An irregular hodgepodge of links gathered together … Omnium Gatherum for November 22, 2021

Here’s a variety of notable things I’ve recently found that you may also be interested in checking out:

• “MST3K Weekly Update: Nov. 15-19, 2021“—”Join us for this year’s [Mystery Science Theatre 3000] Turkey Day Marathon on Thursday, November 25, starting at 9am ET / 6am PT.” Via “Starting at 9 am ET / 6 am PT on Thursday, November 25, the marathon will feature an extended lineup of eight classic MST3K episodes, with four chosen by fans via a bracket elimination poll and four chosen by Joel Hodgson and the creative team behind Season 13. This year’s marathon will feature new host segments with upcoming Season 13 cast members Jonah Ray, Emily Marsh, Tom Servo (Conor McGiffin), Crow (Nate Begle), and GPC2 (Yvonne Freese). Throughout the marathon, exclusive teasers will reveal each of the 13 films that will be riffed in the show’s upcoming thirteenth season, which will premiere exclusively on the show’s new virtual online theater, the Gizmoplex, in 2022.” “Watch The MST3K Turkey Day Marathon on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire via the Shout! Factory TV app.” Probably also live on YouTube and Twitch, I’m assuming.
• Via email—”You are invited to our FREE Zoom-Based Chanukah Celebration. Saturday Night, Dec. 4th – 5:00 pm Pacific Time (8:00 pm Eastern Time). Chanukah is for everyone. On one hand, we celebrate the first national liberation struggle of which we are aware, and its spiritual meaning for our lives today. And, on the other, we seek to disentangle this holiday from the chauvinist nationalism with which it has sometimes been associated. We start with some short reflections on the Torah portion and Havdalah. We then move to Rabbi Lerner’s retelling of the Chanukah story–not the version you heard as a child. We have faith that though it is unlikely Rabbi Lerner will be fully recovered, we believe that he, together with Cat Zavis, will be able to tell his version of the story. Then we light the Chanukah candles (7th night begins Saturday night after Shabbat). We will sing and dance with traditional music led by Ami Goodman. Don’t miss it!” See “Beyt Tikkun Chanukah Celebration.”
• “Ora et Labora is proud to announce that we will now be hosting a series of lectures, free of charge, beginning with: J. Daniel Gunther – “Christeos Luciftias – Messianism in the New Aeon.” This is a topic J. Daniel Gunther rarely lectures on but one he considers “a Holy subject, one that should be approached with due caution and reverence”. This online event will take place at 11 am Eastern Australian time Saturday 11th December. Please email [email protected] to secure your place.”
• From 2014, a doctoral dissertation about The Church of the SubGenius! “Rhetorical Ripples: The Church of the SubGenius, Kenneth Burke & Comic, Symbolic Tinkering by Lee A. Carleton” [PDF].
• Watch “UV Protection Amulet.” Also “UV Protection Amulet. The UV Protection Amulet is a magical pendant that warns you about ultraviolet radiation.”
• Tweet thread—”I filed this on the strength of my background in popular Buddhism and cult lit. I was aware of @Samharrisorg’s right-leaning politics, but I didn’t know enough to lean very far into his culture war and “civilizational war” content. /1″ Also “Conspirituality. Bonus Sample: Sam Harris: High-Brow Secular Conspiritualist.”—”There is a subtle form of conspirituality that rides on the familiar dialectic of political cynicism and spiritual promise—but it’s dressed for a button-down salon dinner in Harvard Square. No crystals in sight, no essential oils wafting through the room. Sam Harris isn’t sounding the alarm about the Cabal or the Illuminati: his bugaboos are Islam, or ‘wokeism,’ or ‘cancel culture.’ And he isn’t saying that starseeds will save the day, or that a Great Awakening is upon us. He’s not so low-brow. His salvation product is meditation, which he says can validate his political insights. And hey, there’s an app for that!”
• The Legend of the Christmas Witch [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] by Dan Murphy and Aubrey Plaza, illo. Julia Iredale—”From Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza and creative partner Dan Murphy comes the long lost tale of the Christmas Witch, Santa Claus’s much misunderstood twin sister. The perfect gift for the holiday season and beyond! Gather ‘round the fire to hear a Christmas legend that has never been told before…until now. Each year a mysterious figure sweeps into town, leaving behind strange gifts in the night. No, not Santa Claus, but his sister… The Christmas Witch. Her story begins many, many years ago when her brother was torn away from her as a child. Raised alone by a witch of the woods, Kristtōrn’s powers of magic grew, as did her temper. Determined to find her long lost twin, she set out on a perilous journey across oceans to find him. But what she found instead was a deep-seated fear of her powers and a confrontation that would leave the fate of Christmas hanging in the balance. From award-winning producer and actress Aubrey Plaza and her creative partner Dan Murphy comes a holiday story unlike any told before. With all the richness of classic folklore, they’ve woven a tale of bravery, love and magic. Whatever you thought you knew about Christmas…think again.” Also watch “‘Be Me. Tell My Story.’ – How Aubrey Plaza Met The Christmas Witch.”—”Our dear friend Aubrey Plaza makes an unforgettable entrance dressed as the main character in her latest book, ‘The Legend of the Christmas Witch,’ which is available everywhere starting November 16th.” Also watch “Aubrey Plaza Goes All Out to Scare Kids on Halloween.”
• “Behold, King Tut, in All His Majesty and Mystery. ‘The Curse of the Mummy’ and ‘King Tutankhamun Tells All!’ reintroduce the boy pharaoh to young readers.” About The Curse of the Mummy: Uncovering Tutankhamun’s Tomb [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] by Candice Fleming—”Award-winning and critically acclaimed author Candace Fleming presents the edge-of-your-seat true story of the search for Tutankhamun’s tomb, the Western public’s belief that the dig was cursed, and the battle for ownership of the treasures within. During the reign of the New Kingdom of Egypt, the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun ruled and died tragically young. In order to send him on his way into the afterlife, his tomb was filled with every treasure he would need after death. And then, it was lost to time, buried in the sands of the Valley of the Kings. His tomb was also said to be cursed. Centuries later, as Egypt-mania gripped Europe, two Brits — a rich earl with a habit for gambling and a disreputable, determined archeologist — worked for years to rediscover and open Tutankhamun’s tomb. But once it was uncovered, would ancient powers take their revenge for disturbing and even looting the pharaoh’s resting place? What else could explain the mysterious illnesses, accidents, and deaths that began once it was found?” And King Tutankhamun Tells All! [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] by Chris Naunton, illo. Guilherme Karsten—”An entertaining new illustrated book for young readers that brings King Tut back to life so he can share his own version of history. What would happen if the famous people of ancient Egypt were given the opportunity to tell their version of historical events―in their own words? It would be incredible! In this highly entertaining and comically illustrated book, King Tut is brought back to life to let readers in on the juicy details of his truly remarkable life. In King Tutankhamun Tells All! readers hear firsthand what it was like to be rudely awakened from the afterlife by archaeologist Howard Carter, who discovered Tut’s tomb in 1922. Listen to Tut brag about his collection of blingy 18-carat gold sandals; discern the fake news from the truth about Tut’s premature death; and relish the gory detail of Tut’s mummification in this exciting book by Egyptologist Chris Naunton. Bringing to life the biography of famous figures from Egyptian history, this book helps young readers learn through the voice of one of history’s most interesting kings.”
• “TRAVEL DIARIES (1971-2018). Personal accounts of Ken Knabb’s encounters with situationists, anarchists, and other radicals in France, Spain, England, Germany, Poland, Greece, Japan, and Hong Kong. With 200+ photos.”
• “How H.G. Wells Predicted the 20th Century. Charles Johnson reviews Claire Tomalin’s latest biography, ‘The Young H.G. Wells: Changing the World.'” About The Young H.G. Wells: Changing the Worldhttps://amzn.to/3xb1g8E [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] by Claire Tomalin—”From acclaimed literary biographer Claire Tomalin, a complex and fascinating exploration of the early life of the influential writer and public figure H. G. Wells. How did the first forty years of H. G. Wells’s life shape the father of science fiction? From his impoverished childhood in a working-class English family and determination to educate himself at any cost to his complicated marriages, love affair with socialism, and the serious ill health that dominated his twenties and thirties, H. G. Wells’s extraordinary early life would set him on a path to become one of the world’s most influential writers. The sudden success of The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds transformed his life and catapulted him to international fame; he became the writer who most inspired Orwell and countless others and predicted men walking on the moon seventy years before it happened. In this remarkable, empathetic biography, Claire Tomalin paints a fascinating portrait of a man like no other, driven by curiosity and desiring reform, a socialist and a futurist whose new and imaginative worlds continue to inspire today.” Also tweet thread—”There is so much wrong with this @nytimes article I don’t even know where to begin. It doesn’t acknowledge the many women who went before, it doesn’t acknowledge the black voice shaping early science fiction. All it does is perpetuate the white male myth – so stale and outdated.” Tweet—”People still believe this shit?” Tweet—”Mary Shelley did not put up with Byron’s bullshit all weekend to have to deal with this.” Tweet—”Everyone is talking about how Mary Shelley invented science fiction as a counter point, but The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is said to have been written between 871 to 881 and if y’all want to open the canon beyond a eurocentric lens.”
• Watch “Anna Official Trailer | Premieres on Nov 18 on AMC+”—”The world is ravaged by a virus which kills adults but spares children. Anna only has one guide: a book left by her mother with instructions on how to survive. But, with each passing day she discovers that the old rules no longer apply, and instead has to make up new ones as she goes along. Anna premieres November 18th only on AMC+.” Directed by Niccolò Ammaniti, the author of Anna [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library], trans. Jonathan Hunt—”It is four years since the virus came, killing every adult in its path. Not long after that the electricity failed. Food and water started running out. Fires raged uncontrolled across the country. Now Anna cares for her brother alone in a house hidden in the woods, keeping him safe from ‘the Outside’, scavenging for food amid the packs of wild dogs that roam their ruined, blackened world. Before their mother died, she told them to love each other and never part. She told them that, when they reach adulthood, the sickness will claim them too. But she also told them that someone, somewhere, will have a cure. When the time comes, Anna knows, they must leave their world and find another. By turns luminous and tender, gripping and horrifying, Anna is a haunting parable of love and loneliness; of the stories we tell to sustain us, and the lengths we will go to in order to stay alive.”
• “You Can Buy the Famous Storybook of the Scrapped ’70s ‘Dune’ Movie“—”It will be available for auction on Christie’s website on November 22.” See “HERBERT, Frank (1920-1986), Alejandro JODOROWSKY (né en 1926), Jean GIRAUD (1938-2012) et d’autres. DUNE. SURESNES : IMPRIMÉ PAR LES ATELIERS INDUSTRIELS DE REPROGRAPHIE AVIAPLANS, [CIRCA 1975]. Estimate EUR 25,000 – EUR 35,000″
• “Unknown Dürer drawing—bought for just $30 at a house clearance—could sell for $50m at London gallery. The US family who owned it believed it was a 20th-century reproduction.”
• “Somebody finally fixed the ending of The Giving Tree.” About “the tree who set healthy boundaries. a parody alternate ending for Shel Silverstein’s ‘The Giving Tree’ part of the ‘Topher Fixed It’ series for young people.” Also “The Tree Who Set Healthy Boundaries T-Shirt.”
• “Interstellar visitor ‘Oumuamua wasn’t a nitrogen iceberg, Harvard astrophysicists say. The bizarre interloper called ‘Oumuamua continues to defy explanation.”
• “‘Dancing molecules’ successfully repair severe spinal cord injuries. After single injection, paralyzed animals regained ability to walk within four weeks.”
• “Live long and prosper: Study examines genetic gems in Galápagos giant tortoise genomes. These big turtles have extra copies of genes that may help them age well and evade cancer, and the creatures’ cells respond to stress in ways that may help to prevent disease, scientists conclude.”
• “New approach provides potential vaccine and treatment for Alzheimer’s. LifeArc scientists, in collaboration with researchers in the UK and Germany, have developed a promising new approach to potentially treat Alzheimer’s disease – and also vaccinate against it.”
• “Quantum brain sensors could spot dementia after University of Sussex scientists find they track brain waves. Sensors introduce important new method to spot bio-marker for brain diseases. Accurate timings of when brain signals fire demonstrated for first time by the Sussex scientists, which has implications for tracking the onset of brain disease. The quantum brain sensors could present a more efficient and accurate alternative to EEG and fMRI scanners.”
• “Novel algorithm on wearable devices can detect irregular heartbeat, may prompt early care. A novel software algorithm developed for wearable devices, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, was able to detect irregular heart rhythms. Analysis of heartbeat data for nearly half a million wearable-device users found that the algorithm was able to accurately detect irregular heart rhythms, indicating possible atrial fibrillation. This feature may help identify individuals with undiagnosed atrial fibrillation and aid in early intervention and improved outcomes.”
• “New cell, shown to regulate heart rate, discovered at University of Notre Dame“—”Researchers at the University of Notre Dame discovered a new type of cell in the heart that may help regulate heart rate, and could be an important key in understanding certain types of congenital heart defects and other diseases that involve the heart. The cells, which were termed nexus glia, resemble critical glial cells called astrocytes in the brain, according to research completed in the lab of Cody Smith, the Elizabeth and Michael Gallagher Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. When the newly identified cells were removed, the heart rate increased, and when they were deprived of a key gene that drives their glial development, the heart beat irregularly.”
• Back in my day, runner’s high was compared to cocaine. They don’t make the body’s own drugs like they used to, apparently. “Exercise increases the body’s own ‘cannabis’ which reduces chronic inflammation, says new study.”
• “Sniffing a particular body odor molecule found in abundance on the heads of newborn babies reduces aggression in men but increases it in women.”
• No one tell supervillain Poison Ivy! “New plants that produce and release sex pheromones to fight plant pests have been developed. The plants, obtained by a team from the UPV and the CSIC, could be used in pest control techniques, such as creating sexual confusion in pest males, in the future.”
• “A first biodegradable version of velcro has been created, drawing inspiration from climbing plants, to safeguard the environment. The new technology has been created by a research team led by Barbara Mazzolai at the IIT – Italian Institute of Technology as part of the European project GrowBot, and with the support of the National Geographic Society.”
• “Press release: Insulation using popcorn? Forest scientists at Göttingen University develop plant-based, environmentally friendly material.”
• “Shape-morphing microrobots deliver drugs to cancer cells“—”Chemotherapy successfully treats many forms of cancer, but the side effects can wreak havoc on the rest of the body. Delivering drugs directly to cancer cells could help reduce these unpleasant symptoms. Now, in a proof-of-concept study, researchers reporting in ACS Nano made fish-shaped microrobots that are guided with magnets to cancer cells, where a pH change triggers them to open their mouths and release their chemotherapy cargo.” “Because tumors exist in acidic microenvironments, the team decided to make the microrobots change shape in response to lowered pH. So the researchers 4D printed microrobots in the shape of a crab, butterfly or fish using a pH-responsive hydrogel.” Watch “Shape-Morphing Microrobots Deliver Drugs to Cancer Cells.”
• “Scientists Develop Promising Vaccine Method Against Recurrent UTI“—”Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas are investigating the use of whole-cell vaccines to fight urinary tract infection (UTI), part of an effort to tackle the increasingly serious issue of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Dr. Nicole De Nisco, assistant professor of biological sciences, and Dr. Jeremiah Gassensmith, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, recently demonstrated the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to encapsulate and inactivate whole bacterial cells to create a ‘depot’ that allows the vaccines to last longer in the body.”
• “New Study Proves Unsuspected Social Ability in Cats. Cat wants treat. Box is shut. Cat asks for help, yes, she does! How she does that is another matter, and it depends on you.”—”Housecats were presented with a solvable mission, i.e., a treat in a container with a loose lid. What did they do? They solved the problem and ate the treat while ignoring the presence of the caregiver. That is what cats do. If however presented with the insolvable problem, an unreachable (but presumably aromatic) treat in a close container, then things got interesting. They asked for help – and were likely to do so sooner if the person was already engaged with them, i.e., looking at them. If the person was attentive, the cats would look at them more often, engaging their gaze, and would approach the treat more frequently, compared with the case of the caregiver being otherwise occupied” “No kidding. What do we cat owners say? That we knew this all along …”
• Watch “Rancher Finds T-Rex Bones That Turn Out To Be A Brand New Dinosaur Species! | Dino Hunters“—”Clayton Phipps has some incredible bones and fossils which might end up confirming that there is a new species of mini-tyrannosaurus rex – the Nanotyrannus.”
• Dino speaks to the UN about climate chaos: Watch “Don’t Choose Extinction – UNDP | United Nations | Jack Black | Climate Action.”
• “Europe’s butterflies are vanishing as small farms disappear. Industrial farms and abandoned ones are both bad for butterflies. Researchers in Spain are trying to combat the trend, one “micro-reserve” at a time.”
• “Economic, environmental and grid-resilience benefits of converting diesel trains to battery-electric“—”Nearly all US locomotives are propelled by diesel-electric drives, which emit 35 million tonnes of CO2 and produce air pollution causing about 1,000 premature deaths annually, accounting for approximately US$6.5 billion in annual health damage costs. Improved battery technology plus access to cheap renewable electricity open the possibility of battery-electric rail. Here we show that a 241-km range can be achieved using a single standard boxcar equipped with a 14-MWh battery and inverter, while consuming half the energy consumed by diesel trains. At near-future battery prices, battery-electric trains can achieve parity with diesel-electric trains if environmental costs are included or if rail companies can access wholesale electricity prices and achieve 40% use of fast-charging infrastructure. Accounting for reduced criteria air pollutants and CO2 emissions, switching to battery-electric propulsion would save the US freight rail sector US$94 billion over 20 years.”
• “FuelPositive“—”Carbon-free Ammonia (NH3) can help change the world! The world has discovered the potential of green ammonia to significantly reduce carbon emissions and surpass our Paris Agreement commitments. Only FuelPositive has the technology to make it happen economically and efficiently now. Our lead product, carbon-free ammonia (NH3), takes air, water and sustainable electricity and converts that into a non-polluting: Chemical for multiple applications. Fertilizer for farming. Fuel for transportation. Fuel for fuel cells. Solution for grid storage.”
• “‘Spirit of Innovation’ stakes claim to be the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle“—”We believe our all-electric ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft is the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft, setting three new world records. We have submitted data to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) – the World Air Sports Federation who control and certify world aeronautical and astronautical records – that at 15:45 (GMT) on 16 November 2021, the aircraft reached a top speed of 555.9 km/h (345.4 mph) over 3 kilometres, smashing the existing record by 213.04 km/h (132mph). In further runs at the UK Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe Down experimental aircraft testing site, the aircraft achieved 532.1km/h (330 mph) over 15 kilometres – 292.8km/h (182mph) faster than the previous record – and broke the fastest time to climb to 3000 metres by 60 seconds with a time of 202 seconds, according to our data. We hope that the FAI will certify and officially confirm the achievements of the team in the near future. During its record-breaking runs, the aircraft clocked up a maximum speed of 623 km/h (387.4 mph) which we believe makes the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle.” Watch “Rolls-Royce | Spirit of Innovation – the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft“—”We believe our all-electric Spirit of Innovation is the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft, setting three new world records. Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver clean, safe and competitive solutions to meet our planet’s vital power needs.”
• “Yara to start operating the world’s first fully emission-free container ship.” Watch “Yara Birkeland’s Voyage from Horten to Oslo“—”We are proud to announce that Yara Birkeland, the world’s first fully electric and soon to be autonomous container vessel with zero emissions is ready to be put into operation in 2022! With key collaboration from KONGSBERG, VARD and Enova SF, this project shows how through join efforts, we have developed a world-leading innovation that contributes to the green shift. To celebrate the momentous occasion, Yara Birkeland set sail on November 18th from Horten to Oslo for it’s first and only visit where partners and key stakeholders experienced the ship first-hand and learned more about the process behind this great achievement.”
• “Facebook wants to rule the metaverse space. We can’t let that happen. Let’s not make the same mistake again.” Also watch “Something isn’t right about Meta’s Metaverse“—”One one hand Meta is offering to build our virtual world and provide jobs and money to anyone and everyone in it. On the other hand, this isn’t yours our my metaverse. This isn’t built by the people for the people. This doesn’t feel right and there is everything at stake here.” Also watch “How Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Already Lost The Metaverse“—”Here’s the Four Big Players who have already beaten Meta and are 1,000x the size of Facebook and Meta in the Metaverse.”
• “‘When Has There Ever Been a Moment of Calm at Facebook?’: The Great Employee Exodus That Wasn’t. Despite scandal after scandal, the company’s perk-drunk employees seem to be weathering the storm—but there are signs of trouble. On the business side, one admits, ‘It doesn’t feel great to be the face of Facebook.'”
• “Microsoft Loop Clones Notion. Eager to beat Notion, Loop brings live components & more.”
• “Microsoft is embarrassing itself and customers can see it. There’s simply no obvious need to behave like this. Yet Redmond merely offers troubling excuses.”—”Do you have friends who constantly struggle with their worst habits? Do they try so very hard to change, yet their old foibles return again and again to annoy and destroy everyone’s mood? Is one of your friends Microsoft?”
• “Twitter Cancels AMP. Twitter says it’s in the process of dropping support for AMP, which will be fully retired by the end of the year.” AMP is an abomination unto the Lord, like Google Cloud Print. Kill them both with fire. But AMP is actually also pure evil, as part of Google’s attempt to enclose the open web, so burning it to death is only a fraction the battle.
• “People are talking about Web3. Is it the Internet of the future or just a buzzword?“—”‘There are a lot of people who have money to invest,’ he said. ‘And they need some vision to throw money at.'”
• Tweet—”if social media has taught me anything, the average person doesn’t have any media literacy at all. people just watch shows and movies and misinterpret it entirely. they watch a show with a clear message and come out with the exact opposite of the intended message.” Tweet thread—”So, while I think this is TRUE, there are three examples people often turn to as a failure of the reader, and I think they’re actually a failure of the story. They are: Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Dune. I’ll hold up a clear counter-example to these three at the end. 1/”
• Watch “NYC’s nonprofit DIY internet is taking on Verizon & more | Just Might Work by Freethink“—”1.5 million New Yorkers lack access to high-speed internet. According to New York City’s research, 40% of households lack either home or mobile broadband connection. And over 1.5 million New Yorkers lack both. This digital divide throws up massive barriers to education, employment, health, banking, social networking, and government service options. One non-profit is looking to challenge the top dogs by providing people with another option of where they get their internet. And they’re doing so by building an internet infrastructure that is cheaper and potentially more reliable. According to NYC Mesh, their mesh internet approach provides numerous advantages. First and foremost: it’s low cost, a key concern for closing the digital divide. NYC Mesh’s service fees are donation based, with the organization suggesting $20-60 depending on what a member can afford. It’s free for those who cannot afford to donate.” Also “NYC’s nonprofit DIY internet is taking on Verizon & more. 1.5 million New Yorkers lack access to high-speed internet. Can a DIY mesh internet network change that?”
• “COVID-19 Likely Started With A Vendor At Wuhan Animal Market, Says New Analysis. With ‘half of early cases’ linked to the area, it ‘becomes very difficult to explain that pattern if the outbreak didn’t start at the market,’ writes Dr. Michael Worobey.”
• “Novel Lyme vaccine shows promise“—”Yale University researchers have developed a novel vaccine that in guinea pigs offers protection against infection by the bacterium that causes Lyme disease and may also combat other tick-borne diseases, they report Nov. 17 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Instead of triggering an immune response against a particular pathogen, the new vaccine prompts a quick response in the skin to components of tick saliva, limiting the amount of time that ticks have to feed upon and infect the host, the study shows. The vaccine is delivered by the same mRNA technology that has proved so effective against COVID-19.”
• “Snow leopards die of Covid-19 complications at Nebraska zoo.”
• “Boosters give over 90% protection against symptomatic COVID-19 in adults over 50.”
• “Covid: Huge protests across Europe over new restrictions. Tens of thousands of people have been marching in the Belgian capital, Brussels, to protest against anti-Covid measures.”
• “Māori Tribe Tells Anti-Vaxxers To Stop Using Its Haka. The ceremonial dance has been used at anti-vaccine protests in New Zealand without permission.”—”‘Ngāti Toa condemns the use of the Ka Mate haka to push and promote anti-Covid-19 vaccination messages,’ its chief executive officer, Helmut Modlik, said in a statement. ‘Many of our tupuna [ancestors] lost their lives in previous pandemics and our iwi [tribe] suffered greatly. We are absolutely clear that the COVID-19 vaccine is the best protection we have available to us, and we are committed to supporting our whānau [family] to get vaccinated as soon as possible.'”
• “‘Before insulin, diabetes was a death sentence’: The miracle that two Canadians gave the world 100 years ago is still saving lives.”
• Tweet—”Federal and state investigators are examining an attempt to breach an Ohio county’s election network that’s strikingly similar to a Republican-fueled incident in Colorado. Data in both instances were distributed at a symposium hosted by Mike Lindell.” Also “Attempted breach of Ohio county election network draws FBI and state scrutiny. The incident, in which a private laptop was plugged into the government computer network inside the office of a Lake County commissioner, came the same month as a similar event in Mesa County, Colo., which is also under FBI investigation.”
• Watch “The Q Files: Q Faithful Are Still Waiting For JFK In Dallas | Jacob Chansley’s Note To Self”—”Stephen checks in on followers of the QAnon conspiracy, many of whom are camped out in Dallas awaiting the return of JFK (or JFK Jr., we’re not really sure). One notable Q fan who isn’t in Dallas is Jacob Chansley, also known as the QAnon Shaman, who was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.”
• Watch “Flynn, Powell Pushed The Military To Seize Control After T**** Lost The Election.”
• “Two Fox News commentators resign over Tucker Carlson series on the Jan. 6 siege.”
• “Meet the Pro-Coup Caucus Running the House GOP. How the far-right Freedom Caucus has turned into the pro-Trump, pro-insurrection wing of the GOP.”
• “Biden Declared ‘Healthy’ and ‘Vigorous’ After His First Presidential Physical. Vice President Kamala Harris became the first woman to assume acting presidential duties, while President Biden underwent a colonoscopy.”
• Tweet—”As more states roll out legal marketplaces for recreational pot, a federal raid of a small household marijuana garden on tribal land in northern New Mexico is sowing confusion and resentment about U.S. drug enforcement priorities on Native American lands.” See “Cannabis bust on Indigenous land highlights legal divide.”
• “Hoover Hid That Some Witnesses In Malcolm X Assassination Trial Were FBI Informants. A Manhattan judge exonerated two men convicted of killing the revolutionary leader after decades of doubt about who was responsible for his 1965 death.” Also “‘Who Killed Malcolm X?,’ a Netflix Documentary, Spurred Prosecutors’ Review. Popular documentary series on television also led to indictments against the real estate mogul Robert Durst and the singer R. Kelly.”
• “Republicans Ban Elmo From Attending Conservative Conference. On Thursday, CPAC tweeted that Elmo, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie would not be welcome at its 2022 conference.”—”Seriously … They tweeted about puppets.” “In related news, CPAC organizer Matt Schlapp on Thursday shared that he isn’t happy that ‘Sesame Street’ added an Asian-American muppet to its cast, saying the show is ‘injecting race’ and saying the show won’t stop pushing ‘for woke politics.'”
• Tweet thread—”Let’s be very clear what this is: Far-right propaganda, entirely indistinguishable from what you’ll read on white supremacist blogs and on rightwing extremist websites. That it was published by the @washingtonpost is outrageous – but, unfortunately, not an accident.” Tweet—”I don’t have a problem with newspapers publishing a variety of opinions. They should. But this @washingtonpost opinion piece by @marcthiessen on ‘The Danger of Critical Race Theory’ contains a whole lie about Martin Luther King. All they had to do is read MLK’s exact words.”
• Why Bosses Are Inflexible About Flexible Work Arrangements. Since lockdown, employees have adopted new work habits, but many execs want a return to the old normal.
• “Did the Lingerie Business Make Jeffrey Epstein Possible? As the Ghislaine Maxwell trial picks up speed, a look at the financiers behind the infamous financier.”
• Decentralized remake of Heat. “3 arrested after dozens ransack a Nordstrom store near San Francisco, police say“—”Three suspects were arrested Saturday night after dozens ransacked a Nordstrom department store near San Francisco in what police are calling a “smash-and-grab” incident. About 80 suspects were involved in the crime at the department store in Broadway Plaza, an outdoor mall in Walnut Creek east of San Francisco, and they fled in at least 10 different vehicles …” “The incident followed a series of similar lootings Friday night in Union Square and surrounding areas in San Francisco, including at a Louis Vuitton store, a Burberry store, a jewelry store, a Bloomingdale’s, a Walgreens, cannibis dispensaries and even an eyeglass shop, Police Chief Bill Scott said at a news conference Saturday.” Also “Around 80 People Ransacked The Nordstrom In Walnut Creek, California, In An ‘Organized Theft’. Video showed people running out of the store with bags and fleeing in vehicles that were parked on the street.”
• Watch “From David Fincher and David Prior | VOIR | Netflix”—”From executive producers David Fincher and David Prior, VOIR is a series of visual essays celebrating Cinema and the personal connection we each have to the stories we see on the big screen. From intimate personal histories to insights on character and craft, each episode reminds us why Cinema holds a special place in our lives.”
• “Jonah Hill To Play Jerry Garcia In Martin Scorsese’s Grateful Dead Film. What a long, strange trip this could be.” Also “Jonah Hill To Play Jerry Garcia In Martin Scorsese-Directed Grateful Dead Pic For Apple“—”After stepping up as a producer on his next film Killers of the Flower Moon, Apple has found its next Martin Scorsese project, and its subject is a band the Oscar winner knows well. Sources tell Deadline that Scorsese is on board to direct and produce a new untitled biopic on the Grateful Dead with Jonah Hill on board to play the group’s frontman, Jerry Garcia.” “Insiders add that with the band and the group’s management participating in the film, Apple has rights to use the group’s musical catalog for the film.”
• “The Puzzle-Maker’s Paradox or The Tricky Art Of Welcoming New Players To Roleplaying”—”I would argue that as game designers, we are perhaps the least-equipped to understand what new players actually need from games. This article is an attempt to dive deeper into the current conversation around new players in TTRPGs, how our biases limit us as designers, and what approaches we can take in the future — or beyond.” “This paradox means the design community self-selects people who were able to play specifically in spite of inaccessible or bad games. Most people, when confronted with something they don’t understand and lack the motivation to dig deeper into, stop engaging with that thing. If you’re reading this article, you’re probably part of the small community of weirdos who have the opposite response.” ” When I’m confronted with something confusing and hard to wrap my head around, I feel an impulsive urge to dig deeper. When I’m shown an unfun game, I want to fix it. This is reasonable, and part of what drives me forward as a creator, but it’s also not an accurate reflection of what most people are like. Some designers are unaware of their place in the paradox, or own it and seek to make games that don’t care about pulling in new players. Other designers are aware of this paradox, but don’t know how to get past it, and so they look to the solutions other games come up with.”
• “Fujifilm announces film-digital hybrid Instax Mini Evo camera. Crank the film advance lever to print.”
• “Avatar: The Last Airbender 3D Laser-Cut Hardwood Map.” Also watch—”Check out this amazing 3D AVATAR The Last Airbender Map!.”
• “The Imperium Is Driven by Hate. Warhammer Is Not.“—”The Imperium of Man stands as a cautionary tale of what could happen should the very worst of Humanity’s lust for power and extreme, unyielding xenophobia set in. Like so many aspects of Warhammer 40,000, the Imperium of Man is satirical.”
• “Be Like a Crow is a solo tabletop RPG that lets you do exactly what it promises.” Crowdfunding with 7 days to go: “Be Like a Crow. A solo journalling RPG where you get to be like a crow.”
• “Property Developer Discovers Secret Passageway Behind Bookshelf in 500-Year-Old House. Freddy Goodall of Brighton, England, detailed his finds in a series of social media videos.”—”Like a scene out of an old mystery movie, a British property developer recently discovered a secret passageway behind a bookshelf in his 500-year-old home. As Mary K. Jacob reports for the New York Post, 23-year-old Freddy Goodall also found an old safe, schoolbooks, letters and other artifacts in the Sussex estate’s network of tunnels. Goodall, who first revealed his finds in a viral TikTok video, was looking at an 1870 photograph of a room in his family’s house when he noticed a doorway where a bookshelf now stands.”
• Tweet thread—”Finally watching Shang-Chi, here as a bus operator to rate the SFT transit factors of The Bus Scene:” Tweet—”This is f**king amazing.” Also “In ‘Shang-Chi,’ a Muni Line Made Possible by Chinatown Community Advocacy“—”The 1-California carries more than just passengers gawking at superheroes in Marvel blockbusters, though. It carries the history and legacy of San Francisco’s Chinese community, its advocacy, and its perseverance. That is, if you know the history.”
• “Jack Kirby Runs Into the MCU Buzzsaw. ‘Eternals’ and the irony of watching fans trumpet their allegiance to a corporation over artists.”—”Jack Kirby co-created what is now a multi-billion-dollar industry. It’s his work that laid the foundation on which the Marvel Cinematic Universe was built. And it’s that same cinematic universe that has done everything it can to strip any elements of Kirby’s personality from the films. Sadly, the movie fans seem to prefer it this way.”

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