- The Neurologist Who Hacked His Brain—And Almost Lost His Mind
The brain surgery lasted 11 and a half hours, beginning on the afternoon of June 21, 2014, and stretching into the Caribbean predawn of the next day.
Science continues to boggle my mind (ha, geddit!)
- New York Is Going to Turn Off Niagara Falls. Here’s How
After the construction of a cofferdam, the American Falls (left center) was significantly reduced, while the Horseshoe Falls (right) roared louder than ever.
Engineering continues to amaze me.
- Anatomy of a good sticky note
For many of our teams, the ‘unit of data’ in qualitative user research is the sticky note – or, more precisely, units of information captured onto sticky notes. People often think this is amusing, given we’re always talking about digital by default.
Geek time, but if you’ve ever been part of a ‘post-it’ note session, this is a must read.
- Indian Women Seeking Jobs Confront Taboos and Threats
On a humid, sweaty, honking afternoon last summer, two women were making their way through the court complex in the north Indian city of Meerut, searching for the office of the subdivisional magistrate.
Interesting insight into the challenges many still face.
- The big sleep
Everybody knew the plan. The sisters were to leave around noon. They felt they had no choice. Assisting, aiding or abetting a suicide carries a penalty of up to five years’ jail in Victoria. Their mother would have liked them to stay, but not at the risk of prosecution. Camping in the bush.
A controversial topic, a hard read, an uplifting story of an elderly couple decide to take their own lives. CN: Joint suicide.
- Life
I have an uneven relationship with Iyanla Vanzant, spiritual life coach (stay with me, people) and one of Oprah’s right-hand women. Uneven not just because I am completely obsessed with her and she has no idea who I am. No.
Apparently you learn if you make mistakes. I must really REALLY smart by now.
- The 12 things that restaurants must stop doing in 2016
My dentist tells me that I grind my teeth at night. He says this is a very bad thing and needs to be remedied. Apparently the problem is tension, brought on by stress. Clearly I need less stress in my life.
I’d add – Serve us food on plates, not slates/logs/upturned turtle shells!
- Cheese triggers the same part of the brain as hard drugs, say scientists
If you regularly find yourself hovering around the cheese board at the Christmas dinner table, helping yourself to seconds or thirds, there may be a scientific explanation as to why you’re unable to tear yourself away.
Science and food. If you like this, check out Gastropod podcast!
- The internet wants you to lose your job
When Anjali Ramkissoon unleashed a vicious tirade against an Uber driver on Jan. 17, she was an anonymous neurology resident living in Miami. Just a few days later, she was appearing on “Good Morning America” to apologize for what she called the “biggest mistake” of her life.
Always amuses me, this ‘story’ has been reworked many times. Check dooce.com – the original ‘I was fired because I blogged’ story.
- Can the ‘largest cleanup in history’ save the ocean?
Lourens Boot is a man of the sea. He windsurfs. His houseboat consistently ranks as one of the best Airbnb rentals in the world. He spent years working offshore exploration for Shell. But in spring of 2014, the Dutchman wanted something new.
Genius? Flawed idea? Time will tell, I really hope it works.
- The Inside Story of Uber’s Radical Rebranding
Today, millions of people around the world will turn on their smartphones and scan their screens for the black-and-white Uber icon, only to find it missing.
The story behind the rebrand that many of you will have noticed. My take: Uber = private taxi. The icon doesn’t ‘say’ that to me at all.
- The science behind a good cup of coffee
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks worldwide, with countless cups of the dark, alluring elixir brewed up each day.
I should write an article like this that focuses on Nescafe, top tip, a scoop and a quarter gives a much richer smoother cup of rank bitterness.
- The Man Who Cheated Death Seven Times, Then Won the Lottery
Depending on how you look at it, Frane Selak, a now 85 year old retired music teacher from Croatia, is either the luckiest, or unluckiest man in the world, having lived a life that resembles the plot to Final Destination.
Via the QI elves podcast – Not Such Thing As A Fish – unbelievable true story!