Barbed wire fence telephone networks. If you didn’t know that you could wire a phone to a barbed wire fence to call a few miles away to the neighboring farm, then you are not alone. “the barbed wire networks had […]
A field guide to historic phone tech. I had Claude put this together for me after learning about the above barbed wire fence phone networks. Not bad! ~ learn more
One space billionaire is trolling another on X. “The company’s coat of arms prominently features two turtles, a reference to one of Aesop’s Fables, ‘The Tortoise and the Hare,’ in which the slow and steady tortoise wins the race over […]
Escape the tip screen. “You’re now asked to tip at airports, stadiums, and self-checkouts.” A tiny browser game about the modern tip prompt creeping into everything. ~ learn more
I went to all the bakeries in Zürich to find the best croissant. Sometimes the work of a food photographer seems very rewarding. “Every bakery has its own way, recipe and it’s own handwriting.” ~ learn more
How to boost physical performance in the moment. The study found that cursing can act as a simple tool to enhance performance by lowering internal restraints and encouraging action. It’s like the opposite of subconscious self-restraint after an injury. ~ […]
Ancient Prototaxites kicked out of fungus kingdom. In recent research, the ancient Prototaxites isn’t fitting into any known groups. “We therefore conclude that Prototaxites was not a fungus, and instead propose it is best assigned to a now entirely extinct […]
The Glad Game. I recently learned that the word pollyanna comes from a book about a girl named Pollyanna. She plays the Glad Game. “The game consists of finding something to be glad about in every situation, no matter how […]
Why do we eat bacon for breakfast? “4,500 physicians urge Americans to eat heavy breakfasts to improve their health.” Edward Bernays orchestrated a clever PR campaign in the 1920s, leveraging trusted doctors to change breakfast habits in America and boost […]
Meet the chaotic Gas Town. This is an insane version of computer programming. “Gas Town is complicated. Not because I wanted it to be, but because I had to keep adding components until it was a self-sustaining machine.” This ambitious […]