November 11, 2022
Origins and Originations
The Long and Winding Road to Eukaryotic Cells - "Despite recent advances in the study of eukaryogenesis, much remains unresolved about the origin and evolution of the most complex domain of life." (via) [more inside]
Every Math Problem We Can Solve is a Miracle
Bubbles
If you like waving bubble wands and/or putting bubble wands in front of a fan or even popping bubbles then this bubble simulator may please you.
Visualization visualization
"Nowhere else is the lifegiving power of water so clearly demonstrated"
In winter, the Kalahari Basin in northern Botswana is a dusty, windswept wasteland of scrubby flora, with precious little rain. But not for long. As captured by a somber and wondrous segment from the original BBC Planet Earth, summer showers from the Angolan highlands soon feed a meandering river that splays out across the wilderness, flooding a vast inland delta that transforms hundreds of miles of arid desert into a verdant everglade teeming with life: the Okavango. This seasonal miracle, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa's Seven Natural Wonders, attracts all manner of megafauna that have adapted to its myriad creeks and lagoons, from migratory birds and amphibians to all five Big Game species (making it a boon for ecosafaris). And though it is (like most things) under threat from exploitation and climate change, conservationists worldwide are working tirelessly to defend it. [more inside]
Toledo wipes out medical debt for 41,000 citizens
After months of discussions and public meetings, Toledo City Council passed a medical relief debt proposal by a vote of 7-5, approving $800,000 to purchase the medical debt of an estimated 41,000 Toledoans. As part of a collboration with the non-profit RIP Medical Debt, the city's plan will create up to $240 million in debt relief for its citizens. Toledo is the first city to approve a community-scale medical debt relief. [more inside]
Liking the last few days of BTC price action? You'll love this.
I guess the government found a utility for blockchains: Investigating fraud via blockchain. The DOJ and IRS have announced the seizure of 51,351 BTC stolen from the original Silk Road. In 2012 James Zhong devised a scheme to steal BTC from the Silk Road (previously: 1, 2, 3, 4). He was successful... [more inside]
No more Sledge-O-Matic
Gallagher has passed. Comedian Gallagher, who tormented audiences with smashed fruit through many years, has passed. After making a solid career working his same act over and over again, then becoming a mean, right wing crank, he has died. "And there was much rejoicing".
Rest in Peace Kevin O'Neill
Comic book illustrator Kevin O'Neill, best known for his work on Marshal Law, 2000 AD, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, has passed away of cancer at 69. [more inside]
Local ride-hailing startups thrive in the towns that Uber forgot
I Am Vengeance, I Am The Night
Kevin Conroy, known for his iconic performance as the Caped Crusader over a range of media starting with Batman: The Animated Series, has passed away at the age of 66.
Inside a Legendary Designer's Recipe Sketchbook
Cipe Pineles changed magazines forever. Her illustrated recipes tell a personal tale. A pioneering magazine art director illustrated recipes that became a book after her death, in part through the work of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat illustrator Wendy MacNaughton. MacNaughton had never heard of Pineles when she came across her forgotten sketchbook [more inside]
TrustCor Systems: Do they still run man-in-the-middle attacks?
TrustCor Systems is a root certificate authority trusted by all major browsers, app stores, and email clients, but Prof Joel Reardon of AppCensus discovered irregularities with TrustCor and found that TrustCor has "identical slate of officers, agents and partners as a spyware maker" subsidiary of the surveillance company Packet Forensics, including Raymond Saulino. As late as 2010, Raymond Saulino and Packet Forensics sold tools that carry out man-in-the-middle attacks using forged certificates. Ryan Dickson of Google's Root Program identified additional irregularities [more inside]
Samuel L. Katz, a Developer of the Measles Vaccine, Dies at 95
Samuel Katz, 1927-2022, was the US virologist who was part of the research team that created the measles vaccine. Before its invention, measles killed 2.6 million people a year - by 2020, that number was just over 60,000. Coverage of the vaccine fell by 4% during the pandemic, but a new initiative from the Global Vaccines Alliance is now underway to reach 85 million children before the end of next year. [NYT / Archive/ via]
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