Five Things This Week

Five Things This Week: week 25

website
Since the first maps were created there have been errors – erroneous additions based on genuine mistakes as well as deliberately fictitious additions, many of which were perpetuated by copying maps without verification. These “Phantom Islands” are the subject of this interactive, multi-media (that means there’s sound (relaxing wave sounds mostly), so you’ve been warned! (it can be muted)) that presents them where they’re geographically supposed to be as well as who created them and when were they last on a legitimate map. Sit down, take some time, and enjoy.
Outside
On May 30th of this year Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold shattered a record already thought to be incredible: they climbed the Nose route of El Capitan in Yosemite in two hours, ten minutes, and fifteen seconds, besting the record set just the year before by nine minutes. Keep in mind, most climbers make this ascent over a few days; “[…] anybody who climbs El Capitan in a single day is elite […]”. And yet, they felt they could break the two hour mark. And on June 6 they did – 1:59:07. The author is a friend of Caldwell’s and discusses the stakes and mindset involved before Caldwell and Honnold made that last climb. It touches on (and links to) the greater discussion of whether speed climbing is a good thing or not, and the inherent dangers involved. 
Harpers
An exhaustive long-form article detailing how New York is on the decline largely because so many affluent people own property but don’t actually live there. But it offers a cautionary tale for other cities: “And what’s happening to New York now—what’s already happened to most of Manhattan, its core—is happening in every affluent American city. San Francisco is overrun by tech conjurers who are rapidly annihilating its remarkable diversity; they swarm in and out of the metropolis in specially chartered buses to work in Silicon Valley, using the city itself as a gigantic bed-and-breakfast.” Well put. An important read. 
Washington Post
An excavation for a utility line on the Second Battle of Bull Run battlefield uncovered an amazing discovery: two bodies and a amputated limbs. 
NYTimes
This is a fascinating story about the difficulty in completely eradicating a nasty parasite, but I feel like in the rush to tell that story, they buried the lede: “In 1986, when the Carter Center — the global health philanthropy in Atlanta founded by President Jimmy Carter — launched the eradication drive, an estimated 3.5 million people in 21 countries had worms.
“Last year, only 30 human cases were found: half in Chad and half in Ethiopia.”
Thirty cases down from 3.5 million. Damn.
But the emphasis in the article derives largely from the fact that should these infected dogs spread the worms into the greater ecosystem then all the hard work may be for naught. 
And a bonus to leave you with as I’m about to head out on a 5-day motorcycle camping trip…
Outside
Through no fault of his own, a man gets bitten by a big snake in a rather inaccessible area. What follows is the rescue and a very detailed explanation of snake venom and its effects. Not to be read if a) you’re afraid of snakes (duh), or b) eating or squeamish.

EIGHT Things This Week: week 24

Outside
I saw the headline, and absently started to read the subhead: “A four-year battle over a tiny patch of river beach in Northern California…” No, they couldn’t be talking about Vacation beach… YES! Yes, Chris Colin’s fantastic article is talking about a property across the street from where I lived for 12 years! I know these people! I’ve heard the arguments first hand! Colin pulls back from the Russian River to the larger river access argument across the country and even the cultural ideals around access. It’s a remarkably well-balanced article in what is an extremely divisive subject. If you read one thing this week, I can’t recommend this highly enough!
Mashable
If you don’t know who David Sedaris is stop reading, click on the link and come back after you’ve wiped away the tears (laugh/cry) and come back to thank me. If you know David Sedaris, he’s always worth revisiting. I picked up his latest book, Calypso, but I’m waiting to savor it. This was a great way to dip my toe in the Sedaris pool before jumping in again.
War on the Rocks
Maybe you’ve never heard of Numbers Stations that were used for decades to exchange coded messages for intelligence services. You can check out a bunch of recordings here – that link actually takes you to one of the most famous recordings of a Numbers Station broadcast, one that was used (without permission) by the band Wilco for their classic album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot“. This is a nice primer on the Numbers Stations and how and why they work.
YouTube
I’ve loved the Roots for a very long time – long before they became Jimmy Fallon’s house band. Black Thought has always been in my pantheon of greatest rappers ever. If you’d like proof, here’s TEN STRAIGHT MINUTES of him freestyling. There maybe some folks reading this who immediately go, “oh, what’s so hard about rapping” (I’ve had this argument with people!). To those, I’d say just try talking for ten minutes straight, no pausing for more than a second or two. Go ahead. I’m not even asking you to keep on a beat or make sense. Just try talking.
This is back from December and it is just amazing. I bring it up because Black Thought just released his first solo album, “Streams of Thought Vol. 1″. I haven’t had a chance to give it a good listen, but this is worth listening to just to know the talent you’re about to listen to.
Neko Case
While we’re on the subject of music, Neko Case just released her new album, “Hell-on“. I have loved her music for many, many years, and this album does not disappoint. It’s exuberant, melancholy, lilting, mysterious, and a general feast for the ears. She has more collaborators on this album than on any of her previous albums, but that never takes the focus completely off of her always-gorgeous voice. Check it out! Above link is Amazon, here’s iTunes, Spotify, and a YouTube video.
OED
I love the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). I still would love to have a dead-tree version of the unabridged OED. I have no where to put it, its ridiculously heavy and almost immediately out of date. I don’t care. In my dream house it will be pretentiously displayed in my office.
But I digress, as the English language is a living language it must grow to accommodate the ever-growing lexicon we use to communicate daily. This addition has such words as “Bechdel test” and, my favorite, “Impostor syndrome”. 
Atlas Obscura
And finally, a train link! Mind you, I’m not a huge train guy, but this is just cool. One of the “Big Boys” is being rebuilt part by individual part in an effort to run from the yard in Wyoming to Promontory, UT by March 19th 2019 for the 150th anniversary of the opening of the transcontinental railroad. We’re talking about one of the largest steam engines ever built and the reconstruction process means they have to evaluate Every. Single. Piece. Again, I’m not that big a train guy, but I would so love to see this thing run!
99% Invisible
Read this any of the following apply: 1) You have no idea what this whole “MPR Raccoon” thing is all about; 2) You’re all about the MPR Raccoon and are looking for a hot take on it; 3) You like stories about architecture and the way living things interact with it. Love. It.

Five Things This Week: week 21

Medium
I have issues with this article, but I think it’s a valuable read, as it makes some good points and cites relevant source material. The tone and take-away messages are, to me, annoying – but I don’t think I’m coming at this as the target audience (the author strikes me as the type of person who owns multiple suits and matching shoes, and wields the word “cashmere” with wanton abandon). In fitting Gibson’s narrative to his Message, he left out a few important reasons for Gibson’s decline, such as Gibson’s entanglement with the US Fish and Wildlife Service over their importing of hardwoods. While that case settled for a relatively small penalty, the confiscation of materials, the investigation itself, and the onerous changes Gibson had to make in order to get right by the government took a significant toll on the company that was already staggering from the financial miscues described in the article above. In general, though, I do agree with his comparison between Fender’s interpretation of innovation versus Gibson’s.
Citylab
The Tokyo subway was in the news last week because a conductor was chastised and had to make a public apology for leaving the station 25 seconds early. This article discusses that, plus discusses implementation of “nudge theory” and mood lighting to reduce suicide attempts. Fascinating stuff!
Campendium
I’ve got a bad case of wanderlust lately and I’m trying to see how cheap I can plan a motorcycle road trip. This involves determining where the cheapest campgrounds are and what exactly the state they’re in. Campendium has a great collection of user-reviews of various spots both on and off the beaten path. Their newsletter is great, too, as it profiles recent reviews from all over the country and provides a little glimpse of places to put on my “to visit” list.
Saw the new Star Wars movie on Thursday. Loved it! The link above goes to the trailer if you haven’t seen it already. Unlike every other movie in the Star Wars universe, the stakes are much lower here  – there’s no Death Star or Death Star-like base to be destroyed, no Skywalker heir in site  – so it really just feels like an adventure story. And after some of the more explosive blockbusters this year (I’m looking at you, Avengers: Infinity War!) it’s nice just to have a good popcorn movie. And the connection to the Star Wars universe? All the better!
Mojang (part of Microsoft Studios)
Minecraft is nothing new. I bought a copy when it was still a tiny little thing back in 2010 and I’ve noodled with it ever since. And what a phenomenon it has become! They’re seriously making a Minecraft movie, there are “realms” and skins you can buy… I don’t understand half of it. Hell, I don’t even understand the whole potion thing. I’ve barely tamed a horse! A year back or so I bought Minecraft for the Xbox One because my PC’s video card had fried itself. The controls aren’t nearly as intuitive as on the PC (WASD + mouse 4EVAH!!) but chilling on the couch playing on a bigger screen… it’s pretty awesome. These days I crank up Minecraft on the Xbox when I want to zone out because I can spend hours doing nothing but exploring or building a step-mine to bedrock, or building a shelter out of glass…. or doing whatever! The possibilities are endless and because of the insane popularity they’re constantly adding new things – the other day I was in a boat and there were DOLPHINS! It’s become a sort of meditation for me these days. Need to reset? Clear the evening, it’s a Minecraft night. And it works. Give it a try – it’s not just for kids.