January 13, 2017
Knife-cleaning
Cleaning the knives was one of the daily, heavy, unpleasant household
tasks through the long 19th century. [more inside]
Maybe Denis Villeneuve could tackle this after Dune
SCTV alum Dave Thomas' sci-fi opus 'Rocket Boy'. It hasn't aged a bit.
The Secret Life of Dog
An investigative reporter follows a very.... plump dog to see how it's getting so plump. On the Japanese comedy show Knight Scoop, people write in with questions about a variety of topics (like this man who is scared of leaves), and a detective discovers the answers. Other episodes about dogs: My Dog Is a Misandrist, The Dog Who is Scared of Godzilla, The Mystery of the Escaping Dog. But there is much, much more (and weirder) to this show. Playlist. [All videos have English subtitles]
more guinea pigs
"Occasionally I judge science fairs & while the scientific questions aren't always super novel, I get a kick out of kid scientist logic..."
Compare and Contrast
Law Professor Challenges Traffic Camera Ticket, Hijinks Ensue
First of all, the city attorney wasn't sure if the case was civil or criminal. The professor definitely was not in his car when it was found to have been speeding, but he received a violation notice. He decides to challenge it and learns how little interest local attorneys for the city have in the law.
Switch it up
Nintendo announces its new gaming console, the Switch. It's got crazy new controllers that join together or split into two separate controllers. It's got a new Super Mario game. It's got more or less the same Mario Cart. It's got 2D Sonic games. It's got a new Legenda of Zelda installment. A new splatoon and a new xenoblade! It's a portable as well as a home console. (and probably uses a Tegra X1). But is it enough to compete against the XBox One and PS4?
A DIY Guide to Feminist Cybersecurity
Hack*Blossom: "You have a right to exist safely in digital spaces. Although we have to rely on outside parties for technology to access these spaces, there are tons of helpful tools and strategies that allow you to take greater control of your digital life and mitigate the risk of malicious threats. We’ll walk through common areas of digital life such as web browsing, private data, and smartphones to show you different ways that you can implement as much or little security as you’re comfortable with." [more inside]
Good Evening, All Current Art Is Fake
Archaeological Find Puts Humans in North America 10,000 Years Earlier
New evidence suggests human presence in a Yukon cave during the last ice age 24,000 years ago. A local (to me) science magazine has a story about evidence that humans arrived in North America years earlier than thought. Bluefish Caves in the Yukon contained some bone fragments and tools that is strong evidence of human settlement - years before it was thought to have happened. This institute and magazine is on an archaeological roll - The Hakai institute discovered the oldest footprints in North America, last summer, and is now working on cataloguing the data.
Japan’s Rural Towns Are Luring Tax From Tokyo With Beef and Beer
In Japan, you can designate a "hometown" to send a portion of your taxes to. The program is intended "to help rural areas struggling with falling populations and shrinking revenues." Then someone realized that you don't have to designate your actual hometown, and that those rural areas can lure in tax money by rewarding people with local goods. Think of it as the NPR totebag of the Japanese tax system. Of course, that means that people's actual living spaces lose out on the tax revenue.
Investigation of the Chicago Police Department
Today, the DOJ released their report on a year-long investigation (PDF) of the Chicago Police Department, finding "reasonable cause to believe that CPD has engaged in a pattern or practice of unreasonable force in violation of the Fourth Amendment and that the deficiencies in CPD’s training, supervision, accountability, and other systems have contributed to that pattern or practice. "
"Preposterous and rococo cannibalism"
Slate reviews Bill Schutt's forthcoming book Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History. Guardian review here. Schutt is a Research Associate in Vertebrate Zoology and Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History. [more inside]
America the Beautiful
Yesterday in a press release, the US Mint announced their plans for their upcoming 225th anniversary "Lady Liberty" gold coin, the first in a series of 24-karat gold coins that will feature designs which depict an allegorical Liberty in a variety of contemporary forms--including designs representing Asian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Indian-Americans among others--to reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the United States. You can see the first proposed design here.
Always look for the helpers
A rancher helps a frozen finch [SLYT] NB: the beginning might be a bit cringey, but nothing gruesome happens...
We failed to overcome the chicken-and-egg issue
App.net to end. Would-be Twitter competitor App.net is closing up shop and open-sourcing its code.
The project launched in 2012 through crowdfunding, and tried to make the pay-for-play model work in social media. It also wanted to be very friendly to developers, especially when Twitter wasn't. Other services appeared alongside the microbloggery, like a push notification tool and a crowdfunding function.
(via HN) [more inside]
The fastest spinning object driven by human power
Introducing a human-powered centrifuge which separates blood into individual components in ninety seconds and costs 20 cents. [more inside]
Murder on Union Hill Road
In April 2016, eight family members were slain in their homes in Ohio. Nine months later, the killer or killers are still on the loose, and the town has all but forgotten the crimes.
How to navigate the bullshit-rich modern environment.
The world is awash in bullshit. Politicians are unconstrained by facts. Science is conducted by press release. So-called higher education often rewards bullshit over analytic thought.
Two University of Washington lecturers have designed a course to teach students about Bullshit. [more inside]
BBC Sound Of 2017
Soul singer Ray BLK has topped the BBC's Sound Of 2017 list, which aims to predict the most exciting new music for the year ahead. It is the first time an unsigned artist has won the honour - which has previously gone to Adele and Sam Smith. [...] Four of the top five Sound of 2017 acts are black British women, reflecting a rise of female talent in grime and R&B.
Why the future of music is black, female, and British. [more inside]
Why the future of music is black, female, and British. [more inside]
Now you are about to join another rarified club
Malia and Sasha, eight years ago on a cold November day, we greeted you on the steps of the White House. We saw both the light and wariness in your eyes as you gazed at your new home. We left our jobs in Baltimore and New York early and traveled to Washington to show you around. To show you the Lincoln Bedroom, and the bedrooms that were once ours, to introduce you to all the people—the florists, the grounds-keepers and the butlers—who dedicate themselves to making this historic house a home.George W. Bush's daughters Barbara Bush and Jenna Bush-Hager write an open letter to the Obama sisters.
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