Born in a Toyota laboratory in 1994, these fancy barcodes are now officially everywhere. In 2013 I told a manufacturer that their idea of putting QR codes on their products was dumb because almost nobody had readers. I reversed course in […]
“The iconic Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico is to be dismantled, officials announce.” | learn more
Some of my highlights: vodka made from thin air, a biodegradable grill, a handsfree toothbrush and microbial biofertilizer. Another fun fact: I recently read Time’s creators originally wanted to call it Facts but they concluded the definition of facts was too hard to pin down. | learn more
“On American streets, the [30 year mortgage] is everywhere. It makes up around 80% of an $11.3 trillion mortgage market. Yet, with the exception of Denmark, it doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. Even baseball exists in more countries.” | learn […]
A very intriguing primer on how to conduct war in space. “Scenes from Star Wars, books, and TV shows portray a world very different from what we are likely to see in the next 50 years, if ever, given the […]
“A thing I think about a lot is that in 1980, Chuck E. Cheese sued Showbiz Pizza for ripping off their concept and won, and then in 1984 Chuck E. Cheese went bankrupt so Showbiz Pizza bought the company, and […]
These researchers did a genetic analysis of 1,387 Europeans and plotted them on a chart that looks a lot like a map of Europe. If anyone can explain Principal Component Analysis of genomes to me, I’d be eager to listen. | learn […]
Someone suggested I check out the state constitution for some fun reading. Did not disappoint. “RELIGIOUS TESTS. No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be […]
I played Oregon Trail in my browser this weekend. Despite starting as a wealthy banker from Boston, I lost most of my family to Cholera along the way. Next, I’d like to revisit Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, […]
“The hedonometer is based on people’s online expressions, capitalizing on data-rich social media, and measures how people present themselves to the outside world.” | learn more