Reading

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What I saw on the web on 2025.8.7

Tolkien Math Problems
by earendil-was-a-mariner
https://earendil-was-a-mariner.tumblr.com/post/126709460340/tolkien-math-problems
i believe the answer to both questions is "all of them"?
via discord
Addressing fear in Alberta's Mennonite community amid a measles outbreak
by Hannah Alberga
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-mexican-mennonite-measles-vaccine-hesitancy-outreach-1.7601715
on the one hand, none of this surprises me. on the second hand, it's a slightly oddly written article: why is Lethbridge described as "near the Canadian Rocky Mountains". on the third hand, hash-tag-not-all-mennonites
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2025.8.6

Remembering the original Superman
by Khalid Albaih
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/8/5/remembering-the-original-superman
i mean, yeah. this stuff should be obvious to people, but obviously it won't be
via discord
The Ludacris song that BROKE my brain
by Adam Neely
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8mHggTYYb4
a fascinating journey into listening correctly
via rss
LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring - Galadriel's prologue
by JRRT, Fangorn, Peter Jackson, and Cate Blanchett
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOulsEGvSCo
remembering that moment right near the start when the image on screen and the narration are both wrong (although in unrelated ways) at the same time
via tracking the clip down after remembering
Snake-in-the-Box Problem
by Randall Munroe
https://xkcd.com/3125/
unsurprisingly, dimension 8 is done, and higher dimensions are not
via rss
"This is both objectively hilarious, and a reminder of how easily stupid people are fooled."
by wil wheaton
https://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/post/791154173619093504/this-is-both-objectively-hilarious-and-a-reminder
my experience of the satanic panic was much more muted than wil's, but i grok the fullness
via rss
What if every team was named after the most abundantly populated animal in their geographical area?
by /u/jtcmuehlenkamp
https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/qm7d17/what_if_every_team_was_named_after_the_most/
i should have seen that coming
via discord

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What I saw on the web on 2025.8.5

My T-shirt with the entire text of Borges' theoretical Library of Babel
by sufficientlylargen
https://www.tumblr.com/sufficientlylargen/759922566882295808/my-because-i-was-left-unsupervised-shirt-is
excellently technically correct
via discord
I Tried Every Kit Kat
by Babish Culinary Universe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00_HlYma2Qg
mostly because i appreciate the bit-commitment and discussion of keming
via rss
Canada’s Main Street
by Craig Baird
https://sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/canadas-main-street/
might have to read this?
via cbc item
Buckets & Borders
by Buckets & Borders
https://bucketsandborders.com/
an interesting idea
via seeing them in action
At 17, Hannah Cairo Solved a Major Math Mystery
by Kevin Harnett
https://www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah-cairo-solved-a-major-math-mystery-20250801/
this is deeper in harmonic analysis than i ever got. cool to see progress coming from a comparative newcomer in the field
via discord i think?

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What I saw on the web on 2025.8.4

Questions About EVs? I Have Answers.
by Hank Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp5KF2IhUtY
some good info here
via youtube recommends

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history,
thoughts

What I saw on the web on 2025.8.3

Why I Actually Love My Brother
by Hank Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OtM1ok6ZK0
agreed, except that people do say "Mountain Time"
via rss
Your Review: Joan of Arc
by anonymous reviewer
https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-joan-of-arc
no, it's not a book review. it's a review of Joan of Arc.
via rss

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news,
politics

What I saw on the web on 2025.8.2

Is the tradition of giving party leaders a free pass to the House dead?
by Darren Major
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/leadership-courtesy-tradition-poilievre-byelection-1.7597462
short answer: no. but PP's situation isn't really muchly precedented
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2025.8.1

Our Side and Epstein
by siderea
https://siderea.dreamwidth.org/1879923.html
including some important reminders about epistemic humility, as well as other things
via rss
Canon
by Randall Munroe
https://xkcd.com/3123/
yup
via rss
ConCurrent Seattle
by ConCurrent Seattle
https://concurrentseattle.weebly.com/
if you're looking for something to do in seattle along with or instead of worldcon
via discord

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What I saw on the web on 2025.7.31

Kurt Vonnegut on the future of the United States (1987)
by Kurt Vonnegut, unsurprisingly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Few-ZOGXk
unsurprisingly, Kurt makes a couple of salient points, almost 40 years ago
via discord i think?
The Holey Monster (with 934 faces)
by Richard Elwes speaking to Brady Haran
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhSlqIe1CRQ
a fun tour of toroidal polyhedra
via rss
ETS begins adding small surcharge for big-name concert tickets at Commonwealth
by Colin Gallant
https://edmonton.taproot.news/news/2025/07/31/ets-begins-adding-small-surcharge-for-big-name-concert-tickets-at-commonwealth
looks like a good idea to me
via rss
I Tried The Most Remote Fine Dining in America
by Babish Culinary Universe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm3fAZJiKlg
mostly shared cuz i'm confused about the server's choice of verb tenses
via rss
Posters for National Theater of Korea’s production of Macbeth
by Yuni Yoshida
https://ghostflowerdreams.tumblr.com/post/762077236024180736
super-clever costume design!
via wil
UNCUT John Cleese - Monty Python Actor and Comedian | 11.17.2014
by John Cleese speaking with Adam Savage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYaDx2Zxlqg
two clever people talking
via hearing Adam mention it elseweb, and going looking

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What I saw on the web on 2025.7.30

MAPfrappe
by Kelvin Thompson
https://www.mapfrappe.com/outlines
in case you're wondering how the sizes (not populations) of different cities compare
via wondering precisely that
Things I miss about civilization
by Marissa Lingen
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02248-9
what would you miss about civilzation?
via discord
Palmer's Algorithm for Good Gelato Recognition
by Adam Shimi
https://formethods.substack.com/p/palmers-algorithm-for-good-gelato
basically just a repackaging of her blogpost
via trying to track down one of Ada Palmer's anectodes about gelato, coming up with this instead
This Gate is the Reason You Have to Get to the Airport 2 Hours Early
by Hank Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps2IZyV3Ih4
in case you think you don't need to be at the æroport quite that early . . . you're likely right
via youtube recommends
Petition for referendum to ensure Alberta remains in Canada approved by Elections Alberta
by Cameron MacCuish
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/anti-separation-petition-approved-1.7597522
now to figure out where to sign....
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2025.7.29

Elections Canada finds an elegant and decisive solution to the Longest Ballot Committee’s shenanigans
by David Climenhaga
https://albertapolitics.ca/2025/07/elections-canada-finds-an-elegant-and-decisive-solution-to-the-longest-ballot-committees-shenanigans/
pretty accurate analysis. i'd still prefer something more proportional.
via rss
Vancouver Quadra/Election results
by wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_Quadra#Election_results
inspired by previous link, i wanted to track down the candidates in the 1988 election. check out the names.
via going looking after vaguely recalling
Edmonton-made app makes it easier for citizen scientists to count birds
by Stephanie Swensrude
https://edmonton.taproot.news/briefs/2025/07/29/edmonton-made-app-makes-it-easier-for-citizen-scientists-to-count-birds
must mention to the birders i know
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2025.7.28

Low Level Bridge closes Monday as series of bridge repair projects set to begin
by Liam Newbigging
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/major-bridge-work-begins-low-level-to-close-in-series-of-bridge-repair-projects-1.7594367
curious to see how this goes
via rss
A mathematician’s coming-of-age story.
by Ben Orlin
https://mathwithbaddrawings.com/2025/07/28/a-mathematicians-coming-of-age-story/
totally checks out
via rss
Collectivize, not unionize, should be our motto
by Kim Siever
https://albertaworker.ca/podcast/season-4/s4-e3-collectivize-not-unionize-should-be-our-motto/
well said! workplace democracy!
via rss
The Great Rockway Cookie Chase
by Rockway Mennonite Collegiate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TGQAOhwd-w
the lengths to which one might go to get a cookie
via discord
Write-in ballots to be used in Alberta byelection due to record number of candidates
by Darren Major
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/elections-canada-longest-ballot-1.7595763
before you ask, i'm pretty sure that a misspelled version of poillievre still counts
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2025.7.27

New bladeless wind turbine generates clean, quiet, bird-safe power
by Joseph Shavit
https://www.thebrighterside.news/post/new-bladeless-wind-turbine-generates-clean-quiet-bird-safe-power/
curious to see how this turns out. looks like a nifty idea.
via FB
Good Parent mug
by SMBC
https://smbc-store.myshopify.com/products/good-parent-mug
i can think of people who might appreciate this\
via SMBC
With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.
by opalescent opal
https://bsky.app/profile/opalescentopal.bsky.social/post/3luxxx27nos23
RIP Tom Lehrer
via discord

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What I saw on the web on 2025.7.26

Not Perfect
by Tim Minchin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQDDbesNPJ4
i'm still not sure if it needs another verse at the end "this is my me"
via discord
Talking With Henry Farrell
by Henry Farrell talking with Paul Krugman
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-with-henry-farrell
not just discussing SF authors, but there's certainly a chunk of that
via rss
Beware of Mister Fog
by Peter Melleville, shared by TYWIKIWDBI
https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2013/04/beware-of-mister-fog.html
eek! Mister Fog!
via rss
How To Become A MASTER Musician
by Victor Wooten speaking to Charles Berthould
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTl7FulF-i0
two great musicians talking
via youtube recommends
Soft Peaks
by Soft Peaks
https://gastown.org/listing/soft-peaks/
might have to check this place out
via discord

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What I saw on the web on 2025.7.25

Why France Delayed Its Railway Station Clocks (& What Happened When They Did)
by the Tim Traveller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PELruSTO3qI
horological shenanigans!
via rss
Mythgard Academy: The Peoples of Middle-earth, Session 4
by Corey Olsen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv2_mc4903g
mostly just for the bit very near the end when Corey asserts that Québec is Valinor
via listening through it
Trees Are Trying to Kill Everything (Again)
by Hank Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBI3o7ySlRo
honestly, i think i'm on the trees' side on this one.
via rss