April 20
Info Has Won The InfoWars
Global Tetrahedron, owners of The Onion, have officially taken control of Free Speech Systems and InfoWars. [more inside]
Thinking about...your Free Thread
What do you spend most of your time thinking about? The past? The present moment (whoops, too late)? The future? Positive events or negative? Yourself or others? Work or leisure time? The Meaning of Life? Flights of fancy or pragmatic facts? Do you think about the things you need to do? Do you need to write yourself lots of to-do lists so you don't forget them? Do you think about what you're forgetting to think about? Or just talk about whatever's on your mind (except politics, of course), because this is your weekly Free Thread!
In practice, coexistence is worked out through daily decisions
“Let us stop talking about human-wildlife conflict. Some of us live with this reality and we pay a heavy price for sharing space with wildlife.” The remark was made by a community leader at the 2023 Community-led Conservation Congress in Namibia. It was not framed as a critique of conservation policy so much as a correction to how it is described. The phrase “human-wildlife conflict” appears frequently in reports and strategies, often as a category that can be measured and managed. For those living closest to wildlife, the experience it refers to is less abstract and less contained.
How the legacy of Australia's Black Power movement continues today
Leaving America
And while it’s tempting to believe this sense of urgency can be wholly blamed on Donald Trump, he was, in reality, an accelerant to a necrotic system. (slTheBitterSoutherner) [more inside]
in the long run we are all dead
Robert Skidelsky, economic historian, author of the definitive three-volume biography of JM Keynes (as well as the post-2008 bestseller Keynes: Return of the Master), has passed away at age 86.
Henry Goodridge Makes Videos about New England History and Folklore
Dime Store Adventures is a YouTube channel mostly about interesting minutiae of New England history though sometimes it deals with other topics, like a font on US house numbers and the state senator that wanted to ban popcorn and peanuts in movie theaters. But creator Henry Goodridge's main theme is local history and folklore, making videos that are mostly shot on location, such as one on a Massachusetts headstone that contains a murder accusation, the search for a sorcerous Rhode Island rock mentioned by Lovecraft and, maybe my favorite, the story of a controversial birthmarker in Whitingham, Vermont and Frog Rock in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. There are over 200 more videos on the channel.
Are you shitting me?
April 19
World-famous Bibbulmun Track considered for heritage list
World-famous Bibbulmun Track considered for heritage list. Councils support moves for the Bibbulmun Track to be declared a heritage-listed site, which conservationists hope could protect the track from future mining expansions.
Scientific datasets are riddled with copy-paste errors
Markus Englund wrote copy-paste-detective to scan open science datasets for copy-paste errors. After scanning 600 datasets, the tool found 18 instances of highly improbable preserved sequences. [more inside]
Math as Beautiful/Exciting/Useful: 109; Math as Cold/Dry/Useless: 61
"Of the many works of fiction that are published, very few involve mathematics or mathematicians. However, people who like mathematics (or are mathematicians ourselves) may especially enjoy reading those few that do. Moreover, as I argue in an article in the AMS Notices, mathematicians should be interested in these works of "mathematical fiction" even if we do not enjoy them because they both affect and reflect the non-mathematician's view of this subject."
"At the moment, there are 1726 works of mathematical fiction listed in this database. This is much more than I expected when I started, and I have every reason to think that it will continue to grow as I learn of new works to list here." [more inside]
Into a world that did not ask them, and yet.
Every figure here comes from a real source. A few come with honest footnotes. We owe you both.
The Music Video Is Dead, Long Live The Music Video
In The Music Video Is Dead, Long Live The Music Video, Patrick (H) Willems explores the history of music videos, how important they were both to culture and to film, and performs a bit of a eulogy to an art form which used to command millions of dollars and today continues is a greatly diminished form. ~1hour
Simulating Playing Cards with Playing Cards, Again
Stood up by Mr. Swiveller* and the Marchioness? Cole from Gather Together Games shows how to play Cribbage Solitaire [YT 3 min.] The “Solitaire E-Man” has a longer demonstration. [~12 min.] if you’re not into that whole “brevity” thing. [more inside]
Perhaps they should've sent a poet.
On the Poetics of Space Travel...being able to see the activities of people 250,000 miles away in real time still feels completely science fiction. Every time I see them scrolling while floating, I experience that jolt of surprise: “But surely there’s no 5G?” No: this is a literal Zero G environment. [more inside]
What’s New in Old Books
Some highlights from special collections libraries’ blogs this week.
The Weld-Grimké Quilt What can careful imaging tell us about a 19th century quilt and the women who made it?
Puzzle Vessels Master their secrets if you want to end up with wine in your mouth, not your lap.
Celebrated Pedestrians The golden age of feats of the feet.
Declarations: Printing a New Nation An online exhibition showcasing some of the earliest publications of the Declaration of Independence.
The Weld-Grimké Quilt What can careful imaging tell us about a 19th century quilt and the women who made it?
Puzzle Vessels Master their secrets if you want to end up with wine in your mouth, not your lap.
Celebrated Pedestrians The golden age of feats of the feet.
Declarations: Printing a New Nation An online exhibition showcasing some of the earliest publications of the Declaration of Independence.
Study finds decades of intensive logging worsens bushfire risk
Study finds decades of intensive logging worsens bushfire [forest fire] risk. Scientists have studied satellite images of a Tasmanian bushfire and found regrowth from extensive logging and recent bushfires has absolutely increased the risk of more severe bushfires.
April 18
A star to steer by
How did aviators navigate over long distances before the advent of radio navigation and GPS? The same way sailors did: celestial navigation. In the early days, this meant using a sextant from the cockpit; some airplanes had a dedicated observation "tower." This was eventually replaced by a plexiglass dome and increasingly sophisticated and automated equipment, which may have reached its zenith with the B-52's electromechanical angle computer, an analog computer, which Ken Shirriff (previously 1 2 3 4 5) tears down and analyzes in detail.
"In the middle of the sea, see see the sun"
My Baby
Have You Seen Me Dance Alone
In a Minute
Come Closer
(Sl'yt) "There’s a point, early in the conversation, where Tom Rowlands starts talking about what it felt like to make music with AURORA without any expectation attached to it. No plan. No outcome. No sense of where it needed to go. [more inside]
Have You Seen Me Dance Alone
In a Minute
Come Closer
(Sl'yt) "There’s a point, early in the conversation, where Tom Rowlands starts talking about what it felt like to make music with AURORA without any expectation attached to it. No plan. No outcome. No sense of where it needed to go. [more inside]
The recycling project turning used tennis balls into shoes
The recycling project turning used tennis balls into shoes.
What should be done with all those used tennis balls that get inevitably sent to landfill? Lilian Xu might have found the answer.
When I Discovered Sinatra
From teen prodigy to 11-time Grammy award winner, jazz bassist Christian McBride has played with pretty much everyone. Through his lifetime of live gigs and studio sessions with the legends of jazz and a dizzying array of A-list rock, pop, hip-hop, soul, and classical artists, the Juilliard-trained master has never stopped learning. Which all makes this heartfelt personal reflection of his singular, Ray Brown-inspired, decades-long dive into the deepest wells of Frank Sinatra - and its transformative lessons - all the more rewarding. “You have to listen to singers. You can’t just learn the changes—you have to learn the melody and the lyrics, too.”
The World's Deepest Marathon
On October 25th 2025, 55 intrepid runners took on an extraordinary challenge: to run the deepest marathon ever run. Covering 42.2km within the Garpenberg Zinc Mine in Sweden, they descended to a staggering depth of 1,120 metres below sea level. No one had attempted a marathon at this depth before. Participants endured temperatures of 24°C and 72% humidity, in total silence and ran in complete darkness with only their head torches for light. The Guardian: I won the world’s deepest underground marathon
Fantasma del Espacio de Costa a Costa
Dumber than the average bear
3 Southern California residents sentenced in bear suit insurance fraud scheme. This story is why we need to support professional journalism. The photo and video are the honey on top.
“I'm going to learn to love Mycock”
BBC: “For the first 18 years of my life, I had no idea my surname was funny. I grew up in Buxton, a market town in Derbyshire, where Mycock is a popular name. There are more than 2,000 in the UK, give or take ... In the digital world, I have difficulties too: filling out online forms or setting up an email address can see my name rejected and the emails I send often go into spam folders. Searching for my surname is banned on some social media platforms. My mother Patricia had a dreadful time when she took on the surname. Her joy of divorcing my father was twofold as she not only left a somewhat feckless husband, but also de-Mycock-ed herself.”
I found The Da
The first census of Saorstát Éireann = the Irish Free State was taken on 18th April 1926, 3½ years after Independence. 12 hours ago, a searchable index of the citizenry was released. Under GDPR, 1,000+ centenarians were given the option of having their names redacted. Background, context, ExecSumm, quirks on RTE, the state broadcaster.
Colombia approves cull of up to 80 feral hippos
Colombia approves cull of up to 80 feral hippos. Colombian officials have authorised a plan to cull dozens of feral hippos, years after notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar brought in the first ones.
April 17
Is It Time What?
"Never met him"
"No living American historian is as prolific as Blake Whiting. In one week alone last fall, he published 13 books on a host of complex archaeological and historical subjects, ranging from the collapse of Near Eastern civilizations in 1177 BCE to the recent discovery of a huge Silk Road–era city in Central Asia."
Who Is Blake Whiting? The most astonishingly productive historian in recent times is someone you’ll never meet [more inside]
Who Is Blake Whiting? The most astonishingly productive historian in recent times is someone you’ll never meet [more inside]
Folding Ideas on MrBeast
Why was I invited to Beast Studios? (SLYT; 1h18).
What? Dan Olson was invited by MrBeast's team to a tour of Beast Studios? Dan Olson, of the Folding Ideas channel? The "Line goes up" guy? That Dan Olson?
An essay on (in)authenticity and inefficiency. Also the first essay recorded on a bouncy castle, among other firsts.
Private equity: neutering independent vets since 2010.
Too chonk to fail. Private Equity Vet lets you see if your local D.V.M. is just a PE with a lab coat. (previously)
Dear America: Your rights are on the line
We are the federal workers who protect America from discrimination. The federal government is dismantling YOUR right to safe housing and essential services—and silencing us to hide it from you. We break that silence and ask you to stand with us, before it’s too late. Read the letters.
The ordinary people who took their case to the highest court
The ordinary people who took their case to the highest court. From love and freedom to native title and the right to vote, these are some of the High Court cases that have helped define Australia, and the ordinary people behind them.
The Greatest Documentary you've Never Heard Of
Tie Xi Qu. In 1999, filmmaker Wang Bing used a camcorder and walked into a dying factory district in northeast China and spent two years filming what he found. The result was Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks - nine hours long, no narration, no score, no interviews. This is one of the most important documentaries ever made, and almost no one has heard of it.
This is a fourteen minute explanation and overview by Youtube Ken D.
Tie Xi Qu is banned in China. It has never been shown on Chinese television. Wang Bing's entire filmography is erased from Chinese internet as of today.
Just the ones that broke through
Read all of that in one breath. A MOIS-operated persona whose unit head was killed three weeks earlier walked into one of the largest medical device manufacturers in the world, exfiltrated 50 TB, then pushed a destructive button that bricked 200,000 endpoints across 79 countries in minutes, postponed surgeries, stated a retaliation motive, absorbed a $10 million FBI bounty, had four of its domains seized, and was operating a replacement site the same day. from We May Be Living Through the Most Consequential Hundred Days in Cyber History, and Almost Nobody Has Noticed [ungated]
April 16
Siberian Steppe Techno-noir Jazz
OTYKEN - TUNDRA (Official Music Video) Siberian folk-pop group Otyken's new steppe techno-noir jazz single, sung in the Dolgan language (indigenous people of the Taimyr Peninsula, Siberia, Russia)
Race to save Brisbane River's very hungry Australian lungfish
Race to save Brisbane River's very hungry Australian lungfish. Researchers hope they have found a way for a fascinating living fossil to once again breed in the Brisbane River, but hunger is making it harder.
GLP-1's may help a variety of conditions unrelated to obesity
Within days of starting on Zepbound last February, Ms. Schmidt felt her concussion symptoms finally begin to ease. "the survey respondents were enthusiastic. Sixty-five percent of current or past GLP-1 users said they were “very interested” in continuing to take the drugs. More remarkably, 63 percent said that if their GLP-1 failed to help the condition it was initially prescribed to treat, they would either “definitely” or “probably” keep taking it for other benefits." [more inside]
Feelin' 70 Up, I'm feelin' 70 Up
What remains at the heart of the films will be questions of class, education, wealth and the all important thread of whether it holds true to say: "Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man." from ITV's beloved 7 Up series will end after 62 years with "epic and moving" final chapter 70 Up [Radio Times] [more inside]
Kittenpalooza
Three cat moms and fifteen newborn kittens (so far). Tiny Kittens (Facebook page) a cat rescue based in Langley, BC, found itself this month in an unprecedented situation with five expectant cats, all which were/are due to give birth within a ten day period. The entire pile of 15 (so far) kittens and their three moms are settled in a shared nest, and the cuteness, as they say, is off the charts. You can watch the livestream on Youtube, and take a break from, you know, all this other stuff. [more inside]
Try to keep up
USSOUTHCOM murdered three people in the Pacific bringing their total to 177. US DoD to cancel collective bargaining agreements for civilian employees. GOP Senators block fourth attempt to force end of Iran war. US Army shuts down Soldier for Life media accounts after the organization boosted it's tribute to Senator Duckworth. These stories are among 15 highlighted by Gov Brief Today on April 15th. Gov Brief Today curates a dozen or so stories each day on the actions of the US government (not always military). [more inside]
Here Comes the Pizza
In Boston, the observance of Patriots’ Day includes the running of the Boston Marathon and a home game played by the Red Sox at Fenway Park. During the Patriots’ Day game on April 16, 2007, a foul ball hit down the left field line in the bottom of the seventh inning led to a momentous occasion. (previously) [more inside]
The Unlearned Lesson of the Titanic
Yesterday was the 114th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. From the April 1913 issue of the Atlantic (archive): "Little more than a year has elapsed since the greatest disaster in maritime history upset all our accepted theories of the unsinkability of modern liners... Since that fateful night of April, 1912, what have we done in the way of reform that will go toward averting another such disaster?" By Atlanticus (An officer on an Atlantic passenger steamer)
⍼
Jonathan Chan's multi-year quest to figure out what ⍼ (U+237C ⍼ RIGHT ANGLE WITH DOWNWARDS ZIGZAG ARROW) means finally has an answer. [more inside]
Hidden costs mean many comedians make zero profit from festival runs
Hidden costs mean many comedians make zero profit from festival runs. Doing a run of shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the pinnacle for a lot of Australian comedians, but the festival's tens of thousands of punters are rarely privy to the behind-the-scenes costs.
🎶We trim your hedges, we fight your wars 🎶
Better Call Saul, but it's set in New Orleans and real.
Fascinating long read from this week's New Yorker. On one level, the slammer conspiracy was an amusing example of New Orleans chicanery at its most baroque, a tale of literal highway robbery so antic and absurd that it seemed like the plot of an Elmore Leonard novel. But, on a deeper level, it was an awful parable of economic desperation in twenty-first-century America. Scores of poor Black Louisianans had volunteered for what was effectively Russian roulette, risking their own lives and the lives of their loved ones in the hope of a onetime payout. The attorneys, by contrast, were well educated and mostly white, and would almost certainly have been loath to climb into a car with Garrison and go looking for a truck to hit.
New ways to be puzzled
The Daily Baffle is a free site with word and logic puzzles in several new-to-the-world formats. [more inside]
Running Amoc
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is declining rapidly. This is Not Good. tl;dr: we're fucked.
“Oh! There is bread! What a fun surprise.”
Here is the promise you and I must cling to across the thousands of words that follow: At some point within this text, I will reveal to you what—after 555 responses, 13,000 miles of travel, and months of monomaniacal research—I have determined to be the best free restaurant bread in America. [The Atlantic; ungated]