As wood as gold
Footage of a volcano in south-west Iceland erupting, following weeks of seismic activity. / BBC News
The United States announces a 10-nation task force to protect ships traveling through the Red Sea. / The Associated Press
The British Library suffered a cyberattack back in October, and the library's reading rooms "are now zombies." / Public Books
Why are Americans getting slightly shorter? Nutrition, inequality, access to modern medicine, etc. / The Washington Post [+]
Unrelated: Unpacking the "cockroach theory" to explain why Bitcoin is up by almost 150% this year. / The Economist
Most Americans think crime has gone up. They're wrong. / NBC News
An investigation into San Francisco car thieves uses glitter bombs. / YouTube
See also: Confessions ofa public defense attorney. "Clients lie to me—exclusively to their own detriment." / Singal-Minded
An assessment of Lancaster, a California town that's become "a darling for the new urbanism movement." / SF Gate
Scientists are making transparent wood. Meanwhile, Japanese artisans make "the world's clearest ice." / Knowable Magazine, The Kid Should See This
Related: Ten of this year's most significant material innovations. / dezeen
Portions of the internet believe the family in Home Alone afforded their big house because the dad was a gangster. / Mental Floss
Why are there "12 days of Christmas?" The answer is the Moon. / Atlas Obscura
And now a brief chat with a new Sustaining Member, Jim D.!
Jim, you found us long ago through the Tournament of Books, yeah? I started following/reading the ToB during 2011, which feels like so long ago now. But it is and has always been one of my favorite things on the internet—it feels like a miracle that it still exists, when so many of my other favorites have fallen by the wayside.
Oh man, that's great to hear! We really appreciate your support. Any particular reason you decided to back us today? A frankly ridiculous percentage of the best books that I have read in the last decade-plus have come to me through the ToB, whether by reading someone talk about them in a way that let me know I would love them, the enthusiasm of commenters, or (now) picking the ones that most appeal to me from the long lists. I will be following along, delightedly, for as long as this exists. If anything, it's a little shameful that I only now started supporting, and I apologize about that—but ultimately I want to help contribute to keeping things that I love alive. Thanks again for all that you do.
Without tremendous supporters like Jim, none of this is possible. Please become a Sustaining Member or make a one-time donation today—and thank you!
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Your headlines are sourced and composed by Rosecrans Baldwin and Andrew Womack, Monday through Saturday. View this edition and the latest headlines at TMN.