Cool Stuff Daily

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Mon. 08/31 - Monkey-Fighting Grannies with Airsoft Guns Aug 31, 2020

Show notes

An update on Elon Musk’s brain implant technology. Some slightly bizarre anxiety-reducing exercises. How to make Batman give you driving directions. And the monkey-fighting group of grannies in Japan.

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Links:

Musk says that Neuralink implants are close to ready for human testing (Ars Technica)
Elon Musk's Neuralink is neuroscience theater (MIT Technology Review)
Ahead of Neuralink event, ex-employees detail research timeline clashes (STAT)
Five-Minute Coronavirus Stress Resets (NY Times)
Batman (and the Riddler) can now give you directions in Waze (Mashable)
DC Comics reveals Batman Day plans and digital activities (AIPT)
These Feisty Grannies Call Themselves 'Monkey Busters,' Chasing Away Local Primate Pests With Air Guns (Newsweek)
3 Retirees In Japan Form 'Monkey Busters' To Defend Crops From Pesky Primates (HuffPost)
COVID-19 Vaccine Research Is Facing a Monkey Shortage (The Atlantic)
Class Action Park | Official Trailer (HBO Max, YouTube)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 08/28 - The Border Town Currently Isolated From Both Canada & the US Aug 28, 2020

Show notes

How the Anthropocene has had a bigger impact on North America than the last ice age. The Washington border town that can’t access either Canada or the US anymore. How to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day this weekend. A make-your-own mashup site that’s a blast from the past. And how to see Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon all together tonight.

Links:

Humans Have Changed North America More Than an Ice Age (Earther)
A Border Town Is Now Isolated From Both the U.S. and Canada (Atlas Obscura)
Point Roberts residents gain new free ferry service to United States mainland | Urbanized (Daily Hive)
119 Black-Owned, Independent Bookstores By State (Oprah Mag)
About BookShop
Independent Bookstore Day
Portland bookstore Powell's won't sell on Amazon: 'We must take a stand' (CNBC)
2007 forever (The Magic iPod)
Meet the Man Behind the Magic iPod (The Ringer)
MOUTH SOUNDS
See Jupiter and Saturn with the moon this weekend (Space.Com)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 08/27 - Why Pumpkin Spice Will Never Die Aug 27, 2020

Show notes

The Scots Wikipedia site that turns out to have been mostly written by an American teenager who does not speak Scots. Some tips and insight on staying safe from COVID-19 when indoors. Breaking down the strange, undefeatable popularity of pumpkin spice. And an update from Elon Musk to be on the lookout for.

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Links:

Shock an aw: US teenager wrote huge slice of Scots Wikipedia (The Guardian)
I've discovered that almost every single article on the Scots version of Wikipedia is written by the same person - an American teenager who can't speak Scots (r/Scotland)
Most of Scottish Wikipedia Written By American in Mangled English (Vice)
Smoke on the Wind: the Aerosol Spread of Covid-19 (Kottke)
Covid-19: Five ways to avoid catching the virus indoors (BBC)
A flavorist explains how pumpkin spice took over the world (The Takeout)
Why Is The Pumpkin Spice Latte Still A Thing In 2020? (Refinery29)
Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon by Cindy Ott
The 1-833-GET-FALL Hotline (Starbucks, Twitter)
Elon Musk promises demo of a working Neuralink device on Friday (The Verge)
Neuralink Progress Update Announcement (Elon Musk, Twitter)
Neuralink (YouTube)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 08/26 - Netflix's Enola Holmes Hit With Lawsuit From Doyle Estate Aug 26, 2020

Show notes

Why it’s so hard to find dumbbells right now. Why Netflix’s upcoming Enola Holmes movie landed them a lawsuit from the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle estate. A model for fighting procrastination. And the one quick fix that could save hundreds of thousands of birds a year.

Links:

Why it's so hard to find dumbbell sets in the US (Vox)
The curious case of copyright and character (Intellectual Property Magazine)
Watch the trailer for Enola Holmes, the Sherlock Holmes movie that landed Netflix a lawsuit (The Verge)
The Strange Case of 'Mr. Holmes' Vs. U.S. Copyright Law (Forbes)
How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model (Deprocrastination)
Bird deaths down 70 percent after painting wind turbine blades (Ars Technica)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 08/25 - New Game Lets You Relive the Boredom of a Long Flight Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

Why the 2000-year-old redwoods in northern California are safe from the wildfires. How Leo Tolstoy’s mundane procrastination inspired Anna Karenina and can inspire other creatives today. The newly uncovered meteorite that predates the sun. And an upcoming game that simulates the most boring part of air travel.

Links:

2,000-year-old redwoods survive wildfire at California's oldest state park (NBC News)
The Everyday Inspiration for Anna Karenina (The New Republic)
Rainbow meteorite discovered in Costa Rica may hold building blocks of life (LiveScience)
An unusual meteorite, more valuable than gold, may hold the building blocks of life (Science Mag)
'Airplane Mode' will let you relive the monotony of economy class this fall (Engadget)
Taiwan airport offers 'pretend to go abroad' airport tours amid Covid-19 pandemic (CNN)
ANA Flies Its Airbus A380 Carrying Passengers To Nowhere (Simple Flying)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 08/24 - No Asteroid Apocalypse, But Maybe Aliens? Aug 24, 2020

Show notes

It turns out the ‘Oumuamua might be alien tech after all. The truth behind that asteroid allegedly hitting earth the day before America’s election. Finnish scientists have discovered an effective hangover cure. And the weird 1970s commercials hidden in a Disney+ special.

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Links:

Mystery of Interstellar Visitor 'Oumuamua Gets Trickier (Scientific American)
Wild Idea: What If Interstellar Visitor 'Oumuamua Is an Alien Light Sail? (Space.Com)
Here's The Real Truth About That 'Election Day' Asteroid on Its Way to Earth (Science Alert)
Hangover Cure Successfully Tested on Drunk Subjects in Finland (Bloomberg)
Finnish Researchers Think They've Found a Real Hangover Cure (Food & Wine)
Disney+ Mouseketeer Special Full of Commercials From 1977 (Gizmodo)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 08/21 - Dinner Reservations That Require DNA Samples Aug 21, 2020

Show notes

The 3D-printed sushi restaurant that takes a DNA sample with your reservation. Why we may not remember much of our day-to-day lives during the pandemic. The return of mouse-sized elephants. And the emerging trend of drive-thru haunted houses.

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Links:

Tokyo Restaurant Offers 3D-Printed Sushi Tailored to Your Health Needs (My Modern Met)
SUSHI TELEPORTATION (Open Meals)
We won’t remember much of what we did in the pandemic (Financial Times)
Tiny elephant shrew species, missing for 50 years, rediscovered (The Guardian)
Search for Lost Species (Global Wildlife Conservation)
Kenya's Elephant Population Has Doubled Since 1980s (NPR)
Netflix's Stranger Things Gets a Drive-Thru Haunted House (io9)
Tokyo has a drive-in haunted house. And it's terrifying (CNN)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 08/20 - Zines & Floppy Disks: Making a 2020 Comeback? Aug 20, 2020

Show notes

Talking about lots of old media today. Vice wants to send you physical zines through USPS. It turns out a number of industries are still using floppy disks. A new online database fifty years in the making and created by Julia Child’s former neighbor. And some crop art celebrating Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

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Link:

Introducing The Mail, a Newsletter and Zine About the USPS (VICE)
Vice wants to send you print mail to help you understand the plight of the United States Postal Service (Nieman Lab)
Boeing 747s Still Use Floppy Disks to Get Software Updates (Gizmodo)
Why The Floppy Disk Is Still Used Today (Digital Trends)
A Database of 5,000 Historical Cookbooks Is Now Online, and You Can Help Improve It (Atlas Obscura)
thesifter.org
Kamala Harris crop art turns up near Lawrence (KMBC News)
Crop artist spells out 'Thank You' in Kansas field to honor essential workers (KAKE ABC)
EARTHWORK (Chris Ordal, Vimeo)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 08/19 - A US Unit of Measurement Is Being Retired & The Swiss Have Chocolate Snow Aug 19, 2020

Show notes

Did you know we have two different measurements for feet in the US? Like the twelve inches on a ruler. There are two different versions. But not for long. Some good news regarding the prospects for a COVID-19 vaccine. A new Girl Scout cookie and why the cookies seem to vary from state to state. And a Swiss town that got a very delicious surprise snowstorm last week.

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Links:

America Has Two Feet. It’s About to Lose One of Them (NY Times)
What the immune response to the coronavirus says about the prospects for a vaccine (Nature)
There's a new French toast–inspired Girl Scout cookie coming for 2021 (Good Morning America)
This Map of Girl Scout Cookies Differences Based on Location Is Crazy (Wide Open Eats)
Snowing cocoa? Chocolate factory glitch dusts Swiss town (AP)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 08/18 - The Lost Colony Was Never Lost Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

Debunking some misconceptions about women’s suffrage on the hundredth anniversary of American women gaining the right to vote. Busting the myth of the Lost Colony. Facebook and NYU are trying to make MRIs better for patients using artificial intelligence. And a website that will replicate the white noise of your office.

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