Posts with Recent Comments
Read The Plaque
Right now, it’s hard to see that future
Sci-fi is an amazing genre. It helps us explore our feelings about the unknown, the future, and the possible. It lets us imagine “what if” scenarios, and then build out rich worlds that our minds can occupy. It depicts dystopias we should fend off and utopias we should seek – and it teases us with the scintillating possibility that humans may actually be able to build the world we want. But over the last few generations, it’s been harder for us to imagine this better world – and our sci-fi reflects that. from who killed the world? [The Pudding]
Nanoscapes
Nanoscapes: Making the invisible, visible! "Images of butterfly wings at the microscopic scale are stunning, and at the nanoscopic scale they become otherworldly. Shot with light and electron microscopes at magnifications up to 50,000x, Nanoscapes reveals the elaborate topography of butterfly wings, which have produced a wealth of data on the surprisingly little known story of structural coloration."
"As we scroll, they feast."
Roxane Gay on the addictive effect of TikTok. (slTheBitterSoutherner)
Don't project. Don't connect. Protect. Don't expect. Suggest.
Thirty-one freaking summers ago, U2 released the debut single from their album Zooropa. Numb (yt) was a strange, uncharacteristically dark and despairing track for the band, featuring guitarist the Edge on lead vocals with Bono's falsetto backing vocals credited to "the Fat Lady." [more inside]
A 2.4 billion year old rock and the origins of complex life
At 2.4 billion years old, this shiny black rock could tell scientists an enormous amount about the origins of complex life.
A 2.4-billion-year old microfossil found in the Pilbara's Hamersley Ranges could be a missing link in the evolution from simple to complex life, according to researchers.
The Painter of Revolution, on Both Sides of the Atlantic
NYT review of a new exhibit at the Clark Art Museum in the Berkshires:
“Born into slavery, Guillaume Lethière became one of France’s most decorated painters. For the first time, a major exhibition gives us the full view of his scenes of love and war.” And WaPo: he rose to the top of France’s art world.
Guillaume Lethière’s epic life is the subject of a stunning new exhibition
It's swan-counting season in Britain
Swan-uppers will put on a show on the Thames for five days. Here's what to know about the 800-year-old royal tradition.
In this ceremonial event, the Thames' swan population — all owned by the crown and two trade companies — is examined and counted in a five-day affair along the river. [more inside]
if you understand this youre a giant nerd
On emotional attachment to an item of clothing you've never worn
Delving into the psychology of a closet from the #NEVERWORNS newsletter (Youtube too!): “Maybe I’m having trouble styling it. I bought it with white pants but I kind of felt like I was a finance bro”; and “The daughter is like the one stop before Goodwill” aka the Soft Trash Can Move, a guilt-free way to part with the item; "This scarf is not warm; it’s like wearing a demented Italian noodle on the shoulders"; research on how retail therapy can relieve residual sadness. [more inside]
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Charmed
Shannen Doherty has passed away from cancer at age 53 (NYT, BBC, People, Variety). The actor is known for roles in, among other things, Heathers, Beverly Hills, 90210, and Charmed.
“But Aquaman, you cannot marry a woman without gills.”
Yesterday I fed a stray cat,
and today it brought me 6 kittens! "Welcome to 'About Paws' Our channel is dedicated to the heartwarming mission of feeding and rescuing street cats and adopting abandoned kittens in our community. We're on a journey to provide a better life for these precious feline souls." [more inside]
"One of the links you entered was found in 24 previous threads"
Cat-Scan.com is one of the strangest sites I've seen in some time. I have no idea how these people got their cats wedged into their scanners, or why. [more inside]
Dramatic Twist as Manslaughter Trial of Alec Baldwin is Dismissed
The prosecution of Alec Baldwin for manslaughter in the death Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust ended in a dramatic fashion when it was revealed that the prosecution withheld evidence from the defense. In a final attempt to salvage the case the lead prosecutor, Kari Morrissey, took the stand as a witness. Law and Crime Network explains what happened
♪ ♫ “I've heard them once before, I know that feeling...” ♬♪
The Voice, by Ultravox, peaked at #16 in the UK, #27 in Ireland and #29 in New Zealand; an alternate video was partially filmed in a slanted room. Much more Ultravox in a 2018 post.
Follow the Crypto
Molly White, independent journalist, maintainer of the site Web 3 is Going Great and the newsletter and podcast Citation Needed (not the podcast about Wikipedia), has a new project called Follow the Crypto. In 2024, the cryptocurrency industry has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to influence races across the US, more than the health or energy sectors despite being a much smaller fraction of the economy. Follow the Crypto reveals what's been learned about their enormous pile of lucre and the ways it is being wielded to distort the United States' political processes, by organizations like FairShake, "Defend American Jobs," and "Protect Progress."
Sherman’s special Field Orders, No. 15
40 Acres and a Lie: A government program gave formerly enslaved people land after the Civil War, only to take nearly all of it back a year and a half later. Reporters with Mother Jones, the Center for Public Integrity, and Reveal tracked down the people, places, and stories that had long been misunderstood and forgotten, then asked their descendants about what’s owed now. [more inside]
Between Skepticism and Mysticism
Dr. Justin Sledge, of the YouTube channel "Esoterica", has just released the first lecture in a crowdsourced and freely available course on the philosophy of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, author of the "Three Books of Occult Philosophy", a foundational text for Western ceremonial magic.