Tag: daileye
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Retail Profits
The major US retail stores make the majority of their profits from their credit cards, not their merch sales → https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2024/07/u-s-a-retail-fact-of-the-day.html This is nuts, and you’ll want to read all the comments to get more details on it, and how it’s been this way for awhile. No wonder they push the cards so hard when…
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Old Voice
See & hear the oldest recorded human voice, from 1857 → https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0j7x5f7/listen-to-the-oldest-known-recording-of-a-human-voice And also learn how sound works & how the way we measure it has changed over the years.
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Everest Drone
A high-def video taken by a drone of what it’s like to climb Mt. Everest starting from Base Camp → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pIyIMqwu0E Pretty cool video, but it’s not perfect — the timing is a little off, the camera work/editing near the summit can be improved, and I would have liked more annotations of the different sections…
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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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Olympic Feeding
What it takes to provide food for the Olympics → https://www.eater.com/24172073/paris-2024-olympics-athlete-food-summer-games With all the research & testing that has gone into figuring out what the best foods for athletes should be, the lowly banana remains the favorite, no matter where in the world people are from.
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Dentist Visits
You don’t really need to visit the dentist every 6 months → https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/do-you-need-a-dentist-visit-every-6-months-that-filling-the-data-is-weak/ The more you read about dentists, the more you realize that much of dental care isn’t based upon evidence. We assume that all medical professionals are all talented, but the reality is that they’re just human, so their skills probably conform to…
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Book Sales
Only 28 books out of the 300,000 titles sold in 2022 sold more than 500,000 copies → https://x.com/JasonColavito/status/1620151389363245057 And even worse news comes in his second post in the thread: “Past the top 100 books, the numbers are dire. The average book sells 200 copies. An average “bestseller” sells about 2,000 copies. Almost all significant…
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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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Best Dogs
Ranking of the best supermarket hot dogs → https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/07/02/best-hot-dog-brands-taste-test/ Just got back from the market & this is clearly the start of hot dog season here in the US: Every brand was on sale, as were rolls, and everybody was buying them. Including me. Also: This is my third link in three days from The…
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Forecasting Accuracy
See how accurate the weather forecast normally is around the US → https://wapo.st/4eM3VuO I think weather forecasting has come so far, and am amazed how accurate they mostly are, sometimes even a week out. I still learned a lot from this article, though, and was surprised that the middle of the country is the hardest…
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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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Golf Tech
A great YouTube video that details how golf-watching tech currently works & what it enables in the future → https://youtu.be/MV1qaFv4VUg The stunning reveal in this video, one that I can’t stop thinking about, is that the shot tracer you see on the screen is all predictive. It’s not real, it’s merely a simulation based upon…
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Unsolved Mysteries
17 scientific mysteries that researchers still can’t solve → https://www.vox.com/unexplainable/24094267/17-scientific-mysteries-unsolved-dark-matter-life The scientific method has been so powerful at uncovering the world/universe we live, and how it works. But the emphasis should be on “method”, as discovering the truth is clearly sometimes a long, long slog, almost unending for some of the fundamental questions. Folks who…
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Avocado Country
Avocados are now a staple food in the US → https://tastecooking.com/the-united-states-of-avocado/ I know things change –I love that things change!– but it’s still crazy to me that a food I didn’t even know existed when I was growing up is now standard is most US homes, and eaten by pretty much everyone.
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Fast Food
A map showing the most popular fast food restaurant in each US state → https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/1dnig19/a_cool_guide_to_the_most_popular_fast_food_in/#lightbox You see this and think “Wow, Chick-fil-A really does dominate in the South & they’re spreading out!” or “Geeze, why is McDonald’s so popular in northern states?”. Whereas I see this and think “Hooray, three chains I’ve never heard of…
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Pet Ownership
Having a pet might not be the 100% positive thing you’ve been led to believe → https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/06/is-having-a-pet-good-for-you-the-fuzzy-science-of-pet-ownership/ In the end, I don’t think there’s strong/much evidence that owning a pet isn’t good for you. Rather, I liked this “debunking” article because it got into the details of how studies are funded & done, and that…
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Repair Shop
A short documentary about the LA county school district’s musical instrument repair shop → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xttrkgKXtZ4 This movie won an Oscar, and was on lots of “Best of” lists, so isn’t really under the radar. But it’s also a documentary, and a short one, so there’s still a chance some folks out there haven’t seen it.…
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Breath Work
Our breathing changes when we’re working on the computer → https://www.npr.org/2024/06/10/1247296780/screen-apnea-why-screens-cause-shallow-breathing We all think that breathing just happens without thinking. This is true, but that doesn’t always mean it’s good breathing, and you notice this once you start paying attention to it. I’ve read the book mentioned in this article, and it’s fascinating (eg. improper…
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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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Jesus Story
Scholars are one step closer to piecing together the story of the story Jesus → https://wapo.st/4cowgWl I’m an atheist, so this has nothing to do with religious faith for me. Rather, I love history, so am very interested in learning more about how he became the most influential person in history. This new text was…
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Local Tourists
A heat map of where tourists go vs. where locals go here in DC → https://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/4672195208/in/album-72157624209158632/ DC is a tourist town, so it’s no surprise that there’s such a dramatic difference between the stomping grounds of both groups. That said, we locals live directly next to the tourist areas, and if you click in, you’ll…
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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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Drake Equation
The equation that predicts the probability of alien life might need to be updated to include planetary plate tectonics → https://gizmodo.com/drake-equation-update-fermi-paradox-intelligent-life-1851503974 I specifically remember first learning about plate tectonics in science class back in the day. I also remember the teacher saying that the hypothesis was controversial and still needed more data to be proved…
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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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Lunch Time
A detailed description & history of Lunch around the world → https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunch Three statements that I’ll not explain nor defend:
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Deadly Selfies
Selfies are more deadly than sharks → https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/01/16/selfies-are-more-lethal-than-shark-attacks-should-more-tourist-destinations-ban-them Just something to keep in mind as summer begins & we’re heading to the beach: The danger lies not in the ocean, but in your hand.
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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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Shade Map
Interactive map that allows you to simulate the standard shade create by the sun → https://shademap.app/ Map + web app + playing with time = Rabbit hole of fun
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Pink Noise
Pink noise might be better for you to sleep to than white noise → https://wapo.st/3R5t4GT It sure is for me. I started listening to night noise back in the day by falling asleep to a cooling fan every night. Now I need it, especially living in a noisy part of DC. I’ve tried all the…
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Country Sizes
A map that shows the real, non-distorted size of every country → https://truesizeofcountries.com/ The US & Canada definitely aren’t as big as we think they are, but, most of all, we see that f’in Russia isn’t nearly as big as we usually see it in the awful Mercator projection. Advice: Researching other projections is a…
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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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War Production
The US industrial output during WW2 was incredible, and doubled in just four years → https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-war/war-production/ So many interesting facts in this one: There was a cost to all this, of course, and going to a relative’s funeral earlier this week at Arlington Nation Cemetery was a good reminder of this. It’s Memorial Day weekend…
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Kevin Kelly
Polyglot Kevin Kelley drops another of his yearly advice lists → https://kk.org/thetechnium/101-additional-advices/ I posted about a previous one over at Snack Pantry (RIP…for now…). And he now also has a whole book of this type of advice.
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Geography Terms
Fantastic visual that shows you what each geographical term means → https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1790418213261431203 Pretty sure we’ve all heard every one of these terms. And, in the moment, you thought you knew what it meant. But, if you’re like me, you probably didn’t 100% know it. Here’s our chance to get to that 100%.
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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 Gold?
A podcast that details the very specific, elemental reason that gold has been the most important of store of value over the ages → https://open.spotify.com/episode/40dZ47qEYyK8ddcHKb8lG4?si=vuxjXE3wRWOBp8ppmJz_Aw Plant Money is one of my favorite podcasts, and I learned a bunch in this episode. Turns out gold is the only real possible element that can be used &…
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X Twitter
The Twitter URL is now X.com → https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/17/23829098/twitter-x-com-url-links-switch Obviously you know Twitter, and that they’ve changed their name to X. But several times I’ve said that I won’t start calling it X until they change their URL. Welp, they did, so hello X 👋 Want to receive an instant, daily, or weekly email for all…
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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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Bidet Converts
The pandemic converted folks into bidet users → https://wapo.st/3QFaZis It makes me happy that The Washington Post keeps posting articles about bidets, and even happier that they use such fun photos/GIFs for them. What makes me happiest, however, are bidets. You see, I am one of pandemic converts. After tiring of buying one precious roll…
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Titanium Spork
This titanium spork is the only eating utensil you’ll ever need → https://www.amazon.com/Snow-Peak-Titanium-Spork-Anodized/dp/B000AR2N76/ref=sr_1_10 I love sporks. Proof: So, just stop with your judgement, click the Amazon link above, buy one, and then send me a message in a few weeks about how it changed your life.
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Beethoven’s Lead
Beethoven’s deafness & ailments were likely caused by lead → https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/health/beethoven-deaf-lead-hair.html I love that science can detect this after so many years (and that scientists are still trying to learn more about Beethoven’s issues & death). The article also gives lots of good little info nuggets about his 9th Symphony, including: “He set the poem…
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