Weekend Reading

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  • Inside the Lively World of Competitive Stone Skimming
    Fog shrouds Easdale Island, a windswept 62-acre chunk of slate, grass, and shrubs just off Scotland’s west coast, as rain intensifies on the roof of the Puffer Bar and Restaurant.
    I thought I was doing well with 5 or 6 ‘bounces’. Amateur!
  • The origins of the high five, and its inventor – an unsung gay pioneer
    In 1977, Glenn Burke, a rookie outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Los Angeles Dodgers, lifted his arm high above his head and slapped palms with his teammate Dusty Baker to celebrate a milestone home run, marking what is widely regarded as the first documented instance of a high five.
    I was gonna write a witty comment but thought I’d just leave you all hanging…
  • Why Gary Lineker, Lily Allen and you shouldn’t comment
    Don’t comment. Don’t comment if you’re poor or disadvantaged, because you’re a scrubber and a scrounger and basically a waste of space.
    Old news already but still worth reading. What the frick is this world we live in these days?
  • Who to Blame for the Attack on the Internet
    Our worst hacking fears came true on Friday as criminals deployed millions of everyday objects—internet-connected cameras, printers, and so on—to launch an attack on a critical part of the Internet.
    It wasn’t me! (except it might have been a little bit me, and you). Count how many devices you have that access the internet, 3? 4? 10?
  • Don’t Dress Your Age
    Ouch. I was 36. And apparently not even a lamb dressed as mutton, but fast approaching mutton dressing as jerky — if we accept that the way women dress can be likened to the life stages of a sheep.
    Ohh I’ve to wait before not dressing my age? Oops.
  • Internet is becoming unreadable because of a trend towards lighter, thinner fonts
    The internet is becoming unreadable because of a trend towards lighter and thinner fonts, making it difficult for the elderly or visually-impaired to see words clearly, a web expert has found.
    Hang on, does this mean NO-ONE is reading this? (it’s ok, I know no-one reads it… and that I’m currently talking to myself…)
  • Quiz: Science finds most men misread whether a woman is sexually interested. Do you?
    Scientists show men misread women’s interest. Do you? Michael Tabb Share this video http://qz.com/815312 Is she interested? That’s the question scientists just asked a bunch of men.
    Science? Not just ‘cos men are idiots’ then? This is a troubling thing indeed.
  • Don’t floss, peel veg or wash your jeans: 40 things you can stop doing right now
    A group of senior doctors has released a list of 40 procedures it considers to have little or no benefit. Could we apply similar thinking to everyday life? If you’ve ever washed out a wound with saline instead of tap water or requested an x-ray for lower-back pain, you’re a fool.
    Yay!! (except, obviously, DO floss, no-one needs to see week old Spinach everytime you talk)
  • An epic battle between feminism and deep-seated misogyny is under way in South Korea
    Last September, the Korean edition of Maxim, a men’s magazine, ran a cover showing Kim Byeong-ok, an actor who starred in cult favorite film “Oldboy,” posing with a cigarette in his hand next to a car. A pair of woman’s legs, bound at the ankles, was sticking out of the trunk.
    A different culture but familiar traits. Dear misogyny, your time is up, kindly leave the stage!
  • World’s Most Expensive Potato Chips Cost $11 a Piece, Come in Boxes of Five
    In an attempt to create a special snack to go with their high quality beer, Sweetish brewery St. Erik’s has created the world’s most expensive potato chips.
    Get. In. The. SEA!!!
  • Words and Phrases Coined by Shakespeare
    Exactly what it says on the tin (link, whatever). Didn’t realise some of these were by dear old Will!
  • Watch Uber’s robot truck deliver 45,000 cans of Budweiser
    As part of a small partnership with Anheuser-Busch, Otto, the self-driving trucking startup acquired by Uber, delivered 45,000 beers from a weigh station in Fort Collins, Colo. to Colorado Springs.
    The future is almost here. Once it can deliver beer AND pizza… welcome to the end of civilisation.
  • It’s so dangerous being a bridesmaid in China that some brides are hiring professionals instead
    Concern over traditional wedding practices in China being pushed too far has reached new heights following the death of a bridesmaid in Wenchang, Hainan province in September. It was reported that the 28-year-old was pressured into drinking an excessive amount of alcohol on behalf of the bride.
    A different culture. Alarming traits!
  • An Ivy League professor says there are only three types of friendships we make
    Friendship isn’t always as serendipitous as it might feel; according to new research, there are just three ways people typically structure their social lives.
    I might just buy this. Presuming I can buy some friends to go along with it, like a buy one get one kinda thing?
  • NaNoWriMo Triage Center: Helping You Get To 50K
    There you are, happily pounding out words, the click and rattle of the keyboard creating a musical symphony in your writing space. Maybe you’re humming along, caught up in the frenzy of creation that oozes out every pore.
    Just in case anyone else is mad enough to be doing NaNoWriMo this year (roll on Tuesday!)
  • Iceland’s Pirate Party looks likely to take the country’s election next weekend
    If you’re worn out and depressed with the US election campaign, ponder what’s going on in Iceland for a moment. The country’s Pirate Party, founded less than four years ago by a group of activists, anarchists, and hackers, is poised to upend Icelandic politics with an Oct.
    Not happy about this. Was dead set on moving to Canada but… avast this be interesting developments!
  • An amateur fossil hunter stumbled upon a pickled 133 million year-old dinosaur brain in England
    Jamie Hiscock of East Sussex, England has a knack for spotting incredibly preserved remnants of life. Five years ago, he and his brother, both fossil enthusiasts, were walking along the beach when they noticed a remarkable piece of amber.
    This is from when God was ‘at rest’ or something, yeah?
  • Meet The Smartest Dog In Hollywood
    The most talented movie star in America is two and a half feet tall, 7 years old, and 39 pounds. He has brown eyes, a natural black vest and tail, and his pale chest, arms, and legs are dotted with tan freckles. His name is Jumpy. And he’s a dog.
    Jumpy! I have a new favourite dog name! (I don’t have a dog, but if I did…)
  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents Ghost Stories for Kids (1962)
    “Now of course, the best way to listen to ghost stories is with the lights out,” says the inimitable Alfred Hitchcock, as he introduces his 1962 vinyl release Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Ghost Stories for Young People.
    Available on Spotify and Youtube. For the Halloween weir… lovers out there.
  • Alfred Hitchcock’s Rules for Watching Psycho (1960)
    Psycho, one of Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic films, didn’t come together very easily. Hitchcock’s studio, Paramount Pictures, didn’t like anything about the film and denied him a proper budget. So the director went solo and funded the film through his television company Shamley Productions.
    I’m starting a new tradition this Halloween. Psycho and The Shining.