Climate scientists say we will exceed the 1.5°C temperature threshold for the first time in 2024. “The limits that were set in the Paris agreement are starting to crumble given the too-slow pace of climate action across the world.” A grim milestone.
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Why the Work Still Matters. In the face of a “larger-than-normal number...
Why the Work Still Matters. In the face of a “larger-than-normal number of people canceling their subscriptions”, 404 Media explains why their “local reporting from the internet” is more important than ever.
The Big Wait
The Big Wait is a lovely short documentary about a couple who live alone in the middle of nowhere in Western Australia, managing an emergency airport and a small row of guest cottages that are rarely occupied. I got this from Colossal, which calls the film “poetic and dryly humorous”; I cannot improve upon that.
Tags: video
Laura Hazard Owen: We need a Wirecutter for groceries. “What if local...
Laura Hazard Owen: We need a Wirecutter for groceries. “What if local news organizations around the country made it part of their mission to help readers compare grocery prices around town?”
Focus on the ball. Mesmerizing....
Focus on the ball. Mesmerizing.
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light
In 2015, the BBC & PBS adapted the first two books of Hilary Mantel’s excellent Wolf Hall trilogy into a six-episode miniseries called Wolf Hall, starring Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and Damian Lewis as Henry VIII. Now they’ve made a second miniseries that covers the...
I missed this back in May: the Boy Scouts of America is...
I missed this back in May: the Boy Scouts of America is changing its name to Scouting America “in an effort to emphasize inclusion”.
In the three years since its launch, the JW Space Telescope has...
In the three years since its launch, the JW Space Telescope has proven to be wildly popular with astronomers. “Demand for observing time on Webb outpaces supply by a factor of nine.”
An interview with Ridley Scott about Gladiator II, the challenges of working...
An interview with Ridley Scott about Gladiator II, the challenges of working with Denzel Washington & Joaquin Phoenix, Palme d’Or bribery, and AI.
“A Soft Murmur is an online background noise generator designed to help...
“A Soft Murmur is an online background noise generator designed to help you relax, focus, and tune out unpleasant sounds from your environment.”
I think I might take some time today to read Pema Chodron’s...
I think I might take some time today to read Pema Chodron’s When Things Fall Apart. “How can we live our lives when everything seems to fall apart - when we are continually overcome by fear, anxiety, and pain?”
If you can’t wait until Nov 15, Apple TV+ has uploaded the...
If you can’t wait until Nov 15, Apple TV+ has uploaded the first five minutes of season two of Silo to YouTube. “Juliette lives.”
Election Grief Is Real. Here’s How to Cope. “You need to be...
Election Grief Is Real. Here’s How to Cope. “You need to be patient with yourself if you’re feeling angry, sad, grieving right now. That’s a normal reaction to a surprising outcome and an outcome that…is going backward and not forward.”
Ran across a song with “741 Hz” in the title and there’s...
Ran across a song with “741 Hz” in the title and there’s a whole Spotify playlist of similar songs (“a soothing solfeggio frequency that is used by many to let go of negativity and toxic energy”) and ngl they are relaxing.
A Time of Earnestness
Laura Olin’s newsletter of “art, internet, and ideas” is a favorite of mine (subscribe here), and I appreciated her comments from this morning on why sci-fi and fantasy movies work for moments like these.
I’ve never thought of myself as a person who’s particularly into sc...
For the last 18 years, Adam Smith has spoken to every Nobel...
For the last 18 years, Adam Smith has spoken to every Nobel laureate just after they’ve heard the news. “They are genuinely amazed. It takes their breath away, I suppose, in almost all cases.” But sometimes: “I’m kind of busy.”
Here We Go Again
Hey everyone. I don’t have a whole lot to say about the election results and probably won’t talk about it too much here over the coming days. I don’t know what kottke.org’s “role” will be in this altered world we awoke to on Wednesday, but for my own sanity, I need to get back to work here or I will scroll myself into dust. I have no idea if what I’ll be posting is what you’re looking for, but it’s what I’ve got.
Tags: kottke.org
If you need some last minute cajoling to not sit out this...
If you need some last minute cajoling to not sit out this election, consider these words of warning about abstention in 1968. “Nixon prevailed, thus paving the way for the modern right-wing shift in US domestic and foreign policy.”
Sometimes a post title just reaches right into your introverted soul: The...
Sometimes a post title just reaches right into your introverted soul: The Pleasure of Being Left Alone.
How ill-advised guidelines created a peanut allergy epidemic in the US. “The...
How ill-advised guidelines created a peanut allergy epidemic in the US. “The more prevalent peanut allergies became, the more people avoided peanuts for young children. This, in turn, caused more peanut allergies.”
Tony Hawk posted a photo from the 70s of a girl skateboarding...
Tony Hawk posted a photo from the 70s of a girl skateboarding in the rain to his Instagram: “New fav mystery skater unlocked.” Jeremy Markovich found tracked down who she was.
Danny MacAskill Rides the Adidas HQ
Trials rider Danny MacAskill finally got the chance to ride the angularly futuristic Adidas campus in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
The first time I got the invite to campus I immediately started riding the place in my mind. Riding all the rooftops, riding all the railings, you know, it’s a really interesting space. Not just anyone can go there! As soon as you see that kind of big overhanging piece of architecture or whatever, you immediately imagine the different things you could do up there. So, it was cool to finally get to come here to actually do it.
Tags: Adidas · architecture · biking · Danny MacAskill · video
Fleabag in Lego. “I look like a pencil!”...
Fleabag in Lego. “I look like a pencil!”
A Scottish children’s hospital has a gamer-in-residence who plays w/ patients. “He...
A Scottish children’s hospital has a gamer-in-residence who plays w/ patients. “He said that playing Mario Kart has improved the mobility of a patient’s hand and that it was also a useful tool in distracting the children during medical procedures.”
TIL about argonaut octopuses. “Although most octopuses live near the ocean floor...
TIL about argonaut octopuses. “Although most octopuses live near the ocean floor and its ample hiding places, argonauts spend their entire lives sailing in the open ocean, just below the surface.”
Wow, more than 40 people have undergone a CAR-T-cell therapy for lupus,...
Wow, more than 40 people have undergone a CAR-T-cell therapy for lupus, most of whom have gone into drug-free remission. “It is too early to declare any of these patients cured for life, but that now seems within the realm of possibility.”
“I did go touch that rock. I didn’t tell anyone…” I live...
“I did go touch that rock. I didn’t tell anyone…” I live on a road named for a big boulder and didn’t notice it for far too long…
Some profiles of first-time voters who were formerly incarcerated. “I’m carrying all...
Some profiles of first-time voters who were formerly incarcerated. “I’m carrying all the people that can’t vote in my vote. And that’s an honor.”
I am *very* excited about this: Christian Marclay’s The Clock is going...
I am *very* excited about this: Christian Marclay’s The Clock is going back on display at MoMA. Member previews: Nov 7–9, Nov 10, 2024 through Spring 2025. “The work is both a cinematic tour-de-force and a functioning timepiece.”
The Powerful Density of Hypertextual Writing
The NY Times has had a difficult time covering the 2024 election in a clear, responsible manner. But I wanted to highlight this short opinion piece from the paper’s editorial board, which I’m reproducing here in its entirety:
You already know Donald Trump. He is unfit to le...