The National Library of Scotland has lifted the lid on a vast Ian Rankin archive spanning five decades https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/national-library-lifts-lid-vast-archive-donated-ian-rankin-2848101

Someone I think CoSo folks will want to follow: https://twitter.com/JaneLytv/status/1266347012221476864

>> Another feature that makes the coin so rare is the fact that together with a cluster of grapes on one side and with a palm tree on the other – common symbols on such coins – the artifact bears the inscription “Jerusalem” in ancient Hebrew letters. The other side reads “Year Two of the Freedom of Israel.”

(From a few weeks ago, but I just discovered the story.)
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/rare-1900-year-old-bar-kochba-coin-unveiled-ahead-of-lag-baomer-627638

The epic battle against coronavirus misinformation and conspiracy theories https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01452-z

A team of researchers has built a dataset that characterizes 29,622 samples of shells from 7,894 water-dwelling species. You can search the shell images online and also download the full dataset. http://www.cis.um.edu.mo/research/shelldataset/

An app lets Japanese soccer fans cheer (or boo) from a distance. It pipes their remote reactions into the stadium’s speakers. "The app does not, as yet, allow fans to question the referee’s eyesight." https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/27/japan-launches-remote-cheering-app-to-boost-atmosphere-in-empty-stadiums

"The goddess’ popularity throughout history is bound to the legacy of the real-life model who truly immortalised her into the 21st century: Simonetta Vespucci. Think of her as the Italian Renaissance’s Marilyn Monroe." https://www.messynessychic.com/2019/08/14/botticellis-venus-was-real-and-the-original-blonde-bombshell/

You’re sold on load testing. But for what “unreasonable” load should you test?

Load testing – where you discover the point at which a computer system fails – is based on preparing for (graceful) failure by knowing its breaking point. Successful load testers anticipate high demand – but at what point do you pass from “high demand” to “ridiculous”? The guideline: Expect the unexpected.

https://www.functionize.com/blog/youre-sold-on-load-testing-but-for-what-unreasonable-load-should-you-test/

When he was six, Paul Alexander contracted polio and was paralysed for life. Today he is 74, and one of the last people in the world still using an iron lung. But after surviving one deadly outbreak, he did not expect to find himself threatened by another. #longread
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/26/last-iron-lung-paul-alexander-polio-coronavirus

New Zealand Discharges Its Last COVID Patient From The Hospital https://hwnews.in/international/new-zealand-discharges-last-covid-patient-hospital/138063

It's pretty simple, people. "From epidemiological data, countries that have been most effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19 have implemented universal masking." https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/05/27/science.abc6197

A group in Russia merged the SCA coffee flavor wheel and the World Coffee Research flavor dictionary together, creating an amazing, interactive coffee flavor reference chart that includes the recipe to create your own reference samples https://notbadcoffee.com/flavor-wheel-en/

On the timeless art of the bookcase flex. https://daily.jstor.org/the-timeless-art-of-the-bookcase-flex/

Urine test for kidney stones gives results in 30 minutes https://www.futurity.org/kidney-stones-urine-test-2374702/

Turn your typing into piano jazz

This is fun!
https://jazzkeys.plan8.co

"The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is you really want to say." ~ Mark Twain

Origami Flexagon Instructions https://www.teachorigami.com/186-origami-flexagon-instructions

"I opened up an 8087 chip and took photos with a microscope. The photo below shows the chip's tiny silicon die." http://www.righto.com/2020/05/extracting-rom-constants-from-8087-math.html

Crayola acknowledged that “flesh” comes in different colors. The company developed 24 new crayon colors with a makeup artist to represent a range of skin tones. https://www.fastcompany.com/90509319/crayola-finally-has-woke-crayons-with-new-colors-of-the-world-line