May 26, 2019
The numerical values of the 7 defining constants now have no uncertainty
The new kilogram just debuted. It’s a massive achievement. The new definition represents a victory of humankind over chaos in the universe. Really. (Vox) Nothing changes with what a kilogram is, but rather how it is defined. The International Prototype Kilogram (a.k.a. Big K, or Le Grand K (Atlas Obscura)) had been used since 1889 (BIPM), and had copies around the world (Wikipedia), but mass of platinum-iridium alloy had been losing mass (Science Daily). It was replaced by setting exact numerical values for the Planck constant (h), along with redefinition of six other SI base units (Wikipedia). [more inside]
“...the Irish for Bulbasaur is Bolgánsáir,”
All 151 Original Pokémon As Gaeilge [Reddit] “"When I started picking Irish up again, I was going through a Pokémon mood," Nathan explains. "Redownloaded Pokémon Go, bought Pearl and started playing it for the first time. I was also looking into seeing what video games were available through Irish. I know there's one or two small Irish Let's Play channels on YouTube, and that TG4 [Ireland's all-Irish television channel] has an Irish Twitch, but I wasn't really aware of any actual video games with Irish language support. "That got me thinking of how easy/difficult it would be to translate an existing game," Nathan continues.” [via: Eurogamer]
For-þi is ancre ancre icleopet, ant under chirche iancret
An anchorite or anchoress permanently encloses themselves in a cell to live a life of prayer and contemplation. The word comes from the Greek ἀναχωρεῖν (‘anachorein’) meaning ‘to retire or retreat’. Anchoritism emerged in the late 11th century in tandem with a monastic reform movement and a growth in spiritual enthusiasm that is sometimes referred to as the Medieval Reformation. In the Middle Ages in England, as elsewhere in Europe, the practice was not uncommon – there were around a hundred recluses across the country in the 12th century; over the 13th century, the figure increased to two hundred. Women significantly outnumbered men, by as much as three to one.
A Full Life
Miami was fucked, and now the word finally sounded right. It described the world Rue experienced every day. The one the grownups in her life seemed bent on pretending didn’t exist. Like if they pretended really, really hard, they’d be okay. Like they’d pretended the Miami seawalls were big enough. Like Nona had pretended that flying on airplanes was fine. They’d closed their eyes and pretended. And now everyone was fucked.
If you’re gonna prey on kids for imperialism, at least treat their PTSD
...the US Army tweeted, “How has serving impacted you?” As of this writing, the post has over 5,300 responses. Most of them are heartbreaking.
Europe has voted
Tonight (European Time), the votes from the European Parliament elections will be counted, and regardless of what happens, it will be a historic election.
Voting began in some countries Thursday, but votes are being counted now all over Europe. Turnout is unusually high, and Eurobarometer survey shows highest support for the EU in 35 years.
What to Watch For in the European Parliament Election Results from the NYTimes is an OK overview.
The Guardian has great graphics. [more inside]
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner's pies
Joshua Dudley Greer is a photographer based in Atlanta, GA. His new book 'Somewhere Along The Line' distills a road trip of seven years and 100,000 miles.
MegaPixels: your face, whose datasets?
MegaPixels is a project to document the origin and use of facial recognition datasets. In many cases, datasets generated by academic researchers in the United States (such as one created by Stanford University based on a webcam showing customers at now-defunct San Francisco cafe/laundromat/comedy venue BrainWash) have been used by researchers in countries like China, which as previously noted has been using facial recognition particularly on the Uighur ethnic minority group. MegaPixels is a project by Adam Harvey and Jules LaPlace. Harvey’s past projects include facial recognition-jamming disguises CV Dazzle (Previously.) [more inside]
I Scream for Superheroes
That's Carvel, with a C While looking into all these Captains, both Marvel and Marvel-adjacent, in advance of Captain Marvel, Polygon stumbled across one more from a very unexpected source.
Captain Carvel, of the Carvel ice cream franchise.
Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City (2019)
On June 7, Netflix will release the latest installment of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City. Official trailer. The original 1993 adaptation of Maupin's books about San Francisco's LGBTQ+ community starred Laura Linney, Paul Gross, and Olympia Dukakis, all reprising their roles in 2019. The new series features Lauren Morelli (Orange is the New Black) as show runner and executive producer; new cast include Ellen Page, Victor Garber, Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), and Daniela Vega (A Fantastic Woman). Featurette with clips and interviews. Indiewire: As a way to offset the original casting choice [to have cis actress Olympia Dukakis play trans character Anna Madrigal, executive producers Lauren Morelli and Alan Poul have incorporated a pivotal storyline from her past told in flashbacks and starring out trans actress Jen Richards as Madrigal. [more inside]
Sky train in a common orbit
An astronomers spots dozens of satellites orbiting in a row. Two days ago SpaceX launched sixty Starlink satellites into Earth orbit. Astronomer Marco Langbroek (Twitter) caught them soaring overhead in Europe. [more inside]
Hiker missing for 17 days in Maui forest found
In a remarkable turn of events Friday, a 35-year-old hiker whose disappearance more than two weeks ago in a Maui nature preserve triggered a massive search and garnered national headlines was found alive and in relatively good health
TW: one photo of injuries
Cool it, Woody
Boiled in hydrogen peroxide, soaked in fluorosilane and densified in a press, wood can be really, really cool. Like, below ambient cool. [more inside]
When he died, Byron Levy left behind a vast inheritance — of drawings.
"It’s hard to picture my grandfather without a sketchbook in his hands. He was always drawing. Gramps lived for 94 years — long enough to experience the Great Depression and the Great Recession, the birth of both television and virtual reality — and he chronicled the decades in a staggering collection of sketchbooks, each a literal chapter of his life." [NYT Op-Doc] [more inside]
Can you made a whole society wealthier?
This essay is my attempt to explore that question. I look at the ways people have been successful in the past, where their societies invested, who actually got to keep the wealth, and who is trying to copy each strategy today. I touch on Politics, Economics, History, Culture, and Technology — a few of my favourite things — and all play a part in building Wealth. [more inside]
Names Full Of Sentiment
In the BBC's Word of Mouth, Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright look into the history, meaning, and pleasures of biscuits, with Anastasia Edwards, author of Biscuits and Cookies, A Global History. (A 30 minute podcast, so go make yourself a nice cup of tea.)
Girl, what did that girl just say, girl?
Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels (SLYT)
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