The modern term for hot water freezing faster than cold water is the Mpemba effect, named after Erasto Mpemba, a Tanzanian teenager who, along with the physicist Denis Osborne, conducted the first systematic, scientific studies of it in the 1960s. https://www.quantamagazine.org/does-hot-water-freeze-faster-than-cold-physicists-keep-asking-20220629/

Baklava pops up everywhere from Morocco to Iran. The shapes differ, the nuts vary and the spices change but the syrupy richness does not.
... and of course now I want baklava.
https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/09/15/go-nuts-the-multilayered-history-of-baklava

"Though the FCC had previously notified US telecom companies about the robocalls, Thursday's order is the first to force carriers to stop transmitting them." https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/21/tech/fcc-robocall-crackdown/index.html

Take a sneak peek inside eight amazing art galleries thanks to Google’s Arts and Culture hub

(I think I learned about this via @researchbuzz) https://artsandculture.google.com/

In a devastating blow to ice cream trucks everywhere, the frozen desserts company Klondike confirmed that it has killed the Choco Taco, the chocolate-and-nut-coated treat that this very website once called “the most beloved and innovative of all the American ice cream ‘novelties.’” https://www.eater.com/23278891/choco-taco-discontinued-klondike-confirms

Pew looked at the living arrangements of 25-34 year olds and found that one-quarter of the demographic were now shacking up with their parents, or relatives from another generation.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/07/20/young-adults-in-u-s-are-much-more-likely-than-50-years-ago-to-be-living-in-a-multigenerational-household

Funded by the Design Age Institute, Hearing Birdsong provides users of all ages with an inspiring, enjoyable way to protect their hearing health and long-term wellbeing. https://abduzeedo.com/introducing-hearing-birdsong-beautifully-transforming-hearing-health

How to choose the best grill in 2022: We tested gas, charcoal and pellet grills
https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-grills

The Voting Rights Lab has been tracking 2,000+ laws proposed in US state legislatures since 2021. The tracker focuses on “12 major issue areas relating to voter access and representation,” such as early voting, same-day registration, and ID requirements. https://votingrightslab.org

A Wall Street restaurant, The Exchange Buffet, operated on the honour system, where customers would tally their own bills. It ran successfully from 1885 to 1963. https://www.bu.edu/bhr/2017/10/05/fragments-of-the-past-the-exchange-buffet-building-a-business-on-trust-for-78-years/

More than 300 bookstores have opened in the past couple of years — a revival that is meeting a demand for “real recommendations from real people.
...and oh my I want to visit several of these bookstores! https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/10/books/bookstores-diversity-pandemic.html

“Listen carefully to first criticisms made of your work,” Jean Cocteau advised writers and artists. “Note just what it is about your work that critics don’t like — then cultivate it. That’s the only part of your work that’s individual and worth keeping.”

"The interactive website allows users to interact with historic non-sacred Blackfoot belongings that previously were only seen in museums." https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/blackfoot-university-of-lethbridge-mootookakio-ssin-1.6252687

Regé-Jean Page, who played the Duke of Hastings Simon Bassett, did not return to the show for season two, and he won't be back for season three. https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a36107282/bridgerton-season-3/

Back in 2017, I wrote an ebook to enumerate the guidelines that can help you make crucial "right item, right time" decisions and assist in the integration of new technology into existing business processes.

(I'd actually forgotten about this ebook. It's pretty good!)
https://www.oreilly.com/content/guidelines-for-keeping-pace-with-innovation-and-tech-adoption/

Updated battlestation setup, since my new job starts tomorrow.

(You can see the cat asleep under the desk, if you peer closely enough.)

In one of the largest wetland restoration projects on the West Coast, biologists, conservationists, and volunteers are coaxing back the original wetlands and their wildlife residents.
Worth the click just for the gorgeous photography. https://www.biographic.com/past-the-salt/

I'm here for the slide-mounted trackball https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOO31qFmi9A

Regé-Jean Page, who played the Duke of Hastings Simon Bassett, did not return to the show for season two, and he won't be back for season three. https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a36107282/bridgerton-season-3/