November 11, 2021
math duels!
How Imaginary Numbers Were Invented - "A general solution to the cubic equation was long considered impossible, until we gave up the requirement that math reflect reality."[1] [more inside]
An Air Force sergeant killed himself on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
Statistics tell us at least 16 other members of the military community also took their lives that Monday night and every night — the average daily toll — leading up to Veterans Day, when the nation thanks veterans for their service with a free 10-piece order of boneless chicken wings or a free doughnut. [more inside]
"We were exhilarated by change and expectation ..."
Tove Jansson & Tuulikki Pietilä (Granta, 10/04/2021), "Notes from an Island": "The sea was chalk white in every direction as far as the eye could see. It was only then that we noticed the absolute silence. And that we had started whispering." The Gloss recently published an additional extract--the beginning of the book--along with the publisher's introduction: "For 26 summers, writer Tove Jansson and her life partner, the graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä (known as 'Tooti') would migrate to the rocky, almost barren island of Klovharun, at the edge of the Pellinge archipelago in the Gulf of Finland." Tove Jansson previously.
"The real Pacific Princess had a crew of 373, rather than 6"
The Love Boat was an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986. Here is a supercut of every guest star in alphabetical order (except Andy Griffith, Peter Marshall, Andy Warhol and Kristy McNichol).
Why Detroit Residents Pushed Back Against Tree-Planting
Known But To God
From the US National Archives, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 100th Anniversary. They also partnered with Google to provide an extended slideshow. Yesterday the Archives hosted a livestream with Jeff Gottesfeld, author of the children's book Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Sgt. 1st Class Chelsea Porterfield (Porterfield was the first female Sergeant of the Guard, and recently presided over the first all-female changing of the guard.) [more inside]
How I Grew Up in the Coldest Town on Earth
This disinformation campaign must be directly confronted.
These claims are not true, but many white people believe them as a result of a systematic disinformation campaign . . . campaigns like Youngkin’s are built on a legacy of lies dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. Our research demonstrates that conservative fearmongering over CRT reuses a set of scare tactics that equate racial justice with Communism that originated during the Cold War. [more inside]
A very British path to discrimination
The secret court case 50 years ago that has robbed transgender people of their rights ever since “All the way through up to 1970, the path was: self-identify, get affirmative medical care, correct your birth certificate, and live equally. After 1970, that’s gone.” [archive.org link]
Who Caught and Sang the Sun in Flight
Larry Gordon, founder of Vermont-based folk-chorus group Village Harmony has died.
For over 35 years, Gordon taught American Shape-Note singing traditions to generations of teen and adult singers and their audiences through intensive world-music summer camps. The music is known particularly for the "hard-edged, unselfconscious singing style" he encouraged, that allowed most anyone with a voice to sing along. [more inside]
Looking back and looking over your shoulder
Two short speculative stories by Marissa Lingen. "The most important thing" is a fictional survey: "What's the most important thing that happened in 2048?" "The Swarm of Giant Gnats I Sent After Kent, My Assistant Manager" is pretty light: "Gnats gave a certain air of plausibility when you’re sitting in the chair of someone with an official nameplate talking about what exactly has happened to Kent and how you personally were not there." Lingen also recommends recent stories she's enjoyed. [more inside]
Richard 'Lowtax' Kyanka, the creator of SomethingAwful, has died
The announcement was posted on SomethingAwful itself.
'Lowtax' created SA, the forum that preceded and spawned 4chan (amongst others) and arguably had an immeasurably large impact on internet culture and even the course of American history, given that it led to (at least) the creation of Anonymous and QAnon.
Credible allegations of domestic abuse seemingly led to him selling SomethingAwful in 2020. There is a GoFundMe to support his ex-wife and children.
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