~metafilter | Bookmarks (937)

Several ancient epics would be a lot shorter if all it took to reconcile the feuding brothers was a reminder of their shared lineage. Unfortunately, our origin stories don't tell us how to resolve any particular ethical dispute. The essence of such disputes, as with the fratricidal wars of the ancients, is that they are between factions who share the same psychology, the same...

NUTMEG: The Horrible History Behind The Popular Spice is a great documentary about a holiday staple. Travel along with Jared Rydelek to the long-secret origin of Myristica fragrans, with many stops along the way. Touching on colonialism, displacement, cultural preservation, culinary innovation, medical history, and much more, this nearly two hour long video will inevitably show you something you didn't know about before, and...

During the Cold War, Air Force Col. Harry Shoup was one of the commanders in charge of an early warning radar system based in Colorado. It had been set up to detect a possible soviet missile attack on the United States. In this animated conversation from our colleagues at StoryCorps, three of Shoup's children recall a surprising phone call their dad received back in...

War Book is nothing but people talking. And it is riveting. It is terrifying. - MaryAnn Johnson*You can watch it here.

What ACTUALLY Happened to the Rudolph Puppets? - The Bizarre History Behind the Animagic Swamp Jawn is a favorite on Fanfare for his entertainingly insightful breakdowns of animated shows (especially his episode-by-episode look at Delicious in Dungeon.)

Southern right whales can live up to 150 years, but others aren't so lucky. At opposite ends of the planet, a tale of two whale species has emerged — giving researchers hope and concern in equal measure.

On December 10th 1624, the population around Utrecht faced a crisis: rebuild the dike along the Lek river, or forever return the city and countryside to the bog it was before. The choice was obvious but the method of paying such expenses was not. While Lekdijk Bovendams (a water board, itself chartered 1323) had levy powers, it did not have cash on hand for...

The Gaetz ethics report is out. According to a 42-page report by the House Ethics Committee, the former congressman and Trump's former pick for attorney general regularly paid for sex, possessed illegal drugs, violated the house gift rule, dispensed privileges to a sexual partner, obstructed the investigation, and violated Florida state laws by committing statutory rape of a 17-year-old.You can read the full report.

In this new Era of Good Feelings—to borrow a phrase from early-19th-century American history—skeptics have become believers, and a digital-economic instrument that was designed to circumvent, if not replace, the traditional financial system is becoming more and more integrated into it. from The Hysterical Crypto Bubble Somehow Became Respectable [The Atlantic; ungated]

Eight Months Inside New York's Migrant Shelters: Fear, Joy and Hope. (SLNYT - photoessay) "...many inside the shelters are filled with gratitude for a city that has given them shelter, a bedside table, a bare cot. And they are determined to get out, to become self-sufficient and to contribute to the country they escaped to. What comes next, for them and the city, is...

A surprisingly emotional, soulful and wholesome journalistic profile of the then-17-year-old kid whose photo captioned "I had to do it to em" became one of the weirdest viral memes ever. Ten years later, in his first interview ever, Lachborne "Lucky" Bachkhaz returns to the Florida sidewalk where it all started (and where fans still show up, neighbors said), creating a bittersweet and nostalgic moment....

Please enjoy the soothing precision of the Top 100 Woodworking Tools Hacks from Yasuhiro TV.Pleasantly, you can download plans in metric or imperial for all of them in the comments below the video.

Edward Dahlberg — for I've finally begun to read him — was a genius, sure. Having penetrated the haze of remorse around his career, I've joined the tinny chorus: Because I Was Flesh, his memoir of Kansas City childhood and orphanhood, but most of all a portrait of his disreputable, unbearable, and resolutely life-embracing mother, is a great book. Great in the saddest and...

Chinese feminist comedy "Her Story" is on course for US, international release. It's a smash hit in China, drawing comparisons to Barbie, but some men are not amused. Trailer (with English subtitles).

If you only have time for one more video of a duck swimming in white water rapids, might I suggest Torrent Duck? via

"From the excitement of the Nacelleverse (see: RoboForce's Detonator above) to Hatsune Miku, Mötley Crüe, Voltron, and Stumble Guys, there is something for every kid and collector to love" Though not generally (ahem) an action figure collector at this point in life, I think it's fun to see all the boutique, unusual, retro, and non-franchise figures that online retail makes possible these days.

Biden commutes most federal death sentences (WaPo), ahead of Trump's plan to resume federal executions (NYT) (WH statement, fact sheet)Biden did not commute the sentences of three men who were involved in cases of terrorism or hate-fueled mass murder, including Robert Bowers, convicted for the 2018 mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue; Dylann Roof, convicted for the 2015 mass shooting at a Black church...

Dark romance explores the murky areas of love and desire, often characterised by fraught power dynamics and implicit or explicit violence between protagonists. Yet, these stories typically have a positive, albeit complicated, conclusion. from Reading dark romance: The ambiguities of a fascinating genre [The Conversation]

The penultimate #FreeThread of 2024. Following last week's breakfast post by DirtyOldTown, what are you having for dinner on Christmas Day or what is your regular or go-to dinner? Lamb? Crispy turkey? Soup? A home-made curry? A Chreaster (combined Christmas and Easter) egg? Chocolate? A turkey-sized IKEA meatball? Something from the air fryer? Pizza? A bargain with a yellow sticker? Perhaps a scone or...

In this village of tiny homes, young people find their independence. A once-empty suburban lot in Adelaide has been transformed into a village of tiny homes to support young people transitioning out of the child and family protection system.

He didn't tell people how to pronounce his surname, so he could study how people said it. I'm having trouble putting words together here, because Labov was one of my science heroes, so here are some cool things he did: Studied how social class affects pronunciation by going into a bunch of department stores in New York and observing how the staff said "fourth...

A short twenty years after GIMP 2, there is now GIMP 3."A Brief (and Ancient) History of GIMP" Historical GIMP logos

Squirrels Are Displaying 'Widespread Carnivorous Behavior' for the First Time in a California Park. The familiar rodents, known for eating nuts and seeds, have been spotted hunting, killing and consuming voles. Scientists say it might signal resiliency in face of future environmental pressures"This was shocking," study lead author Jennifer E. Smith, a professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, says in a...