June 30, 2017
Canada’s 150th birthday is tomorrow, but the land’s original inhabitants have been there for thousands of years. / The Economist
German parliament approves gay marriage. Merkel voted against it. / BBC News
Seeing how India is better at protecting cows than women, an artist decided to “mock the whole system.” / Quartz
A technological history of the White House, from Harrison’s fear of light switches to Truman’s heating system. / The Washington Post
White House panel asks for detailed information on all voters in every state. Multiple states refuse. / The Washington Examiner
Fourteen percent of the homeless in California’s Marin County live on boats: an illustrator’s interviews. / KQED News
A quickie reading and viewing list for my publisher’s refurbished newsletter, FSG’s Work in Progress, of my favorite New England noir. / fsgworkinprogress.com
Canada’s finance ministers warn of a shortage of marijuana, “the biggest challenge” for Trudeau’s new market. / BloombergPolitics
“Women are eight times more likely to ask Google if their husband is gay than if he is an alcoholic and 10 times more likely to ask Google if their husband is gay than if he is depressed.” In case you were wondering: studying Google and Pornhub data shows that Americans lie about sex. / Vox
With Wimbledon beginning Monday and Serena out of competition, some experts’ picks on women likely to win. / Tennis Magazine
Indie wrestling’s latest villain? “Progressive liberal,” who wears a Clinton T-shirt and says things like “You know what, I think Bernie Sanders would make a great secretary of state,” and, “I want to exchange your bullets for bullet points. Bullet points of knowledge.” / The Washington Post
Jeffrey Toobin on the war between the White House and Morning Joe. “Pecker is not just a publisher.” / The New Yorker
For your holiday weekend: Minimalistic illustrations by Tor Brandt, inspired by underground comics. / It’s Nice That
A very brief history of July 4 in America, celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. / PBS
TMN will be a little slow and mellow over the next couple days—a little like this video for “Good Night,” by young Texas guitarist Hayden Pedigo, whose new album Greetings From Amarillo is a recent office favorite. / NPR, play.spotify.com
“The iPhone is behind the scenes a triumph of mining science, with a wide variety of raw materials and about 34 billion kilograms (75 billion pounds) of mined rock as an input to date.” A brief assessment of the iPhone’s impact after 10 years: a revolution in mining, manufacturing, and the way people wait in lines. / Bloomberg