You should read this for 10/11/2019:
Art and Film
Star Trek: Picard Trailer I am ridiculously hopeful about this new CBS All Access series starting January 23, 2020, riffing off of Star Trek: Next Generation and starring Patrick Stewart.
Books, Writing, and Language
Publishers’ e-book restrictions and pricing hurt library users in Seattle, King County and beyond
On Nov. 1, Macmillan Publishing, one of the country’s biggest publishers, is launching a library e-book embargo, meaning that for the first eight weeks after publication, public libraries — no matter their size — may purchase just one copy of a new e-book.
The Secret to Shopping in Used Bookstores “I’ve learned to treat a visit to a used bookstore less like a treasure hunt and more like a nature walk, with plenty of chances to enjoy myself along the way.”
The radical power of “Jane Eyre,” according to 57 translations from across the world
Food and Drink
The Manhattan “A classic Manhattan—made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters—is rich, warming, slightly sweet. It’s a great cocktail to sip on as the weather cools down.”
BUtternut Squash Soup “This butternut squash soup has a secret ingredient—a tart green apple. It adds just the right balance for the squash. Ready in an hour and freezes well.”
History and Archaeology
Inscription Reveals Final Years of Life in Pompeii Before the City Was Buried in Ash
The inscription describes a massive coming-of-age party for a wealthy young man. who reaches the age of an adult citizen. According to the inscription, he threw a massive party that included a banquet serving 6,840 people and a show in which 416 gladiators fought over several days.
Archaeologists explore Shakespearean-era Whitechapel playhouse site ‘The Boar’s Head was converted from an inn to a playhouse in 1598, but there are references to open air performances on the site as early as 1557.”
Science and Nature
NASA’s scheme to resurrect the drill on its Mars probe
NASA blasted the InSight lander to Mars with the aim of drilling some 16 feet into the Martian ground.
But the drill, also called the “mole” or “self-hammering heat probe,” only burrowed 14 inches into the soil before getting stuck. The space agency hasn’t been able to move the heat-detecting probe since February.
But NASA has a plan. And the people behind that plan appear confident.
Via BoingBoing: Studies suggest dyslexia could be caused by having less brain plasticity
Two studies point to diminished brain plasticity — the ability to adapt thinking and memory to new information — as the cause behind dyslexia. People with dyslexia appear to have less brain plasticity than average, according to the studies, which were conducted at Hebrew University of Israel and MIT.
Meh. Color me unconvinced.
Society
My land of make believe: life after The Sims
“Feeling increasingly anxious and lost, Liv Siddall found herself retreating to the comfort and security of video games – often playing for hours at a time. Here, she reveals how she finally escaped back to reality”
A Baby Step in the Marathonic Journey of Mental Wellness
Cancel Billionaires
A growing body of economic and political-science research demonstrates that Gilded Age–type inequality does not just mean having too many with too little. It is warping the very social fabric of the country, stifling mobility, innovation, investment, and growth, and putting the country at political risk.
Revealed: the 20 firms behind a third of all carbon emissions “New data shows how fossil fuel companies have driven climate crisis despite industry knowing dangers”
Saudi Aramco 59.26
Chevron 43.35
Gazprom 43.23
ExxonMobil 41.90
National Iranian Oil Co 35.66
BP 34.02
Royal Dutch Shell 31.95
We no longer share a common lived experience<
But it is hard to see how we can bring about enduring improvement in the nation’s condition without addressing the needs of the tens of millions of Americans who live in places that are failing to catch up with the rest of our country.
Technology
Google finally gives Reader the respect it deserves with an actual gravestone
Google Reader has been dead for over six years, and the internet hasn’t been the same since. I still haven’t found a replacement that I enjoy quite as much as my memories of Reader, and I mourn its death every day. But now, we may finally have a place where we can pay respects to the beloved RSS app.
Via Om Malik:
Social Media, Propaganda and War
Women’s Work
On a psychological level, criticism can sting even when you expect it. But it’s far more upsetting when the criticism seems to come out of left field—and because women face social pressure to come across as sensitive and undemanding, a stern word or two from a female boss can provoke a disproportionately big reaction
While both men and women bristled at the criticism from female bosses, there was at least one key difference between workers of different genders: Men also demonstrated a tendency to dismiss the validity of criticism from women, judging their feedback as less accurate. “By contrast, female workers’ perception of feedback does not vary by manager gender,” Abel finds.
I was harassed at an In-N-Out bathroom for being a black trans woman
💩🔥💰 Trumpery 💩🔥💰
The GOP will follow Trump anywhere — except out of a foreign war
Trump splits Republican voters as friends and family clash: ‘We don’t speak’
“Behind the scenes they know who they’re going to vote for but people don’t want to say that they’re for Trump. They’re embarrassed to.”
Via the BBC: Viewpoint: White House letter is self-inflicted wound “An eight-page letter from White House lawyers to Democratic leaders in the House decries the impeachment inquiry as “baseless” and “constitutionally invalid”. They don’t have a case, says legal scholar Jonathan Turley.”
Yet the constitution does not expressly require anything other than a vote of the House on impeachment itself and a majority threshold for any referral of the matter to the Senate for trial.
This is a constitutional function of the highest order for Congress. There is a legitimate basis for congressional investigation under both its oversight and impeachment authority.
If proven, these allegations of self-dealing could be a basis for articles of impeachment.
Via NPR: How Former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch Became a Target in Ukraine
Yovanovitch focused on understanding and promoting civil society — journalists, activists and citizens’ groups whose work is considered vital to democracy.
Pay It Forward and Make It Better
Rick Steves is putting a $1 million “self-imposed carbon tax” on his travel company
Thieves apologize profusely and return stolen Indigenous artwork
