Category: explainer
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Deadly Men
Why men die earlier than women → https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-men-often-die-earlier-than-women-201602199137 “Men die earlier than women” is one of those things we all learn as a kid, and I always thought it was just a genetic thing. It turns out this is only partially true — it’s actually mainly behavioral, and this article does a nice job of…
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Coin Ridges
Why some coins have ridges on their edges → https://nowiknow.com/why-some-coins-have-ridges/ I can’t remember the last time I used paper cash, let alone a coin. It’s all how just numbers moving from one account to another to another.
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Chile Length
Why the country of Chile is so long → https://unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com/p/why-is-chile-so-long I think we all know Chile is really long, but I had no idea it would run from San Antonio to the far North of Canada. I’ve never felt a burning desire to visit there, but I now feel the urge to travel all of…
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Dew Point
The Dew Point is all that matters when you want to know how hot it is → https://www.vox.com/culture/23352672/dew-point-humidity-weather-apps-explained And memorize this scale to translate:
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GPS Explainer
How GPS works & what its future looks like → https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/02/world/gps-threats.html I thought most folks in the US would be off work today, but I’ve never seen more people working in our common areas. I guess they all get to work from home today. From all appearances, the work they’re actually doing is pure appearance.…
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Religious Map
US maps showing religions distributions → https://wapo.st/3VPcxbC I expected to see more religions, more diversity, on the main map — there’s essentially only five main groups. Later in the article you see maps showing all the smaller religions, and it’s there you realize how much smaller they really are, and how those populations tend to…
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Ouija Boards
A good explanation of what’s really going on with Ouija boards → https://www.vox.com/2016/10/29/13301590/how-ouija-boards-work-debunked-ideomotor-effect Folks don’t seem to talk about Ouija boards like they did back in the day (maybe kids still do?), but I couldn’t resist posting this debunking. I especially like it because it goes deep into what’s really going, even proposing that there…
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Warm Spice
The warmer the country, the spicier the food → https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/spiciest-food-in-world Having spent lots of time traveling in hot countries, I can confirm that eating spicy food there does actually help you cool you down. However, what they don’t tell you is that the cool-down isn’t necessarily comfortable: The reason you cool down is that the…
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Sunscreen Use
How to apply & use sunscreen correctly → https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240607-are-you-using-suncream-correctly Another post about sunscreen? Yep. Summer is here, and I’m terrified of getting too much sun, so I pay an unusual amount of attention to this topic. There are worse things to obsess over.
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Coffee Bank
Why banks are becoming like coffee shops → https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-10/chase-citibank-bofa-take-bank-branch-design-cues-from-starbucks-aesop At the same time, coffee shops seem to be becoming more like banks, where there is not much seating, so you’re merely there to stand in line to place your order, or just lingering to wait for your takeout drink.
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Orange History
A history of the word Orange → https://x.com/culturaltutor/status/1780394314616422657 Years ago I went to an improv show in New Zealand, and the cast asked for the crowd to yell out words to rhyme-riff on. My shout of “orange” rose above the other voices, drawing Kiwi glares from the stage. Follow the X account for other history…
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Carrot Myth
WWII propaganda is what led us to believe that eating carrots helps you see better in the dark → https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-wwii-propaganda-campaign-popularized-the-myth-that-carrots-help-you-see-in-the-dark-28812484/ I love starting off the week with a good historical debunking. That said, do kids today still believe this? I feel like I haven’t heard anybody say this in years & years.
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Sunscreen Ingredients
Europeans have better sunscreens because of better ingredients because of better regulations → https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/sunscreen-united-states-fda-ingredients-rcna153526 I’m terrified of the sun & skin cancer, so have put sunscreen on my face daily for many years. I was only able to do this because I found a cream that protects well & is easy to apply. That last…
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Human Cockroaches
An explainer of why cockroaches only exist & survive because of humans → https://wapo.st/3UQ3Flt We like to think that cockroaches will outlast humans, but the truth is they’re only here because of us. They need us as much as a past startup I worked for needed me — I was the official office cockroach stomper,…
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Why Inflation
An explainer video on why governments like to keep some inflation → https://www.vox.com/videos/2024/5/15/24156392/inflation-high-prices-deflation This does a good job of detailing all the logic & cycles built into how nations deal with inflation. There’s clearly some bias –Econ is a form of applied politics, so of course that bleeds into the story– but not enough to…
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Texas Trash
The origin story for “Don’t Mess with Texas” isn’t what you think it is → https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/trashy-beginnings-dont-mess-texas-180962490/ I like Texas, and have spent lots of time there, but their self-love is as big as the state. I’ve known the truth about this slogan for years, and have tried to explain it to folks. But they just…
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Historical Words
An educational Twitter thread that gives the history & historical context of twelve English words/phrases we use all the time → https://twitter.com/culturaltutor/status/1789714370173215196 This was written by The Cultural Tutor, a great account to follow
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Continental Divide
Short animation that explains why 80% of US folks live in the Eastern half of the country → https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1787467244554834373 Geographical determinism will forever be fascinating, and this animation does a great job showing how it’s impacted settlement in the US.
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Iodized Salt
Most salt in the US has iodine added to it because of geographical-based deficiencies → https://wapo.st/4aXfBZz I’ve heard of the “rust belt” in the US, but never the “goiter belt”. Also the following quote could have only come from world before the industrialization and globalization of food & trade: “the soil there didn’t have much…
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Writing Jokes
A step-by-step article on how Taylor Tomlinson wrote a joke, including performance video snippets as she workshopped it over time → https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/02/13/arts/television/taylor-tomlinson-have-it-all-netflix.html Such a well done NYT piece showing how much work & iteration goes into writing & performing a joke, and how specific & detailed it can get, eg. one syllable names are “funnier”.…
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Burrito Rolling
Quick video on how to properly roll up a burrito → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAbpVXEUt_c Two key moves in here: (1) Fold the top & bottom over first; (2) That tuck I know this is dumb, but I just watched it for the first time today, and thus learned the proper technique for the first time. This means…
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Recycling Guide
A helpful, picture-based guide to what trash can be recycled → https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/recycling-guide-arlington-fairfax-mclean-falls-church-virginia/ This is for Arlington, Virginia, but much of it applies to anywhere in the US. That said, I don’t think I realized that glass isn’t really recycled along with other stuff anymore, in some places. I sure hope my (continuing) ignorance doesn’t mean…
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Water Pressure Pressures
I learned a lot about shower heads this week. If your shower water pressure sucks, turns out you don’t need to buy a new shower head soon after moving in, nor another one two frustrating years later (based upon an article recommendation). All you need to do is remove the stupid, cheap, plastic water restrictor…
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Style Lessons
A fashion guy gives style lessons using George Costanza for his examples → https://twitter.com/dieworkwear/status/1776110738295415190 I don’t care much about fashion at all, but Derek Guy writes in such a interesting, engaging way that I can’t help but read all his posts, especially his threads. He’s so good at them, using lots of pics, historical narratives,…
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Eclipse Path
An in-depth, map-based look at the areas & terrain the solar eclipse totality will be following across the US on Monday 8-Apr-2024 → https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/interactive/2024/map-totality-solar-eclipse-locations/ Most of the US won’t actually be able to see the total eclipse, so this scroll-through article is perhaps a better way to experience it.
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Chinese Restaurants
US immigration law is behind why there are so many Chinese food restaurants in the US → https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/02/22/467113401/lo-mein-loophole-how-u-s-immigration-law-fueled-a-chinese-restaurant-boom My post about Thai restaurants got me thinking about all the Chinese ones, and turns out there’s an interesting story there as well. One of my favorite things to learn about is unintended consequences (I even have…
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Daylight Savings
Daylight savings time is worse for your body than standard time → https://wapo.st/4375XjW I think I read every article they throw at me during these switch-over times a year, but this animation/interactive article is the best way I’ve seen to get the info across. I had no idea the proposed move to always daylight time…
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Leap Day
An animation that clearly explains the need for Leap Day → https://twitter.com/physicsJ/status/1225386964049788928 There are always lots of Leap Year explainers around the end of Feb but, wow, there are tons when it’s actually a Leap Year. I think I’ve read them all, and have two clear takeaways: 1- The above animation is all you need…
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Miracle Chips
An interactive article that shows you how microchips are made & just how small they are → https://ig.ft.com/microchips/ Look, I know this article, like chips, is dense. I had to read a few sections a few times to understand them. You can still learn lots just by scrolling through the whole thing. Do that, though,…
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Latchkey Incontinence
Having to pee more the closer you get to a bathroom is a real thing → https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/why-do-you-have-pee-closer-you-get-bathroom You always hear that folks who have a mystery medical issues feel so relieved when the specific ailment they have is identified, even though nothing has really changed except their knowledge. That’s what this article does to me.…
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Heat Pumps
Article that explains & interactively visualizes how heat pumps work → https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2023/dec/23/heat-pumps-science-visualised We hear about them more & more these days, but I had no idea how they worked before reading this. File this one in the “boring, yet strangely interesting” category (which is just fine after yesterday’s emotion).
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AI Explainer
A comprehensive, but easy-to-follow, video explainer on Generative AI basics, including all the terms used → https://youtu.be/2IK3DFHRFfw?si=-CdcxZC7orgq0RuP One of the only things I really worry about trying to build something on my own, and hopefully permanently separate myself from the default worklife, is that its coinciding with the introduction & spread of Generative AI tools.…
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Gift Cards
Easily deplete all remaining value from Visa gift cards by purchasing Amazing gift card reloads → https://amzn.to/3Sjpwk4 We all have Visa gift cards lying around with unknown values, and that always end up being like $3.34 and $2.52, etc. Not enough value to buy anything of note, and it’s too hard to purchase things by…
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Helmet Stickers
An explainer of the stickers the Michigan football team has on their helmets → https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/2024/01/08/michigan-football-helmet-stickers-explained-wolverines-decals/72098779007/ I’ve always assumed those stickers were all the same and had to do with specific accomplishments, eg. a sack or TD catch. Turns out they’re much more creative, inspiring, & goofy. Little kids obviously like stickers, but if we’re being…
eyeintim 