Cool Stuff Daily

Scientists have created light-up OLED tattoos that could tell you when to put on sunscreen or when your avocados have gone bad. The Twitter account tracking Geneva Convention violations in video games. And good news: scientists have confirmed that all of us suck at ending conversations with each other. Sponsors: Mint Mobile, Get a new wireless plan for just $15 a month mintmobile.com/kottke Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/GOODNEWS Links: Scientists Invent Light-Up OLED Tattoos (Gizmodo) Light-emitting tattoo engineered for the first time (University College London News) Sharp needles for the Cold War: Yes, some kids got tattooed with their blood type (Washington Post) Quantum-dot tattoos hold vaccination record (Rice News) False claim: Bill Gates wants to microchip people; Anthony Fauci wants people to carry vaccination certificates (Reuters) The Twitter Account Tracking Geneva Conventions Violations in Video Games (Vice) Can You Pet the Dog? (@CanYouPetTheDog) People Literally Don’t Know When to Shut Up—or Keep Talking, Science Confirms (Scientific American) Dr. Seuss: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Stuff You Should Know) 6 Dr. Seuss Books With Racist Imagery Pulled From Printing (Vulture) Just how racist is children’s literature? The author of ‘Was the Cat in the Hat Black?’ explains. (Washington Post) How to 'Read Across America' Without Dr. Seuss (Life Hacker) 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 RNA-based platform used for some of the COVID-19 vaccines is already changing the game for other diseases. Plus, “I got vaccinated” stickers and selfie stations are starting to pop up. And an app that’s bringing back the disposable camera… without the disposable camera. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/GOODNEWS Mint Mobile, Get a new wireless plan for just $15 a month mintmobile.com/kottke Links: First vaccine to fully immunize against malaria builds on pandemic-driven RNA tech (Academic Times) The joy of vax: The people giving the shots are seeing hope, and it’s contagious (Washington Post) Vaccine centers embrace stickers and selfie stations (The Verge) Dispo, David Dobrik's Photo-Sharing App, Is Taking Off (NY Times) Pass/Fail class (Harmit S. Malik, Twitter) "Coming in late with a C minus" (Johan Miranda, 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

Delving into the world of crypto art and non-fungible tokens. A history of Mr. Potato Head, or, I’m sorry, just Potato Head? And a few links to help you chill out this weekend. 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: ‎Techmeme Ride Home Kenny Schachter Gets Sucked Into the Surreal NFT Vortex… and Makes a Fortune Overnight in the New Virtual Art Market (ArtNet) A coat check ticket, a magic spell (Robin Sloan) Trailer for the Sundance award-winning — Feels Good Man eeby deeby (Garbage Day) The spudly history of Mr. Potato Head (The Takeout) The iconic Mr. Potato Head gets a 21st-century rebrand (Fast Company) A mister no more: Mr. Potato Head goes gender neutral (AP) No, Mr. Potato Head isn’t going “gender neutral” (Katelyn Burns) Mr. Potato Head Brand Update (Hasbro) Vintage Original Mr and Mrs Potato Head commercial 1960's (VintageTVCommercials, YouTube) Mr. Potato Head (PBS) NASA to Honor 'Hidden Figure' Mary W. Jackson During Naming Ceremony (NASA) Blobmixer Draw an Iceberg and See How It Will Float (Kottke) chill room (YouTube) Self-Medicating Media: Relax in Online Ambiance Rooms (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 to make your clothes last longer and practice the art of “radical keeping” according to “the anti-Marie Kondo.” A segment about #Buttergate in Canada that’s not really about Buttergate afterall. And a browser extension that shows you what the internet would look like without Big Tech. 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: The Golden Age of Free Stuff Is Upon Us (NY Times) Feed your moths and hide your trousers: the expert guide to making clothes last for ever (The Guardian) Buttergate: Why are Canadians complaining about hard butter? (BBC) Opinion: The dairy industry’s use of palm oil breaches its moral contract with Canadians (The Globe and Mail) This browser extension shows what the Internet would look like without Big Tech (The Verge) Gizmodo Goodbye Big Five (Gizmodo) Listen to Post Malone cover Hootie & the Blowfish for Pokémon’s 25th anniversary (The Verge) Long COVID symptoms (Mara Gay, Twitter) For All Mankind (Apple TV) 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 flu you had as a kid could shape your immune response to future flu viruses. A bunch of videos have been going viral showing snow not melting when held up against a flame, but it’s not a conspiracy. It’s science. And the first song produced using the audio recorded on Mars. 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: The immune effects of childhood viruses are even more complicated than we thought (Popular Science) How Childhood Infections Could Shape Pandemics (UPMC) TikTok Users Are Burning Snowballs in Viral Videos to 'Prove' the Snow is Fake (Gizmodo) Snow that doesn't melt! Is it a government conspiracy?! (Hint: no.) (The Bad Astronomer, YouTube) No, the snow isn't government-generated. This is what a snowball does when you take a lighter to it. (Politifact) The episode about the LA musician who helped design the Perseverance microphones (Kottke Ride Home) Hello, Mars (Foxannemusic, Soundcloud) 'Hello, Mars' music video (VideoFromSpace, YouTube) Foxanne: It's real (I knew it) (Foxanne, Bandcamp) Pass n' Puff Football (Indiegogo) Renegades: Born in the USA (Spotify) Buy this ranch and Area 51 will be your next-door neighbor (Boing Boing) 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

Beer culture is perceived as overwhelmingly white, but its history and its present is not. A historical look at the erasure of Black brewers. The impact of pandemic boredom on the economy. And a new app that will put David Attenborough in your living room to teach you about the prehistoric world. 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 the Whiteness of Beer Culture Erases Black Brewers (Eater) The Boredom Economy (NY Times) Museum Alive AR With David Attenborough (Alchemy Immersive) Experience 3D & augmented reality in Search (Google) NASA's Perseverance Rover Microphone Captures Sounds from Mars (NASA) Onboard Camera Views from Perseverance Rover's Descent & Touchdown on Mars (Kottke) Hillary Clinton's working on a political thriller that has a very familiar plot (A/V Club) Dunkin' Donuts Has Matcha Doughnuts Now (Eater) The Ben Affleck Renaissance Runs on Dunkin' (The Ringer) 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 tapped deeper into the depths of our dreams by achieving two-way communication with lucid dreamers. Why were there so many serial killers between 1970 and 2000? And what stopped them? And space is getting more diverse in more ways than one. Sponsors: Audible, audible.com/kottke or text kottke to 500-500 The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Links: Scientists Find a Way to Communicate With Dreaming People (Gizmodo) Dream Hacking: Watch 3 Groundbreaking Experiments on Decisions, Addictions, and Sleep (PBS NOVA, YouTube) Scientists Achieve Real-Time Communication With Lucid Dreamers in Breakthrough (Vice) Serial Killer Era: Why 1970 - 2000 Saw So Many Murders in America (Rolling Stone) She Beat Cancer at 10. Now She'll Join SpaceX's First Private Trip to Orbit. (NY Times) Europe Wants to Diversify Its Pool of Astronauts (NY Times) Ken Burns Answers Every Question We Have About His Hair (GQ) Daft Punk Have Broken Up (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

A history of how the US government started deciding what color our food is allowed to be. Could lab-grown wood disrupt the lumber industry? And, The Muppet Show has been released from the Disney Vault. Sponsors: OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Links: How the Government Came to Decide the Color of Your Food (Smithsonian) Why The U.S. Government Decides The Color Of Our Food (Cheddar, YouTube) Decoder Ring on the history of blue raspberry, color consulting, blueberries, and the Wheatley steak study (Slate) Nature Makes Wood. Could a Lab Make It Better? (Wired) Best Muppet Show Episodes to Stream on Disney+: Kermit, Cameos (io9) OK Go and The Muppets - Muppet Show Theme Song (Ok Go, YouTube) 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 Los Angeles musician who helped design the microphones on the Perseverance rover that will hopefully give us our first-ever audio recordings of Mars. Can a 19th century etiquette book make Twitter bearable? And what some of the top websites looked like on this day in 2011. Sponsors: Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Links: The LA Musician Who Designed a Microphone for Mars (Wired) Everyone on Twitter Needs an Etiquette Manual (Wired) Ten Years Ago (Neal.fun) r/Stuck10YearsBehind (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

A historical defense of arranging book collections by color. Scientists have sequenced the oldest DNA ever found and made some mammoth discoveries in the process. And NASA’s Perseverance rover is set to touch down on Mars tomorrow––some background on one experiment it will be running that could set the stage for human travel to the red planet. Sponsors: OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Links: No Mere Foppery: A Defense of Rainbow Bookshelves (Book Historia) Announcing the fifth annual Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize. (Literary Hub) Million-Year-Old Mammoth Teeth Contain Oldest DNA Ever Found (Gizmodo) Million-Year-Old DNA Rewrites the Mammoth Family Tree (NY Times) Scientists Have Sequenced Mammoth DNA That's Over a Million Years Old (Science Alert) Watch Online: Mars Landing (NASA) Krispy Kreme makes special ‘Mars Doughnut’ to celebrate Perseverance rover landing (Space.com) Here's how the Perseverance landing could pave the way for humans on Mars (Space.com) 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 new fruit taking over Instagram. Why the winter storm sweeping the US is causing an energy crisis, especially in Texas. And a new-ish game that lets you take a virtual vacation with your friends. Sponsors: Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Links: Instagram Fruit (Grow) The rise, fall, and rise of the status pineapple (BBC) Hurricane Harvey vs. now (The Weather Channel, Twitter) How Extreme Cold Turned Into a U.S. Energy Crisis (Bloomberg) Frozen Wind Farms Are Just a Small Piece of Texas’s Power Woes (Bloomberg) Texplainer: Why Does Texas Have Its Own Power Grid? (Texas Tribune) Storm updates & resources for helping out at the bottom (Texas Tribune) City Guesser 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 in Antarctica accidentally discovered animal life beneath an ice shelf half a mile deep. An app that lets you tune into live radio stations all over the world. A new study that challenges the long held theory about the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. And a snarky Valentine’s tradition at the El Paso Zoo. Sponsors: OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Links: Scientists Accidentally Discover Strange Creatures Under a Half Mile of Ice (Wired) Scientists Found Unexpected Life Half a Mile Under Antarctic Ice Shelf (Gizmodo) Radio Garden Twitter reactions to Radio Garden (David Pogue, Twitter) The comet that killed the dinosaurs: New theory explains possible origin of the Chicxulub impactor (Science Daily) Where Did the Dinosaur-Killing Impactor Come From? (NY Times) Astrophysicists Chart Source of Asteroid That Killed Dinosaurs (Smithsonian Mag) El Paso Zoo's Valentine's Day naming a cockroach after an ex returns (El Paso Times) El Paso Zoo's “Quit Bugging Me” (El Paso Zoo) El Paso Zoo (Facebook) 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 story of how two brothers gamed the YouTube system thirteen years ago and have since used that method to raise nearly 14 million dollars for charity. An interactive site that simulates the audio experience of being at your favorite bar. Coca-Cola is trying out paper bottles. And the guy who built a functioning guitar out of his dead uncle’s skeleton. For real. 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: Project For Awesome 2021 imissmybar.com I Miss My Bar is like audio therapy for barflies (The Verge) Coca-Cola company trials first paper bottle (BBC) Well now: A man has turned his metalhead uncle's bones into a "Skelecaster" guitar (A/V Club) This Dude Built a Guitar Out of His Dead Uncle's Skeleton (MetalSucks) 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 UK variant of Sars-CoV-2 may have evolved inside just one human. Some dating apps are adding video components, but it’s just another case of modern tech “inventing” something that has already existed for decades. Let’s talk about the original recipe. And a German teenager has created a new Myspace. Not like a social media platform similar to Myspace. Literally he recreated a functional clone of Myspace. And it’s pretty awesome. 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: A lone infection may have changed the course of the pandemic (Wired) How 1970s VCR dating paved the way for Tinder and Hinge (Vox) A Teenager Has Remade Myspace and Everyone Is Loving It (Vice) spacehey.com/jackisnotabird 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

Do all of these UV light “virus-killing” appliances really work? The mystery of the purple flower photo that has accounted for nearly 20% of all Wikimedia Commons traffic since last summer. And, it’s been ten years since “Friday” by Rebecca Black debuted to collective cringe on YouTube. To celebrate, Rebecca Black is back with a remix. 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: Does Covid-killing UV tech work? (Wired) The mysterious photo of a purple flower that receives 78 million hits each day (Rest of World) Rebecca Black - Friday (Remix) ft Dorian Electra, Big Freedia & 3OH!3 [Official Video] (Rebecca Black, YouTube) Rebecca Black’s new hyper-pop remix of ‘Friday’ is the serotonin boost you need (NME) 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 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