Kunstformen der Natur is now also available as a coloring book, or that this gallery of Haeckel images is curated by the editor of an entirely new book with 450 drawings and paintings by Haeckel. This sudden abundance of Haeckel art is possibly a build-up to the 100th anniversary of his death in 2019. Either way, after 8 years it was about time for some more Haeckel on here.
Dabtoes forward and the dustmen aft
Dark chocolate hasn’t had a glass of Merlot since it saw 𝘚𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴
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