August 6
Name every city
City Quiz is a fun little webgame where you literally just name every city. It breaks down by the whole planet, or just one continent, or just one country, and scores you based on number of cities or percentage of the population. [more inside]
An exceedingly bizarre choice if one wishes to obfuscate the IP address
A study into toxicity on Economics Job Market Rumors says it uncovered IP addresses for posts, linking many back to universities. The paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, was presented at the NBER summer meeting and starts with a content warning on racism, sexism, and threats of violence. Study authors note, "Using only publicly available data we show that the statistical properties of the scheme by which [algorithmically-assigned] usernames were generated allows the IP addresses from which most posts were made to be determined with high probability." Approximately 10% of posts originated from university IP addresses; about 10% of all posts were categorized as toxic. A small proportion of IP addresses generated more than 60% of toxic posts. EJMR, previously on MeFi.
A Centuries-Old Obsession
Despite our love of building community around uniting behind one love interest or the next, or our general consensus that one love interest is superior — no one likes Wickham over Darcy — some might say that our interest in love triangles might point to a wider cultural desire to explore polyamory. While I don’t doubt that many are curious about exploring options outside of the dominant form of monogamous relationships, I disagree that the classic love triangle is a good example of this. from The enduring allure of a good love triangle
Reflections on the 70th Anniversary of the Danish Rescue of the Jews
Talk at the American-Scandinavian Foundation A talk about why the Danish Jews were saved. [more inside]
Ecologists are reintroducing Western Quolls
Western Quolls disappeared from this region 100 years ago. Ecologists are bringing them back from the brink. The tiny, native western quoll that was all but wiped out in Western Australia has been reintroduced to parts of the state, and this time their welfare is being watched over by drones.
August 5
Radical Piano
Unveiling Ravenchord: A Radical Piano Redesign from Dan Harden. I'm pretty sure based on the page that this instrument is just a design prototype that hasn't been built. It's absolutely gorgeous to look at; I'd love to hear it played.
The Gingerbread man
John D. Clare of 'Facts and the teaching of History' posits: "EH Carr's What is History?...Carr - very correctly - argues that 'the belief in a hard core of historical facts existing objectively independent of the interpretation of the historian is a preposterous fallacy." Then it unravels into historiographical relevance of fact. Nearly 20 years later, the methodology of History/ historiography is changing.
'How AI is helping historians better understand our past'
and
'Digital doping for Historians: Can history, memory, and historical theory be rendered artificially intelligent'
Vim creator and maintainer Bram Moolenaar (1961 – 2023-08-03)
Bram Moolenaar, the Dutch software engineer, creator and maintainer of long-lived text editor Vim, has died.
Tears of the Kingdom engineering
“a tacitly racist game of telephone”
The Rotten Science Behind the MSG Scare by Sam Kean is a brief history of the MSG scare, when a single letter by Dr. Robert Ho Man Kwok to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, led to a racist reaction that touched off decades of panic around the seasoning monosodium glutamate. Over the decades, two men claimed to be the authors of the letter, Dr. Kwok and a Dr. Howard Steel. The latter even told his story to a professor at his alma mater, Dr. Jennifer LeMesurier, who had written a detailed journal article tracing the history of the racist myth. However, Dr. Steel’s story fell apart when reporter Lilly Sullivan looked into it for This American Life.
The franchise has always managed to balance CGI with real stunts
The 20 Year Evolution of Fast and Furious Car Chases [1h11m, CineFix/IGN] was released before Fast X, but there's still plenty of material there. If you like this kind of thing, you'll like this.
Let’s Get Really Nostalgic About The Early Days Of PlayStation
At a GameStop store on Launch Day of PS2 in 2000 [YouTube] ““There was a sense that video games were toys. And Sony is not a toy company.” That’s how a new mini-oral history about PlayStation revolutionizing console gaming begins over at IGN. The words belong to former head of Sony Worldwide Studios, Shawn Layden, and they ring true for anyone who grew up with an NES or SNES. The Nintendo consoles built for angular cartridges could take a beating like children’s building blocks, and the games often revolved around colorful worlds full of knights, dragons, and magic mushrooms. In the ‘90s, PlayStation felt like something entirely different. [...] In addition to the pitch of bringing arcade-level graphics into the home, there was the idea of a video game console that could channel the same feeling of cool imbued in the Sony Walkman and your older sibling’s collection of grunge and hip-hop CDs.” [via: Kotaku]
Withering Green Rush: California Cannabis Breeding at a Crossroads
Most people struggling through cannabis prohibition wanted legalization or at least decriminalization, and to empty the prisons. But the way legalization was implemented in California, it remained unclear if the crop was a drug or an agricultural product; stuck in limbo with the worst of both options proved in time to be the worst way to go. Overregulating certain aspects, treating cannabis as a drug, and under-regulating other aspects led to an economy-of-scale agricultural consolidation... We are left in a situation where the rich history of California cannabis is being eliminated one farm at a time. [more inside]
Bhutan Ball
They had no grand design on establishing a baseball association, though: The two simply loved baseball -- DeSantis learning the game back in America, while Dorji fell in love while attending the World Children's Baseball Fair in Japan -- and wanted to offer it to the children who lived nearby the military barracks in Thimphu. from In the mountains of the world's most remote country, baseball takes hold
The World’s Last Internet Cafes
TikTok’s algorithm will be optional in Europe
TikTok users in Europe will be able to see recommended ‘For You’ videos that don’t rely on tracking their online activity. “These changes relate to DSA rules that require very large online platforms to allow their users to opt out of receiving personalized content — which typically relies on tracking and profiling user activity — when viewing content recommendations. To comply, TikTok’s search feature will also show content that’s popular in the user’s region, and videos under the “Following” and “Friends” feeds will be displayed in chronological order when a non-personalized view is selected.” [more inside]
It is not okay for men to "help" women they don't know without asking
It is not okay for men to "help" women who they don't know without asking consent/permission first. "A man tried to help me fix my bike despite me asking him not to. Time for men to learn that this shit is not helpful, it's control."
August 4
The Louvre Is Thrilled to Announce It Is Rebranding to “UVR”
It’s ok. Punks have feelings too.
Playing with video games
YouTuber Any Austin has a quirky approach to his presenting, and to his subject matter. My favorite I've seen is Snow! (this is about video games) [16m30s]. He also explores "unexpected and odd places" in several games, including Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005) [14m], Skyrim [14m], even Mario Kart 8 [13m]. Here's the first part of a series on breath holding for different characters [13m]. One of his unemployment surveys of video game towns [Castle Town, Twilight Princess, 18m]. His YouTube page lists many more.
(150+ Genres Named)
Welcome to the B16 TEN
The Big Ten Conference started as a Midwestern group of colleges. It grew beyond its original number in the 1990s by adding Penn State, then in the 2010s by poaching Nebraska from the Big 12, then Maryland from the ACC and Rutgers from the Big East, then USC and UCLA from the Pac-12. And now it's made its biggest expansion yet in both rainfall and geography, stretching the B1G footprint all the way to the Pacific Northwest with the addition of Oregon and Washington. [more inside]
"Hide Your Head in the Sand"
The walls of the Pentagon are covered in many paintings and photographs. On the Fifth floor, 10th corridor, D ring, there's something more unusual. From Task & Purpose: "Behold the glory of the Pentagon’s Porta John painting" [more inside]
Women's World Cup of Soccer 2023
Maybe it started with this viral French telecom ad (you don't need the subtitles), but we're halfway through the World Cup going on in Australia and New Zealand. The group stage is over, and the round of 16 begins this weekend... [more inside]
A cookbook for accessible cooking
Crip Up the Kitchen is a cookbook that makes home cooking more accessible and culturally relevant for cooks and would-be cooks with disabilities. The book organizes recipes by the level of effort required to make them and recommends tools that help prevent pain and reserve energy, using methods similar to Spoon Theory. [more inside]
The Variety of Designs is Unbelievable
Welcome the world largest Online Toaster Exhibition...
The revelation that somebody collects toasters often leads to the same reaction: awkward pause, nervous laugh, then: "...Toasters?" The problem is not, to collect toasters. The problem is, to have hundreds of them. The result: They simply call you crazy. Well, and sometimes I think they are right! [Toast, previously]
Edward and Jo in Gloucester
A new exhibition in the Cape Ann museum in Gloucester explores the love that the two had for the area. It also looks at their relationship, with Jo directing the "Hopper brand." (WaPo gift link) [more inside]
Oldest Martian Meteorite on Earth Traced to Its Origin on the Red Planet
Oldest Martian Meteorite on Earth Traced to Its Origin on the Red Planet. Researchers used machine learning algorithms to determine which crater on Mars the space rock came from.
August 3
Scent of a dream
The Learning Channel
I'm going to post these in the order that Billiam posted them, but I think, for an old like me, they should really be watched in reverse order because that's chronological rather than working backward from modern outrage to historical corruption. Anyway: 1: TLC'S Biggest Lies [26m] 2: The TLC Iceberg [44m] 3: When TLC Killed “The Learning Channel” [29m]. I remember The Learning Channel, and 3 was like being reminded of watching my favorite pub burning down.
PROUD Academy, the first school for LGBTQ+ youth in Connecticut
DICKS: The Musical
Megan Thee Stallion raps and dances in A24’s wild first movie musical. Bowen Yang plays God, with Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally also starring in the Larry Charles film written by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson. [TRAILER]
Reading to escape solitary confinement
Reading has been my lifeline after seven years in solitary confinement. With my earplugs jammed in deep—sometimes too deep—I’ve read books, magazines, and newspapers and found respite amid tortuous conditions. ... While male prisoners in the restricted housing unit are often there because they have been identified as belonging to gangs, that’s not the case in female prisons. Women are assigned to live here for different reasons. It could be a consequence for behavior, like having phone sex with a partner; for violence, like assaulting staff members; or for rule violation, like having contraband (even if someone set you up with it). Sometimes, it’s outright discrimination: I’ve seen women get sent to the hole for speaking in an Indigenous language while talking to their parents on the phone. From Slate and Open Campus: Kwaneta Harris on lessons from her time as a prisoner in solitary confinement. [more inside]
Planet of the... BASS
Walking: 3 hr 15 min. Public transport: Apparently 5 days!
"There are places where the public transport instructions tell you which day of the week the bus will be, but don't include waiting for the right day in the travel time." New game, find two points in the UK on Google Maps where it says it is quicker to walk than to catch public transport. Furthest distance/time wins. (SL Twitter thread).
"Quite a few on the outskirts of Norwich where radial bus routes mean going into the city and out again." [more inside]
"Quite a few on the outskirts of Norwich where radial bus routes mean going into the city and out again." [more inside]
How Lara Croft lived and died in Derby.
20 years on, the Tomb Raider story told by the people who were there [Eurogamer] “There are conflicting reports about the origins of Tomb Raider, but everyone agrees that it was Toby Gard who created the Lara Croft character and came up with the idea for a third-person adventure game in which the player explored tombs. Legend has it that Frances Gard, Toby's younger sister, was the inspiration for Lara Croft. The devil is in the detail - some remember seeing prototypes that included an Indiana Jones-style male character, and that Core's bosses were terrified it would spark a lawsuit. Others insist Gard had envisioned a female character from the very beginning, although at first she was called Laura Cruz. Whatever the truth, Gard was the driving force behind Tomb Raider, even if others played a crucial role in bringing his vision to life. Jeremy Heath-Smith is clear in his mind how Tomb Raider came to be. "Tomb Raider came out of my trip to the States," he says, "where Ken Kutaragi showed me the PlayStation. "I got back on a plane, flew home, and called an off-site meeting of the company.” [The history of Tomb Raider][YouTube] [more inside]
A Creative Act of Dandyism
He did not merely attempt to imitate his social betters, impersonate a gentleman, or claim the privileges of Whiteness. Instead, he deployed style and self-presentation to invent a new kind of negro. In a city where “Black gentleman” and “Black dandy” were unthinkable oxymorons, and where Black men in fine dress were read either as liveried servants or absurd, out-of-place upstarts, Raúl forced White Porteños to contend with and make sense of a flamboyant Black man who turned style into a feature of his singular brand. And not just, as his studio photograph attests, the prescribed buttoned-down style of the “gentleman”, but the more knowing, often outrageous style of the bohemian dandy. from The Black Dandy of Buenos Aires, Racial Fictions and the Search for Raúl Grigera [CW: historical racism] [more inside]
Oregon's experiment to curb overdoses
“At four in the afternoon the streets can feel like dealer central,” Funding for Measure 110’s promise of increased services comes from Oregon’s marijuana tax revenues. After a slow start, more than $265 million has flowed to programs that try to make drug use safer by providing clean needles and test strips, offer culturally specific peer support and provide shelter for people newly in recovery. But residential treatment for addiction has yet to be substantially expanded. [more inside]
California second state in the US with free prison phone calls
"At a time when most consumers enjoy free or low-cost calling, prison phone calls at their peak in California cost more than $6 per 15 minutes via a private telecommunications provider. That allowed only hurried, superficial conversations between the siblings — with one eye always on the clock.
" Los Angeles Times: California’s free prison calls are repairing estranged relationships and aiding rehabilitation
August 2
Vaccines help Brazil's golden lion tamarins rebound from near-extinction
"We are celebrating": Vaccines help Brazil's golden lion tamarins rebound from near-extinction. Once on the brink of extinction with only about 200 animals in the wild, the golden lion tamarin population has rebounded to around 4800 individuals hopping between branches in the Brazilian rainforest.
Dance like everybody's watching
For decades, the St. Louis music scene had a solo-dancing, enigmatic, and polarizing weirdo haunting live music shows, big and small. The mop-topped Robert Matonis, a.k.a. Beatle Bob, has passed away, after a cruel decline from ALS, on July 27.
Tell Me Why It Hurts
"Call it what you want, but the core idea is always shaped like trauma. Once, we were whole, but now we’re not; now we suffer from a sickness we struggle to grasp or name. Yet this wound provides our new identity, at once the thing that gives us the right to speak and the only thing we have left to say when we do. Underwritten by its literalism, our trauma is the guarantor of what we believe we are owed."
How Bessel van der Kolk’s once controversial theory of trauma became the dominant way we make sense of our lives. (NYMag)
“Truthfully, I try not to analyse my own intentions”
Moananuiākea: a Voyage for Earth
The Hōkūleʻa, a traditional Polynesian outrigger, and crew are underway on their 43,000 nautical mile, 4 year journey, circumnavigating the Pacific Ocean. With Port Hardy and Hakai behind them, passing through the Johnstone Straight on the inner passage of Vancouver Island, the boat is soon within range of many a mefite! Follow along or try to catch up with them on the Americas’ left coast September 2023 - April 2024. [more inside]
It's counter-intuitive, but too much Disney might be killing Disney
YouTuber Poseidon Entertainment, who spends a lot of time examining dead amusement park rides and has been more increasingly critiquing amusement parks, has a thesis: Disney Brand Fatigue Is Damaging Its Parks [35m]. His experience looking back at things that have ceased to be gives him some insight into how modern attraction development might be creating a future trap for Disney. It's an interesting perspective that maybe Iger needs to listen to.
Candy Williams and Jackie Ferris, v. John M. Lester, Jr. et al.
Dear Counsel: Scientists have found that the octopus is bizarrely adept at navigating mazes. [PDF]
A baffling new movie on Amazon Prime misses the point of “never forget.”
Nahre Sol and Her Mother
YouTuber Nahre Sol is a classical pianist and composer, and as such posts videos on the creative and technical aspects of making music. But today I'd like to present two of her more personal videos, which she made with her non-musician mother. In the first, she and her mom play a piano duet. In the second, they compose a piece together. The videos are about 10 minutes each and heartwarming as heck. There are some sweet mother-daughter moments (some funny, some touching), cute dogs, and, of course, good music.
"My Country 'Tis of Thee" was the national anthem of the United States.
Analog horror filmmaker Alex Casanas (MISTERMANTICORE) is perhaps best known on YouTube for the Monument Mythos. This is a wide-spanning series of alternate history of the US, past and present, but it mainly focuses on the time of the 37th President, James Dean, and occasionally his best friend, Richard Nixon.
The lore goes three seasons deep, but it begins simply, with the CORNERFOLK, and goes into rich, strange places, some more like short fiction than film -- the LIBERTYLURKER (3:48), the mitosis of Alcatraz (4:07). It's best to take them in order to catch the full scope of exactly what the hell is going on here, which, by turns, is dreadful, hilarious, and heartbreaking -- as when the Ever Given got up and walked away (16:22). [more inside]
The lore goes three seasons deep, but it begins simply, with the CORNERFOLK, and goes into rich, strange places, some more like short fiction than film -- the LIBERTYLURKER (3:48), the mitosis of Alcatraz (4:07). It's best to take them in order to catch the full scope of exactly what the hell is going on here, which, by turns, is dreadful, hilarious, and heartbreaking -- as when the Ever Given got up and walked away (16:22). [more inside]
A Glimpse of What Might Have Been
It’s curious that fiction’s decoupling from what Shields called the “burden of unreality, the nasty fact that none of this ever really happened”—or what the German sociologist of economics Jens Beckert calls the “doubling of reality”—is simultaneous with financial markets’ embrace of the unreal. Especially since it wasn’t always this way. The story of these divergent literary and financial trends starts in the Eighties and Nineties, back when fiction was still fiction, and finance was still math. from Double Reality, Hedging the Novel in the Postfictional Age by Jessi Jezewska Stevens [The Point; ungated]