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October 1, 2023
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: October 1, 2023\EKHT\ adjective
What It Means
Echt is an adjective used mostly in formal or literary speech and writing as ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: October 1, 2023\EKHT\ adjective
What It Means
Echt is an adjective used mostly in formal or literary speech and writing as ...
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FREELiterature PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
If you’re trying to create a frightening monster, the first step is to make him look as scary as possible…right? In 1897, famed science fiction author H.G. Wells flipped that idea on its head with his publication of The Invisible Man, a novel about a scientist who turns himself invisible and loses his mind because of it. Though he may not be as famous as Dracula or Frankenstein, Wells’ invisible man does have undeniable staying power, as this unlikely villain is still showing up in horror media today.
As the fourth novel to be published by H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man helped propel the author to fame. By this point, Wells was gaining a reputation as an innovative science fiction writer owing to the successes of 1895’s The Time Machine and the following year’s The Island of Doctor Moreau. Although many of the concepts introduced and explored in these novels still show up time and time again in popular media, The Invisible Man was more often directly adapted, especially in visual mediums.
The story follows a mysterious man named Griffin who shows up one day in a small town dressed in bandages and wearing a prosthetic nose. His quick temper and suspicious activities draw the animosity of the locals, who eventually find out that Griffin’s actual body is completely invisible. During the course of the novel, Griffin grows more and more violent and paranoid. He reveals to a confidante that his invisibility is the result of a chemical experiment gone wrong, and that his criminal escapades were necessary to fund a cure. In the end, Griffin is killed by an angry mob as he cries for help. After he draws his last breath, his body becomes visible again. The narrative doesn’t seem to fully blame Griffin for his actions, though it doesn’t absolve him either. The only monster, it seems, is the potential for unfettered violence that exists in all people. It’s thanks to this nuance that the book not only continues to resonate with readers but remains so ripe for interpretation.
The first film adaptation of Wells’ novel, which shared the same title, was released in 1933 to wide acclaim. Starring Claude Raines, the film featured revolutionary special effects that seemed to render the lead actor truly invisible. While this was a relatively faithful adaptation of the novel, subsequent movies featuring similar characters or plotlines were bound by Hollywood’s Motion Picture Production Code which forced filmmakers to adhere to a strict moral code. Thus, 1940’s The Invisible Man Returns features a character who becomes invisible to clear his own name after being framed, while The Invisible Woman, released later that same year, features a protagonist who fools her boos into providing better working conditions. More recent takes on the concept, like 2000’s Hollow Man and 2020’s The Invisible Man tackle themes of sexual violence, misogyny, and toxic masculinity. The quirkiest interpretation may have been 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in which an invisible burglar joins a group of heroes to stop a criminal mastermind.
Whether or not he intended to, in writing The Invisible Man Wells created a character template capable of embodying the salient topics of any given time. It’s a fitting legacy for a man whose work had a penchant for being oddly prophetic. Invisible men now serve as more of an archetype than a singular character, in popular media. It really is the perfect blank slate.
[Image description: A digital illustration of an invisible person wearing a suit and top hat, with question marks in the background.] Credit & copyright: Tumisu, Pixabay.If you’re trying to create a frightening monster, the first step is to make him look as scary as possible…right? In 1897, famed science fiction author H.G. Wells flipped that idea on its head with his publication of The Invisible Man, a novel about a scientist who turns himself invisible and loses his mind because of it. Though he may not be as famous as Dracula or Frankenstein, Wells’ invisible man does have undeniable staying power, as this unlikely villain is still showing up in horror media today.
As the fourth novel to be published by H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man helped propel the author to fame. By this point, Wells was gaining a reputation as an innovative science fiction writer owing to the successes of 1895’s The Time Machine and the following year’s The Island of Doctor Moreau. Although many of the concepts introduced and explored in these novels still show up time and time again in popular media, The Invisible Man was more often directly adapted, especially in visual mediums.
The story follows a mysterious man named Griffin who shows up one day in a small town dressed in bandages and wearing a prosthetic nose. His quick temper and suspicious activities draw the animosity of the locals, who eventually find out that Griffin’s actual body is completely invisible. During the course of the novel, Griffin grows more and more violent and paranoid. He reveals to a confidante that his invisibility is the result of a chemical experiment gone wrong, and that his criminal escapades were necessary to fund a cure. In the end, Griffin is killed by an angry mob as he cries for help. After he draws his last breath, his body becomes visible again. The narrative doesn’t seem to fully blame Griffin for his actions, though it doesn’t absolve him either. The only monster, it seems, is the potential for unfettered violence that exists in all people. It’s thanks to this nuance that the book not only continues to resonate with readers but remains so ripe for interpretation.
The first film adaptation of Wells’ novel, which shared the same title, was released in 1933 to wide acclaim. Starring Claude Raines, the film featured revolutionary special effects that seemed to render the lead actor truly invisible. While this was a relatively faithful adaptation of the novel, subsequent movies featuring similar characters or plotlines were bound by Hollywood’s Motion Picture Production Code which forced filmmakers to adhere to a strict moral code. Thus, 1940’s The Invisible Man Returns features a character who becomes invisible to clear his own name after being framed, while The Invisible Woman, released later that same year, features a protagonist who fools her boos into providing better working conditions. More recent takes on the concept, like 2000’s Hollow Man and 2020’s The Invisible Man tackle themes of sexual violence, misogyny, and toxic masculinity. The quirkiest interpretation may have been 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in which an invisible burglar joins a group of heroes to stop a criminal mastermind.
Whether or not he intended to, in writing The Invisible Man Wells created a character template capable of embodying the salient topics of any given time. It’s a fitting legacy for a man whose work had a penchant for being oddly prophetic. Invisible men now serve as more of an archetype than a singular character, in popular media. It really is the perfect blank slate.
[Image description: A digital illustration of an invisible person wearing a suit and top hat, with question marks in the background.] Credit & copyright: Tumisu, Pixabay. -
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Late-night talk show fans rejoice: The Hollywood writers strike is over. We outline the wins of the deal — including pay increases, minimum staffing requirem...
Late-night talk show fans rejoice: The Hollywood writers strike is over. We outline the wins of the deal — including pay increases, minimum staffing requirem...
September 30, 2023
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 30, 2023\PAH-mee\ adjective
What It Means
Palmy describes something that is flourishing or marked by prosperity, ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 30, 2023\PAH-mee\ adjective
What It Means
Palmy describes something that is flourishing or marked by prosperity, ...
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
While the latest COVID vaccines are now out, this is the first round of COVID vaccinations to rely mostly on the usual health insurance and provider networks...
While the latest COVID vaccines are now out, this is the first round of COVID vaccinations to rely mostly on the usual health insurance and provider networks...
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FREEFootball Sporty CurioFree1 CQ
Football is a team sport, so it’s only natural to work together. The USFL and the XFL, the beleaguered competitors of the NFL, are planning to merge ahead of the 2024 season. Originally founded in 1983, the USFL only lasted a few seasons before shuttering. It returned in 2022 but has been struggling to raise viewership. Likewise, the XFL was founded in 2001 by WWE ringmaster Vince McMahon, though the league has come and gone and come back again since then. The latest iteration has been going on since 2020, but neither the XFL nor the USFL have managed to bring in more than 700,000 average viewers. Assuming that no teams are added or removed, merging the two leagues could bring their combined 16 teams into competition with each other. As for the game itself, it’s not clear which set of rules the newly merged league will adopt, though the USFL has been taking XFL’s lead already in some instances. The USFL’s rules were originally almost identical to those of the NFL, but there are more differences now. The biggest difference is that both the USFL and XFL allow the double forward pass, which can potentially make for a more hectic and fast-paced start to a play. Maybe they’ll put the “X” in exciting.
[Image description: A brown football sits on green grass.] Credit & copyright: OliverCardall, Pixabay
Football is a team sport, so it’s only natural to work together. The USFL and the XFL, the beleaguered competitors of the NFL, are planning to merge ahead of the 2024 season. Originally founded in 1983, the USFL only lasted a few seasons before shuttering. It returned in 2022 but has been struggling to raise viewership. Likewise, the XFL was founded in 2001 by WWE ringmaster Vince McMahon, though the league has come and gone and come back again since then. The latest iteration has been going on since 2020, but neither the XFL nor the USFL have managed to bring in more than 700,000 average viewers. Assuming that no teams are added or removed, merging the two leagues could bring their combined 16 teams into competition with each other. As for the game itself, it’s not clear which set of rules the newly merged league will adopt, though the USFL has been taking XFL’s lead already in some instances. The USFL’s rules were originally almost identical to those of the NFL, but there are more differences now. The biggest difference is that both the USFL and XFL allow the double forward pass, which can potentially make for a more hectic and fast-paced start to a play. Maybe they’ll put the “X” in exciting.
[Image description: A brown football sits on green grass.] Credit & copyright: OliverCardall, Pixabay
September 29, 2023
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9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Officially, “Barbie” isn’t showing in Russia, but unofficially, pirated versions are doing a roaring trade in Moscow cinemas. The...
From the BBC World Service: Officially, “Barbie” isn’t showing in Russia, but unofficially, pirated versions are doing a roaring trade in Moscow cinemas. The...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 29, 2023\KOHKS\ verb
What It Means
To coax a person or animal is to influence or persuade them to do something by...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 29, 2023\KOHKS\ verb
What It Means
To coax a person or animal is to influence or persuade them to do something by...
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FREEMind + Body Daily CurioFree1 CQ
What’s all this then? The official national dish of Great Britain may be chicken tikka masala, but fish and chips is certainly a close second. Brits love this hearty, battered meal, and they’ve been enjoying it since at least the mid-1800s, though two different cities claim to have invented it.
Fish and chips is a dish of battered fish and french fries (called “chips” in the UK). The fish is usually cod or haddock, coated in a batter made of flour, baking powder, milk, eggs, and seasonings. Sometimes, beer is added to the batter for extra flavor. The chips are usually cut thick, so some Americans might consider them “steak fries.” While both cod and haddock have been eaten in England since before the country’s founding, the practice of battering fish didn’t become popular until around the 16th century. That’s when Jewish immigrants from Spain and Portugal first brought the practice to England. It quickly caught on with the Brits, who served it alongside bread or mashed potatoes. As for chips, they were likely invented in the 1680s by Belgian housewives who fried potatoes in place of more-expensive fish. By 1830, chips had made their way to England, where they were popular with working people.
Some claim that the first recorded instance of a restaurant selling fish and chips side by side comes from London, in the 1860s. Joseph Malin, a Jewish immigrant who had fled persecution in Eastern Europe to work as a rug weaver in England, opened a small fish and chips shop, also known as a “chippy”, to supplement his income. The shop exploded in popularity…so it seems that London can claim fish and chips as their own, right? Not quite. Some people claim that the first fish and chips shop was actually a wooden hut opened in 1863 at the Mossley market, an outdoor market in Lancashire that still exists today. The hut’s owner was John Lees, a local businessman.
Though we’ll probably never know which man (or which city) first spawned fish and chips, there’s no doubt that the dish has staying power. It remains as popular as ever in Britain, where it’s also a point of national pride. Each year, the National Federation of Fish Fryers even awards one restaurant the title of Fish & Chip Takeaway of the Year, and the winners even get a free trip to Norway. Not too shabby for a chippy!
[Image description: Fish and chips with mashed peas and white dipping sauce on a blue plate.] Credit & copyright: Famifranquoi, PixabayWhat’s all this then? The official national dish of Great Britain may be chicken tikka masala, but fish and chips is certainly a close second. Brits love this hearty, battered meal, and they’ve been enjoying it since at least the mid-1800s, though two different cities claim to have invented it.
Fish and chips is a dish of battered fish and french fries (called “chips” in the UK). The fish is usually cod or haddock, coated in a batter made of flour, baking powder, milk, eggs, and seasonings. Sometimes, beer is added to the batter for extra flavor. The chips are usually cut thick, so some Americans might consider them “steak fries.” While both cod and haddock have been eaten in England since before the country’s founding, the practice of battering fish didn’t become popular until around the 16th century. That’s when Jewish immigrants from Spain and Portugal first brought the practice to England. It quickly caught on with the Brits, who served it alongside bread or mashed potatoes. As for chips, they were likely invented in the 1680s by Belgian housewives who fried potatoes in place of more-expensive fish. By 1830, chips had made their way to England, where they were popular with working people.
Some claim that the first recorded instance of a restaurant selling fish and chips side by side comes from London, in the 1860s. Joseph Malin, a Jewish immigrant who had fled persecution in Eastern Europe to work as a rug weaver in England, opened a small fish and chips shop, also known as a “chippy”, to supplement his income. The shop exploded in popularity…so it seems that London can claim fish and chips as their own, right? Not quite. Some people claim that the first fish and chips shop was actually a wooden hut opened in 1863 at the Mossley market, an outdoor market in Lancashire that still exists today. The hut’s owner was John Lees, a local businessman.
Though we’ll probably never know which man (or which city) first spawned fish and chips, there’s no doubt that the dish has staying power. It remains as popular as ever in Britain, where it’s also a point of national pride. Each year, the National Federation of Fish Fryers even awards one restaurant the title of Fish & Chip Takeaway of the Year, and the winners even get a free trip to Norway. Not too shabby for a chippy!
[Image description: Fish and chips with mashed peas and white dipping sauce on a blue plate.] Credit & copyright: Famifranquoi, Pixabay
September 28, 2023
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
In many parts of the U.S., it’s still legal to pay workers with disabilities a subminimum wage. But the Department of Labor said this week that it’s planning...
In many parts of the U.S., it’s still legal to pay workers with disabilities a subminimum wage. But the Department of Labor said this week that it’s planning...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 28, 2023\FER-vid\ adjective
What It Means
Fervid is a somewhat formal word describing people or things that expre...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 28, 2023\FER-vid\ adjective
What It Means
Fervid is a somewhat formal word describing people or things that expre...
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FREEBiology Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
If you’d like to be immune to most viruses, resilient against cancer, and have the ability to fly, what you actually want is to be a bat. A new study published by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution works to reveal the secrets behind the winged mammals’ hale and hearty nature. The secret to bats’ extraordinary immunity to diseases (like ebola) that kill other mammals lies in their inflammation response—or, rather, their lack of one. In humans, many symptoms of illness are actually the result of our bodies’ own immune response. This includes inflammation. Bats don’t experience the same level of inflammation, allowing them to tolerate viral loads that would kill most other mammals. It’s also the reason that bats are famously disease-ridden (the technical term is viral reservoir) and easily spread diseases, even as they remain unaffected by them. Recently, after using long-read sequencing, which allows scientists to study much longer fragments of DNA than other methods, researchers found that the DNA of the Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) and the Mesoamerican mustached bat (Pteronotus mesoamericanus), lack the gene for interferon(INF)-alpha. This protein is produced by other mammals’ immune systems to fight viruses. Instead, bats rely on INF-omega, which is more potent. Researchers have theorized that targeting genes that produce INF-omega in humans could one day be used to treat viral illnesses. As for cancer, long-read sequencing revealed the presence of 6 DNA repair genes and 33 tumor-suppressor genes in bats. These are genes aren’t entirely unique to bats, but bats do seem to use them more effectively than other animals. It’s possible that, one day, gene therapy using bat immunity as a blueprint could treat cancer in humans as well. Seems like a good idea, as long as no one grows wings.
[Image description: A black-and-brown bat with brown eyes hanging from a green treetop.] Credit & copyright: Pixel-mixer, Pixabay
If you’d like to be immune to most viruses, resilient against cancer, and have the ability to fly, what you actually want is to be a bat. A new study published by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution works to reveal the secrets behind the winged mammals’ hale and hearty nature. The secret to bats’ extraordinary immunity to diseases (like ebola) that kill other mammals lies in their inflammation response—or, rather, their lack of one. In humans, many symptoms of illness are actually the result of our bodies’ own immune response. This includes inflammation. Bats don’t experience the same level of inflammation, allowing them to tolerate viral loads that would kill most other mammals. It’s also the reason that bats are famously disease-ridden (the technical term is viral reservoir) and easily spread diseases, even as they remain unaffected by them. Recently, after using long-read sequencing, which allows scientists to study much longer fragments of DNA than other methods, researchers found that the DNA of the Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) and the Mesoamerican mustached bat (Pteronotus mesoamericanus), lack the gene for interferon(INF)-alpha. This protein is produced by other mammals’ immune systems to fight viruses. Instead, bats rely on INF-omega, which is more potent. Researchers have theorized that targeting genes that produce INF-omega in humans could one day be used to treat viral illnesses. As for cancer, long-read sequencing revealed the presence of 6 DNA repair genes and 33 tumor-suppressor genes in bats. These are genes aren’t entirely unique to bats, but bats do seem to use them more effectively than other animals. It’s possible that, one day, gene therapy using bat immunity as a blueprint could treat cancer in humans as well. Seems like a good idea, as long as no one grows wings.
[Image description: A black-and-brown bat with brown eyes hanging from a green treetop.] Credit & copyright: Pixel-mixer, Pixabay
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FREEScience Daily Curio #2732Free1 CQ
That’s no dog, that’s a dingo! A video from Australia, which showed a dingo committing literal daylight robbery, recently went viral. The tenacious pup swam to a boat where it proceeded to steal food and even a handbag. While dingoes may look similar to domesticated dogs, they’re considered wild animals. In fact, these pirate pests have actually carved out a niche for themselves in one of the planet’s harshest ecosystems.
Dingoes first arrived in Australia thousands of years ago, though it’s not known exactly when. Genetic analysis shows that dingoes are closely related to East Asian domestic dogs, meaning that they were likely brought over by humans who used them to hunt vermin. Archaeological evidence shows that dingoes have been in Australia for at least 3,500 years, but they likely arrived no earlier than 12,000 years ago. That’s around the time that rising sea levels separated Tasmania from the mainland, and no dingoes are found on Tasmania today. On the mainland, though, they went from human companions to apex predators.
Unfortunately, dingos were considered pests by many early Australian settlers looking to raise livestock. This led to massive culling programs in southeastern Australia that all but wiped out dingoes in the region. Then, farmers constructed a 5,600-kilometer-long fence meant to keep out rabbits, a more recently-introduced invasive species. The fence did little to keep rabbits out, but it did keep dingoes out. Settlers didn’t understand that dingoes had, by then, become an integral part of Australia’s ecosystem, even filling the ecological niche left over when thylacines (or Tasmanian tigers) went extinct. Without dingoes to keep kangaroos and other herbivore populations in check, the fenced-in area has become overgrazed, leading to a crash in biodiversity. The effects are so drastic that, today, the difference in vegetation levels on either side of the fence can be seen from space.
The dingo is listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Despite the fact that they weren’t originally wild animals, they’ve been part of the ecosystem for so long now that their demise would likely mean ecological disaster for Australia. Dingoes are still being baited, trapped, and hunted as pests, while conservationists work to educate the public about the valuable role dingoes play, as wild predators. It might be a long road ahead, but every dog has his day.
[Image description: A tan-colored dingo stands in green grass.] Credit & copyright: TheOtherKev, PixabayThat’s no dog, that’s a dingo! A video from Australia, which showed a dingo committing literal daylight robbery, recently went viral. The tenacious pup swam to a boat where it proceeded to steal food and even a handbag. While dingoes may look similar to domesticated dogs, they’re considered wild animals. In fact, these pirate pests have actually carved out a niche for themselves in one of the planet’s harshest ecosystems.
Dingoes first arrived in Australia thousands of years ago, though it’s not known exactly when. Genetic analysis shows that dingoes are closely related to East Asian domestic dogs, meaning that they were likely brought over by humans who used them to hunt vermin. Archaeological evidence shows that dingoes have been in Australia for at least 3,500 years, but they likely arrived no earlier than 12,000 years ago. That’s around the time that rising sea levels separated Tasmania from the mainland, and no dingoes are found on Tasmania today. On the mainland, though, they went from human companions to apex predators.
Unfortunately, dingos were considered pests by many early Australian settlers looking to raise livestock. This led to massive culling programs in southeastern Australia that all but wiped out dingoes in the region. Then, farmers constructed a 5,600-kilometer-long fence meant to keep out rabbits, a more recently-introduced invasive species. The fence did little to keep rabbits out, but it did keep dingoes out. Settlers didn’t understand that dingoes had, by then, become an integral part of Australia’s ecosystem, even filling the ecological niche left over when thylacines (or Tasmanian tigers) went extinct. Without dingoes to keep kangaroos and other herbivore populations in check, the fenced-in area has become overgrazed, leading to a crash in biodiversity. The effects are so drastic that, today, the difference in vegetation levels on either side of the fence can be seen from space.
The dingo is listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Despite the fact that they weren’t originally wild animals, they’ve been part of the ecosystem for so long now that their demise would likely mean ecological disaster for Australia. Dingoes are still being baited, trapped, and hunted as pests, while conservationists work to educate the public about the valuable role dingoes play, as wild predators. It might be a long road ahead, but every dog has his day.
[Image description: A tan-colored dingo stands in green grass.] Credit & copyright: TheOtherKev, Pixabay
September 27, 2023
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Before Brexit, goods moved freely between the United Kingdom and the European Union, but now there are far more rules and checks....
From the BBC World Service: Before Brexit, goods moved freely between the United Kingdom and the European Union, but now there are far more rules and checks....
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 27, 2023\NEP-uh-tiz-um\ noun
What It Means
Nepotism refers to favoritism based on kinship, and especially to the ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 27, 2023\NEP-uh-tiz-um\ noun
What It Means
Nepotism refers to favoritism based on kinship, and especially to the ...
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FREEEntrepreneurship Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
The internet not only allows people to work from anywhere, but in all sorts of new ways. Dropshipping, for example, is allowing many entrepreneurs to earn a living selling products that they don’t keep in stock. Instead, dropshippers function as middlemen between customers (who purchase from the dropshipper’s website) and retailers like Amazon, who stock and ship out the products themselves. For entrepreneurs who want to take advantage of this easy business model but also want to sell their own creative works, print-on-demand businesses are proving to be a good option. Owners of print-on-demand businesses don’t keep products in stock themselves, but unlike dropshippers, the things they sell incorporate original designs, like artwork or logos. Customers buy these designs as they’re presented on blank templates like t-shirts or mugs. Then, the business owner contacts a manufacturer or “printer” to put the design on the item and ship it to the customer. It’s a simple process that has allowed plenty of artists, as well as those with a broad eye for design, a way to profit from their work. Marketplaces like Etsy are home to many print-on-demand shops, and even shops like StopMockandRoll, which sell customized mock-up photos for others to use in their own print-on-demand shops. One print-on-demand entrepreneur, Heather Johnson of HeatherXStudio, found so much success with her own etsy shop that she has pivoted to teaching others how to achieve similar results via online courses. It goes to show that these days, you don’t have to live amongst wall-to-wall boxes of inventory to sell plenty of products.
[Image description: White t-shirts hanging from a wooden rack.] Credit & copyright: Leticia Ribeiro, PexelsThe internet not only allows people to work from anywhere, but in all sorts of new ways. Dropshipping, for example, is allowing many entrepreneurs to earn a living selling products that they don’t keep in stock. Instead, dropshippers function as middlemen between customers (who purchase from the dropshipper’s website) and retailers like Amazon, who stock and ship out the products themselves. For entrepreneurs who want to take advantage of this easy business model but also want to sell their own creative works, print-on-demand businesses are proving to be a good option. Owners of print-on-demand businesses don’t keep products in stock themselves, but unlike dropshippers, the things they sell incorporate original designs, like artwork or logos. Customers buy these designs as they’re presented on blank templates like t-shirts or mugs. Then, the business owner contacts a manufacturer or “printer” to put the design on the item and ship it to the customer. It’s a simple process that has allowed plenty of artists, as well as those with a broad eye for design, a way to profit from their work. Marketplaces like Etsy are home to many print-on-demand shops, and even shops like StopMockandRoll, which sell customized mock-up photos for others to use in their own print-on-demand shops. One print-on-demand entrepreneur, Heather Johnson of HeatherXStudio, found so much success with her own etsy shop that she has pivoted to teaching others how to achieve similar results via online courses. It goes to show that these days, you don’t have to live amongst wall-to-wall boxes of inventory to sell plenty of products.
[Image description: White t-shirts hanging from a wooden rack.] Credit & copyright: Leticia Ribeiro, Pexels -
FREEOutdoors Daily Curio #2731Free1 CQ
You’re deathly ill, trapped in the pitch black dark and—worst of all—nearly a mile underground. What do you do? In the case of American caver Mark Dickey, who was recently rescued from Morca Cave in Turkey, all he could do was wait. Caving, also called cave exploration or spelunking, might not sound particularly dangerous to the uninitiated. After all, tons of tourists flock to massive caverns along well-lit walkways every day without incident, but that’s not really what caving is. What draws hardcore cavers are deep, unexplored underground passages that often have little wiggle room. Traversing a cave often means taking a deep breath out and squeezing through a hole or tunnel barely big enough for a person. It’s a dangerous activity that leaves little room for error or sheer bad luck. In the case of Mark Dickey, an experienced caver who’s been exploring underground spaces for over 20 years, he simply came down with a stomach illness that left him unable to make the passage out of one of Turkey’s deepest caves. He was reportedly throwing up blood and required emergency medical attention after weeks spent trapped in the cave.
Other cavers have met their end due to sudden flooding, while others have fallen from great heights or gotten stuck between a literal rock and a hard place. The problem is that, when cavers need rescuing, it usually takes another caver to get them out or even reach them. Dickey’s grueling ordeal could have been a lot worse—while he may have been 0.8 miles underground, the deepest cave system in the world is Veryovkina Cave in Georgia, at 1.3 miles. That distance might be easy to traverse aboveground, but getting through the rocky, winding passages of a deep cave takes a long time. In fact, it can take days to explore caves like Morca or Veryovkina. Despite these immense risks, caving remains a popular hobby among extremophiles who prefer slow and steady over the quick thrill of activities like base jumping. If you’re considering cave exploration for your next adventure, you might want to give it some deep thought.
[Image description: A cave with ferns growing around its sunlit entrance.] Credit & copyright: Tama66You’re deathly ill, trapped in the pitch black dark and—worst of all—nearly a mile underground. What do you do? In the case of American caver Mark Dickey, who was recently rescued from Morca Cave in Turkey, all he could do was wait. Caving, also called cave exploration or spelunking, might not sound particularly dangerous to the uninitiated. After all, tons of tourists flock to massive caverns along well-lit walkways every day without incident, but that’s not really what caving is. What draws hardcore cavers are deep, unexplored underground passages that often have little wiggle room. Traversing a cave often means taking a deep breath out and squeezing through a hole or tunnel barely big enough for a person. It’s a dangerous activity that leaves little room for error or sheer bad luck. In the case of Mark Dickey, an experienced caver who’s been exploring underground spaces for over 20 years, he simply came down with a stomach illness that left him unable to make the passage out of one of Turkey’s deepest caves. He was reportedly throwing up blood and required emergency medical attention after weeks spent trapped in the cave.
Other cavers have met their end due to sudden flooding, while others have fallen from great heights or gotten stuck between a literal rock and a hard place. The problem is that, when cavers need rescuing, it usually takes another caver to get them out or even reach them. Dickey’s grueling ordeal could have been a lot worse—while he may have been 0.8 miles underground, the deepest cave system in the world is Veryovkina Cave in Georgia, at 1.3 miles. That distance might be easy to traverse aboveground, but getting through the rocky, winding passages of a deep cave takes a long time. In fact, it can take days to explore caves like Morca or Veryovkina. Despite these immense risks, caving remains a popular hobby among extremophiles who prefer slow and steady over the quick thrill of activities like base jumping. If you’re considering cave exploration for your next adventure, you might want to give it some deep thought.
[Image description: A cave with ferns growing around its sunlit entrance.] Credit & copyright: Tama66
September 26, 2023
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
President Joe Biden will join picketing autoworkers in Michigan today, while former President Donald Trump is slated to visit tomorrow. More labor organizing...
President Joe Biden will join picketing autoworkers in Michigan today, while former President Donald Trump is slated to visit tomorrow. More labor organizing...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 26, 2023\GRAHK\ verb
What It Means
To grok something is to understand it both profoundly and intuitively.
// She...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 26, 2023\GRAHK\ verb
What It Means
To grok something is to understand it both profoundly and intuitively.
// She...
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FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
On September 23rd, American singer and songwriter Terry Kirkman passed away. While his name might not be familiar to younger pop listeners, it’s no exaggeration to say that Kirkman helped define the sound of 1960s pop. As a founding member of the pop/rock band The Association, comprised of seven talented singers and instrumentalists, Kirkman proved that pop music could be both musically complex and catchy. This was especially true of The Association’s first major hit, 1966’s Cherish. The song is sung by all six band members, four of whom also play instruments throughout, and features intricate, swelling harmonies. Some of these are performed in a haunting minor key, which is appropriate for Cherish’s sad lyrics about unrequited love. In some ways, the song sounds more like a choral number than a modern pop song, but it helped usher-in a vocal’s-first era in pop that stuck around into the early 70s. There are some things that autotune just can’t replace.
On September 23rd, American singer and songwriter Terry Kirkman passed away. While his name might not be familiar to younger pop listeners, it’s no exaggeration to say that Kirkman helped define the sound of 1960s pop. As a founding member of the pop/rock band The Association, comprised of seven talented singers and instrumentalists, Kirkman proved that pop music could be both musically complex and catchy. This was especially true of The Association’s first major hit, 1966’s Cherish. The song is sung by all six band members, four of whom also play instruments throughout, and features intricate, swelling harmonies. Some of these are performed in a haunting minor key, which is appropriate for Cherish’s sad lyrics about unrequited love. In some ways, the song sounds more like a choral number than a modern pop song, but it helped usher-in a vocal’s-first era in pop that stuck around into the early 70s. There are some things that autotune just can’t replace.
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FREEScience Daily Curio #2730Free1 CQ
Not everyone can be a Nobel Prize winner, so why not aim your ambitions just a tad lower? For those conducting scientific research that “makes people laugh…then think” there’s the Ig Nobel Awards, which just selected ten winners for 2023. The prize has been used since 1991 as a way to honor scientists who make quirky or humorous discoveries. One of this year’s winners was chosen for their research on why scientists like to lick rock samples, while a team of international engineers was selected for trying to reanimate dead spiders.
According to the journal Nature, “The Ig Nobel awards are arguably the highlight of the scientific calendar.” While the “Igs,” as they’re also called, might seem like a mocking jab at frivolous research, they’re actually just the opposite. The award recognizes the value of oddball endeavors. The rock-licking study, for instance, was actually about the effectiveness of a real technique used in the field by paleontologists. Jan Zalasiewicz, who won the chemistry and geology prize, expounded in the study, “Wetting the surface allows fossil and mineral textures to stand out sharply, rather than being lost in the blur of intersecting micro-reflections and micro-refractions that come out of a dry surface.” In the case of the dead spiders, the engineers were taking inspiration from the arachnid’s anatomy to develop better mechanical grippers. They found that when spiders die and curl up, their legs are returning to their default “gripping” state. Based on this principle, the gripper they designed opens when pressure is applied instead of the other way around and is better at holding irregularly-sized objects.
Overall, the award is a tongue-in-cheek way for the scientific community to recognize the ostensibly absurd nature of their shared work while rewarding legitimate research. The awards are largely presented by Nobel Laureates and at least one Ig Nobel winner went on to win a Nobel Prize later. So it’s safe to say that the Igs are all in good fun. Even the prize money is absurd: each winner is given a “cash reward” of a $10 trillion dollar bill. Of course, that’s in Zimbabwe dollars, which haven’t been recognized as legal tender since 2009. Who said that scientists have no sense of humor?
[Image description: Two arms, each holding a large, gold trophy, reach in front of a yellow background.] Credit & copyright: Anna Shvets, PexelsNot everyone can be a Nobel Prize winner, so why not aim your ambitions just a tad lower? For those conducting scientific research that “makes people laugh…then think” there’s the Ig Nobel Awards, which just selected ten winners for 2023. The prize has been used since 1991 as a way to honor scientists who make quirky or humorous discoveries. One of this year’s winners was chosen for their research on why scientists like to lick rock samples, while a team of international engineers was selected for trying to reanimate dead spiders.
According to the journal Nature, “The Ig Nobel awards are arguably the highlight of the scientific calendar.” While the “Igs,” as they’re also called, might seem like a mocking jab at frivolous research, they’re actually just the opposite. The award recognizes the value of oddball endeavors. The rock-licking study, for instance, was actually about the effectiveness of a real technique used in the field by paleontologists. Jan Zalasiewicz, who won the chemistry and geology prize, expounded in the study, “Wetting the surface allows fossil and mineral textures to stand out sharply, rather than being lost in the blur of intersecting micro-reflections and micro-refractions that come out of a dry surface.” In the case of the dead spiders, the engineers were taking inspiration from the arachnid’s anatomy to develop better mechanical grippers. They found that when spiders die and curl up, their legs are returning to their default “gripping” state. Based on this principle, the gripper they designed opens when pressure is applied instead of the other way around and is better at holding irregularly-sized objects.
Overall, the award is a tongue-in-cheek way for the scientific community to recognize the ostensibly absurd nature of their shared work while rewarding legitimate research. The awards are largely presented by Nobel Laureates and at least one Ig Nobel winner went on to win a Nobel Prize later. So it’s safe to say that the Igs are all in good fun. Even the prize money is absurd: each winner is given a “cash reward” of a $10 trillion dollar bill. Of course, that’s in Zimbabwe dollars, which haven’t been recognized as legal tender since 2009. Who said that scientists have no sense of humor?
[Image description: Two arms, each holding a large, gold trophy, reach in front of a yellow background.] Credit & copyright: Anna Shvets, Pexels
September 25, 2023
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: September 25, 2023\KWOR-um\ noun
What It Means
Quorum refers to the smallest number of people who must be present at a meet...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: September 25, 2023\KWOR-um\ noun
What It Means
Quorum refers to the smallest number of people who must be present at a meet...
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
This is one horse that can’t be outrun. American painter Albert Pinkham Ryder created this dreary scene while mourning the loss of a friend. The oil painting, titled Death on a Pale Horse, depicts a ghostly humanoid figure holding a scythe while riding a galloping white horse around a racetrack. A snake in the foreground looks through a broken section of the track’s fence. Ryder painted this scene of sickly greens and grays after a tragic event; a friend of his had bet his life savings on a horse race and lost it all, leading him to take his own life. As an emotionally visceral reaction to the tragedy, Ryder’s painting contains straightforward symbolism: Death from the Christian Book of Revelations and a snake, which represents temptation in Christian imagery. As if to say that no one triumphs over death, the pale horse and its rider are the track’s sole racers. Only the snake is there to beckon viewers’ eyes toward the scene. But beware: it’s a race you can’t win.
The Race Track (Death on a Pale Horse), Albert Pinkham Ryder
(1847–1917), c. 1896–1908, Oil on canvas, 27.75 x 35.43 in. (70.5 x 90 cm), Cleveland Museum of Art
[Image credit & copyright: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)
Public Domain Dedication.]This is one horse that can’t be outrun. American painter Albert Pinkham Ryder created this dreary scene while mourning the loss of a friend. The oil painting, titled Death on a Pale Horse, depicts a ghostly humanoid figure holding a scythe while riding a galloping white horse around a racetrack. A snake in the foreground looks through a broken section of the track’s fence. Ryder painted this scene of sickly greens and grays after a tragic event; a friend of his had bet his life savings on a horse race and lost it all, leading him to take his own life. As an emotionally visceral reaction to the tragedy, Ryder’s painting contains straightforward symbolism: Death from the Christian Book of Revelations and a snake, which represents temptation in Christian imagery. As if to say that no one triumphs over death, the pale horse and its rider are the track’s sole racers. Only the snake is there to beckon viewers’ eyes toward the scene. But beware: it’s a race you can’t win.
The Race Track (Death on a Pale Horse), Albert Pinkham Ryder
(1847–1917), c. 1896–1908, Oil on canvas, 27.75 x 35.43 in. (70.5 x 90 cm), Cleveland Museum of Art
[Image credit & copyright: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)
Public Domain Dedication.] -
FREEDaily Curio #2729Free1 CQ
This might be the most unlikely museum conservation of all time. We’ve written before about thylacines (commonly known as Tasmanian tigers) and their extinction, but what about their resurrection? Recently, scientists from Sweden and Norway retrieved RNA from a thylacine specimen, marking the first time in history that RNA has been recovered from an extinct species. RNA is what reads the genetically-encoded instructions found in DNA. However, RNA is much more fragile and difficult to preserve. If a tissue sample containing RNA isn’t put into cold storage quickly enough, it’s promptly destroyed by enzymes. Against all odds, researchers managed to recover intact RNA from a thylacine tissue sample at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm even though it had been kept at room temperature. Using the surviving RNA, scientists were able to catalog a list of transcriptomes, or actively expressed genes. By looking at transcriptomes, they can tell what proteins were being produced by the tissues found in the sample when the animal was still alive.
Thylacines went extinct around 130 years ago, but before their disappearance, they were the top predators in Tasmania. Predators play a key role in their respective ecosystems, so some conservationists believe that resurrecting and reintroducing thylacines to Tasmania would be good for the island’s health. Unfortunately, those hoping for a Jurassic Park situation, it’s unlikely that a thylacine will be cloned using the recently-retrieved RNA. What is possible, however, is a synthetic reconstruction of the species via gene editing, though even that would be a long way off. There are still immediate benefits to the RNA’s recovery, though. It opens up a world of possibilities for recovering RNA from similarly-kept samples, most of which were assumed to be lost causes. The RNA will also undoubtedly give scientists a detailed glimpse into the lives of these extinct creatures. The eyes may be the windows to the soul, but RNA is a porthole to the past.
[Image description: A drawing of two thylacines looking to the left.] Credit & copyright:
Henry Constantine Richter after John Gould, 1863, Wikimedia Commons, This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1928.This might be the most unlikely museum conservation of all time. We’ve written before about thylacines (commonly known as Tasmanian tigers) and their extinction, but what about their resurrection? Recently, scientists from Sweden and Norway retrieved RNA from a thylacine specimen, marking the first time in history that RNA has been recovered from an extinct species. RNA is what reads the genetically-encoded instructions found in DNA. However, RNA is much more fragile and difficult to preserve. If a tissue sample containing RNA isn’t put into cold storage quickly enough, it’s promptly destroyed by enzymes. Against all odds, researchers managed to recover intact RNA from a thylacine tissue sample at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm even though it had been kept at room temperature. Using the surviving RNA, scientists were able to catalog a list of transcriptomes, or actively expressed genes. By looking at transcriptomes, they can tell what proteins were being produced by the tissues found in the sample when the animal was still alive.
Thylacines went extinct around 130 years ago, but before their disappearance, they were the top predators in Tasmania. Predators play a key role in their respective ecosystems, so some conservationists believe that resurrecting and reintroducing thylacines to Tasmania would be good for the island’s health. Unfortunately, those hoping for a Jurassic Park situation, it’s unlikely that a thylacine will be cloned using the recently-retrieved RNA. What is possible, however, is a synthetic reconstruction of the species via gene editing, though even that would be a long way off. There are still immediate benefits to the RNA’s recovery, though. It opens up a world of possibilities for recovering RNA from similarly-kept samples, most of which were assumed to be lost causes. The RNA will also undoubtedly give scientists a detailed glimpse into the lives of these extinct creatures. The eyes may be the windows to the soul, but RNA is a porthole to the past.
[Image description: A drawing of two thylacines looking to the left.] Credit & copyright:
Henry Constantine Richter after John Gould, 1863, Wikimedia Commons, This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1928. -
7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
Almost a week into the autoworkers strike, there are few signs of progress. If little movement is made by tomorrow, the United Auto Workers union is promisin...
Almost a week into the autoworkers strike, there are few signs of progress. If little movement is made by tomorrow, the United Auto Workers union is promisin...