Weekend Reading

  • These Are The 8 Friends You Need To Be Happy In Life
    Do your friends sometimes disappoint you? Ever feel like there is something missing in your relationships? You’re not alone.
    The real question is, which friend are YOU? This could be a fun Xmas party game… (not really)

  • Over 400 of the world’s most popular websites record your every keystroke, Princeton researchers find
    The idea of websites tracking users isn’t new, but research from Princeton University released last week indicates that online tracking is far more invasive than most users understand.
    If this sort of thing worries you, and it should, take action. No-one else cares about your privacy.

  • Inspiring Britain: Glasgow’s cheerful litter-picker on a mission to make a difference to his city
    The year of 2017 has been a dark one for news – dominated by terror attacks, uncertainty in world politics and natural disasters, so ITV News has decided it is time to shine a light on some good news, telling the stories of inspirational people in communities across the country.
    Humbling.

  • The emotional benefits of small talk outweigh your fear of being awkward
    At an early age, you’re taught not to talk to strangers. Originally meant to protect us from childhood harm, this rule follows most of us into adulthood. We keep to ourselves in public places. We avert our eyes on public transport.
    Could not agree more. This year marked the year I finally realised I was ok at small talk (mostly because I realise the other person is feeling awkward too)

  • How the sandwich consumed Britain
    The invention of the chilled packaged sandwich, an accessory of modern British life which is so influential, so multifarious and so close to hand that you are probably eating one right now, took place exactly 37 years ago.
    And still it continues. Regardless of the myriad of better choices minutes away, my colleagues often revert to limp, flavourless sandwiches. WHY?!

  • Was This 1980s Arcade Game Really a killer?
    Here’s what we know. In 1981, two children in Portland, Oregon, suddenly grew mysteriously ill one week after visiting a local arcade. Soon after, a professional video game player died in a sudden accident while at an arcade, and later, his greatest rival suffered the same fate.
    Not had a good conspiracy theory story for a while!

  • Why the Traditional Media No Longer Serves Our Needs
    People have never been happy with the news media, always blaming it for lying, misinforming, and being unfair to one side or the other. Thomas Jefferson expressed views on this subject that many people today no doubt would share.
    What’s more striking to me is that this article WASN’T written 10 years ago.

  • Why you’re never really happy with the things you buy anymore
    I wasn’t supposed to be looking at leather jackets in Macy’s. Had I gone in the entrance closest to the online order pick-up desk, I wouldn’t have found myself stroking the smooth lambskin sleeves of a black moto jacket placed conveniently in my eyeline. But I did.
    The one thing I still struggle with, buying things that aren’t quite what I thought I wanted in the first place. Odd.

  • Ku Klux Klambakes
    Most of us who grow up in the United States learn a reassuring narrative of ever-expanding tolerance. Yes, the country’s birth was tainted with the original sin of slavery, but Lincoln freed the slaves, the Supreme Court desegregated schools, and we finally elected a black president.
    Horrific. Aren’ t we supposed to LEARN from history?

  • Choosy Eggs May Pick Sperm for Their Genes, Defying Mendel’s Law
    In the winner-takes-all game of fertilization, millions of sperm race toward the egg that’s waiting at the finish line. Plenty of sperm don’t even make it off the starting line, thanks to missing or deformed tails and other defects.
    Something something women prove men wrong AGAIN.

  • Cinema’s greatest scene: ‘Casablanca’ and ‘La Marseillaise’
    Casablanca is widely remembered as one of the greatest films of all time, coming in at #2 on the AFI’s top 100 list and similarly regarded by many other critics. You can quibble with its exact rank, but it’s at least undeniable how iconic Casablanca remains.
    No doubt it’ll be on in a few weeks, worth a re-watch for this scene alone.

  • Developer goes public with macOS root vulnerability
    Unsurprisingly, that news has quickly rippled through the Apple community as many people—including yours truly—have verified the claim. You can test it for yourself by going to any locked System Preferences pane, trying to unlock it, and entering username root with no password.
    Apple have a fix issued for this, but just in case. Follow the steps.

  • Some E-Cigarette Flavors May Be More Harmful Than Others
    It’s difficult for researchers to uncover what even goes into different vape juices. In the 1990s, several employees of a Missouri popcorn factory began reporting mysterious symptoms. They were always tired, wheezing, and out of breath.
    It’s like the 1940s all over again. Aren’t we supposed to learn from history?

  • The Case for Not Being Born
    David Benatar may be the world’s most pessimistic philosopher. An “anti-natalist,” he believes that life is so bad, so painful, that human beings should stop having children for reasons of compassion.
    Some of these echo the reasons I chose not to have kids.

  • Men can now buy Viagra over the counter – but women can’t take an abortion pill from a doctor at home
    Great news for Britain: men with erectile dysfunction can now buy Viagra over the counter, so long as a pharmacist agrees.
    Fuck this shit.

  • ‘Being Alone is Fundamental and Central to Being Human’: An Interview with Ayobami Adebayo
    In Nigeria, a woman named Yejide and her husband want to have a child and find that they are unable to. In order to save her marriage, Yejide focuses on getting pregnant.
    A hearty yes to this sentiment, and an interesting read.

  • The Danger of Convenience
    The other day I saw an ad for Google Home which, even five years ago, could have passed for their annual April Fool’s joke. (You can see it here.) I appreciate ease and convenience (and Stranger Things) as much as anyone else.
    I’ll go back to my normal stance on this stuff. It’s about balance. Convenience does not have to equal complacence or laziness.

  • Have we reached peak mansplaining?
    Mansplaining has been around in one form or another since the dawn of time, but recently – and mostly thanks to the internet – things have really gotten out of hand.
    ALL MEN! Good god, stop this now.