August 23, 2018
Your showerhead data are here!
The study of the human-centered microbiome is accelerating day by day. 583 people had a test kit and instructions sent to them so they could have the microbiome in their showerhead sampled and investigated. All across the US citizen science is becoming more and more popular. The same lab that did the showerhead sampling is investigating via citizen science the human-centered microbiome. There are ~20 current projects: Rob Dunn and the scientists, communicators and volunteers in his lab aim to tell the stories of the small species–whether on our bodies, under our beds or in our backyards–humans interact with every day but tend to ignore. The ecology and evolution of these species in our private places has barely begun to be explored. [more inside]
A Coffee Enema Is the Most Refreshing Way to Spend Your Afternoon
As it turns out, there is a company that makes coffee especially for enemas called Premier Coffee Organics. It’s a Costa Rican blend grown by third-generation coffee farmers that’s not over-roasted so as to protect its healthy phytochemicals. I asked Elena if it tastes good. She said it does, but it’s really for anal use only. Hearing the sound of the coffee grinder from the other room made it all very real. In a few moments, I was going to have two cups of coffee poured into me. (Jeremy Glass, Extra Crispy)
Koontz: AAAAAAAA
Clive Barker: Presented for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this... The Tale of the Horny Ghost who liked to Fuck.
A convocation of horror writers delivering their best boo stories, by Mike Rosen of Guttersnipe Comics. [Twitter thread] [cw: sexually violent language]
A convocation of horror writers delivering their best boo stories, by Mike Rosen of Guttersnipe Comics. [Twitter thread] [cw: sexually violent language]
“It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”
“Over the next several months Twitch.tv will stream the first 932 episodes of the Pokemon anime series [wiki], as well as every movie. The livestream will begin August 27 and last into 2019, the company announced today, making it not only the longest TV-like marathon Twitch done to date but also a perfect test of the human will to endure.” [via: Kotaku] [more inside]
"Right, sir. I'll just be standing over here dozing off."
The Myth of the Bored Transporter Chief: A speculative fan-analysis rebuttal of the popular conception that Chief O'Brien had the most mind-numbing, soul-crushing job on the Enterprise-D.
Courtesy of the Daystrom Institute subreddit, where they could overthink a food replicator full of beans. [more inside]
archaology of the ephemeral
The Vanishing City -
White, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), has brought me out to the Black Rock Desert to see what she describes as “an archaeologist’s worst nightmare.” But it’s one that might help her field reconsider “the ways that archaeology works,” she says. Her decade-long project has entailed close observation of the temporary settlement from construction to dismantling, as well as the analysis of any artifacts that get left behind by accident. Her work has yielded insights about Burning Man as a cultural phenomenon and the organizing principles of urban habitats. It’s even shedding light on possible “unknown unknowns” in the ancient archaeological record.[more inside]
All Aboard the SS Bovinarium!
"The waters of the Nieuwe Maas snake through the city of Rotterdam, giving way to sandy beaches, bustling harbors, and, soon, a small herd of floating cows. It may sound like science fiction, but the world’s first floating dairy farm, the brainchild of Dutch property development company Beladon, is well on its way to becoming a reality." [more inside]
You will almost certainly not be called something cool
ESPN's Sam Miller analyzed 200 players' nicknames, as used in MLB clubhouses, and codified 20 rules for determining how they're created.
A Journey Through Contested Lands
The weapon’s target was Ukraine, its blast radius was the entire world.
The Untold Story of NotPetya, the Most Devastating Cyberattack in History (Andy Greenberg, Wired)
Crippled ports. Paralyzed corporations. Frozen government agencies. How a single piece of code crashed the world. [more inside]
“This order of things cannot always endure.”
“Pullman was designed to keep workers content enough to avoid unrest. The buildings were magnificent, everything was inordinately clean, homes had personal yard space in addition to expansive public parks, with maintenance and sanitation covered by the company. By building an appealing environment that seemed to focus on the health and contentment of its inhabitants, Pullman hoped to entice a skilled workforce to join him—and to avoid strikes. Though workers had access to libraries, churches, parks, shopping, and a man-made lake, there were also strongly enforced prohibitions against newspapers, town meetings led by workers, public speeches, and even taverns. Residents had to adhere to cleanliness standards, which largely existed only to give inspectors an excuse to invade their homes. A Pullman pastor explained: “It is a civilized relic of European serfdom.” It was a company town controlled by a paranoid baron who felt insecure about his power and did all he could to keep his employees placated enough to stay quiet—and it worked, until it didn’t.” How (or How Not) To Build A Labor Movement.
Think you can win Brexit? Try it yourself
Try your hand at Bloomberg's Pick your Own Brexit, an 8 bit adventure game with truly horrible consequences.
Biles, Ethereal
Simone Biles is a very good gymnast. You can tell because she's won 14 World and Olympic gold medals, and because she has a move named after her (that she invented because she was injured), and because she took a year off and then came back to win all four events (and, of course, the all-around title) at the U.S. National Championships -- the first woman to do that since Dominique Dawes in 1994. At regular speed, her power and grace are amazing; in slow motion, she is downright unbelievable.
The 1871 hurricane
After a sideswipe from Hector earlier this month, Hurricane Lane is threatening to be the first major hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii since Iniki in 1992. Prior to that, there are minimal English language accounts of a major storm that hit in 1871 but Hawaiian-language newspapers illuminate that hurricane. [more inside]
Crowbox
CROWBOX! How do you stop Crows just stealing all your sausages? Sell the food to them!
The crowbox is an opensource vending machine for crows, exchanging found coins for food.
Does The Dog Die?
Want to watch the latest film/book/Video Game release but need to know if particular squick will be present? Then "Does the Dog Die?" is the site for you! [more inside]
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