Cool Stuff Daily

The scientific benefits of going for regular walks, and some tips for incorporating more walks into your life. The town in Florida whose water was almost poisoned when a nefarious individual hacked into their water supply. The researchers hoping to recycle face masks as roads. And a pandemic-themed spec script roundup. Sponsors: Lightstream, Get a special interest rate discount at lightstream.com/kottke Fitbod, Get 25% off a membership when you sign up now through 2/28 at Fitbod.me/kottke Links: Don't Underestimate the Power of a Walk (Harvard Business Review) Why Walking Helps Us Think (The New Yorker) The Errand Friend (Culture Study) Nilofer Merchant: Got a meeting? Take a walk (TED) High five walking guys (Caleb Stallings, Twitter) A Hacker Tried to Poison a Florida City's Water Supply (Wired) Recycling face masks into roads to tackle COVID-generated waste (RMIT) Spec script roundup (A/V Club) TV Show Fanfiction (Archive of Our Own) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How the Royal Shakespeare Company is using live motion capture to animate a virtual show in real time. A case study of a California town who has this whole pandemic response thing down. A 3D printed house has hit the market on Long Island. And there’s actually still more to say about Four Seasons Total Landscaping? Plus some related recommendations. Sponsors: Fitbod, Get 25% off a membership when you sign up now through 2/28 at Fitbod.me/kottke Lightstream, Get a special interest rate discount at lightstream.com/kottke Links: Is this an avatar I see before me? Audience takes to stage in virtual Shakespeare play (The Guardian) Remote actors thread (Brendan Bradley, Twitter) Dream (Royal Shakespeare Company) A California University Tries to Shield an Entire City From Coronavirus (NY Times) A 3D printed house is for sale in New York. Builders say it will cut housing construction costs (CNN) A 3D-Printed Home Just Popped up on Zillow for a Cool $300,000 (Gizmodo) Biggest 3D Printed House in America ALMOST COMPLETE Part 3 (Jarett Gross, YouTube) At Foggy Pine Books, Customers Like Tom Hanks Know Every Book Is An Adventure Waiting To Happen (The Late Show, YouTube) Opportunity Knocks | Fiverr Big Game Commercial Extended Cut (2021) (Fiverr, YouTube) Inevitable Four Seasons Total Landscaping doc to be titled Four Seasons Total Documentary (A/V Club) My Recent Media Diet, the Still Isolated Edition (Kottke) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How learning to juggle is the perfect example of what happens to your brain when you learn a new skill. A new literary version of Street Fighter II. Why Burger King France is handing out free potatoes. And, following on yesterday’s story about the fetus album, a three-year-old has written a completely delightful new album with her dad. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/GOODNEWS OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Links: Here’s What Learning to Juggle Does to Your Brain (Wired) STREET WRITER: The literary video game we didn’t know we needed. (Literary Hub) The Reason Burger King France Drive-Thrus Are Handing Out Bags Of Potatoes (Mashed) A 3-year-old wrote a delightful electro-pop album and her dad produced it (Boing Boing) QuQu by Juni x Dada (Bandcamp) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We were bracing for a flu and COVID double whammy of a winter, but it never came. What happened? An intriguing new community initiative taking off in Europe to help prevent the mounting problem of electronic waste. And have you heard of fetuscore? Ok, it’s not a thing yet. But it may be soon because there’s a new album coming out that was recorded by a baby before she was born. Sponsors: OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/GOODNEWS Links: The Pandemic Broke the Flu (The Atlantic) The country rejecting throwaway culture (BBC) An unborn baby is releasing an album, paving the way for fetuscore (A/V Club) Unborn Baby Records Debut Album (Consequence of Sound) Luca Yupanqui: Sounds of the Unborn (Sacred Bones) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What causes ice ages? The science behind your frying pan. You know, the one that’s supposed to be non-stick but isn’t. Scientists explain why. Other scientists have engineered spinach to send emails. Sort of. And did you hear about the Hollyboob prank? If not, or if you supremely don’t care, it may say more about our current relationship to viral stunts than the stunt in question. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/GOODNEWS OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Links: Ice Ages: What Causes the Earth to Freeze Over Every Few Million Years? (Discover Magazine) Glad You Asked: Ice Ages – What are they and what causes them? (Utah Geological Society) The un-ice age (Earthdata, NASA) Scientists Explain Why Food Still Sticks to Your Stupid Non-Stick Pan (Gizmodo) Scientists have taught spinach to send emails (Euro News) Nanobionic spinach plants can detect explosives (MIT News) Spinach email joke (Ambrose Persimmon, Twitter) Why an influencer turned the Hollywood sign into the Hollyboob sign (CNET) 'Hollyboob' and the End of the Viral Stunt (MEL) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How a 1970s seat belt crash test and the animated movie Frozen helped potentially solve the 62-year-old Dyatlov Pass mystery. A fascinating correction to something I said yesterday about Langston Hughes. And remembering Captain Sir Tom Moore. Sponsors: OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/GOODNEWS Links: Has science solved one of history’s greatest adventure mysteries? (National Geographic) 9 Russian Adventurers Mysteriously Froze to Death. A New Theory Explains Why (Wired) Langston Hughes Just Got a Year Older (New York Times) Captain Sir Tom Moore dies aged 100 after contracting coronavirus and pneumonia (Sky News) You'll Never Walk Alone - Captain Tom Moore, Michael Ball & The NHS Voices of Care Choir (Decca Records, YouTube) 05/20 episode featuring Captain Sir Tom Moore (Kottke Ride Home) Home Movie: The Princess Bride (Kottke) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sharing some thoughts from Langston Hughes on this first day of Black History Month, and questioning what makes someone a hero in our history books. Plus, the discovery of a new blue pigment. And all the Mars news for February. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/GOODNEWS OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Links: We Are the American Heartbreak: Langston Hughes on Race in a Rare Recording (Brain Pickings) Langston Hughes Reads Langston Hughes (Open Culture) How We Celebrate Black Heroes Can Obscure How Change Happens (NY Times) 13TH (Netflix) For the First Time in 200 Years, a New Blue Pigment Is Up for Sale (Smithsonian) Meet YInMn, the First New Blue Pigment in Two Centuries (Hyperallergic) YInMn Blues: The Discovery that Startled the World! | Mas Subramanian | TEDxUNC (TEDx, YouTube) NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover landing will be must-see TV (CNET) NASA Mars Perseverance rover: What to expect on landing day (CNET) February’s Gonna Be a Big Month for Mars (Wired) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What did everyday Romans in Pompeii eat? An archaeologist has tried to reconstruct their meals. Merriam-Webster has added 520 new words to the dictionary. How do they decide which words get added? And a sci-fi dictionary to explore this weekend. Plus, Spotify wants to try to guess your music taste based on the tone of your voice. Sponsors: Audible, audible.com/kottke or text kottke to 500-500 to start your 30-day free trial The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Links: Reconstructing the Menu of a Pub in Ancient Pompeii (Atlas Obscura) 2000-Year-Old Snack Bar Unearthed in Pompeii (Kottke) We Added New Words to the Dictionary for January 2021 (Merriam-Webster) Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction Spotify wants to suggest songs based on your emotions (BBC) New Spotify Patent Involves Monitoring Users’ Speech to Recommend Music (Pitchfork) ‘Just The Way You Are’: Music Listening and Personality (Spotify) Techmeme Ride Home Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The mathematics of knitting. How France is trying to legally protect smells. A cautionary tale that will inspire you to go check on your office building if you’ve been working from home and no one’s done that for a few months. And a horrifying new product from Kraft Mac and Cheese. Sponsors: The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Audible, audible.com/kottke or text kottke to 500-500 to start your 30-day free trial Links: How one physicist is unraveling the mathematics of knitting (Science News) The Sights, Sounds, and Smells of Rural France May Soon Be Protected by Law (Atlas Obscura) This Startup Left Its Office When Covid Hit. The New Tenants? 20,000 Bees (Inc.) h/t Today In Tabs Bees Swarm Times Square Hot-Dog Stand (NY Times) Kraft Launches Pink Mac and Cheese for Valentine's Day That Tastes Like … Candy? (NBC Chicago) Kraft Is Releasing A Pink Candy-Flavored Mac And Cheese For Valentine's Day, And The Internet Is Losing Its Mind (BuzzFeed) Thu. 11/12 - How Many Holes Does a Straw Have? (Kottke Ride Home) Topology 101: The Hole Truth (Quanta) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A brief dip into the GameStop Wall Street mayhem. A new water-is-wet kind of study proving that money indeed can buy you happiness. And the story of some students who just found out their new professor this semester has been dead for two years. Sponsors: Audible, audible.com/kottke or text kottke to 500-500 to start your 30-day free trial The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Links: How GameStop found itself at the center of a groundbreaking battle between Wall Street and small investors (The Guardian) Happy birthday, Guy Fieri (Garbage Day) Send This to Anyone Who Wants to Know WTF Is Up With GameStop Stock (Vice) Brief GameStop explainer and updates (William LeGate, Twitter) The First National Bank of GameStop (Kottke) Can Money Buy You Happiness? Yes, But There's a Catch (Bloomberg) Dead Man Teaching (Chronicle) Teacher tweets (Aaron Ansuini, Twitter) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New DNA analysis upends some long held assumptions about the evolutionary background of dire wolves. How Adobe Flash broke an entire railway system. Astronomers have discovered a sextuply-eclipsing sextuple star system. Say that six times fast… And the definitive Werner Herzog interview on… skateboarding. Sponsors: The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Audible, audible.com/kottke or text kottke to 500-500 to start your 30-day free trial Links: Dire Wolves Were Not Really Wolves, New Genetic Clues Reveal (Scientific American) Dire Wolves Were Real (Scientific American) Dire wolves were real—and even stranger than we thought (National Geographic) When Adobe Stopped Flash Content From Running It Also Stopped A Chinese Railroad (Jalopnik) 'Sextuply-eclipsing sextuple star system' discovered whirling through the Milky Way (Space) DISCUSSING SKATEBOARDING WITH FILMMAKER WERNER HERZOG (Jenkem) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The word “robot” was coined one hundred years ago today in a play about robots taking over the world. Good thing that hasn’t happened yet! ...right? The story behind the moon rock in President Biden’s newly redesigned Oval Office. And the first-known tyrannosaur embryo fossils have been found, shedding new light on the T-Rex’s cousins. Sponsors: Audible, audible.com/kottke or text kottke to 500-500 to start your 30-day free trial The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Links: On the 100th Anniversary of ‘Robot,’ They’re Finally Taking Over (Wall Street Journal) The Czech Play That Gave Us the Word ‘Robot’ (The MIT Press Reader) Moon rock origins thread (Dr. Robin George Andrews, Twitter) A look inside Biden's Oval Office (Washington Post) Baby tyrannosaurs dinosaurs were the 'size of a Border Collie' (BBC) Baby tyrannosaurs were about the same size as a dog (CNN) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NASA trained an AI to detect craters on Mars. A possible discovery of giant prehistoric carnivorous worms. A new Swedish practice to adopt. And a mobile site that will match you with your film critic soulmate. Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off a two-year plan plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Links: NASA Is Training an AI to Detect Fresh Craters on Mars (Wired) Researchers Say They've Found Ancient Dens of Giant Carnivorous Worms (Gizmodo) Is This a Fossilized Lair of the Dreaded Bobbit Worm? (Wired) This four-letter word is the Swedish key to happiness at work (Quartz) Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall Swedish fika series (Sweden, YouTube) Find Your Film Soulmate with Movie Critic Matchmaker (Nerdist) Movie Critic Matchmaker Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recharge Rooms are helping frontline healthcare workers cope with the continued toll the pandemic is taking on their well-being. How bats are helping scientists create better biologging instruments and the discoveries being made with the technology. The nonprofit working on a coast-to-coast, entirely off-road bike trail across the US. And the inevitable generator that transports Senator Bernie Sanders and his folding chair anywhere in the world. Sponsor: NordVPN, Get 68% off a two-year plan plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Links: These Recharge Rooms Are Helping Health Care Workers Cope (Wired) Seals With High-Tech Hats Are Collecting Climate Data in the Antarctic (Smithsonian) Today I learned bats are trendsetters in tracking tech (The Verge) Weird West Tale Books by Mike Resnick A new way to travel across the US (BBC) Great American Rail-Trail (Rails to Trails) Next Stop Adventure zines (Matt Gauck, Etsy) A Website That Lets You Add Bernie Sanders Sitting at the Inauguration to Any Location on Google Maps (Laughing Squid) Put Bernie Anywhere! (Nick Sawhney) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New findings into the cannibalism and sheer size of baby megalodons. Teaching AIs to become our teachers. And The Great Gatsby has only been in the public domain for twenty days and things are already getting weird. Sponsor: NordVPN, Get 68% off a two-year plan plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Links: Baby Megalodons Were 6-Foot-Long Womb Cannibals, Study Suggests (NY Times) AI can solve Rubik's cube—and tell us how it did it. (Fast Company) Vampire Great Gatsby? Fitzgerald's classic novel gets an undead spin now that it's in the public domain (CNET) For ‘Gatsby’ fans, 2021 will be the start of remakes. First up: ‘Nick’ (Washington Post) The Great Gatsby Performed By NPR's Planet Money (NPR) Somebody wrote a 104-page Gatsby adaptation for the Muppets (A/V Club) Muppet Show coming to Disney Plus in February 2020 (A/V Club) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A synthetic cornea implant has successfully helped a legally blind man regain his sight. Team USA and Team Canada women’s hockey players can’t stop falling in love and living happily ever after together. And a deep dive into the briny waters of the sea shanty trend––how it started, some standout covers, why the trend has taken off, and if we should even care. Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off a two-year plan plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Fundrise, Get started today at fundrise.com/kottke Links: Synthetic cornea helped a legally blind man regain his sight (Engadget) Team USA and Team Canada Women's Hockey Players Keep Marrying Each Other (them.) Why TikTok (and Everyone Else) Is Singing Sea Chanteys (Wired) The Scottish postman behind 'Sea Shanty TikTok' (BBC) Tiktok: The Sea shanty 'Wellerman' has gone viral (Polygon) "All Star" shantified (Basscho, TikTok) Original Nathan Evans "Wellerman" dueted (Johnny Stewart, TikTok) Kermit "Wellerman" (artmonkeyworld, TikTok) C++ Shanty (Josh Millard, Metafilter) COVID-19 Vaccine Shanty (Tim Blais, TikTok) Sea shanties like the Wellerman are trending on TikTok (Vox) Why we're singing shanties in a high-stress state (Dan Olson, Twitter) Decemberists burn (Garrett Bridger Gilmore, Twitter) Microwave Tok (Shmangomungo, TikTok) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Several of the women who influenced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and left their own marks on the civil rights movement. A new documentary tracking the FBI’s surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent Black activists, using documentation recently released by the National Archives. And a run-down of the many ways this week’s US Presidential Inauguration will differ from years past. Sponsors: Fundrise, Get started today at fundrise.com/kottke NordVPN, Get 68% off a two-year plan plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Links: From Coretta Scott King to Ella Baker: These women's ideas were key to MLK's work (NBC News) Documentary Exposes How The FBI Tried To Destroy MLK With Wiretaps, Blackmail (NPR) When the FBI Spied on MLK (The Atlantic) The FBI and Martin Luther King (The Atlantic) The Filmmaker as Historian: Sam Pollard and ‘MLK/FBI’ (NY Times) How LA's Amanda Gorman became Biden's inauguration poet (LA Times) Inauguration Playlist (Biden Inaugural, Twitter) What Time Does The Inauguration Start? And What Else To Know : Biden Transition Updates (NPR) Inauguration Guide: Schedule of Events, Performances and How to Watch (Wall Street Journal) Inauguration Schedule (Biden Inaugural) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A couple of stories for the birds today. First, ravens at the Tower of London are living up to their collective name of a conspiracy of ravens by possibly foretelling the fall of Britain. And a pigeon in Australia who was almost sentenced to death by government officials. Plus, the many ways in which Wikipedia is like an MMORPG. And, because I know we all want to relive it so badly, introducing 2020: The Game. Sponsors: Fitbod, Get 25% off a membership when you sign up now through 2/28 at Fitbod.me/kottke Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Links: A Raven Queen Vanishes, and Britain Checks a Prophecy (NY Times) Fake US leg band gets pigeon a reprieve in Australia (AP) US pigeon that crossed Pacific to Australia faces death (The New Daily) Wikipedia Is Basically a Massive RPG (Wired) Wikipedia is an MMORPG (Wikipedia) 2020 Game Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The workaround the Unicode Consortium used to make sure we still get new emojis in 2021, pandemic or not. Facial hair is biologically useless. So why do some humans have it? And the SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule returning this evening will be carrying on it a case of twelve unopened bottles of red wine. But why? Sponsors: Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Fitbod, Get 25% off a membership when you sign up now through 2/28 at Fitbod.me/kottke Links: The Emoji That Nearly Weren't (Jennifer Daniel, Substack) via Today In Tabs Emoji ZWJ Sequences: Three Letters, Many Possibilities (Emojipedia) Facial Hair Is Biologically Useless. So Why Do Humans Have It? (Wired) Wild Study Suggests Human Beards Evolved to Absorb Punches to The Head (Science Alert) Our Skulls Didn't Evolve to be Punched (National Geographic) French wine, vines headed home after year in space (AP) Wed. 12/9 - Space Booze: It's... For Science (Kottke Ride Home) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pablo Escobar’s pet hippos have multiplied and are ravaging part of Colombia’s capital. An AI that can create very impressive and artistic images from text commands. Maybe a little too impressive. And a discovery in England this week that could’ve been way worse. Sponsors: Fitbod, Get 25% off a membership when you sign up now through 2/28 at Fitbod.me/kottke Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Links: Pablo Escobar's hippos are the world's largest invasive species (Washington Post) American Hippo by Sarah Gailey American Hippopotamus (Atavist Magazine) A radish in a tutu walking a dog? This AI can draw it really well (CNN) DALL·E: Creating Images from Text (OpenAI) 'Human foot' in Gateshead field turns out to be potato (BBC) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The sixteenth-century manual on containing the spread of disease that is eerily reminiscent of current COVID guidelines. Bitcoin millionaires who can’t access their digital wallets due to forgotten passwords. And the guy whose massive beer collection is playing an important role in archaeological studies. Sponsors: Skillshare, get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Fitbod, Get 25% off a membership when you sign up now through 2/28 at Fitbod.me/kottke Links: The 432-year-old manual on social distancing (BBC) As Bitcoin Prices Swing, Millionaires Lose Sleep Over Lost Keys (NY Times) The Archaeologist Who Collected 4,500 Beer Cans (Atlas Obscura) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time for two writers to pay up on a 25-year-old bet about whether tech would destroy civilization. Tim Berners-Lee’s new quest to transform the web into the one he envisioned when he created it. How the most recent COVID-19 Stimulus Bill created a new National Park––and also may reveal previously classified government research on UFOs? Sponsors: Fitbod, Get 25% off a membership when you sign up now through 2/28 at Fitbod.me/kottke Skillshare, get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Links: A 25-Year-Old Bet Comes Due: Has Tech Destroyed Society? (Wired) He Created the Web. Now He’s Out to Remake the Digital World. (NY Times) The COVID-19 Stimulus Bill Also Created America's Newest National Park (Vice) Emergency COVID Stimulus Will Likely Reveal UFO Documents (Vice) It's not just Covid relief: Smokey Bear, horse racing and the Dalai Lama included in government funding bill (NBC News) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What folklorists can teach us about the structure and resilience of conspiracy theories. The genome of the platypus has been sequenced, and it’s just as weird as you’d expect. And a Swedish film festival that’s sending one person to an abandoned lighthouse on a remote island for a weeklong stay without any human contact or outside communication. Sponsors: Magic Spoon, Save $5 at magicspoon.com/kottke and use code KOTTKE NordVPN, Get 68% off plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Links: Folklore structure reveals how conspiracy theories emerge, fall apart (Ars Technica) A TikTok Twist on 'PizzaGate' (NY Times) #166 Country of Liars (Reply All) Behind the Curve (Netflix) Rabbit Hole (NY Times) Now We Know Why Platypus Are So Weird - Their Genes Are Part Bird, Reptile, And Mammal (Science Alert) Film festival invites fans to watch movies alone on a Swedish island (CNN) Swedish film festival offers abandoned lighthouse screening (A/V Club) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A prototype for self-repairing planetary exploration robots made of ice. The surprising history of the word “dude.” And a new Danish children’s cartoon about the misadventures of a man with a huge dong. Yep. Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Magic Spoon, Save $5 at magicspoon.com/kottke and use code KOTTKE Links: Robots Made of Ice Could Build and Repair Themselves on Other Planets (IEEE) The surprising history of the word ‘dude’ (BBC) dude, n., adj., and int. (Oxford English Dictionary) mobile, n.2. (Oxford English Dictionary) John Dillermand: New Danish children's TV show features a man with a massive penis (CNN) John Dillermand is kid's TV about a guy with an elastic dick (A/V Club) Denmark launches children's TV show about man with giant penis (The Guardian) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Space missions to keep your eye on in 2021. How satellites built to spy on the Soviets have helped unravel environmental mysteries. Why the dark ages aren’t considered so dark anymore. And a completely perplexing auction from David Hasselhoff and his 14 foot replica doll. Sponsors: Magic Spoon, Save $5 at magicspoon.com/kottke and use code KOTTKE NordVPN, Get 68% off plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Links: Six space missions to look forward to in 2021 (The Next Web) It Spied on Soviet Atomic Bombs. Now It’s Solving Ecological Mysteries. (NY Times) Inside the C.I.A., She Became a Spy for Planet Earth (NY Times) A Point in Time: The Corona Story (Public.Resource.Org, YouTube) Go read these stories about the use of spy satellite images in environmental studies (The Verge) Just How Dark Were the Dark Ages? (Discover) David Hasselhoff auctions off a terrifying 14-ft. replica of himself (A/V Club) For Auction: SPONGEBOB THE MOVIE "BIG DAVE" (#0112) (Live Auctioneers) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People who are choosing to be surveilled by strangers and productivity nannies in order to stay on task while remote working. A 3D-printed hydrogel inspired by cephalopods that changes shape when exposed to light. And UK officials have arguably messed up a commemorative coin, again. Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Magic Spoon, Save $5 at magicspoon.com/kottke and use code KOTTKE Links: People are hiring productivity nannies to watch them work (Wired) Shape-Shifting Hydrogel Mimics Octopus Skin (Futurity) Let us finally resolve the octopuses v. octopi debate (Quartz) Plural of Octopus: Octopi vs. Octopuses vs. Octopodes (Merriam-Webster) HG Wells fans spot numerous errors on Royal Mint's new £2 coin (The Guardian) Here’s a nice, low-stakes problem: the Royal Mint’s HG Wells coin is riddled with errors. (LitHub) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What “time confetti” is and how to stop spreading it everywhere. A new development in the teleportation of information that means good things for the possibility of quantum internet. And how TikTokers raised a million dollars for The Actors Fund over the weekend with a crowd-sourced fan-created musical, inspired by Ratatouille. Sponsors: Magic Spoon, Save $5 at magicspoon.com/kottke and use code KOTTKE NordVPN, Get 68% off plus FOUR additional free months––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Links: How to get your time confetti under control (Timely) Everything You Need to Enjoy One Tech-Free Day a Week (Wired) High-fidelity, long-distance teleportation paves way for quantum internet (New Atlas) The delightful Ratatouille TikTok musical has already sold more than $1 million in tickets (The Verge) How a Ratatouille Musical Came Together on TikTok: WATCH (Vulture) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why talking out loud to yourself is actually an important cognitive skill, or so I’m telling myself. A new population of blue whales with a distinct song was recently discovered in the Indian Ocean. And a new AI that will hilariously and viciously judge your taste in music. Sponsors: Skillshare, get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Links: Talking out loud to yourself is a technology for thinking (Psyche) A New Population of Blue Whales Was Discovered Hiding in the Indian Ocean (NY Times) Yes! A Previously Unknown Population of Blue Whales Has Been Heard in The Indian Ocean (Science Alert) How Bad Is Your Spotify? (The Pudding) A New Musicians' Union Wants Spotify To Pay Up (WBUR) Support Artists Impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic (Bandcamp) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How is it that humans figured out how to read? New cosmological findings that may finally solve the Hubble tension. And, more monoliths continue to pop up, a look at two of the more interesting ones from this past week. Sponsors: Skillshare, get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke BitTrust IRA, Waive your signup fee BitTrustIRA.com/kottke Links: Reading, That Strange and Uniquely Human Thing (Nautilus) Language is a tool, a technology (NomeDaBarbarian, Twitter) Astronomers Get Their Wish, and the Hubble Crisis Gets Worse (Quanta) Mysterious monolith appears in Pittsfield (WCAX) Photos of gingerbread monolith (Alexis Gallagher, Twitter) Christmas Day Wonder: Gingerbread Monolith Mysteriously Appears at SF Park (KQED) Gingerbread monolith delights San Francisco on Christmas Day (AP) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How your brain takes out the trash while you sleep. The English man who crossed the Alps on a space hopper. And a subreddit where over half a million people pretend our world is just one big MMORPG. Sponsors: BitTrust IRA, Waive your signup fee BitTrustIRA.com/kottke Skillshare, get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Links: Deep sleep drives brain fluid oscillations (Science) During deep sleep, the brain does housekeeping (Reuters) Brain pumps comment (Christopher Mims, Twitter) Experience: I crossed the Alps on a space hopper (The Guardian) The Extraordinary Steven Payne Documentary Official Trailer (Regijus Simkevicius, YouTube) What if life were a video game? These 650,000 people imagine it that way. (Washington Post) Outside: The free-to-play MMO, on reddit (r/Outside, Reddit) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Star Wars toys have changed over the years and why it may not be a good thing for kids. What if there were tons of alien civilizations elsewhere in the Milky Way but they’re all long since dead? And the Danish tradition of leaving porridge out on Christmas Eve to bribe mischievous elves. Sponsors: Skillshare, get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke BitTrust IRA, Waive your signup fee BitTrustIRA.com/kottke Links: Star Wars toys and Mandalorian figures aren't really for kids anymore (Polygon) How Star Wars used the Force of Fandom to create a merchandising empire (Syfy) The Milky Way is probably full of dead civilizations (Live Science) The Danish Christmas Porridge That Appeased a Vengeful 'House Elf' (Atlas Obscura) Techmeme Ride Home Podcast Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Down the rabbit hole of targeted marketing through the lens of some strange, butt-flap onesie pajamas for adults. Don’t trust the sea foam in Australia. And some Catalonian Christmas traditions that are pretty crappy. Sponsors: BitTrust IRA, Waive your signup fee at BitTrustIRA.com/kottke Skillshare, get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Links: Why are ads for pajamas with a butt flap taking over the internet? (Business Insider) Why Is This Woman's Left A-- Cheek Following Me Around the Internet? (Vice) The Pajamas Suit lets you pretend you’re dressing up for a Zoom meeting (The Verge) Sea snakes may be lurking in foam covering storm-lashed Australian beaches (The Guardian) El Caganer – Barcelona, Spain (Atlas Obscura) A traditional Nativity scene, Catalan-style (BBC) World's Largest El Caganer, 19-Foot Tall Defecating Giant in Barcelona (Laughing Squid) The Crowning Jewel of Catalonia’s Nativity Scene (Great Big Story, YouTube) Tió de Nadal – Barcelona, Spain (Atlas Obscura) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What will movie theaters look like in a post-pandemic world? And what do companies need to do to weather the storm? New research that suggests our early human ancestors could have hibernated. And the pyrotechnic German punch that Atlas Obscura describes as “mulled wine’s metal cousin.” Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off plus FOUR additional free months––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE BitTrust IRA, Waive your signup fee BitTrustIRA.com/kottke Links: How movie theaters will survive beyond the Covid-19 era (Quartz) Early humans may have survived the harsh winters by hibernating (The Guardian) The Flaming Cocktail Cauldrons of German Christmas (Atlas Obscura) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some ways that COVID could change science forever––both good and bad. The business of Christmas trees and why we’re still seeing the effects of the Great Recession in tree prices today. And a site that plays ambient noise from the forests of the world. Sponsors: HelloFresh, Use code ridehome80 to get $80 off including free shipping at HelloFresh.com/ridehome80 Fitbod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/kottke Links: COVID-19 Changed Science Forever (The Atlantic) How Christmas trees are made, explained by a tree farmer (Vox) We Buy a Lot of Christmas Trees (NPR) America's Great Recession is still affecting Christmas tree sales (Business Insider) Tune Into Forests From Around The World 🌳🔈 (tree.fm) 'Christmas Star' will be closest visible conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 800 years (NBC News) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Physicists have measured sound diffusion in a perfect fluid for the first time ever and created a surprisingly popular SoundCloud track. A bunch of new works are entering the public domain in just a few weeks. And the Kellogg brothers are best remembered for inventing cornflakes, but in their time they were known for a number of other odd foods; a look at their B-side, including snowflake toast and the world’s first patented meat substitute. Sponsors: Fitbod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/kottke HelloFresh, Use code ridehome80 to get $80 off including free shipping at HelloFresh.com/ridehome80 Links: Physicists capture the sound of a “perfect” fluid (MIT News) Public Domain Day 2021 (Duke Law Center for the Study of Public Domain) Before Avocado Toast, There Was Snowflake Toast (Atlas Obscura) We're Entering a New Age of Meatless Meat Today. But We've Been Here Before (Smithsonian Magazine) Corn Flakes | The Brothers of Battle Creek | 1 (American Innovations) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Genetically-engineered pigs have gotten the all clear. Digging into the field of galactic archaeology. And how Dippin’ Dots can help us better understand the leading COVID-19 vaccines, and may play a role of their own. Sponsors: HelloFresh, Use code ridehome80 to get $80 off including free shipping at HelloFresh.com/ridehome80 Fitbod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/kottke Links: FDA approves genetically engineered pigs (The Verge) Gene editing has made pigs immune to a deadly epidemic (MIT Technology Review) Galactic archaeology: astronomers are using stars as fossils to study the Milky Way (Horizon Magazine) What the Dippin’ Dots ‘cold chain’ can teach us about COVID-19 vaccines (Popular Science) The world's now scrambling for dry ice. It's just one headache in getting coronavirus vaccines where they need to go (CNN) A vial, a vaccine and hopes for slowing a pandemic — how a shot comes to be (Washington Post) Dippin' Dots Cryogenics (Dippin’ Dots) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are tone indicators? Where do they come from, how are they used, and a look at both the pre-internet history of tone indicators as well as the origin of the emoticon. And, a question for the ages, what was the deal with the leg lamp in A Christmas Story? Sponsors: Fitbod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/kottke HelloFresh, Use code ridehome80 to get $80 off including free shipping at HelloFresh.com/ridehome80 Links: Tone Indicators and How to Use Them (NY Times) "Joke" Conversation Thread in which the :-) Was Invented (Carnegie Mellon) Here's some historical background on A Christmas Story's leg lamp (A/V Club) Leg lamp Halloween costume and more (Josh Sundquist, Instagram) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some practical tips to help you remember more of what you read. After 51 years, one of the Zodiac Killer’s ciphers has been solved. And Brussels sprouts kind of became cool in the last few years, and it’s not just because bars started serving them with a whole bunch of spices and bacon; it’s also due to some pretty fascinating cross-breeding. Sponsors: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/REPORT Fitbod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/kottke Links: How to Remember Everything You Want From Non-Fiction Books (Better Humans) Let's Crack Zodiac - Episode 5 - The 340 Is Solved! (David Oranchak, YouTube) Zodiac '340 Cipher' cracked by code experts 51 years after it was sent to the S.F. Chronicle (San Francisco Chronicle) Zodiac Killer cipher is cracked after eluding sleuths for 51 years (Ars Technica) From Culinary Dud To Stud: How Dutch Plant Breeders Built Our Brussels Sprouts Boom (NPR) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The household features that were shaped by previous epidemics. An ethics committee has approved the French military to start making bionic soldiers. And hot Dr Pepper. Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off plus FOUR additional free months at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE BitTrust IRA, Waive your signup fee BitTrustIRA.com/kottke Links: The Curious History of Steam Heat and Pandemics (Bloomberg) From Closets to Subway Tile: How Previous Epidemics Shaped Design (Architectural Digest) French army gets ethical go-ahead for bionic soldiers (CNN) US military closer to making cyborgs a reality (CNN) TIL: People used to drink hot Dr. Pepper during the holidays (The Takeout) What is hot Dr Pepper and where does it come from? (Matador Network) Have You Ever Tried Hot Dr. Pepper? (Serious Eats) Dr Pepper FAQ (Dr Pepper) 1968 COLD & HOT DR. PEPPER COMMERCIAL - Dick Clark (Saturday’s World, YouTube) We tried hot Dr Pepper, and it needs to be your next winter drink (The Dallas Morning News) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Great Conjunction is upon us. Learn when and how to see Saturn and Jupiter closer than they’ve visibly been in 800 years. The Austin, Texas pop-up bringing canceled Taco Bell menu items back to life. Advice from a Japanese wellness expert on staying fit without entering a gym. And deepfake Santa is here to spread Christmas cheer. Sponsors: Fundrise, Get your first 90 days of advisory fees waived at fundrise.com/kottke NordVPN, Get 68% off––only $3.71/month, plus FOUR additional free months––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Links: Jupiter and Saturn Head for Closest Visible Alignment in 800 Years (NY Times) How to watch the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on Dec. 21 2020 (Bad Astronomy) What's Up: December 2020 (NASA) Taco Fuego Pop-Up Is Serving Nixed Taco Bell Dishes Like 'Mexican Pizza,' Fiesta Potatoes, and More (Eater Austin) Austin pop-up resurrects lost Taco Bell favorites (The Takeout) How Japanese People Stay Fit for Life, Without Ever Visiting a Gym (Kokumura) Deepfake Santa Claus Has Logged On (Debugger) Send a FREE personalized AI Santa video! (Synthesia) How do I get audio pronunciation right? (Synthesia) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why did a French company send a whole case of wine into space last year? And, if NASA technically bans alcohol, how come so many astronauts drink it and why are so many companies designing microgravity alcoholic beverage options? All is not merry and bright behind the scenes of some of the more unlikely Christmas songs that have been banned in the past. And you can blast into the past with this site that broadcasts classic old radio shows all day and night. Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off––only $3.71/month, plus FOUR additional free months––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Fundrise, Get your first 90 days of advisory fees waived at fundrise.com/kottke Links: We Were Promised Cosmic Cocktails (Supercluster) Alcohol in Space: Past, Present and Future (Chris Carberry) Popular Christmas Songs Banned in the Past (Mental Floss) 'White Christmas' (NPR) Old Time Radio Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The COVID vaccines headed for distribution were developed on the fastest timeline in the history of vaccines. But could we do it even quicker next time? Or even make the vaccine before an outbreak? Speaking of vaccines, William Shakespeare officially got vaccinated for COVID-19 today. Yep, you heard that right. And in other weird news, Mount Everest is taller than we thought. Plus, a website to help you stop judging books by their covers. Sponsors: Fundrise, Get your first 90 days of advisory fees waived at fundrise.com/kottke NordVPN, Get 68% off––only $3.71/month, plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Links: We Had the COVID-19 Vaccine the Whole Time (NY Mag) Covid-19 vaccine: First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK (BBC) William Shakespeare Gets the Covid Vaccine (NY Times) Shakespeare jokes (Preeti Chhibber, Twitter) Mount Everest gets new official height in measurement by Nepal and China (Washington Post) Recommend Me a Book The Best Books of 2020 (Kottke) A happy news bloopers season to you and yours (A/V Club) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The finder of Forrest Fenn’s treasure chest has been revealed. Also, what does one do with actual buried treasure in the twenty-first century? A special delivery for the astronauts on board the International Space Station. How you can help save bumblebees. And the latest sport to be added to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games lineup. Sponsors: StoryWorth, Get $10 off your first purchase at StoryWorth.com/ridehome Fundrise, Get your first 90 days of advisory fees waived at fundrise.com/kottke Links: The Man Who Found Forrest Fenn's Treasure (Outside) NASA and SpaceX Launch a New Airlock and a Christmas Feast to the ISS (Gizmodo) How You Can Help Count and Conserve Native Bees (NY Times) US National Native Bee Monitoring Network Break-dancing gets Olympic status to debut at Paris Games in 2024 (ESPN) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest in deep sea luxury tourism. The story of a guy who just found out this week that he’s been a meme for years. The fascinating geometry of Pringles. And an actually kinda sweet story about the polio vaccine. Sponsors: CastleGrade, Enter code KOTTKE for 10% off at CastleGrade.com StoryWorth, Get $10 off your first purchase at StoryWorth.com/ridehome Links: Triton's latest submarine puts six people in a bubble, 3,300 feet under (New Atlas) Guy who became a meme thread (Adrian Smith, Twitter) I Accidentally Became A Meme (BuzzFeed, YouTube) Geometry of Pringles: The Crunchy Hyperbolic Paraboloid (Interesting Engineering) The delightful—and timely—story of how 'A Spoonful of Sugar' ended up in 'Mary Poppins' (Upworthy) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few reasons why Zoom parties suck so much, some science-backed proposals to make them better, and a few platforms that are trying to do it. A website that will play that radio for you from anywhere in the world and any time going all the way back to 1900. And J.R.R. Tolkien’s house is up for sale. Sponsors: StoryWorth, Get $10 off your first purchase at StoryWorth.com/ridehome CastleGrade, Enter code KOTTKE for 10% off at CastleGrade.com Links: A Mission to Make Virtual Parties Actually Fun (Wired) Radiooooo Radiooooo: The Hit Tune Time Machine (The New Yorker) JRR Tolkien House Comes on the Market (NY Times) Save Tolkien's Home — Project Northmoor Letters from Father Christmas, Centenary Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Classic Tetris World Championship final is this Sunday, streaming live online, and if you were also surprised there is a Classic Tetris World Championship, then have I got a documentary recommendation for you. Archaeologists have discovered tens of thousands of Ice Age paintings on a remote cliff in the Amazonian rainforest. And a Christmas song that has been designed especially for dogs. Sponsors: CastleGrade, Enter code KOTTKE for 10% off at CastleGrade.com StoryWorth, Get $10 off your first purchase at StoryWorth.com/ridehome Links: Best of Five: The Classic Tetris Champions (Kickstarter) Ecstasy of Order (earlier documentary from 2013) (Kottke) Why Are Humans Suddenly Getting Better at Tetris? (Kottke) CORRECTION: The finals are on Sunday the 6th, not Saturday. Learn more here: Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) 'Sistine Chapel of the ancients' rock art discovered in remote Amazon forest (The Guardian) Christmas music for dogs is now a thing; 'Raise the Woof' is 'first-ever' holiday single aimed at canines (CNN) USPS Operation Santa® (USPS) Dear Santa (IFC Films) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scientists have used AI to make a massive breakthrough in protein folding that could cause huge ripples in drug treatments and understanding the human body. China has landed a robotic spacecraft on the moon and is bringing back souvenirs. Leave some milk and cookies in the Zoom chat because Santa Claus is officially going virtual. And another quick update on The Monolith. Sponsors: CastleGrade, Enter code KOTTKE for 10% off at CastleGrade.com StoryWorth, Get $10 off your first purchase at StoryWorth.com/ridehome Links: London A.I. Lab Claims Breakthrough That Could Accelerate Drug Discovery (NY Times) DeepMind AI cracks 50-year-old problem of protein folding (The Guardian) DeepMind 101 megathread (Dr. Adam Rutherford, Twitter) China’s Chang’e 5 mission lands on the Moon (The Verge) China's Chang'e 5 lands on the moon to collect the 1st fresh lunar samples in decades (Space) Yes, Virtual Santa Claus Meet and Greets Are Happening on Zoom (Gizmodo) The Santa Claus Man: The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Age Con Man and the Invention of Christmas in New York (Alex Palmer) Ripley’s Offering $10,000 Reward For The Missing Utah Monolith (Ripley's) Another Mysterious Monolith Suddenly Appears — This Time In Romania (NPR) Monolith at Four Seasons Total Landscaping (It’s Full Of Stars, Twitter) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An update on the mysterious monolith in Utah. The plant-based seafood companies vying to become the fishy equivalent of Beyond Meat. And some tips for socializing outside during the cold winter months. Sponsors: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/REPORT CastleGrade, Enter code KOTTKE for 10% off at CastleGrade.com Links: Utah's Mystery Monolith Appeared Around 2016 Near Site of Old Movie and TV Locations (Gizmodo) Here is our official statement on the rumors surrounding the #Monolith (Utah Bureau of Land Management, Facebook) Mysterious silver monolith disappears from Utah desert (Associated Press) Mystery metal monolith vanishes from Utah desert (The Guardian) The New Wave of Fishless Fish Is Here (Outside Online) The Art of Socializing Outside During Covid Winter (Bloomberg) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Thanksgiving Day prank at NASA that ensured Thanksgiving Day pranks never happened again. How artificial intelligence could finally end the spread of tuberculosis. The new EP from a new wave band that is definitely not just Green Day in masks. And Dr. Fauci’s ruling on whether it’s safe for Santa Claus to visit this year. Links: How a Thanksgiving Day gag ruffled feathers in Mission Control (Ars Technica) These Algorithms Could End the Scourge of Tuberculosis (NY Times) The Network, Which Isn't a Green Day Side Project, Returns With New Music (Rolling Stone) Did Green Day Secretly Release A New Album Tuesday? Only The Snoo Knows (MTV) Fauci claims without evidence that Santa Claus possesses "innate immunity" to coronavirus (Boing Boing) Restore the Howl (Instagram) Duncan Parks' wolf sculpture (Instagram) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The saga of the infamous pig couch on Craigslist. A strange metal monolith has appeared without explanation in a deserted red rock cove in Utah. What does Yellowstone National Park have to do with the COVID-19 test kits? And a new device that will let you listen to things privately, without others being able to hear them, and with no headphones required. Sponsors: The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe BitTrust IRA, Waive your signup fee BitTrustIRA.com/kottke Links: Craigslist Pig Couch: Where Is It? (NY Times) Utah helicopter crew discovers mysterious metal monolith deep in the desert (CNN) DPS Aero Bureau Encounters Monolith in Red Rock Country (Utah DPS) How Yellowstone Extremophile Bacteria Helped With Covid-19 Testing (JSTOR Daily) New device puts music in your head — no headphones required (AP) Kottke.Org Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices