February 23
Oak Origins: From Acorns to Species and the Tree of Life
Oak trees are some of the most important trees in the world. Watch as Dr. Andrew Hipp discusses his Oak research. Besides being the backbone of many of our forests, they also support as stunning array of insect life, animal and fungal life, and have also been key to humans since time began. There are a lot of oak species in North America. Some of them are among the oldest living things on the planet. [more inside]
You do tend to turn into your parents as you age
Some people want to log on to find a job. Some want to find new clients. Some want to hire someone. Some want to sarcastically comment on a coworker’s promotion. Some want to snoop on their colleagues. Some just want to play “Queens” for 10 minutes on their lunch break. I have even been asked by friends to look people up on the platform before they go on a date, to see what their potential Romeo or Juliet does for a living. But if weird is the first accusation that springs to mind for a social platform, Microsoft execs probably won’t mind too much as they count the $16 billion a year in revenue that the platform brings in. from LinkedIn is a weird, workaholic wasteland — and a total gold mine for Microsoft [Sherwood] [more inside]
“We're going to take a sauna, sauna”
Though Melodifestivalen 2025, the six week qualifying competition to determine Sweden's Eurovision entry, is not yet over, one particular song and performance has caught attention: Bada bara bastu, by the Finnish collective KAJ. KAJ qualified from their heat for the Melodifestivalen final on 8th March. r/Finland: Their techno-style humor music is based on the Vöyri dialect of Finland-Swedish, which is difficult to understand even for most Swedish speakers. yle.fi: KAJ, often described as a comedy band, consists of Jakob Norrgård, Axel Åhman and Kevin Holmström.
The Odeillo solar furnace is the world's largest solar furnace
Many small mirrors reflect light to a giant mirror wedged into the side of an office block, and back to a target which gets to over 3000c. Even before the oil crises of the 1970s drove additional funding to R&D in renewable energy, a French research programme led by Prof. Felix Trombe was investigating the potential for energy from the sun. The furnace consists of 63 heliostats which track the course of the Pyrenean sun, reflecting it against a giant solar dish built into the side of an office block. The dish reflects the light to a point which can achieve 2500-3500c. Nice pics here. You can get a better idea of the layout from this 2 min YT video. [more inside]
Helen Nearing's "Simple cooking for the Good Life"
"Helen Nearing felt that she should be the last person on earth to write a cookbook, but she also felt intrigued. 'I am a library inebriate,' she said. 'I began spending long hours in the rare book room of the New York Public Library every time Scott and I were in New York. I made my way through the introductions of 14,000 old cookbooks to discover if I had anything new to say.' (Since she was strictly a salad and potatoes woman, few of the recipes interested her.) She decided that she did, and the goal of Simple Food for the Good Life became 'to simplify cooking to such a point that it would take less time to prepare a meal than to eat it'." [more inside]
I thought of my marriage as something beyond understanding
“What does one say about a poet who, having left his wife and daughter for another marriage, then titles a book with their names, and goes on to appropriate his ex-wife’s letters written under stress and pain of desertion, into a book of poems nominally addressed to his new wife?” Rich wrote in The American Poetry Review, before revealing she had a suggestion of her own: “I have to say that I think this is bullshit eloquence.” from How Do You Faithfully Tell the Story of a Divorce, Including Your Own? [The Walrus]
February 22
Whale songs follow a lot of the same rules as human language
Whale songs follow a lot of the same rules as human language. Scientists have discovered that human language and whale songs have remarkable similarities in the way they are segmented and structured.
Federal prosecutor threatens california congressman for criticizing Elon
George Lynch
It means 'singing'.
In further entries for Eurovision Song contest #69 (previously Finland and Estonia), Malta is represented by Miriana conte, singing the song “Kant”. Radio Times: Kant, which translates to 'singing' in English, sees Miriana sing: "Serving kant... Do-re-mi-fa-s-s-serving kant." Eurovoix: “Kant” has drawn significant attention for its chorus, in which the singer proclaims that they are “serving Kant”. Kant is a Maltese word meaning ‘singing’, but its similarity to an expletive in the English language had led many to speculate that it could be banned at Eurovision. The EBU, which coordinates the Eurovision Song contest, appears to have approved the lyrics as they are. [Lyrics]
“literally no way this is real”
I sat down and spoke with Evie about curation, digital ephemera, archives, and how tvwishes guides her own art practice. I also asked Evie to share some of her Flickr favorites for this interview. from ༘₊ ⊹ ☘︎ Interview » tvwishes ☁︎ ⊹₊
We're wrong about emotional labour
Emotional labour is revisited by the You're Wrong About podcast - and MetaFilter gets some of the credit? blame? for the scope creep of the phrase due to the apparently still almost famous enough Emotional Labour Thread (around minute 31). [more inside]
Thie world's richest man fakes his skills at a computer game
The world's richest man played a computer game, and as other gamers watched him livestream his game, they start realizing he knows nothing about it, even though his character is one of the best in a game that is incredibly hard to play. [more inside]
How you can be active in politics, protest and resistance.
To counteract the daily litany of shock and awe and in anticipation of the People’s Union Economic Blackout next Friday, Feb. 28th (also in response to this Meta suggestion)… here’s information that you can use to participate in the process, protest or find other ways to make a difference. This is primarily for US Progressives who are feeling helpless, depressed and angry right now. [more inside]
Napping on the job is frowned upon.
Poppy explores the simple math of fractions until her guest’s perception of reality begins to shatter. Improbably Poppy | Episode 2: Education [more inside]
Fiona Apple, singer
Fiona Apple in the recording studio, stealing The Waterboys' "The Whole of the Moon" like a master thief. [more inside]
Sí, se puede
AOc's Speech at NY Rally with Federal Workers - "Make them assert their authority. Ask them: Who are you? Who are you. Because at the end of the day, they're no one. They're just like you, and they're just like me, and he's running around cuz he thinks he's got a bank account with a lot of zeros in it that it makes him some kind of supercitizen. I don't think so. This is America." [more inside]
Russian disinfo isn't only online
Vandals-for-hire are becoming key to Russia's disinformation war. Russia is recruiting low-budget saboteurs to carry out vandalism across Europe to stoke division in an attempt to destabilise the West, using an army of online bots to spread their messages. Ahead of the European elections and the 2024 Paris Olympics, it was believed to be behind multiple incidents of hybrid warfare in France. Now Germany is being targeted in order to stir hatred of the pro-Ukraine Greens party and hurt their election chances in the final weeks of the election campaign.
A society that has confused material enterprise with moral achievement
Gatsby’s original audience had good reasons to see in it only a hyper-local novel about a small segment of New York society at a specific moment. They lacked distance, recognising all too clearly its familiar details. One critic wrote that it “is not necessarily a novel of wide appeal… I don’t even know whether it is fully intelligible to anyone who has not had glimpses of the kind of life it depicts.” Its particularity made it seem impossible for universal meanings to emerge. But we should pause before congratulating ourselves on our discernment, for if our distance from the reality behind the novel makes it easier for us to see its artistry, it has equally led to widespread misreadings of its realistic details. from How we misread The Great Gatsby [The New Statesman; ungated]
February 21
This Post Kills Fascists
Wanted to share some Woody Guthrie covers for several different songs: Starting with"Fascists Bound to Lose" by Billy Bragg and Wilco. [more inside]
Fly larvae happy to munch on winery waste to make fertiliser
Fly larvae happy to munch on winery waste to make fertiliser. Two different agricultural enterprises have come together to tackle Australia's food waste challenge in an unexpected way — using the humble fly.
Hot Sauces of the World
Gift thinking is a muscle that atrophies without exercise
Feeling heartbroken by the greed and selfishness in our world? Though the systems we live in prioritize profits, we can choose giving and generosity as an antidote to fear and isolation - looking for the helpers and becoming them ourselves. [more inside]
The food so good, I got to share
keep hitting Reply All or the virus can infect your computers
I typed these easily: í â © ™ å č ə ff ĸ ° ™ ß ŭ × ⓞ ¡
A secret move some Linux and Unix users know is that typing special characters needn't be a chore involving Alt codes or a character map application. You go into keyboard settings (on KDE go under Keyboard then Key Bindings; on Gnome you'll have to install Tweaks) and pick a key to be the compose key (I suggest caps Lock). Then press it, then a symbol (like apostrophe), then a character to combine it with (like e), and what you end up with is the characters combined if possible: é. Or... (see inside) On macOS, enabling the compose key is hard (try this). On Windows, you can install Wincompose. Jason Lefkowitz wrote a great introduction to the compose key in 2015. This old page hosted in Dartmouth's webspace gives a number of sequences to try. [more inside]
“And to that, I scream out loud, 'I'm coming'”
[Mod note added: content Warning for flashing/strobing lights in the video.]
An early favourite for this year's Eurovision Song contest is the entry from Finland: Ich komme, by Erika Vikman. Wikipedia: The lyrics reflect "the joyous message of pleasure, ecstasy and a state of trance" and sexual pleasure and reaching the climax, reflected in its structure, which corresponds to the way a sexual climax is reached. Eurovision World: Erika herself says about her song for Eurovision: “In this song you take control. Everything related to your sexuality is in your own hands. Pleasure should not be taboo.” Lyrics.
a conspiracy of evil nerds
'What if I were to tell you about an obscure clique of consultants that concoct dubious economic analysis to convince regulators to side with corporations, enabling a massive rip-off of ordinary Americans? I think your curious, cautious response might be, “You’re going to have to be more specific.” OK, so this obscure clique has a name. They’re called the Society of Utility and Regulatory Financial Analysts, or SURFA. And they are a large part of the reason why you’re paying way too much for electricity.' The Secret Society Raising Your Electricity Bills.
Samuel Roth
"Though frequently remembered as a pornographer, Roth importantly shaped the Modernist movement by compelling many of its key players to think more seriously about issues of censorship, artistic freedom, and literature’s relationship to the law. Roth dedicated the first issue of Two Worlds Monthly to Joyce, “who will probably plead the cause of our time at the bar of posterity.” And indeed, Ulysses has become a testimony to the great experimental achievements of Modernism. In publishing Two Worlds Monthly, Roth hoped to carve out a sphere in which these daring Modernist authors could exercise creative freedom, particularly in scandalous yet realistic portrayals of human sexuality." [more inside]
Tassie devil trapped by mistake released into the wild
Tassie devil trapped by mistake released into the wild. Wildlife researchers say they have never come across a male Tasmanian devil with such markings. A Tasmanian devil with highly uncommon markings has been spotted after it mistakenly wandered into a private landowner's trap. Due to its unusual appearance, the devil was taken to a wildlife park on Tasmania's east coast and checked for signs of ill health. The adolescent devil has been released at a secret location, to minimise the risk of illegal wildlife traders finding it. (Australia)
User-centered design: Why we're looking for a few users to test a form
The MetaFilter Moderation Oversight committee is looking for a few interviewees to test out our intake form. Please consider signing up! This process is a part of user-centred design, which has been around for a long time. But in the age of AI, human-centred design may be more important than ever. [more inside]
A change is gonna come
60 years a martyr: on this day in 1965 cE, Malcolm X was shot by assassins. On February 21, 1965, two men shot El Hajj Malik El Shabbaz (Malcolm X) in New York city. [more inside]
“He wanted to keep his barge a surprise"
What distinguished Landi from a run-of-the-mill fraudster, though, was the outlandishness of his maneuvers, which exploited every loophole the globe had to offer. Landi was a libertarian who sought freedom from meddling governments and their cumbersome regulations, but in a select few nations, he found willing accomplices. Landi hid money in Switzerland, skated around extradition treaties while living comfortably in Dubai, registered companies in bespoke tax-free zones, procured diplomatic credentials from Liberia, dabbled in crypto and, finally, took to the sea, where there was no one to tell him what to do. from The Man Who Got Away [New York Times; ungated]
February 20
cANADA FUcKING WON
canada wins the 4 Nations Face-Off final after connor McDavid scores in overtime.. Trump's teams keep losing.
The Savage Adventures of Flaming carrot, The Strangest Man Alive
"One of the sources of richness within the medium [of comics] has long been the play between creators who favor naturalism versus absurdity. coming down squarely in the latter camp is Bob Burden who dreamt up one of the most surreal series in comics’ history: Flaming carrot comics." [more inside]
The first kangaroo embryo has been produced through IVF
The first kangaroo embryo has been produced through IVF. An IVF breakthrough could prove crucial for some of Australia's most iconic species.
The Sign Stands in Rigid Silence
ARE YOU IN THE MOOD FOR SNAKE
In a time of absurdity, sometimes you need a comic that is slightly more absurd than life. You should read the words surrounding the drawings of Rory Blank. His website is called King of Blood and even though I have been scrolling a while I have not yet found said King (just a mind wizard).
“No stresso, no stresso, no need to be depresso”
As various countries announce their entrants for the 2025 Eurovision Song contest, there is controversy over Estonia's entry by Tommy cash (also known as Kayne East, real name Tomas Tammemets). “Espresso Macchiato” (live performance, lyrics) won the qualifying Eesti Laul with 83% of the final round vote. The song is sung in an interesting linguistic manner, while Mr cash drinks an Espresso Macchiato. The Estonian rapper is well-known for ... unusual ... music videos including Sdubid, Racked, X-ray, Leave Me Alone, and Surf.
It doesn't all have to be doom and gloom
We have demonstrated that, as is common in sustainability, appealingly simple narratives give way to complexity when you scratch the surface. Online energy consumption is full of trade-offs, and there are rarely one-size-fits all solutions. Interventions that reduce energy in one scenario may not be effective in another. from Does what you scroll burn coal? [BBc]
They are coming to take me away to the funny farm
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is finally in a position to implement his dream goal of sending millions of Americans to "wellness farms". [more inside]
Project 2025 Tracker
The Project 2025 Tracker is a straightforward presentation of America's descent into regressive authoritarianism.
The Peter Brötzmann Octet's "Machine Gun"
"This historic free jazz album is a heavy-impact sonic assault so aggressive it still knocks listeners back on their heels decades later. Recorded in May 1968, Machine Gun captures some top European improvisers at the beginning of their influential careers, and is regarded by some as the first European — not just German or British — jazz recording. Originally self-released by Peter Brötzmann, the album eventually came out on the FMP label, and set a new high-water mark for free jazz and 'energy music' that few have approached since." - AllMusic [more inside]
Tired of losing
New koala sanctuary plan for Kangaroo Island
New koala sanctuary plan for Kangaroo Island. A sanctuary for up to 1000 koalas and other wildlife is to be established on Kangaroo Island (Australia) with the hope it will bring tourism and education opportunities while protecting the valuable population of marsupials.
jedi
justice dismantles barriers to resources and opportunities in society so that all individuals and communities can live a full and dignified life [b-lab] [more inside]
🤘🤘 #17 the most random number 🤘🤘
Your (not really) weekly dose of Female Fronted Metal:
Nemophila - Just Do It! Total banger. [more inside]
Like Midjourney but for new species
Have you been looking for an AI Text-To-Genome-Sequence DNA generator? I got U! Arc Institute is dropping a new AI model trained on over 100.000 species. They claim it can "identify patterns in gene sequences across disparate organisms that experimental researchers would need years to uncover".
The Ideal candidate Will Be Punched In the Stomach
February 19
Time is running out to find out what happened in those early days
I spent the past 10 months traveling the country interviewing my father and other people he worked with who built the first internet, sent some of the first messages, and conceived of the precursors to wireless to collect their stories before it’s too late. I learned about the battles for credit that some founders have even waged on their deathbeds, explored whether the French actually deserve more credit for the internet, and studied how much some founding fathers foresaw the consequences of their early inventions. from computer Freaks: The untold history of how the internet almost didn’t happen. [Inc., some text and podcast]