Tons of works from 1924 are now in the public domain. https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2020/
Three decades ago, two stoner musicians designed a product whose cheap imitations sold into the billions — but today, nobody knows their names
https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/the-untold-story-of-new-years-novelty-glasses
When low-income families can’t afford children’s books, they turn to Robin Ferst Marhaver. https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/12/shelf-esteem-giving-books-to-low-income-kids/
Some parts of the world are on the path to largely eradicating cervical cancer, but the story is less rosy for other populations, including US Hispanics. Why, and what can be done about it? https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/health-disease/2019/cervical-cancer-in-hispanic-populations
My Amazon review of the Biergarten Cookbook: Traditional Bavarian Recipes
5 stars. A great, accessible collection of casual German dishes. ...also, yum! #cookbooks
"Created by film scholar Jane Gaines in 1993, Columbia University’s Women Film Pioneers Project (WFPP) is now an online database dedicated to documenting the contributions women made to the silent film era beyond acting." https://www.bustle.com/p/meet-the-women-who-pioneered-the-film-industry-19421012
Hive mind: What advice would you give to someone who has to give a presentation to a non-technical person, and it's important that the listener actually understand the details? How do you go about it? Specific tips appreciated. Pretend it's for a friend you care about.
(This is for an article. Ideally we could refer to you by reference, eg "an IT security pro at a midwest insurance company").
The 2010s were supposed to bring the ebook revolution. It never quite came.
https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/23/20991659/ebook-amazon-kindle-ereader-department-of-justice-publishing-lawsuit-apple-ipad
Designer Jim Rodda launched a Kickstarter to fund a 3D-printed design of a medieval armor suit that's specifically made for Barbie. https://time.com/3001691/barbie-medieval-armor/
Police in West Virginia say local raccoons aren't rabid — they're just drunk
(From a while back, but who cares?)
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-raccoons-drunk-not-rabid-20181114-story.html
"What began as a habit turned into a genuine curiosity about what menus say about their time. Every little detail, from the prices to the dish descriptions to the aesthetic choices, illuminates something about where we were as a society," says Ruth Reichl https://www.tastecooking.com/ruth-reichl-mayor-menuland/
The human eye can distinguish millions of shades of color, subtly discriminating small differences of energy along the visual spectrum. No language, however, has words for more than about 1,000 of these, even with compounds and metaphors.
https://lithub.com/color-or-fruit-on-the-unlikely-etymology-of-orange/
Why airlines make flights longer on purpose
"Creating the illusion of punctuality means there’s no pressure on airlines to become more efficient." https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190405-the-secret-about-delays-airlines-dont-want-you-to-know?
A Christmas Cover Story: 55 Classic Computer and Video Game Magazine Covers https://paleotronic.com/2018/12/18/a-christmas-cover-story-55-classic-computer-and-video-game-magazine-covers/
Residents in 24 states and Washington, D.C. will see a minimum wage increase in 2020. The increases range from $0.10 per hour—in Florida—to $1.50 per hour. https://ballotpedia.org/Minimum_wage_increases_in_2020
Apollo Flight Controller 101: Every console explained
https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/12/apollo-flight-controller-101-every-console-explained/
Secure Your Digital Life in 7 Days
Day:
1 - Set Up a Password Manager
2 - Check Your Smartphone’s Privacy Settings
3 - Protect Your Browsing
4 - Protect Your Laptop
5 - Vaccinate Your Computer
6 - Get All the Updates
7 - Lock Down Your Most Important Accounts
Find the entire week's instructions here in one ZIP file
https://share.counter.social/s/6f1997
Find the day's instructions here
“Nobody believed it would happen,” David Wondrich, the cocktail historian, said. “Prohibition was a small-town, rural movement, and people in the cities resented it. They really thought until the very end that there was going to be a way out of it, and then, suddenly, it became clear there wasn’t.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/us/100-years-ago-the-booziest-january-suddenly-dried-up.html
Pitchers and catchers report in 41 days #baseball http://www.springtrainingcountdown.com/
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have announced a global prize to tackle climate issues, pledging "a decade of action to repair the Earth". Five winners will receive the Earthshot Prize every year between 2021 and 2030. The announcement was made by Sir David Attenborough. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50958960
Writer. Editor. Baseball. Cats. Chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.