Can A Robot Nose Smell Lab-Grown Coffee?
3D Printed Guns, and The Weird True Story of Couchsurfing.org
Hello! Thanks for reading, yet again.
Aesthetics
Solarpunk
A Plan to Slow the Creep of the Sahara—by Planting Gardens | WIRED
Interesting note on continued geological maintenance of Earth: it requires buy-in from individuals who have their own needs.
A Massive Crocheted Canopy Provides Shade for a Shopping District in Malaga
Lovely repurposing of existing technology for pedestrian pleasure.
Photography
2021 Photomicrography Competition | Nikon’s Small World
Tiny things make great photos! Above: 7th place, “Head of a tick”
Finalists in the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
I appreciate this “comedy wildlife photography” concept as it puts a different spin on pictures of animals. I’m linking to Kottke’s summary, including the best photos, IMO.
Enjoy a different perspective with some great drone shots. This photo is “Galaxy Flamingos”
Technology
In Finland, scientists are growing coffee in bioreactors
Coffee, as a crop, is in a tough spot. It’s all the same plant so if a bug were to come along, that could spell the end of readily available fresh beans! The sensible next step is lab-grown coffee, and that’s what these folks are working on.
MIT's robotic nose can detect first sign of disease
Robot noses in the news, yet again!
3D Printing
Ghost Guns: I 3D-Printed a Glock to See How Far Homemade Weapons Have Come
TL;DR: 3D printing weapons is largely feasible now, if not exactly efficient. It will be hard—maybe impossible—to put this cat back in the proverbial bag.
First 3D-Printed Steel Bridge | 3D-Printed Bridge Netherlands
I wanted to contrast the previous story with one of many about the current, benevolent, uses of 3D printing.
Emoji
What Does the Chair Emoji Mean on TikTok? Popular Theories Explained
Just Doing my part to help you keep up with last year’s TikTok Teen Trends!
Why Is There a Pregnant Man Emoji?
Headline aside, this is an interesting peek behind the scenes of how Emoji get approved, created, and wind up on your phone.
Follow Up: Wikipedia
Expect to see Wikipedia be in the middle of an increasing amount of news in the months and years to come.
Culture
Histories
Why Do We Picture Bombs As Round Black Balls with a Burning Wick?
Making sense out of one small thing, Atlas Obscura continues to amuse.
The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
A long piece detailing the utopian visions behind the notable traveler community website… and quite a few (alleged) sordid tales as well!
HermanCainAward Subreddit: the unbelievable grimness of celebrating anti-vaxxer COVID deaths.
This is not a forum that attempts to change minds. It’s much darker.
This subreddit certainly is leaning into the #DarkestTimeline vibe.
Productivity
The Frustration with Productivity Culture | The New Yorker
As someone who came of age in the era of Getting Things Done and personal productivity systems, this was eye-opening. TL;DR: measuring productivity is, of course, an extension of capitalism.
Consume less, create more - TJCX
My essay was garbage. But it was my garbage.
So I kept at it, day after day. I once again started feeling smugly superior to my fellow bus riders. Look at me creating, I thought. Look at me contributing to the world, while these reptiles just distract themselves with their phones until they die.
Word to the wise: find and use inspiration, including from this post! I appreciate the author’s snarky tone as I hope you will.
Follow Up: Ice Cream
The FTC Is Investigating Why McDonald’s McFlurry Machines Are Always Broken
Finishing off with something sweet, regular readers will recognize this as the continuation of a previously-covered saga.