Jun 21, 2018And what about the “lowest known musical note in the universe”? It turns out to be a tone emitted by the galaxy cluster Abell 426, 250 million light years away.
↩︎ New Republic
Monday headlines: Ceci nest pas une trend
Thousands of Russian voters silently protested Putin by showing up to the polls at noon. / Reuters
Berlin's techno scene is now registered as part of Germany's "Intangible Cultural Heritage." / euronews
See also: "If there's a specific skill that needs to be mastered, Japanese have a strong desire to have it formally recognized." Explaining a surge in Japan of "wine masters." / The Japan Times
The new normal in Washington DC is said to be "functional dysfunction." / Wake Up to Politics
One potential key to solving homelessness in the States? Bringing back SROs and boarding houses. / Cornerstone
Related: If you don't know, Andrew Callaghan/Channel 5 (aka All Gas No Brakes) are back and doing terrific reporting. / YouTube
Since the start of the artificial intelligence boom, the combined market capitalization of Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft has increased by $2.5 trillion. / The Economist
The astrolabe, an eleventh-century invention, is said to be the world's first smartphone. / Open Culture
A round-up of "breakout artists" from this year's Whitney Biennial. / artsy
It seems a stretch to say young people in Britain are back to smoking pipes? / The Guardian
See also: "We are getting closer and closer to a movement where 'straight' women and 'gay' men start dating." / The Trend Report
Week three begins in this year's Rooster event/madness/conversation. Jump right in! / The Tournament of Books
Saturday headlines: Singing in the brain
"I started dragging myself like a snake." An account of a 17-year-old boy who got away. / BBC News
A round-up of recent events in Haiti. / Interruptrr
France and Germany's relationship is in bad shape over support for Ukraine. / Responsible Statecraft
Related: Thinking through what contribution (if any) should Switzerland make to Europe's security. / Brookings Institute
A new survey finds 6.8% of American adults experiencing long Covid symptoms. / The Guardian
In December, the United States grew by roughly 386,000 square miles, via an "extended continental shelf." / Atlas Obscura
See also: Homeowners in a Massachusettes beach town spent $600,000 on sand to protect their properties from future storms. Then a storm came. / The New York Times [+]
Unpacking how the House of Representatives revived the TikTok ban without the public really noticing. / The Verge
Four unpersuasive arguments against TikTok. / Read Max
"Email apnea" describes people's tendency to hold their breath while reading or writing messages. / GQ
A mathematician finds pi day lame—because it doesn't connect to why math is beautiful. / Logging the World
Also beautiful: From February, a pair of dancers remake the "Moses Supposes" sequence from Singing in the Rain. / YouTube
Friday headlines: American chimera
Voters begin casting ballots in Russia where the Kremlin "remains determined" to render a semblance of legitimacy. / BBC News
A day of mourning is declared after another Russian missile attack in Odesa. / The Guardian
Protesters at the New York Times hand out editions of the New York Crimes. / Instagram
A report says metro areas in the Southeast United States have the worst transportation outcomes for reducing emissions. / Bloomberg CityLab
See also: "Vancouver's new mega-development is big, ambitious, and undeniably Indigenous." / Maclean's
Long-running surveys say Gen Z feels more disillusioned than any living generation before them. / The Wall Street Journal [+]
Could an AI replace all music ever recorded with Taylor Swift covers? Researchers say yes. / NewScientist
Arvind Narayanan And Sayash Kapoor: Trying to make an AI model that can't be misused is like trying to make a computer that can't be used for bad things. / AI Snake Oil
Meghan Markle has a new company called American Riviera Orchard. Among 51 things it is not: "The restaurant inside Home Depot." / Vulture
A professional "stay-at-home boyfriend" explains his work. "It's the little things added together that make a big thing really great." / GQ
Bartenders rate the more overrated bourbons—e.g., Pappy Van Winkle. / Vinepair
What it's like to run a food stall in Sinagpore. Also, what it's like to draw birds in your backyard. / Business Insider, The Paris Review
An artist drops acorns on golf courses using drones and tiny parachutes. / Early Majority
Thursday headlines: Fear of trying
"Every day felt like an eternity." A short interview with a freed Israeli hostage. / BBC News
Unrelated? "That the U.S. military establishment employs so many historians should be little surprise." / Foreign Policy
Clean-energy industries accounted for 40% of China's GDP growth last year. / The Economist
The world's biggest plane, if constructed, wants to transform wind power: by ferrying the world's largest wind turbine blades. / The Wall Street Journal [+]
A jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, opens next month. / Grist
Girls' wrestling is the fastest-growing high school sport in the United States. / The Associated Press
Brazilian children work the Amazon to meet markets' demand for açaí berries. / CNN
African "creators" and "influencers" are increasingly moving to Brazil. / rest of world
Animating the most populous cities in the world, from 3000 BCE to today. / Kottke
See also: A map to help you see April 8's total solar eclipse from North America. / Bloomberg
The "nocebo effect" occurs when a person experiences pain or illness based on negative expectations. / Quillette
Today's toupee wearers are said to be "much more precise," favoring customized "hair systems." / Robb Report
Comparing the joyful abandon of Erica Jong's Fear of Flying with today's sad girl novels. / The Conversation
Related: Comparing Rolling Stone's album rankings—twenty years apart—to determine what influences "greatness" in music. / The Pudding
Wednesday headlines: The Beverly Hillbillies 2.0
In pictures, what it's like right now to hunt for food in Gaza. Also, food insecurity in Nigeria, in Haiti. / The New York Times [+], African Business, Le Monde
Humanitarian groups say only truck deliveries—not dangerous airdrops—can prevent famine. / The Wall Street Journal [+]
Unrelated: A cursory history of coffee as medicine. / Sprudge
Donald Trump clinches the Republican nomination for president. / CNN
To further align with Trump, the GOP scraps its minority outreach program—"the tagline might as well be 'Make the RNC White Again.'" / The Daily Beast
See also: What happens to Harlem when it's white? / The Ringer
A house near LeBron James's new estate has been home to squatters attempting to "re-create Burning Man in Beverly Hills." / Curbed
Fashion designers offer tips on shopping flea markets in Japan, France, Massachusetts, and California. / GQ
Pictures of models constructed for patent applications. Meanwhile, a Los Angeles photographer breaks down the Kate Middleton bruhaha. / The New Yorker, Vox
The choreographer behind the Oscars' "I'm Just Ken" performance explains her approach. / The Hollywood Reporter
An illustrated explanation of how airfoils work. "Don't be misled by the frozen arrows." / Bartosz Ciechanowski
Surprirse of the day: The United Kingdom has an estimated 500,000 giant redwood trees compared to 80,000 in their native California. / BBC News
Tuesday headlines: To the moon, Karl
Linking indifference toward suffering in Sudan to a pattern of antiblackness. / Africa Is a Country
See also: An argument that "you, personally, should want a larger human population." / The Roots of Progress
Economists upgrade Singapore's growth forecast—partly because of the arrival of Taylor Swift's Eras tour. / The Star
The "Young Indian Method" teaches TikTok hustler bros how to hire and control "third world country workers." / 404 Media
A school with the highest rate of academic progress in England is known for strictness. / The New York Times [+]
A town in New York wants to drum up tourist business by turning a water tower into an enormous hamburger. / The Wall Street Journal [+]
Raw milk has become "a conservative signal" in US politics. / Politico Magazine
States and tribes race to reach Colorado River deals before the fall election. / Grist
A study finds that roughly two weeks of training for Chat GPT-3 consumes about 700,000 liters of water. / Noema Magazine
See also: A surfer chooses the 10 best rides of all times (with video clips). / The Inertia
Karl Lagerfeld's former Paris apartment—"like floating in your own spaceship"—is up for auction. / artnet
For $12,000, a private company will send your ashes to the moon. / The Economist
A new handbag consists only of one percent solid material. / dezeen
Monday headlines: Denmacore goes dark
Palestinians in Gaza are afraid of attending Ramadan evening prayers for fear of being bombed. / Al Jazeera
The United States removes non-essential staff from its embassy in Haiti. / Le Monde
Haiti's most influential "gang kingpin," known as Barbecue, is now the country's most powerful person. "Either Haiti becomes a paradise or a hell for all of us." / The Guardian, France 24
Related: A profile of Barbecue from last summer by Jon Lee Anderson. / The New Yorker
A study finds women's participation in scientific patents has increased since 2000. / axios
Requests to "round up" your bill are generating millions for charities. / NPR
Some 70% of fans who got frostbite at a cold Chiefs game in January are being advised to schedule amputations. / Fox 4 Kansas City
Charles Bukowski supposedly published pro-Nazi letters in the early 1940s—and now they've been unearthed, "all claims in that regard are no longer credible." / 3am Magazine
See also: Law and literature are "historically contiguous and analytically adjacent," but should they intermingle more? / Public Books
Recent street-fashion trends in Paris: dark Demnacore, broke hats, neo-workwear. Also, some photographs of teenagers in the 1980s and '90s. / The Trend Report, Flashbak
Oppenheimer has a big night at the Oscars. Then again, so did Japan. / Semafor
A cinematographer finds groundbreaking innovation in his colleagues' recent work. / The Los Angeles Review of Books
Unrelated: Creeps on the far right think Sydney Sweeney killed wokeness. / Slate
Saturday headlines: Is it drugs?
Republican and Democrat First Ladies are said to both deal with different versions of the "same gendered expectation." / Politico
See also: A roundtable with three female watch collectors. / GQ
The world is experiencing a small boom in city-building. / The Economist
Four decades' worth of research proves that bike lanes are good for small businesses. / Business Insider
Notes from a rough walk around Phoenix. "I would like to say we are a better country than this… but I'm not so sure anymore." / Chris Arnade Walks the World
A visual "love letter" to skateboarding in Texas. / The Kid Should See This
For Senegalese migrants, a trendy route to the United States is through Nicaragua. / Voice of America
From February, a timeline of Swedish pastries. / The Newbie Guide to Sweden
This year's freebie bags for nominees of the major Oscar awards are worth $170,000; included in the bag is a taxable-income form. / Robb Report
Akira Toriyama, creator of the Dragon Ball manga and anime franchise, dies at 68. / The Japan Times
An obituary for the incredible life of Josette Molland, French resistance fighter and artist, who recently died at 100. / The New York Times [+]
"Is it drugs?" This year's Tournament of Books, presented by Field Notes, is a wrap. / The Tournament of Books
Friday headlines: You gotta fight for your right to coach
Related: How Sweden and Finland went from neutral to NATO. / BBC News
A report finds an Israeli tank crew killed a Reuters reporter in October by firing two shells at a clearly identified group of journalists. / Reuters
A reporter relates what it was like to be held hostage in Syria. "A peek at our daily calendars would have shown solitary darkness." / Persuasion
Jack Styler: Tajikistan's security service is killing, jailing, and exiling dissenters. / The Dial
Regarding last night's State of the Union address: It's a lot easier to start a speech with Ukraine than Israel. / Politico
More communities around the United States are using direct cash payments to help struggling residents. / NPR
Since June 2021, the market value of ww (formerly Weight Watchers) has fallen by 90 percent. / The Economist
In case you heard a panel of scientists say we're not in "the anthropocene"—some of those scientists say it was a sham. / Hill Heat
A longread for the week: Dillon Wamsley on Clara Mattei's The Capital Order. / Phenomenal World
A "party coach" is a consultant who helps people "find new ways to let loose." / GQ
Max Read offers a "mostly comprehensive, extremely pedantic" annotated companion to the new Dune sequel. / Read Max
What it's like to watch software seize your archives and erase your name, or attribute your work to a fake person. / Forever Wars
Gabriel García Márquez wanted his final novel destroyed. His sons are publishing it next month. / The New York Times [+]
Thursday headlines: Kill grill
Hungary's Viktor Orbán arrives in the United States to meet with Donald Trump. / The Guardian
A German man who got 217 coronavirus vaccines shows no signs of being infected with the virus that causes Covid. / The Guardian
Free at-home Covid tests in the mail are being suspended on Friday. / USPS
China ramps up its efforts to replace US tech with homegrown alternatives. / The Wall Street Journal [+]
The White House backs a bill that would effectively ban TikTok in the United States. / NPR
Related: Ahead of tonight's State of the Union address, a report card for President Biden's year in office. / Politico
See also: "The British Museum tries and fails to get down with the girlies." / dazed
Examples of work by Riken Yamamoto, winner of this year's Pritzker Prize. Also, some examples of expensive art sold this weekend at the Frieze fair. / arch daily, Artsy
Photographs from the Shibuya City Botanical Garden, Japan's smallest indoor arboretum. / Spoon & Tamago
Pet owners can now share their companions' athletic routines via Strava for dogs. / Outside
A study finds the majority of people killed in police chases are passengers or pedestrians, not the fleeing drivers. / The San Francisco Chronicle
Watch: The dangers of trucks' jacked-up grill height. / YouTube
Sound design consultants explain how to make a good soundtrack for a restaurant. / The Financial Times [+]
"If they're not right, which they never are, it's a sadness." On the woes of men who care about pants. / The New York Times Magazine [+]
Wednesday headlines: And then there were rooster
Since Russia's attack on Ukraine, European states have spent more than €100 billion on military equipment—80% outside the EU, with more than 60% going to the United States. / Reuters
A new study says the Arctic may see its first "ice-free" day within the current decade—about 10 years earlier than previous projections. / The Los Angeles Times
Solar accounted for most of the capacity the US added to its electric grids last year. / Grist
Yesterday's "Super Tuesday" election was considered "a dud," in terms of media buzz. / Reliable Sources
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's new clerk is notorious for apparently sending racist texts. / The New Yorker
Former officials in the Trump administration say the White House was "awash in speed" and Xanax. / Rolling Stone
American universities possess $800 billion in endowments—and twenty of them own half of that. / The Economist
A critical report about the monied crowd—and mainstream journalists—attending a Formula One race. / Wayback Machine
Fwiw, that report was initially published by Car & Driver, then mysteriously vanished. / X
See also: "A report from inside the world of AI TikTok spammers." / 404 Media
A new large language model "causes a stir" by demonstrating a moment of "metacognition" or self-awareness. / Ars Technica
The 20th anniversary Tournament of Books, presented by Field Notes, is now live! / The Tournament of Books
Tuesday headlines: Tramp collecting
France's parliament enshrines abortion as a constitutional right. / The Guardian
Birth control pills are about to be sold in the United States over the counter for the first time. / CNN
The Supreme Court unanimously reverses a Colorado Supreme Court decision removing Donald Trump from the ballot. / Reuters
In an "incandescent" opinion, "the liberal justices walk right up to the line of accusing the majority of doing a special favor for Trump." / Slate
Unrelated: From a Hafiz poem for your Tuesday, "no book has ever kissed me like she does." / Harper's Magazine
Prescribing antidepressants to adolescents and young adults, particularly young women, has increased 63.5% since the pandemic. / Pediatrics
A professor of environmental studies says doomsday predictions about artificial intelligence echo previous existential panics. / Vox
Why don't we translocate endangered species to islands? "The technique can be effective, but can come with unwanted consequences." / The Conversation
Related: "Sorry we machines destroyed your civilization in such a boring way." / McSweeney's Internet Tendency
Lower-back tattoos are said to be experiencing a "triumphant" return in favor. / Highsnobiety
A new Jane Austen sculpture is being planned near her grave. Who's opposed? Austen experts and fans. / The Guardian
A video explanation of how Jane Austen changed fiction with "free indirect speech." / Kottke
A German teenager lives full-time on trains. Nice to see, he also has a blog. / Metro, My Life on a Train
Monday headlines: Make a ski-line for
About 900 Chinese nationals who were forced to work at "scam centers" in Myanmar returned home this weekend. / Semafor
France's Macron says he'll swim in the Seine River to prove how clean it is, in anticipation of this summer's Paris Olympics. / Le Monde
Three out of four Europeans believe "very polluting" companies should not be allowed to say they're "green." / The Conversation
The climate crisis puts a fabled Swiss ski resort out of business. / BBC News
A study finds the US ski season has gotten five to seven days shorter in the past half century. / The Guardian
See also: "Travelers are racing to see parts of the world that may soon vanish." / The New York Times [+]
An influential "science detective" says roughly one in 25 papers has "an image problem." / STAT
Texas continues to best California in clean energy storage. / Canary Media
Thanks to cloned keyfobs, thefts of Camaros have increased more than 1,000% in Los Angeles. / The Los Angeles Times
Michael Schaeffer: Urban decay is again "the dominant civic storyline" in Washington DC. / Politico Magazine
A survey asking PhD holders to rate disciplines by brilliance and significance finds philosophy to be "the most narcissistic field." / X
Photographs become a love letter to Black rodeo culture. / Colossal
Now trending: The elaborately staged $10,000 baby photo. / The Wall Street Journal [+]
Saturday headlines: What’s the story morning laundry
Researchers project excess deaths in Gaza may climb to between 74,290 and 85,750 if the war escalates. / Goats and Soda
A California congressman uses his time with Hunter Biden to roast former president Donald Trump. / Huffpost
An argument that the United States isn't ideologically divided so much as "psychologically polarized." / Wake Up to Politics
Related, from 2021: The rise and significance of "Secret Congress." / Slow Boring
An explainer of why pockets of social media think Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, is missing—or possibly dead. / Slate
Oregon reverses course on its experiment to allow people to freely use drugs like fentanyl and heroin. / The Wall Street Journal [+]
The United States' yearly number of fatal fentanyl overdoses is still increasing, but appears to be slowing "to a gentle climb." / The Economist
Dharushana Muthulingam: Why has the lofty ambition of health information, backed by enormous resources, failed so spectacularly? / Logic(s)
"I would love to have more fun." A profile of RuPaul as a loner. / The New Yorker
See also: A round-up of queer love poems. / Poetry Foundation
Underground galleries in Los Angeles exhibit art in laundry rooms and garages. / The Los Angeles Times
Covers of popular songs performed with electric toothbrushes. / YouTube
Friday headlines: Irish Gambino
Antara Haldar: Blame Putin for Navalny's death, sure, but also blame "shock therapy" economic policies. / Project Syndicate
China is said to have thousands of Navalnys, "but they all disappear from view." / The New York Times [+]
According to State Department estimates, maybe a hundred thousand North Korean women are working basically as slaves in China. / The New Yorker
An investigation into the New York Times story about sexual violence on October 7. "The bigger scandal may be the reporting itself, the process that allowed it into print." / The Intercept
More Americans (28%) name immigration as the most important problem facing the United States than did a month ago (20%). / Gallup
From 2018: The difference between migrants, immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. / International Rescue Committee
For the ninth year in a row, a British Parliament member reads aloud the names of women killed by men over the past 12 months. / The Guardian
What it's like to be a member of London's men-only club "the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks." / Gastro Obscura
Over the past two years, Pornhub UK received 4.4 million searches (!) for terms related to child abuse; a chatbot deterred them. / WIRED
See also: A semi-autonomous trash interceptor eats garbage in Baltimore. / Mr. Trash Wheel
The current embrace of dreamy Irish actors is seen as "a corrective to the old stereotype of the Irish male immigrant." / Vox
A selection of new classical music releases. Also, new techno, metal, and ambient jazz picks. / The Rest Is Noise, Futurism Restated
Thursday headlines: Normal human coffee temperature
A new report says antiterrorism law "has been structurally anti-Palestinian from its inception." / Forever Wars
The Supreme Court gives Donald Trump "an extended pause" on his trial for seeking to subvert the 2020 election. Meanwhile, an Illinois judge bars Trump from the ballot. / Slate, Reuters
See also: Trump's attempt to get the Georgia district attorney disqualified from his racketeering case may "soon get tossed in the trash." / New York Magazine
The "greenest" car in the United States is a plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius, not a fully electric vehicle. / The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
A study of 62 placental tissue samples finds microplastics in all of them. / The Guardian
Related: Boiling water for five minutes can remove most microplastics. / NewScientist
A survey asks 3,000 employees what their dream business would be in the face of AI advancements. Number one: specialty coffee shop. / Hosting Advice
Tyler Perry cancels an $800 million expansion on his Atlanta filmmaking studio after seeing the new OpenAI software Sora. / Variety
Denis Villeneuve's Dune movies use a "conlang"—engineered languages that represent the "new benchmark in imaginative fiction." / The New Yorker
A "chosen-one narrative" like Dune is mostly about adolescent boys' relationships with their sexuality. / The Ringer
Unrelated: Etsy sellers are turning free fanfiction into physical books. / 404 Media
Why do leap years exist? Because there are 365.2422 days for every orbit Earth makes around the sun. / Vox
Leap year means lots of restaurants want to give you free food. / The Takeout
Who knew? The US has more golf courses than McDonald's locations. / Kottke
Wednesday headlines: Fail elsewhere, brunchlords!
Related: Netanyahu is sacrificing Israel's legitimacy for his personal needs. "He will not hesitate to take Biden down with him." / The New York Times
A day in the life of Gazans: canned food, long lines for water, and little sleep. / BBC News
Exploring Los Angeles's Skid Row neighborhood with a "renegade" street doctor. / The Los Angeles Times
Where do people go when they reach the United States? Increasingly, Chicago and Denver. / Bloomberg CityLab
Americans typically report the same level of happiness no matter what happens. One idea on why: the mind has both a furnace and an air conditioner. / Experimental History
See also: The poem "Be Drunk" by Charles Baudelaire. / Academy of American Poets
Some examples of 19th-century French artists picturing life in the year 2000—electric scrubbing, underwater croquet. / Open Culture
An artist reconsiders (and draws in a comic) his reaction to Joan Didion's memoir about grief. / The New York Times [+]
An appreciation of wearing the clothes of loved ones who've passed away. / The Trend Report
TMN's Rosecrans Baldwin talks to André 3000 about his overalls. / Highsnobiety
The death of news organizations continues to be blamed on social media companies soaking up all the advertising dollars. / Reliable Sources
Karl Bode: The end of Vice media should be blamed on fail-upward brunchlords. / techdirt
Related: "Tech has graduated from the Star Trek era to the Douglas Adams age." (Unrelated? Wedding hashtags are dead.) / Interconnected, CNN
This time next week, it's the Tournament of Books, presented by Field Notes. And there's still time to grab a new mug. / The Tournament of Books, Field Notes
See also: The gorgeous, special edition notebook commemorating our 20th (!) anniversary. / Field Notes
Tuesday headlines: Hillbillionaires and king babies
Meanwhile, tension increases as Hezbollah and Israel exchange strikes on the Israel-Lebanon border. / Al Jazeera
Hungary approves Sweden's bid to join NATO after two years of negotiations. / Semafor
Bellingcat investigates a global network of non-consensual deepfake pornography, and how it's funneling money through legitimate payment platforms. / Bellingcat
Adult entertainers are skeptical that artificial intelligence will improve their industry. / The Washington Post [+]
See also: Should copyright change in the face of generative AI? / Maximum Progress
Car thieves use keyfob "emulators" to unlock cars made by Hyundai, Toyota, Lexus, and Kia. / The Guardian
A former senior manager for Boeing's 737 MAX program explains why he refuses to fly on MAX planes. / Politico
The omakase concept in Japanese cuisine—i.e., "I leave the selection up to you"—is now being applied to Tokyo coffee shops. / Sprudge
A private school in New York City gets its own James Turrell "skyspace." / dezeen
For the next time you're in New York, a guide on where to sit in nearly every movie theater. And some writers recommend their favorite bookstores. / Gothamist, The New Yorker
A round-up of new trends said to exist in men's fashion: "the hillbillionaire," "the urban camperman," "the king baby." / Robb Report
"There is no Disney-perfect family out there." What it was like to be Jack Nicholson's daughter, growing up at the Playboy Mansion. / Vanity Fair
Monday headlines: The reluctant bride
The climate benefits of planting forests may be 15 to 30 percent lower than previously thought. / NewScientist
Why are there so many new chairs for public use in London these days? Perhaps "as a form of consolation for the tribulations of the present." / Hyperallergic
See also: "The Odysseus Moon lander is probably lying on its side with its head resting against a rock." / BBC News
A reporter spends a week ordering meals from an app that connects eaters with surplus restaurant food. / The New York Times [+]
What caused the big shortage of sriracha hot sauce? An "epic" breakup between two friends. / Fortune
John Warner: Taste is something that separates humans from artificial intelligence. Therefore, we should teach it. / Inside Higher Ed
Dorothy Fortenberry: Reviewers celebrate salaciousness in a new memoir about open marriages, but they don't see the sadness. / Commonweal
On TikTok, the 19th-century painting "The Reluctant Bride" becomes a spokeswoman for experiences of everyday sexism. / Artnet
No matter the success of Barbie, a report finds that 2023's top-grossing films featured the same number of girls or women leads as 2010. / Variety
Body positivity infuencers face backlash from their followers for using drugs like Mounjaro or Ozempic. / NBC News
Dan Kois: The feared book critic Michiko Kakutani now wants to be more like "Thomas Friedman for people who like [Thomas] Pynchon." / Slate
See also: "Michiko Kakutani has had a long day." / McSweeney's Internet Tendency
A video interview with author Philip Pullman about his work habits and office. / YouTube
Saturday headlines: Between nice and kind
American military officials warn that the best Ukrainians can hope for is "a largely frozen conflict." / The New York Times [+]
Clinics in Alabama halt offering in vitro fertilization treatments after the state supreme court rules that frozen embryos should enjoy human rights. / The Associated Press
See also: "The movement to treat embryos as full-fledged people is taking a victory lap." / Vox
How did Portugal fix its opioid epidemic? By adopting the opposite policies of the United States, basically. / NPR
Bicycle riding in London is up 20% from pre-pandemic levels. / Bloomberg CityLab
New residential buildings entice wealthy buyers with "exceptional breathing experiences." / The New Republic
Google "pauses" its Gemini image generator's ability to create images of people. / Forbes
Grimes calls the Gemini debacle a "masterpiece" of performance art. "It's trapped in a cage, trained to make beautiful things, and then battered into gaslighting humankind." / X
An advice column addresses what to do when a friend gives you an AI-generated gift. / WIRED
See also: If you have to choose between being nice and kind, the latter is a better option. / More! By Damola
A historian accounts for female private detectives who've been forgotten. / The Guardian
A team of trackers searches for saolas—"likely the world's most elusive large land mammal," last photographed in 2013. / Ensia
Unrelated/related: What it's like to be an author with a weird name. / Meditations in an Emergency