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Tue. 03/22 - Competitive Water Drinkers On YouTube: One of the Internet's Last Friendly Places? Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

Turns out humans have been cooking and enjoying carbs for much longer than we initially thought, and the experiments some archaeologists have been conducting to lend credence to their hypotheses are very cool. Plus, welcome to the weird and wonderful world of competitive water drinking on YouTube. And a startup that wants to make earth-bound deliveries by taking a shortcut through space.

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Links:

How ancient people fell in love with bread, beer and other carbs (Nature)
Ancient Ales (Dogfish Head Brewery)
Inside the Super Positive Community of Competitive YouTube Water Drinkers (Vice)
HydroHomies (Reddit)
This Stick Of Butter Is Left Out At Room Temperature; You Won't Believe What Happens Next (ClickHole, YouTube)
DAVID LYNCH THEATER (David Lynch, YouTube)
Dreaming of Suitcases in Space (NY Times)
A company is planning to give you orbital deliveries from outer space (Interesting Engineering)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 03/21 - Squid Tech to Prevent Human Sunburns Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

How to appear effortlessly charming to new people you meet. Plus, using squid technology to protect humans from the sun. And a new generation of search apps that search everything you touch on your devices.

Sponsors:

Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews
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Links:

The tricks to make yourself effortlessly charming (BBC)
How Squid Camouflage Could Help Prevent Skin Cancer in Humans (Northeastern University)
Squid camouflage-inspired sticker can tell when you've had too much sun (New Atlas)
L'Oreal's Ingenious Nail Art Detects Harmful UV Rays (Fast Company, 2018)
This new breed of unified search apps does what Google doesn't (Fast Company)
Heyday
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 03/18 - What Do We Lose By Keeping The Lights On? Mar 18, 2022

Show notes

Should we be making a greater effort to reduce light pollution? Plus, scientists are trying to use murder hornets’ own sexual behavior to eradicate them. And an app that will help you safely find and eat roadkill.

Sponsors:

DeVry University, Learn more at DeVry.edu/Future
Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance

Links:

The argument for switching off lights at night (BBC Future)
We don't need more sleep. We just need more darkness. (Washington Post)
The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light by Paul Bogard
Researchers Could Lure Murder Hornets to Their Deaths with Sex (Gizmodo)
It's a Trap: Murder Hornets' Own Sex Pheromones Could Be Their Downfall (CNET)
Road to table: Wyoming's got a new app for claiming roadkill (AP)
Want some roadkill to cook? There's an app for that. (Boing Boing)
Weezle
Wordle, 15 Million Tweets Later / Robert Lesser (Observable)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 03/17 - Why Are Movies So Long These Days? Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

Why have movies gotten so long recently? Plus, the startups working to develop lab-created chocolate. And a nightmarish creature from Texas to rival all the hype around those giant Joro spiders.

Sponsors:

Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance
DeVry University, Learn more at DeVry.edu/Engineering

Links:

Why Are Movies So Long Now? (Variety)
Silicon Valley Is Coming for Your Chocolate (The Atlantic)
Watch Dark Side of Chocolate (Slave Free Chocolate)
A look at the frightening Texas giant red-headed centipede (Yahoo)
Texas Centipedes: 3 Things You Probably Don't Want to Know (Texas Hill Country)
Killer Centipede | World's Deadliest (National Geographic)
NASA Preparing to Roll Out Its SLS Megarocket Later This Week (Gizmodo)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 03/16 - Permanent Daylight Saving Time? Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

How Prohibition was far more global and far more progressive than it’s often portrayed. And, is the United States about to stay in Daylight Saving Time forever?

Sponsors:

DeVry University, Learn more at DeVry.edu/Future
Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance

Links:

Myth Vs. Fact: Daylight Saving Time and Farming (AgAmerica)
The Senate unanimously agreed to make daylight saving time permanent. (Slate)
The Senate just voted to make daylight saving time permanent. Good. (Vox)
The Real History of Prohibition Is Global (The Atlantic)
Abolition, Women's Rights, and Temperance Movements (National Parks Service)
The Forgotten History of Black Prohibitionism (Politico)
Watch Prohibition | Ken Burns (PBS)
How You Know You're Drinking A Great Prohibition-Era Cocktail (Thrillist)
February episode on Prohibition-era "wine bricks" (Kottke Ride Home)
Last year's Daylight Saving & St. Patrick's Day segments (Kottke Ride Home)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 03/15 - Solar Storms & Subvariants, But It's All Fine Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

Subvariants, spikes, and sewers. A few indicators remind us that we’re not quite out of the woods yet when it comes to COVID. Plus, a new method that shows how any person can be trained to harness the creativity inside of themselves. And what it means that the sun is getting more and more active.

Sponsors:

Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance
DeVry University, Learn more at DeVry.edu/Engineering

Links:

U.S. Sewer Data Warns of a New Bump in Covid Cases After Lull (Bloomberg)
Is omicron subvariant BA.2 to blame for rising Covid cases? (CNBC)
People, Not Science, Decide When a Pandemic Is Over (Scientific American)
Anyone can be trained to be creative: New program shows early success with US Army, others (ScienceDaily)
Officials Confirm Several Geomagnetic Storms Are Hitting Earth This Week (Science Alert)
Why are we seeing more northern lights this year? (The Conversation)
Sofiane Pamart live under the Northern Lights, in Lapland, Finland for Cercle (Cercle, YouTube)
Netflix drops trailer for Barack Obama's national parks documentary series (Mashable)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 03/14 - Why COVID Causes Loss of Smell and How To (Maybe) Get It Back Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

How many digits of pi is the right amount to use? Plus, what actually causes people to lose their sense of smell when they get COVID? And how can you work to recover yours if you lost it? And, Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson is going to space.

Sponsors:

DeVry University, Learn more at DeVry.edu/Future
Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance

Links:

Vsauce short explaining Not A Wake (Vsauce, Twitter)
Not a Wake: A Dream Embodying (Pi)'s Digits Fully for 10000 Decimals by Michael Keith
How Much Pi Do You Really Need? (Wired)
20 Best Pi Day 2022 Deals and Freebies on Pizza, Pies and More (Good Housekeeping)
How the Coronavirus Steals the Sense of Smell (NY Times)
Covid Stole Your Sense of Smell? Try Physical Therapy for Your Nose. (NY Times)
Pete Davidson will go to space on Blue Origin’s 4th human flight (CNBC)
SNL star Pete Davidson is heading to space with crew of five on next Blue Origin flight (The Verge)
24 Years (Kottke.org)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 03/11 - Abe Lincoln: Telegraph Influencer Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

Abraham Lincoln was a telegraph power-user, and the one thousand telegrams he sent during his presidency might have helped the US win the Civil War. Plus, an app that can diagnose rare diseases just by scanning a child’s face. And, ten thousand people in New Orleans were without power for hours due to a surprising, but it turns out not uncommon, cause.

Sponsors:

Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews
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Links:

How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Help Win the Civil War (History)
Hank Green on Inspiring Curiosity (Offline with Jon Favreau)
This App Can Diagnose Rare Diseases From a Child's Face (Wired)
A Bird Is Blamed as 10,000 Lose Power in New Orleans (NY Times)
Bird causes 10,000 people to lose power in New Orleans (A/V Club)
Just Say No to CBDCs (The Upheaval)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 03/10 - We Need To Talk About The Spiders Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

The giant yellow spiders set to invade the eastern seaboard of North America are… not as scary as the internet is making them seem. Plus, the Smithsonian is returning a number of artworks to Nigeria. And President Biden is considering a digital currency for the US.

Sponsors:

Novo, Sign up for a free business checking account and get access to over $5,000 in perks and discounts at novo.co/kottke
Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews

Links:

Joro spiders likely to spread beyond Georgia (University of Georgia)
The joro spider is an invasive species, but you don't need to fear the invasion (NBC News)
Thread from a science communicator on Joro spiders (ScienTEAific, Twitter)
Jokes about Axios' fearmongering of Joro spiders (Katie Bowers, Twitter)
Giant Joro spiders expected to drop from sky across the East Coast this spring (Axios)
Huge invasive spiders native to Asia expected to spread along US east coast (The Guardian)
Smithsonian to give back its entire collection of Benin bronzes (Washington Post)
In a Landmark Move, the Smithsonian Will Return Benin Bronzes in Its Collection to Nigeria (ArtNet)
Biden considers digital dollar—here's how it could differ from regular money (Ars Technica)
Tue. 02/08 - Wine Bricks To The Rescue + Decoding Dickens & Digital Dollars (Kottke Ride Home)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 03/09 - Why Has "Z" Become a Pro-War Symbol? Mar 09, 2022

Show notes

One of the most famous shipwrecks has finally been discovered at the bottom of a sea in Antarctica. Plus, why the letter “Z” has become a Russian pro-war symbol. And, post-punk Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Sponsors:

Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews
Novo, Sign up for a free business checking account and get access to over $5,000 in perks and discounts at novo.co/kottke

Links:

At the Bottom of an Icy Sea, One of History's Great Wrecks Is Found (NY Times)
Endurance: 'Finest wooden shipwreck I've ever seen' (BBC)
Endurance: Shackleton's lost ship is found in Antarctic (BBC)
Shackleton's lost shipwreck discovered off Antarctica (Phys.Org)
Ernest Shackleton's Ship Found After 106 Years (Kottke.Org)
Ukraine war: Why has 'Z' become a Russian pro-war symbol? (BBC)
Why has the letter Z become the symbol of war for Russia? (The Guardian)
Alvin & the Chipmunks tweet (Jeff Blehar, Twitter)
Chipmunks On 16 Speed - Sludgefest (Full Album) (LunarOrbit, YouTube)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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