May 15, 2017

By The Morning News — 15 May 2017

Politicians often say “I misspoke” instead of “I told you what I wanted to be true, for no good reason.” / The Economist

When lying is a compliment: People lie more to people they perceive to be highly competent. / The British Psychological Society

“I give Bach a special prize.... I hear less a mathematical coldness than a musical discourse carrying all the possible emotions. Bach is a passenger between several worlds, indefinable and brilliant.” In case you forgot that politicians sometimes talk like this: a recent interview (in French) with France’s new president Emmanuel Macron on the value of culture, including thoughts on his favorite composers. / Classiquenews.com

The reason your car isn’t splattered with insects anymore: insects are dramatically disappearing. / Science Magazine

After yesterday’s Warriors rally in game one against the Spurs, it seems fitting (at least for long-suffering New Yorkers) to wonder, “What If Stephen Curry Was Drafted By The Knicks?” / Sports Illustrated

Sweden is so cashless, both churches and the homeless collect alms via swiping. / Bloomberg

“For every ‘woke’ TV show, there are seven sitcoms about whiteness. They just rebooted Baywatch.” Shows like The Handmaid’s Tale and combative hosts like Colbert suggest the “golden era” of TV isn’t just about disconnected dark dramas. At the same time, most people watch Big Bang Theory. / New York Times

A century after the “Gettysburg of the American labor movement” in West Virginia, echoes are faint but meaningful. / Fusion

More than half of the world’s selfie fatalities occur in India. / FactorDaily

“I know it’s a smell some people find off-putting, but I love it. I always wanted to put out a novelty fragrance called Dildo—not to sell, just to give out to friends as a gag gift.” A profile of the “first family of dildos.” / MEL

A sign of Putin’s economic troubles? The Russian embassy in Washington serves Costco-brand vodka. / Esquire

Indivisible San Pedro protesters visited Trump’s Rancho Palos Verdes golf course over the weekend. / The Hill

“While Vox was busy writing about how Juicero ‘says a lot about the state of Silicon Valley right now,’ Silicon Valley was leading a revolution in solar power that’s resulted in a 1500% increase in cell installations over the past few years.” A defense of Silicon Valley in spite of silly juicers / Slate Star Codex

Police are counting on a small black market for Harry Potter ephemera after charity prequel item goes missing. / NPR

“Fuck that guy. He just memorized a bunch of moves. I was dancing from the heart.” A dispatch from an alt-right anti-White House Correspondents’ Association party, where exiled Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes and James O’Keefe, whose false sting lead to the closure of ACORN, had a dance-off. / The New Yorker

40,000 data sets have gone missing from federal websites in the last three months, a quarter of the whole. / Washington Post

Pretty fascinating: a photographic tour of the massive tunnel being dug under downtown Los Angeles. / Los Angeles Times

New Jersey congressman pressures local bank, a campaign donor, to fire employees active against his agenda. / WNYC

Artist blends photograph and video to create illusion of an ever-cresting wave. h/t Kottke / kottke.org