This AI tool gives you a six-word summary of any book, movie, or concept. https://poe.com/6wordsummary

Beer drinking in the US fell to the lowest level in a generation last year, after shipments dipped below 200 million barrels for the first time since 1999. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/beer-drinking-america-falls-lowest-level-generation-rcna131478

Boo to whoever canceled the Polish route to Hel! https://news.sky.com/story/poland-highway-to-hel-journey-banned-after-religious-groups-object-to-satanic-666-bus-route-12902584

Forget about your first programming language for a minute… What was the first platform on which you played Zork? https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/11/infocoms-ingenious-code-porting-tools-for-zork-and-other-games-have-been-found/

Researchers at the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research in Japan have developed a solid electrolyte for transporting hydride ions (H−) at room temperature. This breakthrough means that the advantages of hydrogen-based solid-state batteries and fuel cells are within practical reach, without the need for constant hydration. This should reduce fuel cell cost and complexity. https://www.alphagalileo.org/en-gb/Item-Display/ItemId/241030

Computer science pioneer Niklaus Wirth dies aged 89
https://www.developer-tech.com/news/2024/jan/04/computer-science-pioneer-niklaus-wirth-dies-aged-89/

A little while back, Apple released a collection of Steve Jobs' speeches, interviews, and emails, all put into a book, which is totally free. https://stevejobsarchive.com/

A survey of the Smithsonian by the first curator of photography in the United States. The cyanotype format lends a certain luxurious allure to the almost invisible accoutrements of museological storage and display. https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/smillie-smithsonian/

“If you had to pick one person to write the history of 20th-century American culture, it would have to be Louis Armstrong.”
https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/louis-armstrong-archive/

Higher minimum wages in the US went into effect on Jan 1st — and are estimated to boost the incomes of almost 10 million workers across 22 states. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minimum-wage-increase-january-1-2024-see-the-states/

Watch the trailer for the long-lost first film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1926) https://www.openculture.com/2023/11/watch-the-trailer-for-the-long-lost-first-film-adaptation-of-the-great-gatsby-1926.html

In 1998, Indonesia initiated a community-based, decentralized approach to protecting its oceans. Over the course of 25 years through several iterations, 20 million hectares has been protected, leading to a 60% decline in illegal fishing. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2023/06/08/a-quarter-century-legacy-of-coral-reef-conservation-and-community-impact-in-indonesia

Given Bangalore's chaotic traffic, rickshaws are sometimes the fastest way to get around. But finding one isn’t easy. (free reg required) https://www.economist.com/business/2023/07/20/a-battle-of-rickshaw-apps-shows-the-promise-of-indias-digital-stack

"While bioarchaeological data can reveal a lot about who lived in a city, sophisticated sensor data can illuminate exactly where they lived and what kind of work they did."
https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/04/28/1022982/data-archaeology-ancient-city-grid-burial-site

Somehow I missed this news story:
A new competition focused on “Psychedelic Cryptography” has awarded cash prizes to artists who made videos encoded with hidden messages that can be most easily deciphered by a person who is tripping on psychedelic substances, such as LSD, ayahuasca, or psilocybin mushrooms. https://www.vice.com/en/article/3akkd9/psychedelic-cryptography-videos-have-hidden-messages-designed-to-be-seen-while-tripping

X lost its bid to block a California content moderation law Friday, with a federal judge dismissing the company’s challenge. https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4382032-musks-x-loses-bid-block-california-content-moderation-law/

Four myths about the state of women at work https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace

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Denmark's Queen Margrethe II will abdicate on January 14 next year after fifty-two years on the throne – succeeded by her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/denmarks-queen-margrethe-ii-abdicate-jan-14-2024-royal-palace-2023-12-31/

Greece is prepared to part with some of its greatest treasures to “fill the void” at the British Museum if the Parthenon marbles were reunited in Athens, the country’s culture minister has said. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/dec/27/greece-would-offer-major-treasures-to-uk-for-parthenon-marbles-minister-says