American neo-Nazis love the Trump era. “[Trump] awakened a lot of people...
American neo-Nazis love the Trump era. “[Trump] awakened a lot of people to the issues we’ve been raising for years. He’s the best thing that’s happened to us.”
Jason Kottke’s weblog, home of fine hypertext products since 1998
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Israel’s right-wing government has murdered five Al Jazeera journalists in a deliberate...
Israel’s right-wing government has murdered five Al Jazeera journalists in a deliberate attack targeting front-line journalist Anas al-Sharif.
Great new t-shirt for Gracie’s Ice Cream features a Jaws-shaped cone about...
Great new t-shirt for Gracie’s Ice Cream features a Jaws-shaped cone about to chomp a cherry.
“James Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 who helped turn a failed...
“James Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 who helped turn a failed moon mission into a triumph of on-the-fly can-do engineering, has died. He was 97.”
The Danish post office will stop delivering mail (but not parcels) at...
The Danish post office will stop delivering mail (but not parcels) at the end of 2025. “Letter volumes have decreased by over 90 percent since 2000”. But over 100 million letters were delivered in 2024…that’s still a tremendous number.
“New FBI data shows that both violent crime and property crime are...
“New FBI data shows that both violent crime and property crime are at their lowest level since the 1960s” but the media disproportionately covers crime, so most Americans aren’t aware of the decrease.
Why wildlife crossings and crucial for animals and humans: they embiggen habitats...
Why wildlife crossings and crucial for animals and humans: they embiggen habitats and greatly reduce vehicle-animal collisions.
From the Phonograph podcast, a look at the early days of 99%...
From the Phonograph podcast, a look at the early days of 99% Invisible (as that podcast’s 15th anniversary approaches).
Tractor beams exist in the real world. They use ultrasound to hover...
Tractor beams exist in the real world. They use ultrasound to hover and manipulate tiny objects. “It can be thought of as an acoustic hologram. It’s a shape that exists in space but is made of sound.”
Vintage Bike Tricks, Circa 1965
Lilly Yokoi was an acrobat who specialized in performing on a bicycle. During her career, she toured around the world and appeared on the Ed Sullivan show three times. In this performance from 1965, Yokoi does some seriously before-their-time tricks on her Golden Bicycle, including a no-hands handlebar spin, a no-hands wheelie, a handstand over the handlebars, and several other tricks…all in chunky high heels, mind you.
Here’s an even earlier performance, from 1961. See also some bike tricks filmed by Thomas Edison in 1899.
[This is a vintage post originally from Nov 2014.]
Tags: cycling · Lilly Yokoi · timeless posts · video
Substack’s extremist ecosystem is flourishing. “The Nazi push alert was only possible...
Substack’s extremist ecosystem is flourishing. “The Nazi push alert was only possible because of Substack’s continued commitment to not only hosting but actively promoting authoritarian, Nazi-sympathizing, and other bigoted forms of extremism.”
Emily Wilson’s current project is translating The Odyssey (again). “I am doing...
Emily Wilson’s current project is translating The Odyssey (again). “I am doing a fully revised re-retranslation, to align my Odyssey translation more closely with my Iliad.”
The Bluesky Dictionary is tracking every single word used on the social...
The Bluesky Dictionary is tracking every single word used on the social media service. As of this writing, almost 40% of the dictionary has been covered, including recent additions like “boneshakers”, “microscale”, and “striations”.
There’s a Bend It Like Beckham sequel in the works, says director...
There’s a Bend It Like Beckham sequel in the works, says director Gurinder Chadha. “I didn’t want to do anything because I didn’t have a story. And then I came up with a great story, really super-cool story. So now I’m inspired.”
My Recent Media Diet, the Resistance Edition
Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these but I’m gonna skip the apologies and get right into it. Here’s a list of what I’ve been reading, watching, listening to, and experiencing over the past several months. Let us know what movies, books, art, TV, music, etc. yo...
Jamelle Bouie on the Death of the Fourth American Republic
This is a great piece from Jamelle Bouie on the likely death of the Voting Rights Act and, zooming out, the end of an era in American society that began with the Act’s signing.
Americans pride ourselves, by contrast, on our undivided history under one Constitution — a singl...
Potatoes are tomatoes! Ok not exactly, but scientists have worked out that...
Potatoes are tomatoes! Ok not exactly, but scientists have worked out that modern potatoes evolved, in part, from an ancient tomato plant. “Dipping fries into ketchup just got a little more mind-bending.”
Watchdog Group Downgrades U.S. From Democracy To Whatever Political System Lobsters Have....
Watchdog Group Downgrades U.S. From Democracy To Whatever Political System Lobsters Have. “There’s just too much scuttling in American politics to call it anything other than a flawed lobster republic.”
“At a Wisconsin pond, a pair of cranes is raising an abandoned...
Classical Statues Dressed Up As Hipsters
Photographer Léo Caillard makes images of classical statues dressed up as hipsters.
[This is a vintage post originally from Jun 2013.]
Tags: art · fashion · Leo Caillard · photography · timeless posts
The official online copy of the US Constitution is missing some critical...
The official online copy of the US Constitution is missing some critical parts. “Article I, Section 9 contains some of the most important safeguards in the Constitution, including the Writ of Habeas Corpus…” Nothing to worry about I’m sure!!
I analyzed more than 100 extremist manifestos: Misogyny was the common thread....
I analyzed more than 100 extremist manifestos: Misogyny was the common thread. “Misogyny now acts as a ‘gateway drug’ to broader extremist ideologies. This is particularly true in digital spaces where hate and grievance are cultivated algorithmically.”
The case for memes as a new form of comics. “Memes —...
The case for memes as a new form of comics. “Memes — specifically, image macros — represent a new type of digital comic, right down to the cognitive and creative ways in which they operate.”
From restitution to confronting authoritarian regimes, here are five ways museums can...
From restitution to confronting authoritarian regimes, here are five ways museums can be more ethical. This list is from Gareth Harris, author of the book Towards the Ethical Art Museum.
“As a clinical psychologist, I was curious: Could ChatGPT function like a...
“As a clinical psychologist, I was curious: Could ChatGPT function like a thinking partner? A therapist in miniature? I gave it three months to test the idea. A year later, I’m still using ChatGPT like an interactive journal.”
Matt Webb on copyrighting your faults. “I think part of growing up...
Matt Webb on copyrighting your faults. “I think part of growing up is taking what it is that people tease you about at school, and figuring out how to make it a superpower.”
mRNA vaccines for HIV trigger strong immune response in people. “Two vaccine...
mRNA vaccines for HIV trigger strong immune response in people. “Two vaccine candidates using mRNA technology elicit a potent immune response against HIV, according to an early-stage clinical trial.” The good news lately re: HIV is incredible. Fund this!
“Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has canceled nearly $500 million of...
“Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has canceled nearly $500 million of grants and contracts for developing mRNA vaccines.” This, like many other Trump regime actions, will result in easily avoided deaths.
The McDonald’s Quarter Pounder With Cheese Is a Lie. A Delicious Lie.
Some facts about the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese:
1. As you can see in the photo above, purportedly taken in 1974, there was originally a Quarter Pounder without cheese, which was scrubbed from the menu at some undetermined point (even though you can still orde...
Molly White: Curate your own newspaper with RSS. “What if you could...
Molly White: Curate your own newspaper with RSS. “What if you could take all your favorite newsletters, ditch the data collection, and curate your own newspaper?”