August 2, 2017
After brouhaha around HBO’s Confederate, Amazon reveals plans for Black America, set post-reparations. / Deadline
In case you missed it in all the political froth, here’s California’s Maxine Waters using a procedural technique—reclaiming her time—during last Thursday’s House Financial Services Committee meeting to prevent Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin from running down the clock on her questioning. / YouTube
A study finds that couples who live together share the same microbiomes, especially on their feet. / ScienceDaily
This flatworm can detect light after you chop off its head, even before it regrows its eyes and brain. / The New York Times
Trump wanted a cheaper plane, so the Air Force found a deal to buy a pair of jets off a bankrupt Russian airline. / DefenseOne
“The slope to chaos is slippery. Rules, however arbitrary, create a world of civilized play. Guests, after all, would prefer to see themselves not as rabbits... but as lords, out on a rabbit hunt.” GQ sends Davy Rothbart to report from the nude Jacuzzis of the latest in travel trends: “luxury” resorts for swingers. “There seems to be a consensus that once people start going topless at the buffet, all bets are off.” / GQ
Students who lack legal access to weed get better grades, especially in classes requiring mathematical skills. / Vox
University of Vermont will be the first US med school to eliminate lectures, due to a terrible info. retention rate. / The Star Democrat
Kristine Wathne’s photographs showcase the awkwardness of eating while standing up. / Creators
Emboldened by the White House’s disinterest in human rights, Vietnam steps up its crackdown on dissidents. / Reuters
“Animals obviously can’t use currency or sign contracts. And the animal kingdom has no third-party institutions to punish cheaters. Evolution may have produced fish dentists, but it has yet to produce fish lawyers.” A good piece about “biological market theory,” the economics-in-the-jungle idea that’s become so popular in primatology, some scientists believe it’s overused. / Bloomberg
Wednesday fact: After spotting an enemy, a soldier takes between 400 and 450 milliseconds to pull the trigger. / The Economist
Robots not only can crack safes faster than humans, they do it differently. / Wired