Tangled Up in You
“In about six months … we’re actually going to be hooking my peripheral nervous system up to the nervous system of a cockroach and we’re going to allow me to control a cockroach … Then we’re actually going to flip the switch the other way and we’re going to let the cockroach control me.” Wearable devices are all the rage these days. But some people are leapfrogging that babystep and entering the world of implantation — where the technology gets all up in that (and then some). Are these self-experimenters out of their minds, or are they set to leave the rest us of back in the dark ages of human flesh and bone? In Mosaic, Frieda Klotz visits the world’s first cyborg fair to get some answers (and probably a gets a little grossed out in the process).
Taking the Fifth
“He guided the career of The Beatles with such skill and good humor that he became a true friend to me and my family. If anyone earned the title of the fifth Beatle it was George.” So said Paul McCartney upon learning of the death of producer Sir George Martin at the age of 90.
+ “What I said to Brian was, ‘if you want me to judge them on what you’re playing me, I’m sorry, I’ll have to turn you down.'” BBC: When George Martin met The Beatles.
Where the Rubber Duckie Hits the Road
“China wants a bathtub. China wants waters that are theirs, that they can operate military and police vessels in, without having to worry about the presence of the U.S. or the Philippines or Vietnamese or Indian naval forces.” And it’s a big bathtub, now dotted with an ever-expanding series of artificial islands. The NYT on the battle for control in the South China Sea.
How Many Polls Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb
“In an election year that has already shattered many received wisdoms, add another one to the scrap heap: the idea that the Democratic and Republican Party establishments were finally getting a handle on the popular insurgencies that have shaken up their parties.” The New Yorker’s John Cassidy on last night’s big wins for Donald and Bernie.
+ Super Tuesday Two did little to change the overall math of the election. But it definitely enhanced the storyline, and even added one to the already unusual primaries: A result that was among the greatest polling errors in primary history.
+ In 2012, the GOP adjusted the rules for their primaries in an effort to give a greater edge to the frontrunner. Whoops.
Bad to the Bone
“It goes through your muscles and hits your nerves and does different things to different people. I work in a job where I have to remember things, and if I don’t write them down right away now, they’re gone.” In the Bleacher Report, Greg Couch heads to Flint to tell another story of the challenges being faced by residents there. This time, it’s about basketball: Keep Faith, Skip Showers…and Find a Way Out
+ WaPo: Why the poor pay more for toilet paper — and just about everything else.
Trunks and Crates
“The 18 elephants — three males and 15 females ranging in age from six to 25 — were sedated, loaded onto crates and placed on a large cargo plane that arrived in Swaziland.” A few U.S. zoos secretly flew 18 elephants out of Swaziland ahead of court challenge. This controversy is part of much bigger story. The very real threat that elephants could “vanish from the Earth” in our lifetimes.
Sister Sister
“Apparently I don’t get to decide this.” Quartz with a pretty amazing family story made public because of media pressure, and because the siblings directed The Matrix. Lilly Wachowski just came out as a transgender woman. Her sister did the same a few years ago.
Match Game
Want to understand how the changing roles of family, religion, and urbanization have impacted society? Take a look at the way matchmakers find you a find and make you a match. Matchmaker, matchmaker look through these charts and find me some trends: There are only three ways to meet anyone anymore.
Snap, Crackle, Stop!
“She made him a proposition. If he allowed her to squeeze the blackheads from his nose and film it, she would perform the procedure for free. He agreed.” There’s the Internet I sort of understand and the Internet I really don’t. From NY Mag: Meet the Internet’s Most Famous Pimple-Popping Dermatologist. (At least she’s the most famous. How bad would it be to post videos of yourself squeezing blackheads only to realize you’re like the fifth or sixth most famous one doing it?)
Bottom of the News
Meet the most interesting unemployed man in the world. After years of watching him play one of the more famous roles in recent advertising history, Dos Equis has announced plans to replace Jonathan Goldsmith as the most interesting man in the world. In his final commercial, he will be shown leaving on a one-way trip to Mars. (“His only regret is not knowing what regret feels like.”)
+ Gizmodo: Lawmakers in West Virginia celebrate legalization of raw milk by drinking it and getting sick. (Why should voters be the only ones sickened during this election season?)
+ This mother likes to braid her daughter’s hair every morning. And I mean she really braids the hell out it.
+ Some schools have bake sales. Some schools have Beyonce.
