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Did Shakespeare Write Hamlet While He Was Stoned? Examining the evidence that...
ChatGPT kept directing people to use a non-existent feature on Soundslice…so the...
ChatGPT kept directing people to use a non-existent feature on Soundslice…so the team built it. “To my knowledge, this is the first case of a company developing a feature because ChatGPT is incorrectly telling people it exists. (Yay?)”
This Breakthrough Sponge Could Change How the World Gets Clean Water. “A...
100 Years of World History, As Told By 100 Movies
This is a unique look at the history of the world from 1925 to 2025, told through the lens of movies whose plots take place in those years. For example, the WWII era is represented by The Sound of Music (1965), The Pianist (2002), The Darkest Hour (2017), Casablanca (1942), The Thin Red Line (1998, Come and See (1985), Son of Saul (2015), Oppenheimer (2023), and Godzilla Minus One (2023).
As the video goes on, more and more of the scenes depict imagined past futures from films like 1984, Transformers: The Movie, Blade Runner, The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Johnny Mnemonic.
In the end, it’s not a happy video — lots of war, both past and future. Hollywood does like to dwell on our worst times.
How Four Masters — Michelangelo, Donatello, Verrocchio & Bernini — Sculpted David....
I Deleted My Second Brain. Why I Erased 10,000 Notes, 7 Years...
When in doubt, go for a walk. “Walking won’t solve everything. But...
The Black Panther Party Ten-Point Program
Medieval Murder Maps. “Discover the murders, sudden deaths, sanctuary churches, and prisons...
A Swim Through Jellyfish Lake
Jellyfish Lake in Palau is home to approximately 13 million jellyfish. Their mild stings mean you can snorkel in their midst and capture beautifully surreal scenes like this:
If I had a bucket list, I think a swim in Jellyfish Lake w/ classical accompaniment might be on it. (via colossal)
[This is a vintage post originally from May 2015.]
Tags: Palau · timeless posts · video
How Silicon Valley Got Rich. “When Apple went public in 1980, it...
“All games are cooperative. The very act of agreeing to & honouring...
“All games are cooperative. The very act of agreeing to & honouring rules, & the deeper compact, of temporarily engaging in the roleplay that the drama taking place on the table is *important* - this is a fundamentally cooperative enterprise.”
Bookshop.org’s 100 Bestselling Books of 2025 (So Far)
Always worth a read: the latest issue of Jodi Ettenberg’s The Curious...
Always worth a read: the latest issue of Jodi Ettenberg’s The Curious About Everything newsletter. (I have so many tabs open to read now… 🎉🫠)
Every Wes Anderson Movie, Explained by Wes Anderson
Clocking in at almost an hour, this “definitive interview” with Wes Anderson by Vanity Fair about all 12 of his films is perhaps only for Wes stans or cinephiles, but then again, listening to thoughtful, creative people talking earnestly about their work is almost always worth the time.
Hi, I’m Wes Anderson. I have made, apparently, 12 films and I’m now going to walk us through every one of them in some way.
(via open culture)
Tags: film school · movies · video · Wes Anderson
“The fundamental dilemma [of media like NYT]: journalism is, by its nature,...
“The fundamental dilemma [of media like NYT]: journalism is, by its nature, supposed to be on the side of accuracy, against lies & liars, but the GOP is lies & liars top to bottom. And for reasons of power & access, journalism can not say so.”
Here’s what Tom Holland’s lip-sync of Umbrella can teach us about stormwater...
Science writer Jennifer Ouellette reflects on the 30th anniversary of Apollo 13,...
Science writer Jennifer Ouellette reflects on the 30th anniversary of Apollo 13, including the movie’s realism “The actors, once locked in, breathed air pumped into the suits just like the original Apollo astronauts.” I love Apollo 13.
A Great Art Explained Book? Sign Me Up!

Ah, this is awesome: Great Art Explained is one of my favorite YouTube channels and there’s a book version coming out in the fall.
Art can be thrilling, and resonate on a deep personal level. It is how you view the work, place it in context and understand its history that makes an artwork truly come alive.
A fresh approach to a classic subject, James Payne’s no-nonsense analysis sheds new light on 30 masterpieces from around the globe and reveals what makes them truly timeless works of art.
Each chapter delves into not only the art itself but also the artist’s life, as well as the work’s place in their wider oeuvre; in other words, what makes it “great.”
You can preorder Great Art Explained from Bookshop or Amazon.
Tags: art · art school · books · Great Art Explained · James Payne
The detention center in Florida easily fits the definition of concentration camp....
The detention center in Florida easily fits the definition of concentration camp. “This facility’s purpose fits the classic model, and its existence points to serious dangers ahead for the country.” Alligator Auschwitz.
Conscientious SUV Shopper Just Wants Something That Will Kill Family In Other...
NPR Tiny Desk Concert by the cast of Buena Vista Social Club,...
An original technicolor print of Star Wars (before all of Lucas’s tinkering)...
An original technicolor print of Star Wars (before all of Lucas’s tinkering) was recently shown in Britain. “It was very clear — without a doubt — that Han shot first.”
Hued is a daily game in the vein of Wordle/Spelling Bee where...
French artist Mantra paints photo-realistic murals that look like massive butterfly specimen...
French artist Mantra paints photo-realistic murals that look like massive butterfly specimen display frames. Fantastic.