A clumsy paleontologist walked on stage with a dinosaur skull…
What happened next was jaw-dropping!

"Over the course of seven seasons of Gilmore Girls, Rory Gilmore was seen reading 339 books on screen. How many have you read?"

It's an eclectic set. I've read 89 of these.

https://www.listchallenges.com/rory-gilmore-reading-challenge

The juvenile sea squirt wanders through the sea searching for a suitable rock or hunk of coral to cling to and make its home for life. For this task, it has a rudimentary nervous system. When it finds its spot and takes root, it doesn’t need its brain anymore so it eats it! (It’s rather like getting tenure.)– Daniel Dennett, "Consciousness Explained"

San Francisco becomes first US city to ban automated rent-fixing technology
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/san-francisco-becomes-first-u-s-city-to-ban-automated-rent-fixing-technology/

App developed with Indigenous trackers helps almost anyone monitor wildlife ($) https://www.science.org/content/article/app-developed-indigenous-trackers-helps-almost-anyone-monitor-wildlife

App developed with Indigenous trackers helps almost anyone monitor wildlife ($) https://www.science.org/content/article/app-developed-indigenous-trackers-helps-almost-anyone-monitor-wildlife

They did the math.

This is great!
(gift link)
https://wapo.st/3YxMdFM

They've got nothin'.

...And they invoke women who like wine? WE RIDE AT DAWN.

Today was my last day at the startup.

I accepted the job three months ago. At the last minute, they made it contract-to-hire. Today, “We’re going in a different direction.”

So if you need a content goddess, I’m available.

Patriots of Color Archive: Black and Indigenous Soldiers in the Revolutionary War
https://www.amrevmuseum.org/patriots-of-color-archive-black-and-indigenous-soldiers-in-the-revolutionary-war

Flow, the secret to happiness
"I tried to understand: where -- in everyday life, in our normal experience -- do we feel really happy?"--Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_flow_the_secret_to_happiness/transcript

SpaceX is actively working on a plan to fly Starliner's crew home.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/yes-nasa-really-could-bring-starliners-astronauts-back-on-crew-dragon/

Only 45 accounts on X, that appear to be bots, have generated over 4 billion views while amplifying racist and sexualised abuse, conspiracy theories, and climate disinformation. https://www.globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/newly-identified-bot-accounts-are-generating-billions-impressions-sowing-division-and-spreading-disinformation-x/

Public Work is an image search engine that boasts 100,000 “copyright-free” images from institutions like the NYPL, the Met, etc. It’s fast with a relatively simple interface and uses AI to auto-categorize and suggest possibly related images. https://kottke.org/24/07/public-work-a-fast-search-engine-for-public-domain-images

Hong Kong Taunts Italy With Pineapple Pizza After Olympics Fencing Win

Okay, I laughed.

(gift link)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/30/world/olympics/hong-kong-italy-fencing-pineapple-pizza.html

Apparently, this was a hit back in 2016, but I never heard the song until today. It's beautiful and sadly relevant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI8TCA3fJcs

Before Gershkovich was freed, his captors "had another piece of writing they required from him, an official request for presidential clemency. The text, moreover, should be addressed to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. . . . the Journal’s Russia correspondent filled the page. The last line submitted a proposal of his own: After his release, would Putin be willing to sit down for an interview?"
(gift link)

https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/evan-gershkovich-prisoner-exchange-ccb39ad3

How to write a love poem

The first known written love poem is from around 2000 BCE in ancient Mesopotamia: You have captivated me; I stand trembling before you.
https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-write-a-love-poem-and-make-a-truly-lasting-impression

.

I laughed