Ugh, these undecided hobbits! “Both Galadriel and Sauron say the other is...
Ugh, these undecided hobbits! “Both Galadriel and Sauron say the other is a threat to Middle-earth. One has to be wrong, so whom am I to trust?”
Jason Kottke’s weblog, home of fine hypertext products since 1998
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Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win...
Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win is a NY Times bestseller from Jessica Valenti, who “provides the language, facts, and context readers need to feel confident when talking about the attacks on their bodies and freedom”.
“Flat-rate train ticket reduced Germany’s transport emissions by 5% in first year.”...
Apollo 16 Lunar Rover Dash Cam
I had no idea there was footage shot on the Moon from the perspective of a lunar rover passenger…basically a lunar rover dash cam. It’s the second half of this short video. Amazing. The first part shows the rover speeding off (at about 6 miles/hr), being put through its pa...
This is Cabel Sasser’s XOXO talk. Best not to know anything going...
This is Cabel Sasser’s XOXO talk. Best not to know anything going into it…just watch all the way to the end. “Don’t waste this. Keep everyone guessing. Make me proud.”
POSSE (Post (on) Own Site Syndicate Elsewhere) has been my strategy for...
POSSE (Post (on) Own Site Syndicate Elsewhere) has been my strategy for years now. “A simple technique offers the best of both worlds: total control over your own work, while still maintaining a presence on third-party platforms.”
Bookshops are cool again! Booksellers have “noticed a sharp rise in young...
Bookshops are cool again! Booksellers have “noticed a sharp rise in young readers coming into their shops seeking out human guidance, eager to be in a physical store rather than filtering through AI and influencer-recommended titles online.”
Season Two of Silo
The trailer for season two of Silo, which starts on Apple TV+ on November 15. It doesn’t reveal much but I am excited to watch the new season! (No spoilers please from folks who have read the books.)
These solidly middlebrow shows like Silo, The Diplomat, and The Gilded Age are some of my favorites to watch these days because they are well-produced with quality actors but don’t tax the viewer (ok, me…they don’t tax me) as much as more serious fare like Shōgun, My Brilliant Friend, Severance, or Chernobyl (all of which I love to bits but sometimes feels like eating your vegetables, if you know what I mean). But a good media diet is a varied media diet and stuff like Silo is really hitting the spot for me right now.
From Robin Wall Kimmerer (author of Braiding Sweetgrass), a new book called...
From Robin Wall Kimmerer (author of Braiding Sweetgrass), a new book called The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, in which “she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy”.
There’s no guarantee that the Earth’s natural carbon sinks (ocean, plants, soil)...
There’s no guarantee that the Earth’s natural carbon sinks (ocean, plants, soil) will continue to work the way they have in the past. Last year for instance, “forest, plants and soil — as a net category — absorbed almost no carbon”.
Charles Schulz on Being a Good Citizen
In 1970 as part of a class project, 10-year-old Joel Linton wrote to Peanuts creator Charles Schulz to ask him, “What do you think makes a good citizen?” Schulz replied with this letter:
The letter reads:
Dear Joel:
I think it is more difficult these days to define wha...
The way mainstream media covers Trump and the GOP is fatally flawed...
The way mainstream media covers Trump and the GOP is fatally flawed to the point of being inaccurate. “They stumble over and over to convey what is actually happening. Why can’t legacy media say clearly what he’s doing on a consistent basis?”
Ward Christensen, BBS inventor and architect of our online age, dies at...
Ward Christensen, BBS inventor and architect of our online age, dies at age 78. “Friends and associates remember Christensen as humble and unassuming, a quiet innovator who never sought the spotlight for his groundbreaking work.”
Ed Yong on Breaking Down and Putting Yourself Back Together
My favorite presentation at XOXO this year was Ed Yong’s talk about the pandemic, journalism, his work over the past four years, and the personal toll that all those things took on him. I just watched the entire thing again, riveted the whole time.
Hearing how thoughtfull...
An early analysis of data by scientists at the World Weather Attribution...
An early analysis of data by scientists at the World Weather Attribution project shows that “climate change boosted [Hurricane] Milton’s landfall strength from Category 2 to 3”.
Nation’s Indigenous People Confirm They Don’t Need Special Holiday, Just Large Swaths...
Nation’s Indigenous People Confirm They Don’t Need Special Holiday, Just Large Swaths Of Land Returned Immediately. “We’re seriously open to letting [Columbus Day] slide if we get back, say, the continent that you stole from us.”
The Last Years of Alexei Navalny, In His Own Words
The New Yorker has some excerpts of Alexei Navalny’s diary from the last 2 years of his life, taken from his forthcoming memoir, Patriot.
2022, January 17th.
Exactly one year ago today I came home, to Russia.
I didn’t manage to take a single step on the soil of my countr...
A short thread of videos that sync perfectly to other audio tracks,...
A short thread of videos that sync perfectly to other audio tracks, e.g. This Is America video clip set to Call Me Maybe or the Peanuts dance party set to Joy Division.
A Syllabus for Generalists. Featuring resources for learning about geometry, chemistry, world...
A Syllabus for Generalists. Featuring resources for learning about geometry, chemistry, world history, home maintenance, origami, tying knots, and playing chess.
Floor Maps of Iconic NYC Fast Food Joints
When he was asked to design a new outpost of iconic NYC hot dog joint Papaya King in the East Village, Andrew Bernheimer went around to several other establishments in the city built to serve food quickly — Chipotle, Russ & Daughters, Katz’s, Shake Shack, Gray’s Papaya —...
The Most Sought-After Travel Guide Is a Google Doc. “Nothing is more...
The Most Sought-After Travel Guide Is a Google Doc. “Nothing is more embarrassing than waiting for a viral pastry because some influencer said it was yummy after not paying a dime.” Personally shared Google Docs or Maps are often more trustworthy.
Newly remastered and available on YouTube, Interview Project (presented by David Lynch)...
Newly remastered and available on YouTube, Interview Project (presented by David Lynch) is a series of 121 interviews of people from all around the United States.
Photos of Spanish Human Tower Competitions. “More than 40 teams of ‘castellers’...
Photos of Spanish Human Tower Competitions. “More than 40 teams of ‘castellers’ recently gathered for the city’s 29th biannual human-tower competition — working together to build the highest and most complex human towers (castells) possible.”
The Distorted Paper Collages of Lola Dupré
Collage artist Lola Dupré makes these wonderfully weird images of exaggerated objects, animals, and people. You find more of Dupré’s work on her website and on Instagram. (via colossal)
Tags: art · Lola Dupre
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Twin Peaks Actually Explained (in a four-hour video). “Lynch’s obsession with electricity...
Twin Peaks Actually Explained (in a four-hour video). “Lynch’s obsession with electricity and fire is essential to the theory” presented in the video.
I am tempted by this Lego Fortnite Battle Bus set. (Alas, it...
I am tempted by this Lego Fortnite Battle Bus set. (Alas, it is backordered…)
Initial experiments in using Dungeons & Dragons as a group therapy tool...
Initial experiments in using Dungeons & Dragons as a group therapy tool are encouraging. “It seems particularly useful in combating the effects of social isolation and improving both interpersonal skills and intrapersonal skills (problem-solving).”
The trailer for season 2 of The Diplomat. Keri Russell? Witty banter?...
The trailer for season 2 of The Diplomat. Keri Russell? Witty banter? What’s not to like? I enjoyed season 1 and will probably give this a shot. Premieres Oct 31 on Netflix.
Radiohead’s Everything in Its Right Place, 800% Slower
Songs played back at much slower speeds were a thing several years ago — the effect can turn even the harshest rock song or bounciest pop tune into something that sounds like Enya or an ethereal Gregorian chant. I listen to these while I work sometimes and I’ve got a new o...
Whoa, new Nintendo hardware! And it’s…an interactive alarm clock? You can wake...
Whoa, new Nintendo hardware! And it’s…an interactive alarm clock? You can wake up to the sounds of Zelda or Mario Kart, shush the clock by waving your hand, and if you snooze too long, the alarm will become more intense and Bowser appears.