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New to me Facts and Ideas in June 2024

By Justin G. on 24JUL02TUE

It’s the end of spring and the beginning of summer, so things are getting hot. Except jalapeño peppers, those are not.

Week 23

Began on 24JUN03MON . Some of these are from last week but I was away.

• Observation: Go to bed early, even if you get up late. Via News Minimalist.
• Obs: JWST observed oldest galaxy and it is not what is expected based on current models. This is exciting.
• Fact: Connecticut will require oil companies to pay for climate damages via Kottke. I confess that I do not know how this is supposed to work.
• Idea: Nice buildings are an extravagance, and who has the money to waste on that when you could be making more money with that money.
• Idea: Look for better business books (I extend this to mean those self-help type books that describe how some aspect of the world works) in other sections, such as music or sports. Basically superfan accounts their topic are likely to be much more packed with useful and interesting information than MBA writing is. Via Marginal Revolution.
• Obs: It was very hot in Delhi last week, 50C/123F. Via Kottke
• Obs: Jalapeño peppers are getting less spicy. Still seem to be variably spicy to me. Via Damn Interesting.
• Obs: Fingerprint microbiomes could be used to identify who wore or touched things. Via Damn Interesting.
• Obs: Younger Dryas may have been caused by a comet strike. Via Ancient Beat

Week 24

Began on 24JUN10MON .

• Obs: Elephants have names and use them and respond to them. Via Kottke and HackerNews.
• Idea: Mushroom Leather Via Damn Interesting.
• Fact: Paramilitary Banana via HackerNews. This is recent, 20 years ago.
• Fact: AI/ML is getting better at MRI based prostate cancer diagnosis, via News Minimalist.
• Obs: Those food labels like “may contain X” are misleading.

Week 25

Began on 24JUN17MON .

• Idea: They made Pineapple Leather, via Damn Interesting. See last week’s other leather options.
• Hyp: People are more often getting sick?, via Kottke.
• Obs: Banks are aware that climate change is real, via Damn Interesting.
• Hyp: Jupiter’s current Great Red Spot is from the 1800s, via Damn Interesting.
• Idea: Social knowledge began accumulating 600k years ago.
• Fact: Monitoring ocean garbage, from space, via Hacker News.
• Idea: Limitless exploration of the sea via Damn Interesting.
• Fact: Noam Chomsky is not dead, via Garbage Day.
• Hyp: No, Easter Island didn’t have a population collapse.
• Fact, tentative: Non-rare-earth metals magnets, with other benefits too, via News Minimalist.
• Fact: Exponential growth for solar power continues, via Damn Interesting.
• Idea: Benefits of blinking, via Damn Interesting.

Week 26

Began on 24JUN24MON .

• Hyp: Humans started wearing clothes 87k-170k years ago. And became hairless 3-4 million years ago. Via Damn Interesting.
• Hyp: The Northeast US is predicted to receive up to 50% more precipitation due to climate change. At Kottke.
• Obs: More supply chain woes: ocean shipping traffic issues at Red Sea (Suez Canal) and the Panama Canal are causing longer times and higher prices. Via Hacker News.
• Fact: The Romans used liquid iron to patch potholes on the busiest streets via Damn Interesting.
• Current Events: Russian sabotage campaign in France, via Damn Interesting.

To Reply: Email me the cool facts you've learned lately. Or a correction.