Kickoff For July 31, 2023
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Monday Kickoff, a collection of what I’ve found interesting, informative, and insightful on the web over the last seven days.
Let’s get this Monday started with these links:
Have you no shame?, wherein Niloufar Haidari looks at why some people overshare and behave outrageously online, and why that isn’t always for the best.
The Two-Century Quest to Quantify Our Senses, wherein we learn about psychophysics and how scientists have tried to understand the mechanisms that underlie our senses and to explain them using data.
The V Files: The Shocking Legacy of an ’80s Sci-Fi Cult Classic, wherein we learn how to original idea for the series V changed from conventional drama to SF, how studio executives ousted the creator and ruined everything, and learn how V’s creator is trying to take back the rights to the series.
No cellphone? No problem! The vintage radio enthusiasts prepping for disaster, wherein we learn about modern-day ham radio operators, who see their older technology of choice as a near-perfect way to effectively communicate during a crisis.
Do Animals Get Drunk?, wherein we learn the hows and whys of certain species consume large amounts of alcohol, and about the (believe it or not) evolutionary and nutritional advantages that has given those species.
Banks For The People, wherein Piper French looks at the wave of closures of bank branches in poorer American neighbourhoods, and at a less profit-driven and more community-base alternative.
Madame Mao’s Nietzschean Revolution, wherein Dylan Levi King examines how the German nihilist philosopher, and not Marx or Lenin, informed the revolutionary ideas of China’s one-time first lady, and the effects that had on the country’s cultural life.
The Long Delay Is Nearly Over, wherein Alex Dubin looks at the history of delays in returning humans to the moon, and why that’s starting to change in this decade.
The City That Fell Off a Cliff, wherein Matthew Green introduces us to Dunwich, a once-thriving English port city that succumbed to erosion, and how the ruins of the city gripped the imaginations of artists and writers.
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.