— GeistHaus

Linkfest #36: Moon Rice, Mountaineering in High Heels, and Why Birds Never Debate Economic Policy

The Linkfest Jul 11, 2025

Hello folks! It’s time for "the opposite of doomscrolling” — my next Linkfest, in which I scavenge through the thrift shops of the aer’y internet, looking for neglected finds in science, culture, and technology. If you’re a subscriber, thank you! If not, you can <a href="https://buttondown.email/clivethompson/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">sign up here — it’s a Guardian-style, pay-whatevs-you-want affair; the folks who kick in help keep the Linkfest free for everyone else</a>. And: Please share this email with anyone who'd enjoy it. Let’s begin ... <hr/><h2>1) 👠 Hiking Colorado’s mountains in high heels</h2> <figure><img alt="A woman wearing black high-heeled sandals stands on a rocky summit a mountainous landscape in the background. In front of their feet is a handmade cardboard sign that reads: “MT. ELBERT – HIGHEST POINT IN COLORADO – 4401 meters, 14,440 feet.” It's a funny photo -- the contrast between rugged hiking and high-heels is striking." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/948bc1c3-459b-476f-b53b-98ab196ce0d6.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via Erin Ton</figcaption></figure> Colorado has 58 mountains that qualify as “14ers” — i.e. they’re 14,000 feet or higher. People come from all over the world to hike them. But only Erin Ton is doing it <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/hiking-and-backpacking/erin-ton-colorado-fourteeners-high-heels?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">in a dress and heels</a>. She’d hiked all the 14ers using regular hiking gear, but then got the idea to do it using footwear that would seem to be rather less practical. Is it, though? <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/hiking-and-backpacking/erin-ton-colorado-fourteeners-high-heels?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">As Teaghan Skulszki reports in Outside …</a> <blockquote>The heel thing started well before that, though, as a joke between Ton and her friends. They hypothesized that the leverage of a high heel could help counteract the incline of a steep slope, alleviating strain on the feet. Theoretically, it would be similar to using a heel riser while backcountry skiing, or a trail shoe with a very, very high midsole drop. In 2020, Ton put this hypothesis to the test, paying homage to her first ascent of Mount Elbert by doing it again—but this time in high heels.</blockquote> Ton has also found that her hikes — which, as you’d imagine, go viral on social media — have jolted a lot of women into thinking <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/hiking-and-backpacking/erin-ton-colorado-fourteeners-high-heels?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">wait, hold it, maybe I should try hiking …</a> <blockquote>“I’ve had numerous women reach out to me saying it’s inspired them to wear what they want in the outdoors. All too often, women are siloed into one category, but being outdoorsy and feminine aren’t mutually exclusive,” she explained.</blockquote> As for the original hypothesis, that heels might be advantageous in mountaineering? That’s less the case. Ton thinks the heels have strengthened her lower legs, but they’ve also caused a lot of blisters. <hr/><h2 data-pm-slice="1 1 []">2) 🦈 “Jaws”, the text adventure</h2> <figure><img alt='Screenshot of the "Jaws" video game. It has brightly colored retro pixel art graphics on a cyan background. On the right side, a stylized great white shark with an open red mouth and sharp teeth appears in mid-attack. The title reads "JAWS" in large, bold red letters with a drop shadow, followed by "THE TEXT ADVENTURE" in smaller blue font beneath it. Across the top, it says "Mirrorsoft presents" in red text. At the bottom left, black text credits the 1984 game to Mirrorsoft, with "Coding by Dave Crud" and "Graphics by Sara Crud." A blue bar along the bottom instructs: "+++ Press Any Key To Start +++" in white and red text. It basically looks like an early 1980s 8-bit home computer games, with blocky, low-resolution pixel art.' draggable="false" src="https://buttondown-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/images/4d2105ac-7e9c-450b-8b33-4405f1f038fd.gif?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://mattround.com/usvsth3m/jaws/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Round</a></figcaption></figure> It’s the 50th anniversary of Jaws, so I watched it last week with my wife. She’d never seen it all the way through. We both agreed that it holds up: Terrific acting, briskly plotted, and frequently funny in a way I’d forgotten, since I hadn’t rewatched the movie since the early 00s. Today I discovered that the programmer and designer Matt Round had created <a href="https://mattround.com/usvsth3m/jaws/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a cheeky text adventure based on Jaws, for the now-defunct site UsVsTh3m. It’s now hosted on his personal site, so you can play it there.</a> It’s almost worth rewatching the movie before you play the game, though, because Round duplicates the movie scenes quite neatly — except now you experience them as the shark, in text. Like so: <blockquote>You are near a beach packed with holidaymakers. They look so happy. A black DOG is paddling with a stick in its mouth, and there's a young BOY on an inflatable. The south-west corner of the island is to the SOUTH.</blockquote> The shark’s internal monologue as it devours people is pretty excellent. <hr/><h2>3) 💻 Apple’s first Macintosh team fought over desktop-pattern customization</h2> <figure><img alt='A 1984 Macintosh displaying its classic black-and-white graphical user interface, with the control panel open. The panel features sliders, icons, and time/date settings -- you can move a slider to raise or lower the volume, type in the correct time and date, click four possible speeds for the keyboard (with "slow" represented by a tiny icon of turtle, and "fast" by an icon of a hare), select three possible speeds for the double-click on a mouse, and pick an 8X8 pattern for the background image. The author has used this background feature to create a C-shape that is tiled on the background, creating scalloped lines that go up and down' draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/7088ab3b-148b-4c73-9913-90cc318db609.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://aresluna.org/frame-of-preference/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Marcin Wichary and Mihai Parparita</a></figcaption></figure> If you’re old enough to remember the first-ever 1984 Macintosh computers, you probably also remember that the control panel introduced a fun new past-time: You could customize your background. See that control panel above? The option in the bottom middle has a clickable 8×8 grid of pixels; create one design, and it would be tiled across the entire desktop. <a href="https://aresluna.org/frame-of-preference/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The designer Marcin Wichary has written a deep dive into the history of Mac control-panels and settings</a>, and it is wildly engrossing. He begins with <a href="https://aresluna.org/frame-of-preference/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">that first 1984 Mac, which had the first-ever Apple control system:</a> <blockquote>The Control Panel is a handsome and tight design, put together by Susan Kare as the last desk accessory, just weeks before the Mac’s announcement. It feels alive, depicting a perhaps surprising amount of movement sometimes via animation, and sometimes via comic book-inspired conventions: soundwaves exiting the speaker, menus blinking upon activation, a finger pressing a key, the mouse rolling on the desk. It’s also a playground of sorts for early GUI experiments: there is an early slider here, some steppers for date and time, a custom cursor, and a mini map showing a miniature desktop.</blockquote> The ability to customize one’s desktop, though? <a href="https://aresluna.org/frame-of-preference/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">It bitterly divided the early Mac team:</a> <blockquote>The original Mac team was divided on this one, worrying this would lead to “abominable patterns” and therefore “ugly desktops” – an ongoing design challenge for any setting that is not about how something works, but about how something looks.Future, more garish desktop options on computers and eventually smartphones would render these early reservations quaint. This might be the best that the Mac desktop will look for about the next twenty years. But at this moment, it felt serious. The creator of MacPaint rebelled and built his app so that any custom background would be drawn over by a default 50% checkerboard anyway. But can you even make an ugly desktop pattern with just 64 black pixels to mess with? Maybe… The most surprising is the fact that the team also prepared 41 beautiful built-in patterns, but hid them inside this control panel with the only hints how to get them appearing in the manual.</blockquote> BTW, Marcin’s essay has amazing high-tech enhancements. The engineer Mihai Parparita <a href="https://aresluna.org/frame-of-preference/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">embedded emulators to ten different Macs, from 1984 to 2002 — so as you read Marcin’s analysis, you can also click around inside the computers, open apps, and explore the twisty evolution of the control panels themselves</a>. The desktop pattern you see above? I made it myself, using the emulator for the 1984 Mac. This is an amazing work of digital history — an absolute blast to read, but also fun to play with. <hr/><h2>4) 🎋 The bamboo scaffolds of Hong Kong</h2> <figure><img alt="A photo of a Hong Kong sidewalk with pedestrians walking beneath a dense framework of bamboo scaffolding that extends from the side of a building under construction. Bundles of unused bamboo poles are stacked along the street behind metal barriers, and green tarp and construction materials are scattered nearby. The building has signage in both Chinese and English, including a sign for “Woo Trading Co.” In the background, modern glass high-rises with red accents tower over the scene, and a white double-decker tram travels along the road. " draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/6d8ee1bc-089d-466f-97e1-2436bf2b19bc.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/loneconspirator/354652222/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Mike McC, via Flickr</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">CC 2.0 license</a>, unmodified)</figcaption></figure> In most cities, if a construction firm does work on a building, they’ll erect scaffolding — which will, bien sur, be made of metal. Not in Hong Kong. They have an old tradition of using bamboo to build scaffolding, and a subculture of scaffold-makers who know the elite art of crafting towering structures out of these natural materials. Tiffany May wrote <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/24/world/asia/hongkong-bamboo-scaffolding.html?unlocked_article_code=1.U08.bmDo.UN5KkDkDJpjU&smid=url-share&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a fascinating piece about the scene …</a> <blockquote>Lattices of bamboo poles bound together by intricate knots regularly rise across the city to build and renovate apartment blocks and commercial skyscrapers that can be dozens of stories high.Advocates of the material, including Ms. Pak, say it is lighter and cheaper than metal to transport and carry in Hong Kong’s tight urban spaces. Builders particularly favor the material when erecting platforms that support workers who patch up building exteriors and replace old pipes and window sills. [snip]For metal scaffolding, engineers can make decisions such as how thick a pole to use and how far apart to space the ringlocks based on calculations accounting for load and extreme weather, Mr. Za said. But that cannot be done for bamboo scaffolds, because the poles do not come in uniform shapes, requiring the discretion of bamboo masters. [snip]But [Daisy Pak’s] love for bamboo, bordering on sentimentality, has only grown. “The material is so dynamic and resilient,” she said. “It’s just like the spirit of Hong Kong.”</blockquote> Really engrossing stuff, and the story has wonderful photography (that pic above is from Flickr, not from the story itself); you can read it via <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/24/world/asia/hongkong-bamboo-scaffolding.html?unlocked_article_code=1.U08.bmDo.UN5KkDkDJpjU&smid=url-share&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">this gift link</a>. <hr/><h2>5) 😎 AR glasses that block ads in the world around you</h2> <figure><img alt="A short animated GIF shows a city street scene where an ad-blocking visual effect occurs in real life. The animation begins with the viewer looking at a large, colorful billboard advertisement for the company bol.com; the ad shows a smiling tourist in beach attire. Suddenly, a red screen resembling a digital "ad blocker" appears on top of the ad. Text in the corner reads “Spectacles Experimental Mode”. The video moves around in a slightly jagged way, indicating you're looking through the eyes of a person wearing the goggles" draggable="false" src="https://buttondown-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/images/46fbc6f7-9104-4653-913c-bdb940aea59f.gif?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://x.com/stspanho/status/1935728608514838540?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Stijn Spanhove</a></figcaption></figure> Stijn Spanhove took a pair of Snap’s augmented-reality goggles and used image-recognition to identify ads and brands — then block them with a red bar. <a href="https://x.com/stspanho/status/1935728608514838540?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">On X, he posted a video of it working its magic on street signs, soda cans, and even newspapers.</a> It’s pretty hilarious. In the thread that ensured, people suggested that instead of replacing ads/brands with red squares, he insert soothing vistas of nature. One wit also suggested he <a href="https://beebom.com/someone-made-an-app-that-blocks-ads-in-real-life/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">insert your “to do list”</a>, which would be nicely dystopic. <hr/><h2>6) 🚣 Crossing the Pacific in a Paleolithic dugout canoe</h2> <figure><img alt="A photo of a narrow handmade canoe floating on open ocean water. It is pointed away from us, towards the horizon. It looks like it's been built from bundles of reeds or similar plant material. There are several people in the boat, all wearing wide-brimmed straw hats and holding wooden oars horizontally. They're not rowing right now. It looks very rugged" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/d85137df-7885-423c-b21a-600ea89f07cb.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> Archaeologists were surprised when they first discovered the remains of Paleolithic societies on islands in the remote Pacific. These islands were hundreds of miles off the coast of modern-day Japan, Taiwan and China, and those ocean passages have ferocious currents. How the heck did our ancestors do it, tens of thousands of years ago? Possibly by using dugout canoes, which are robust enough to withstand the oceans, yet build-able using stone-age axes. To test this hypothesis, a group of scholars from Japan and Taiwan recently <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/06/testing-ancient-paleolithic-migration-with-a-replica-canoe/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">built their own dugout canoe — using period-appropriate stone tools — and took it on a grueling 45-hour voyage</a>. They didn’t use any GPS or compass; they’d have to navigate by sight alone. <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/06/testing-ancient-paleolithic-migration-with-a-replica-canoe/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">As Jennifer Ouellette reports in Ars Technica …</a> <blockquote>It took six days to cut down a Japanese cedar tree with replica edge-ground stone axes … They polished the outer and inner surfaces with fire and stone and nicknamed the completed dugout "Sugime." They also installed crude wooden seats to make the crew more comfortable.For the test voyage, Kaifu et al. selected the Ryukyus strait between Taiwan and Yonaguni Island, where there are no effective tailwinds, the Kuroshio current flows northward, and the target island is not visible for more than the first half of the voyage, limiting its usefulness for navigation. They recruited a team of five experienced paddlers to make what turned out to be a grueling 45-hour voyage.When the paddlers encountered choppy sea conditions, they noted that the canoe tended to rotate northward. And they learned to keep an eye out for large waves inbound from the north, temporarily turning the bow northward to ride them out. There was little rest for the paddlers in order to keep the boat from capsizing on the first day, and by the second, the crew was tired, sleep-deprived, very hot, and uncertain about their precise position since the target island was not yet in sight. They experienced stomach cramps, abdominal muscle pain, and even hallucinations, but they persevered.</blockquote> This was their route … <figure><img alt="A map depicting a maritime route across the East China Sea, showing a journey from eastern Taiwan to Yonaguni Island. The journey moves northeast out in the open ocean. A dotted line shows the trip starting on July 7, 14:38 and ending July 9, 11:48. " draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/fc8877cd-8256-4b8c-a91d-a0da0ebdc214.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.adv5507?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Kaifu et al.</a></figcaption></figure> Not comfortable, but a pretty cool way to test an historical idea. You can <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.adv5507?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">read the academic paper here for free</a>. There’s also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW876fw-WXg&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a six-minute Youtube video about the trip</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb_jZ4bbKyg&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a 1.5-hour documentary.</a> <hr/><h2>7) 🧮 Turing-complete mechanical computer kit</h2> <figure><img alt='This animated GIF begins by showing a square device that is a grid with colorful, tactile tiles, each marked with symbols, arrows, and letters. The text “load your creation” appears at the top, and a hand places several small brass balls on different grid points while the text above changes to "initialize data". Then the text changes to "activate the circuit", and the hand begins to turn a small crank attached to the device. The grid pieces begin rising and lowering, moving the balls around, and the text says "(this one adds binary numbers together)".' draggable="false" src="https://buttondown-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/images/111c2cfa-0013-4415-a98b-b9220cb8a648.gif?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whomtech/roons-the-mechanical-computer-kit?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">roons</a></figcaption></figure> I usually hesitate to share cool-looking Kickstarter campaigns, because they don’t always work out. But this one so precisely occupies the Venn overlap of all my Linkfest obsessions that I couldn’t leave it un-linked-to. Behold <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whomtech/roons-the-mechanical-computer-kit?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“roons”, a mechanical computer that you program by assembling tiny bricks — each of which has a directionality — and then putting little balls on the bricks, which become the program’s data.</a> When you turn the computer’s gears, the bricks rise and fall, moving the balls along … and thus computing your answer. <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whomtech/roons-the-mechanical-computer-kit?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">As they describe it:</a> <blockquote>roons is a kit for building mechanical computers -- think "Minecraft redstone in real life". (This is a comparison only; we're not affiliated with Minecraft!)Combine logic gates and memory blocks to invent your own devices — transistors, processors, and even fully programmable computers.roons is Turing complete, meaning you can build any kind of computer circuit.</blockquote> The pricing isn’t too extreme, so <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whomtech/roons-the-mechanical-computer-kit?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">I am thinking of ordering a kit.</a> Their ship date is February 2026. <hr/><h2>8) 🎨 Optical-telegraph towers in French 19th-century art</h2> <figure><img alt="This image is a finely rendered architectural illustration framed in a circular border, depicting the Louvre in Paris. It shows elaborate classical facades with arcades, columns, and ornate stonework, with a few figures are seen strolling or conversing in the courtyard. At the top of one roof is an intriguing mechanical structure with two arms jutting out at 90 degree and 45 degree angles." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/0137bb63-86b7-4c6e-94a3-7a0a820049e1.webp?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>Charles Norry, “View of the interior of the Louvre from nature in the 4th year” (1799)</figcaption></figure> Before the electric telegraph was invented, France rolled out a ton of “optical telegraph towers”. They were devices that had two rotating sticks that you’d spin, using semaphore to spell out letters and numbers that could be seen for (ideally) a few miles. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Chappe?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The engineer Claude Chappe debuted his design in 1792</a>, and by the 19th century the country had over 560 of them, blasting messages around the countryside. <a href="https://hyperallergic.com/1022501/the-brief-and-illustrious-life-of-the-telegraph/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">As Nageen Shaihk writes in Hyperallergic, the towers were a source of fascination for French society …</a> <blockquote>Petrified by the unknown, Parisians smashed an early version in 1792. Politicians were suspicious of what the author calls “mechanical monsters, secretive and strange,” in the aftermath of the French Revolution. And this “angular and winged” device’s aesthetic or grotesque figurative possibilities either enchanted or perturbed artists of the era. Even Victor Hugo did not hold back. Of the telegraph that was then mounted atop the Parisian cathedral Saint-Sulpice, the Romantic author writes in his 1819 anti-Napoleon satirical poem “Le Télégraphe”: “There, before my window! It is quite ridiculous / That someone would place a telegraph outside my room!”</blockquote> Visual artists, though, were quite mesmerized by them. These strange, alien structures with revolving robotic arms — they looked so technological, compared to the historic buildings on which they were mounted! So artists frequently depicted telegraph towers in paintings, such as Charles Norry’s 1799 “View of the interior of the Louvre from nature in the 4th year”, above. You can see two other artworks that include telegraph towers if you <a href="https://hyperallergic.com/1022501/the-brief-and-illustrious-life-of-the-telegraph/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">visit that blog post at Hyperallergic</a>. Also, Richard Taws <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/time-machines-telegraphic-images-in-nineteenth-century-france-richard-taws/3xZ9nDqRzReCP115?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">has written a book about optical telegraphs — Time Machines — which apparently includes many more images.</a> <hr/><h2>9) ✍️ Literature made for the web browser</h2> <figure><img alt="This image features a serene and slightly melancholic scene of a man floating alone on a turquoise inflatable raft in a dark, reflective body of water. The lighting is soft, with glimmers on the water’s surface, creating a dreamy, almost surreal atmosphere. Overlaid on the image, slightly left of center, is a block of text in white, but it's not quite legible. " draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/8e68714e-a705-478f-9e29-03a893fcda83.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>from <a href="https://thehtml.review/04/a-shimmering/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“A Shimmering” by Meg Miller and Mariah Barden Jones</a></figcaption></figure> I just stumbled across <a href="http://thehtml.review?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The HTML Review</a>, which bills itself as <a href="https://thehtml.review/about?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“an annual journal of literature made to exist on the web.”</a> It’s digital lit where the authors use the multimedia-and-code-slinging nature of the browser as part of the warp and woof of the art. It reminds me of some of the digital art that got made back in the late 90s and early 00s; that was the period when the browserness of browsers was still novel enough that we remarked up on it, noticed it, as an addition to our mediated landscape. These artists are rediscovering the strange pleasures of writing for the browser. That picture above is a screenshot from <a href="https://thehtml.review/04/a-shimmering/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“A Shimmering”</a>, a series of lovely prose poems by Meg Miller and Mariah Barden Jones, which are set against looping low-fi animated gifs with water themes. (Screenshot above.) Another interesting piece is <a href="https://thehtml.review/04/airs/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Airs”, a set of poems rendered in a distressed font and set to moody audio of rising and falling wind</a>. I particularly dug Blair Johnson’s <a href="https://blairjohnsonpoetry.com/spoilia/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Spoilia”, a poem that renders a bunch of rasterized boulders on top of the text of the poetry.</a> To read it, you have to keep pushing the boulders out of the way, and they keep falling back down to obscure your view. It makes the act of reading faintly annoying, in an aesthetically hilarious fashion. The design of the boulders reminds me of the asteroids in the eponymous 1979 video game, a literary ancestry that I’m betting is intentional, heh. <hr/><h2>10) 🚀 Navigating deep space using the changing position of stars</h2> <figure><img alt='An animated GIF that shows a black-and-white view of a star-field in deep space, with countless white points of light scattered across the dark background. There is one bright dot that slightly changes position as the gif toggles back and forth. In the first position, text at the bottom of the gif reads “Earth”; in the second position, the text changes to read "New Horizons". The implication is that these are two views of the same thing -- i.e. that when you look at this star field from Earth and from the New Horizons space probe, everything looks the same except for that one star, which changes position.' draggable="false" src="https://buttondown-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/images/9afbbd2f-617b-4827-bd56-46e53c922280.gif?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via NASA</figcaption></figure> The New Horizons space probe is 9,151,139,138 km away from Earth, which is so far that — from the probe’s point of view — the nearest stars have shifted their position. Above is an animated gif that shows Proxima Centauri, as viewed in a photo from Earth vs. a photo taken by New Horizons. The star shifts place depending on where you’re looking at it from. Give the probe a couple more million years of travel? It’ll be so much further from Earth that entire constellations might be shaped differently. Thank you, space exploration, for giving us this whoa-dude epiphany about the subjective nature of celestial phenomena! But the parallax behavior of stars is also, as NASA points out, useful for navigation when you’re in truly deep, deep space. Right now, we use radio signals blasted from Earth to figure out where a probe is. But if you got really far out there? The radio signals would be so uselessly distant that a probe would need to figure out its location on its own … by looking to the stars, just like a 16th-century vessel crossing the Atlantic. To prove this could work, <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2486823-new-horizons-images-enable-first-test-of-interstellar-navigation/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">an international team of astronomers used some 2020 pictures that New Horizons took of the star field, and used the parallax changes to calculate its location. It worked! Though it was pretty crude:</a> <blockquote>… the parallax method was far less accurate, locating New Horizons within a sphere with a radius of 60 million kilometres, about half the distance between Earth and the sun.“We’re not going to put the Deep Space Network out of business – this is only a demo proof of concept,” says Lauer. However, with a better camera and equipment they could improve the accuracy by up to 100 times, he says. Using this technique for interstellar navigation could offer advantages over the DSN because it could give more accurate location readings as a spacecraft gets further away from Earth, as well as being able to operate autonomously without needing to wait for a radio signal to come from our solar system, says <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Y2zIG5IAAAAJ&hl=en&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Massimiliano Vasile</a> at the University of Strathclyde, UK.“If you travel to an actual star, we are talking about light years,” says Vasile. “What happens is that your signal from the Deep Space Network has to travel all the way there and then all the way back, and it’s travelling at the speed of light, so it takes years.”</blockquote> There’s <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2486823-new-horizons-images-enable-first-test-of-interstellar-navigation/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">more at that New Scientist story, above</a>, by Alex Wilkins, and you can also read <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2506.21666?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the scientific paper for free here.</a> Oh and: <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/nasas-new-horizons-conducts-the-first-interstellar-parallax-experiment/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">A 2020 story with more parallax pics taken by New Horizons.</a> <hr/><h2>11) 👗 A cathedral dress</h2> <figure><img alt="A woman stands in front of a lush wall of ivy at dusk, holding a lit candle in her outstretched hand. She wears a dramatic black dress with puffed sleeves and a glowing, illuminated skirt. The skirt is designed to resemble stained glass, featuring bold, arched patterns in red, yellow, and pale pink, backlit to create the effect of light shining through a cathedral window. She looks like a character from a Disney storybook" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/f912c4c5-1466-4471-8ea3-3c752f50d7fe.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://makezine.com/projects/candlelit-cathedral-dress/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Christina Ernst</a></figcaption></figure> This is superb: Instructions on how to create <a href="https://makezine.com/projects/candlelit-cathedral-dress/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a skirt with stained-style see-through sections and internal LED lighting, such that it looks like you’re wearing a cathedral.</a> It was designed by Christina Ernst, a software and hardware engineer. As she writes <a href="https://makezine.com/projects/candlelit-cathedral-dress/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">in her build instructions …</a> <blockquote>Go for vibrant, jewel-toned fabrics — they pop the most when illuminated from behind. And choose bulb LED strips to flat ones; the light will project up into the whole window instead of out. [snip]This dress looks and photographs best after sunset or in near darkness.</blockquote> BTW, Ernst also runs <a href="https://shebuildsrobots.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">She Builds Robots</a>, which offers instructions on building several very fun hardware projects, such as this ‘lil teabot that <a href="https://shebuildsrobots.com/project_tea.html?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">steeps tea for you by swishing the teabag around and pulling it out when the tea is ready.</a> Below … <figure><img alt="A picture of a whimsical DIY tea-brewing gadget. It is wrapped in lavender damask paper and has three three LED lights -- green, yellow, and red -- and a popsicle stick arm, attached with rubber bands to the top of the device, holding the bag by its string and dipping it into an elegant patterned teacup. It looks pretty funny and sweet" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/6b8200a4-9529-4aac-9c15-d329b6752e0d.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://shebuildsrobots.com/projects.html?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">She Builds Robots</a></figcaption></figure> I am totally building one of these this weekend! <hr/><h2>12) 🐤 Why don’t birds have culture?</h2> <figure><img alt="A picture from the ground looking up add an old fashioned renaissance tower that has a circular Dome and an octagonal parapet. Above it is a clear blue sky, and a dozen birds flying above and next to the dome" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/52bc0405-7dbf-4722-ae67-7e71db9f3338.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/birds-flying-above-a-historical-tower-2349168/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Pexels</a></figcaption></figure> Antone Martinho-Truswell is an evolutionary biologist who has recently been wondering: <a href="https://aeon.co/essays/why-birds-dont-buy-bentleys-and-we-humans-will-never-fly?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Why haven’t birds ever developed transmissible culture?</a> Humans have developed a ton of transmissible culture — knowledge we hand on to our kids, and them to theirs. It’s how we’ve come to dominate the planet, for better and for worse. The thing is, as he points out, while birds don’t create transmissible culture, they certainly could. <a href="https://aeon.co/essays/why-birds-dont-buy-bentleys-and-we-humans-will-never-fly?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">They’ve got many of the same physical/intellectual gifts that humans have, because …</a> <blockquote>… they already come with several of the important adaptations that made cultural sharing possible for us: complex brains, long lives, strong parental care of offspring in most species, and robust communication. With all of those advantages, why don’t birds have complex culture like we do? Why do they not write technical manuals and make art and argue over economic policy? Why do they not have a market economy, with not only goods for trade, but luxury goods whose value relies on concepts rather than raw usefulness?</blockquote> In this long and fascinating essay, he proposes a simple explanation: <a href="https://aeon.co/essays/why-birds-dont-buy-bentleys-and-we-humans-will-never-fly?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Birds can fly, and flight made life so easy for them that they never had to evolve towards transmissible culture …</a> <blockquote>Flight is an incredible adaptation. It opens an entire third dimension of <a href="https://aeon.co/videos/flight-manifest-from-take-off-to-landing-a-birds-eye-introduction-to-flying?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">free movement</a> to species capable of flying. First and foremost, this is game-changing for a prey animal. Being able to escape a predator by travelling in a direction the predator is incapable of going, namely, up, is a huge selection advantage. A flying animal is at risk of consistent predation only from other flying animals, which are fundamentally rare. Moreover, flight limits size and weight, so a bird at the higher end of the flying spectrum is unlikely to have many flying predators large enough to cause her much of a problem.The reduced risk of predation is in turn why birds live so long. It creates a virtuous cycle where each subsequent year of the bird’s life has a higher potential reproductive value than it would if they didn’t fly, which in turn drives the evolution of robust repair mechanisms in the body, of slower but more attentive reproductive strategies, and of a longer natural lifespan. Together, these are a suite of traits that biologists call ‘K-selected’ – basically, the ‘live slow, die old’ <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1568163711000742?via%3Dihub&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">strategy</a>.Flight also provides access to resources not available to the landbound. All manner of food sources and safe habitats become available when an animal can fly – from tall flowering trees’ nectar and fruits, to inaccessible cliffside perches, to stronghold-like tree hollows for nesting. It opens up completely vacant niches that can be exploited only by fellow flying species.All of this is to say that evolving the ability to fly removes a huge amount of selection pressure from the species that have it. It makes life easier. It is itself a deep, low well in the evolutionary landscape. It is a very, very massive gravitational object pulling in species and keeping them in its sphere.</blockquote> This is <a href="https://aeon.co/essays/why-birds-dont-buy-bentleys-and-we-humans-will-never-fly?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a really fun essay</a> — long, but well worth reading because of how he breaks down the question of how evolutionary breakthrough are propelled. It’s not a watertight argument, and it’s unprovable; but it’s enjoyable to ponder. <hr/><h2 data-pm-slice="1 1 []">13) ⌨️ The Backrooms, done entirely in CSS</h2> <figure><img alt='A screenshot of a computer game that shows "The Backrooms" -- i.e. a series of connected rooms all decorated in drab depressing-looking dark-yellow wallpaper, and illuminated by bland corporate phosphorescent lighting from above. It manages to look simultaneously creepy and stultifying. In the bottom corner of the screen are four directional arrows, indicating how you would control the video game' draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/748e2471-30a7-4b24-a1a1-10322d04dee1.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://codepen.io/ivorjetski/pen/NPqLLoz?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Ben Evans</a></figcaption></figure> Ben Evans calls himself a “CSS Artist”, and I can find no way to disagree — because he just released <a href="https://codepen.io/ivorjetski/pen/NPqLLoz?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">an interactive version of the Backrooms coded entirely in CSS</a>. Well, almost entirely in CSS. As he notes in his code comments, there is “the teeny-tiniest amount of JavaScript required to play sound” … and of course you need the sound of buzzing office-park fluorescent lights if you really wanna experience the Backrooms. He also adds, <a href="https://codepen.io/ivorjetski/pen/NPqLLoz?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">in the comments …</a> <blockquote>// WARNING! Playing on Safari may result in actual noclip!</blockquote> LOL. BTW in case you have no idea what the heck the Backrooms are, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Backrooms?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the Wikipedia page is pretty good</a>, though <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVAh-MgDVqvDUEq6qDXqORBioE4Yhol_z&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">watching this YouTube web series is even better.</a> Oh, and: Evans had previously released <a href="https://codepen.io/ivorjetski/pen/poQpveN?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a 3D immersive maze done entirely in CSS</a>, which, when you look at it now, is clearly what inspired him to reskin it as the Backrooms. I dig how coding projects carry the same sort of descent/ascent/influence as do traditional literary works. <hr/><h2>14) 💀 The recurrence of technology-induced spiritual freakouts</h2> <figure><img alt="a screenshot of the famous poster image for the movie “poltergeist”. It shows a young girl with blonde hair kneeling in front of a old fashioned cathode ray television set from the 1970s or early 1980s. She is facing away from us and has raised both of her hands to put them right on the TV screen. Next to her, lying on its back, is her teddy bear. Everything is glowing in blue light that emanates from the television. It's all very creepy" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/0d37f03d-a4c4-445a-bcfe-d08f791bb1dd.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>They’re here</figcaption></figure> Recently Kashmir Hill published an intriguing piece about people who’d become unhinged from reality after talking to ChatGPT. They’d asked the bot about the nature of reality; ChatGPT offered conspiratorial rants about reality being a Matrix-like illusion, or suggestions about how to tap into supernatural forces, interdimensional planes, and the like. (Here’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/technology/chatgpt-ai-chatbots-conspiracies.html?unlocked_article_code=1.U08.cHeC.605k7BDzhoqW&smid=url-share&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a gift link if you want to read the piece, at the New York Times</a>.) The story, as you’d imagine, alternately mesmerized and horrified people on social media. But then <a href="https://default.blog/p/lets-talk-about-chatgpt-induced-spiritual?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">on her newsletter Katherine Dee pointed out some useful context: Nearly every time a new communications media has come along, it has prompted a spiritual freakout</a> — making some users convinced the new tech can tap them into the overmind, the supernatural world, the noosphere, or what have you. <blockquote>Twenty-five years ago, media scholar Jeffrey Sconce traced this history in his book <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/haunted-media?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Haunted Media</a>, showing how we have consistently linked new communication technologies with the paranormal and esoteric. It’s not a random coincidence or sign that we’re in a “uniquely enchanted” age<a class="footnote-anchor" href="https://default.blog/p/lets-talk-about-chatgpt-induced-spiritual?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high#footnote-1-165945625" rel="" target="_self">1</a> but rather a predictable cultural response, one we’ve been replaying over and over for hundreds of years.Spiritualist mediums claimed to receive messages from the afterlife through Morse code. These operators saw themselves as human receivers, bridging the material and astral. The technology that sent messages across continents without physical contact made it easy to imagine messages crossing the veil.Radio seemed to throw every word into what Sconce calls an “<a href="https://dokumen.pub/the-etheric-ocean-doorway-to-other-worlds.html?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">etheric ocean,</a>” a limitless and invisible sea where messages bobbed about like bottles adrift. By the late 1920s, the big broadcast companies tried to “net” that ocean with fixed frequencies and scheduling. Sconce writes about how fiction reflected this taming of the radio waves. The wistful romances of amateur “DXers”<a class="footnote-anchor" href="https://default.blog/p/lets-talk-about-chatgpt-induced-spiritual?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high#footnote-2-165945625" rel="" target="_self">2</a> scanning the dial gave way to sinister tales of mass hypnosis, government mind-control rays, and Martians commandeering the airwaves. [snip]Sconce identified three recurring fantasies that emerge with each new medium: the dream of consciousness escaping the body to travel through broadcast; the belief in autonomous “otherworlds”<a class="footnote-anchor" href="https://default.blog/p/lets-talk-about-chatgpt-induced-spiritual?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high#footnote-3-165945625" rel="" target="_self">3</a> created by the technology itself; and the tendency to see machines as somehow alive or haunted.</blockquote> I really want to get that book Haunted Media! I heard this same thesis years ago when <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/history-spirit-photography-future-deepfake-videos-180979010/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">I was reporting for Smithsonian on the early days of photography in the 19th century — when photomanipulators would produce “spirit photographs” showing people next to a translucent image of a dead relative.</a> They were all fakes, created with double exposures, of course. But people were swept up in the idea that this newfangled technology — photography — could tap into the spirit world. And Americans were culturally primed to be vulnerable to scam artists proffering high-tech connections to the dead. As scholars pointed out to me, the American populace had just emerged from the Civil War — in which 620,000 died, nearly 2% of the population. The country was flat-out traumatized, and this trauma helped kickstart a decades-long fascinating with spiritualism: Spirit photography, seances, mediums, Ouija boards. Because radio was a weird new technology, “people would hold a piece of wire as an antenna during a seance, thinking it’d help them contact the dead.” As Dee notes, <a href="https://default.blog/p/lets-talk-about-chatgpt-induced-spiritual?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">today’s America has lots of people who feel isolated and disconnected from society, which, historically, is another trigger …</a> <blockquote>The ghosts in the telegraph weren’t about—or just about—death anxiety; they were about the radically isolated individual suddenly able to communicate across vast distances, needing to believe that communication could transcend even mortality.</blockquote> Me, I’d add COVID into the mix. A reported 1.1 million Americans have died of it, many in huge and sudden early waves in 2020 and 2021. That’s gotta have had some effect on the country’s technospiritual orientation. Anyway, <a href="https://default.blog/p/lets-talk-about-chatgpt-induced-spiritual?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">go read the essay, it’s fascinating!</a> I’m <a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?ds=20&kn=haunted+media&ref_=ds_ac_d_11&sts=t&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">ordering Haunted Media now</a>. <hr/><h2 data-pm-slice="1 1 []">15) 🪨 Digital interfaces on corroded, analog surfaces</h2> <figure><img alt='A picture of an artwork. It is a painting of an iPhone screen that crudely shows what appears to be map directions “to home, from my location”. The two options are "one hour and 35 minutes" and "one hour and 44 minutes". The blue lines on the map seem to glow faintly. The painting is very distressed, as if it had been painted on some cracked and broken surface, like stone.' draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/aefe3e5f-2aae-4156-880b-9ae71155fdd2.webp?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> The sculptor Seth Steinman has recently begun <a href="https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/seth-steinman-art-discover-030725?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a project called “Post-Internet Artifacts”, in which he …</a> <blockquote>… projects images of the Windows XP start-up screen, Club Penguin, MS Paint and iconic screensavers on hunks of cracked stone – as well as recreations of multiple Safari tabs open with multi-layered wooden sculptures.</blockquote> The results are like what you see above: The crisp digital interfaces become corroded as they interact with the inherently glitchy flaws of the physical surfaces on which they’re painted. His version of the Windows XP startup screen <a href="https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/seth-steinman-art-discover-030725?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">is fairly woven from postapocalyptic dread …</a> <figure><img alt="Artwork that depicts the boot screen for Microsoft Windows XP home edition. The logo and name of the software is in the center of the screen, and the screen itself is black. Beneath the logo is a small progress bar showing how the software is loading, and in the bottom corners are the copyright information and the logo for Microsoft. The painting is incredibly corroded and messed up, because it appears to have been painted on what looks to be stone or parchment, with many parts of the screen worn off, exposing the stone or parchment below. It looks like something that was buried in the earth for 100 years and then pulled out again" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/a66c31af-6147-45a4-b693-da04c8043de5.webp?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> You can check out more of his work via <a href="https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/seth-steinman-art-discover-030725?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">this post at It’s Nice That</a>. <hr/><h2>16) 🎡 A final, sudden-death round of reading material</h2> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/meet-the-robot-using-ai-to-ink-your-next-tattoo-8e0887da?st=5MDQqj&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Tattoo-bot</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://github.com/ghuntley/cobol-emoji-rpn-calculator?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Emoji calculator written in COBOL</a>. 🎡 The <a href="https://chriscoyier.net/2025/05/10/the-am-dash/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“am dash”</a>. 🎡 Jailbreaking LLMs with an <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.12274?ref=404media.co&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“infoflood”</a> request. 🎡 The Pentagon <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/war-pentagon-pizza-orders?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Pizza Index</a>. 🎡 Google battles <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jun/09/google-foxes-roof-london-kings-cross-office?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">foxes on the roof of its London office</a>. 🎡 The <a href="https://archive.is/4088a?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Hubble Tension</a>. 🎡 They finally identified <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/investigative-genetic-genealogy-captain-identified-new-jersey-ramapo/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the “scattered man” of New Jersey</a>. 🎡 When John Dryden wrote <a href="https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/a-war-over-heaven-and-hell-f4b0e7a3?st=tRQFFB&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a rhyming version of Milton’s Paradise Lost</a>. 🎡 The history of electronic music <a href="https://ubu.com/sound/electronic.html?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">in 476 tracks</a>. 🎡 A <a href="https://codepen.io/bali_balo/pen/QwbavLq?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">hexagon ripple</a>, in CSS. 🎡 What it's like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=37SWNisJ_Oo&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">to own flying squirrels.</a> 🎡 A site for <a href="https://www.winsornewton.com/pages/recycle-art-supplies?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">recycling your art supplies</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://github.com/ConAcademy/buttplug-mcp?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Buttplug MCP</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/01062025/gila-river-tribes-floating-solar-could-help-colorado-river/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">River-mounted solar</a>. 🎡 The <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/600-years-golf-ball-evolved-primitive-wood-sphere-smart-ball-sensors-180986813/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">evolution of the golf ball</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://codepen.io/pjkarlik/pen/xbbmPLv?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">2D truchet pattern in WebGL</a>. 🎡 “Hammerscale” evidence that explains <a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/roanoke-colony-mystery-solved?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">where the lost colony of Roanoke vanished</a>. 🎡 Exhaustive review of <a href="https://rdldn.co.uk/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">roast dinners</a>. 🎡 Fractal <a href="https://codepen.io/ge1doot/pen/WbWQOP?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">box-clicker</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://www.engadget.com/apps/jack-dorsey-just-released-a-bluetooth-messaging-app-that-doesnt-need-the-internet-191023870.html?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Bitchat</a>. 🎡 Rediscovering <a href="https://www.mineinmono.net/2025/02/22/everything-old-is-new-again/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Eric’s Trip”.</a> 🎡 A <a href="https://github.com/magiblot/tvision?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">modern port of Turbo Vision</a>. 🎡 Awesome <a href="https://www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/old-english-poetry?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">poetry in Old English that isn’t Beowulf</a>. 🎡 Seizing <a href="https://phys.org/news/2025-05-million-seized-seahorses-iceberg-global.html?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">5 million smuggled seahorses</a>. 🎡 Database of <a href="http://www.pianorollmusic.org/rolldatabase.php?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">piano roll music</a>. 🎡 Curbs that <a href="https://archive.is/j3QzV?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">charge EVs</a>. 🎡 The <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a65254389/archaeologists-find-lost-oasis-arabian-desert/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Khaybar Oasis</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://www.genengnews.com/topics/translational-medicine/stretchable-bioelectronic-implant-integrates-into-cyborg-tadpole-embryos-developing-brain/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Cyborg tadpoles</a>. 🎡 A hardbound edition of <a href="https://engineersneedart.com/blog/interview/interview.html?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the source code for the Macintosh game Glider</a>. 🎡 The oldest known fingerprint is <a href="https://theconversation.com/oldest-known-human-fingerprint-discovered-on-ancient-neanderthal-artwork-with-help-from-spains-forensic-police-258608?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">42,000 years old</a>. 🎡 Why honey <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250701-the-chemical-secrets-that-help-keep-honey-fresh-for-so-long?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">doesn’t spoil</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://tollbit.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Tollbit</a>. 🎡 Bicycle-mounted <a href="https://www.eta.co.uk/news/carbon-capture-bicycle-scoops-climate-change-award?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">carbon-capture rig</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://codepen.io/Ma5a/pen/OPVNjOW?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Cat chat app</a>. 🎡 Yet more <a href="https://thunderbirdphoto.com/f/more-news-on-thundercrows?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“thundercrow” sightings</a>. 🎡 Open-source <a href="https://github.com/lraton/FlopperZiro?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Flipper Zero clone</a>. 🎡 Measuring <a href="https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/physical-world/2025/studying-the-world-an-attosecond-at-a-time?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">one-quintillionth of a second</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tidal-energy-turbine-marine-meygen-scotland-ffff3a7082205b33b612a1417e1ec6d6?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Underwater turbines</a>. 🎡 Artistic visualization of <a href="https://www.temporalimagination.org/resources/deadlines?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the 15 types off deadlines.</a> 🎡 The poem <a href="https://quirinebrouwer.substack.com/p/all-my-friends-and-i-talk-about-is?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“all my friends and i talk about is getting rid of our phones”</a> 🎡 Would a paper plane released from the ISS <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576525004047?via%3Dihub&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high#b1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">land safely on Earth?</a> 🎡 Extensive video analysis of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcS1HIci4hQ&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the rivers of Hyrule.</a> 🎡 <a href="https://www.lensculture.com/articles/orejarena-and-stein-american-glitch?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">American Glitch</a>. 🎡 Recalculating <a href="https://substack.com/home/post/p-167018896?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the calorie-burn of chess grandmasters</a>. 🎡 How <a href="https://spillhistorie.no/2025/06/06/how-boulder-dash-was-created/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Boulder Dash was designed</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://baibao577.github.io/dumbnote-page/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Dumbnote</a>. 🎡 Killer whales <a href="https://archive.is/kS2n7?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">craft their own tools</a>. 🎡 You can <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/c1mzpy1grv9o?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">buy a piece of Mars at auction for $4 million</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://archive.is/3NywK?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Lab-grown salmon</a>. 🎡 Making a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vW12gQ4Klc&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">one-handed QWERTY keyboard.</a> 🎡 <a href="https://www.hilobrow.com/2025/07/09/give-it-up-karlie/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Give it up, Karlie</a>. 🎡 A <a href="https://www.wallpaper.com/fashion-beauty/fragrance/perfume-bottle-archive?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">perfume-bottle archive</a>. 🎡 A <a href="https://www.aardvark.co.nz/daily/2025/0611.shtml?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Raspberry Pi vs. a Cray supercomputer</a>. 🎡 <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1089839?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Moon rice</a>. <hr/>CODA ON SOURCING: I read a ton of blogs and sites every day to find this material. A few I relied on this week include <a href="https://strangeco.blogspot.com?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Strange Company</a>, <a href="https://hackaday.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Hackaday</a>, <a href="https://www.messynessychic.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Messy Nessy</a>, <a href="https://theoverspill.blog/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The Overspill</a>, Andrew Drucker’s <a href="https://andrewducker.dreamwidth.org/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Interesting Links</a>, <a href="https://www.numlock.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Numlock News</a>, the <a href="https://theawesomer.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Awesomer</a>, the <a href="https://themorningnews.org?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Morning News</a>, and <a href="https://newsletter.mathewingram.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-36-moon-rice-mountaineering-in-high" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“When The Going Gets Weird”</a>; check ‘em out!

Linkfest #41: The "Chthulucene", Doom on a Satellite, and The Ethics of Selling a Haunted House

The Linkfest Nov 12, 2025

Hello! It’s time for "the opposite of doomscrolling” — my next Linkfest, in which I offer up the finest nuggets of science, culture and technology that I could pan from the glittering, unceasing creek of the Internet. If you’re a subscriber, thank you! If not, you can <a href="https://buttondown.email/clivethompson/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">sign up here — it’s a Guardian-style, pay-whatevs-you-want affair; the folks who kick in help keep the Linkfest free for everyone else</a>. (Full archive of issues, including this one, is <a href="https://buttondown.com/clivethompson/archive/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">online free here</a>.) And: Please share this email with anyone who'd enjoy it. Let’s begin ... <hr/><h2>1) 🔊 Wooden app-alert robots</h2> <figure><img alt="Three small wooden sculptures stand in a row against a neutral background, each shaped like a minimalist robot. Their forms combine smooth, rounded tops with ribbed or grooved cylindrical bases, showcasing light oak and darker walnut accents. They've got a warm, handcrafted aesthetic, with a playful look" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/2ae21098-413c-4aa0-a2b3-86ae00fe06b2.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via Swift Creatives</figcaption></figure> Behold the “Botties”, a set of <a href="https://www.designboom.com/technology/mini-wooden-robots-nod-tilt-heads-users-notifications-swift-creatives-10-24-2025/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">tiny wooden robots designed by Swift Creatives, as a soothing alternative to pinging phone alerts.</a> As Matthew Burgos writes <a href="https://www.designboom.com/technology/mini-wooden-robots-nod-tilt-heads-users-notifications-swift-creatives-10-24-2025/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">on Designboom …</a> <blockquote>Instead of making noise or flashing lights like smartphones or smart speakers, these wooden robots by Swift Creatives move quietly and use physical gestures to give alerts. Each of them has its own kind of movement: Beamer tilts its head on the sides, Bot bobs its head up and down and pushes its wooden ear in and out, and Hover rotates and stops at one point.Each robot has a small body made from soaped or smoked oak wood, a material often used in Danish furniture and crafts. Inside each wooden form are sensors and small software systems that allow the mini robots to react to signals from connected devices. When a notification arrives, – say a message, a reminder, or even when the food delivery has arrived at the doorsteps – the Botties react by tilting their heads, nodding, or moving slightly, and this becomes a quiet form of communication that relies more on visual cues instead of sounds.</blockquote> To get a sense of how adorable these are, you really have to watch <a href="https://static.designboom.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/wooden-robots-nod-tilt-heads-physical-versions-app-notifications-designboom-09.mp4?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">this short video here of them in action.</a> The soft, chunking sound of the wood in motion is lovely: Notifications as ASMR. I’m a big fan of what Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown called “<a href="https://calmtech.com/papers/coming-age-calm-technology?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">ambient information” — i.e. devices that broadcast something we need to know, but do so in a quieter, calming way</a>. I first wrote about the concept <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/15/magazine/the-year-in-ideas-news-that-glows.html?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">way back in 2002 for the New York Times Magazine</a>, but it never really took off. <hr/><h2>2) 🎲 “Tiled Words” is a blend of crosswords with Tetris</h2> <figure><img alt="An animated gif of a crossword-like grid. There are three tetris-like shapes with letters in them -- one with T on top of an I, another with the letters WOR horizontally, and and L-shaped one with the letters LED with and S on top of the D. They begin in different locations but are assembled so they spell TILED vertically, and WORDS horizontally, with the D being shared between the end of TILED and the middle of WORDS" draggable="false" src="https://buttondown-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/images/41f45030-2d31-47ce-8847-35b38d6026a8.gif?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> I just stumbled across a very cool new word game — <a href="https://tiledwords.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Tiled Words”, created by Paul Hebert.</a> It gives you several crossword-like clues, and you have to create all the words by snapping together Tetris-like letter-segments. You can move a tile anywhere you want, and click it to rotate it clockwise. If you get a word right but have it oriented the wrong way, it’ll color things orange; if you get the word perfectly right — correct word, correct orientation — it goes blue. I spent a couple minutes with today’s puzzle getting this far … <figure><img alt="A digital crossword puzzle titled “Worm” is shown with several partially completed answers. Words like “WOOD,” “BOOK,” “MEAL,” and “HOOK” appear on the grid, color-coded in blue or orange. To the right, the clues and notes display hints and feedback such as “Right word, built wrong!” and “Wrong direction!,” suggesting this is an interactive word puzzle game that checks answers in real time." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/0bd6b125-b0f1-4e15-ac23-0035a7d94ee3.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> It’s a lot harder than it looks! Every time I assemble a word correctly, it feels like I’ve diced myself out of assembling other words. But I like it — I’m gonna keep working on this one. It’s a very cool game-mechanic! <hr/><h2>3) 🎶 Bhutan’s talking stamps</h2> <figure><img alt="A vintage promotional leaflet from the Government of Bhutan announces the “Talking Stamp Issue,” described as the first postage stamps in the world that actually talk. The left side shows a black, record-shaped stamp labeled “Bhutan Air Mail,” while the right side displays a smaller red-and-white disc version. Text below explains payment methods, stamp pricing, and details about ordering these unique phonograph-style postage stamps." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/c930f98e-f279-42c8-8ed0-3cd4eeeaa3df.jpeg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> Back in the 1960s, Bhutan issued a set of “talking stamps” — tiny vinyl records that were one-sided: You peeled off backing paper on the non-playing side, and slapped it on an envelope or postcard. Back in 1993 you could buy a mint-collection set for 17 UK pounds, but they’ve since become collector’s items and cost nearly 20 times more. Their sound is hauntingly low-fi — you can <a href="https://www.thevinylfactory.com/features/the-curious-tale-of-bhutans-playable-record-postage-stamps?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">hear one playing Bhutan’s national anthem here at this post on The Vinyl Factory.</a> Eerie! Weirder yet, they were invented by an American, Burt Todd, who met the future queen of Bhutan when they were both students at Oxford. After she took over she asked Todd to help the cash-strapped country acquire a loan; he couldn’t, so instead <a href="https://www.thevinylfactory.com/features/the-curious-tale-of-bhutans-playable-record-postage-stamps?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">he began designing a series of stamps that sold incredibly well, as that The Vinyl Factory post notes …</a> <blockquote>Todd’s first innovation, in 1966, was a circular stamp marking the 40th anniversary of Dorji-Wangchuk’s coronation, using a heraldic design embossed in gold on rainbow-coloured paper. It sold well. Next up was a series of triangular stamps featuring the yeti, the Himalayas’ fabled abominable-snowman. In 1967 came a set of 3D stamps on the theme of the space exploration; Todd’s stamps showing astronauts and rockets were laminated on prismatic ribbed-plastic and gave a convincing 3D effect. Over 200,000 sets were sold. Other successful issues included a set of Buddhist banners printed on silk, a set of traditional sculptures die-stamped in plastic, perfumed stamps and stamps made out of steel foil.The talking stamps were the crowning glory of Todd’s programme. The set consisted of a yellow on red design containing a capsule history of Bhutan in Dzongkha, a gold on green with the national anthem, a silver on blue with the history of Bhutan narrated by Todd in English, a silver on purple featuring a folk song, a silver on black with second folk song, a red on white with a third, and a black on yellow containing the English-language history and two of the folk songs.</blockquote> <hr/><h2>4) 🐦 Hear birdsong worldwide in the “Dawn Chorus”</h2> <figure><img alt="A digital map of Europe is shown with dark blue location markers displaying white numbers, indicating quantities at various points across the continent. The highest concentrations appear in Germany (9.7k), France (130), Italy (228), and the United Kingdom (84), with smaller clusters in surrounding countries. The map offers both “Map View” and “List View” options, suggesting an interactive interface for exploring regional data or listings." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/32b9dddc-c6d3-4fec-a1f7-ec45af6057ee.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://explore.dawn-chorus.org/?lang=en&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Dawn Chorus</a></figcaption></figure> Behold <a href="https://explore.dawn-chorus.org/?lang=en&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Dawn Chorus”, a citizen-science project where everyday people record local birdsong and upload it to a web app</a>. Drill down to a specific location and you can hear the sound of birds recorded precisely there. For example, here’s <a href="https://explore.dawn-chorus.org/sound/9811723?lang=en&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a Common Blackbird chirping away at 9 am on May 30, 2020, in the town of Peterborough, UK.</a> I spent a half hour poking all over the globe, listening to birds here and there, and it’s really addictive! The project was created by a consortium of scientists and conservationists in Europe, with the goal of gathering more info about the health of a habitat via birdsong. <a href="https://dawn-chorus.org/about-dawn-chorus/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">As they note, birdsong is a powerful indicator …</a> <blockquote>Many bird species are so-called indicator species as they provide information about different properties of a habitat. Long-term collections of early-morning bird sound recordings can thus help us to detect changes in habitats, for example by telling us where species disappear or appear, or how birds change their behaviour.</blockquote> … and <a href="https://dawn-chorus.org/science-acoustic-biomonitoring/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">they’re particularly interested in the morning chorus:</a> <blockquote>For many bird species, dawn is the crucial time when they sing their songs in a polyphonic early morning concert known as the “dawn chorus.” Behind every bird species that can be heard lies a whole network of biological relationships. Birds are therefore often considered indicator species. The sound recordings of the dawn chorus are therefore not only important for the scientific documentation of existing animal species—they also allow conclusions to be drawn about entire ecosystems.The communal morning concert probably developed because there is particularly little air movement at this time of day. The night has led to uniform cooling and balanced temperature differences. As long as the sun cannot yet warm individual areas, there is little wind. Under these conditions, the singing carries particularly far. Another theory is that birds use the twilight of dawn for their conspicuous (courtship) songs because they are less visible to some predators at this time.</blockquote> Their request, if you want to help out, is <a href="https://dawn-chorus.org/science-acoustic-biomonitoring/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">to record the birdsong many times from the same location at the same time of day, both on weekdays and weekends. And …</a> <blockquote>Recordings made over a period of years from the same location on approximately the same date and at approximately the same time relative to sunrise are a “jackpot” for researchers.</blockquote> I’m gonna start recording the backyard birds at dawn, at least on the days when I can haul my butt out of bed that early; I am a night owl, pun intended. Judging by the map, they have lots of contributors in Europe but considerably fewer here in the US where I am. (I’m interested to see that Bernie Krause is involved in this project. He’s a famous audio producer who first documented how human-made noise was increasingly intruding upon areas of previously pristine nature; I wrote <a href="https://www.wired.com/2008/05/st-thompson-22/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a Wired column way back in 2008 talking to him about his concept of the “biophony”</a>, or, the acoustic ecosystem of animals talking to each other in nature.) (Thanks to <a href="https://bookofjoe2.blogspot.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Joseph Stirt</a> for this one!) <hr/><h2>5) ✍️ Making a font of your handwriting</h2> <figure><img alt="A grid of handwritten character templates is shown on multiple sheets labeled “calligraphr.com.” Each page contains neatly drawn letters, numbers, punctuation, and letter combinations in boxes, with QR codes in the top corners. The sheets are designed for creating a custom digital font from personal handwriting, covering both uppercase and lowercase alphabets, ligatures, and common character sets." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/455b67b1-1c17-4f92-b8b2-81f65154e5d0.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://chameth.com/making-a-font-of-my-handwriting/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Chris Smith</a></figcaption></figure> The programmer <a href="https://chameth.com/making-a-font-of-my-handwriting/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Chris Smith decided to make a font based on his handwriting, and wrote a terrific post describing how he did it</a>. The tl;dr is that he initially attempted to do it using open-source tools, failed, and then used a very-reasonably-priced service called Calligraphr that made things a lot easier. It still took <a href="https://chameth.com/making-a-font-of-my-handwriting/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a bunch of tweaking …</a> <blockquote>The first version was not great. Despite the guidelines on the template, I apparently wasn’t good at sticking to them. Some letters were floating way off the baseline, and some were sunken below. When those opposites met it looked terrible. Fortunately Calligraphr has a pretty easy tool to slide each letter up and down, and scale it up or down if needed, and you can see it next to other letters as you do it. It took a little bit of time to go through all the variants of all the letters, but the next version looked a lot better.Another tweak I ended up doing was reducing the spacing between letters. The defaults Calligraphr uses are probably good for a blocky font, but I wanted to put the letters close together to give it more of a joined-up look. Again, this is an easy tool to use, you just drag the sides in or out as desired. While these tweaking steps were probably as fiddly as some of the Inkscape steps I refused to do earlier, they’re a lot more rewarding as you see things improving with each one. It’s a lot easier for me to commit time and effort to improving something that’s already working reasonably, than put that time and energy into an unknown.</blockquote> The end result, le voila … <figure><img alt="Two lines of handwritten text read “Hello World! This is ‘Chris Hand’,” written in a playful, rounded marker style. The top version is slightly rougher and more organic, while the bottom version is smoother and more uniform, resembling a digitized version of the same handwriting. The comparison suggests the transformation of real handwriting into a custom digital font." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/ac6364d1-c563-435c-a4ec-07e4461c7934.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://chameth.com/making-a-font-of-my-handwriting/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Chris Smith</a></figcaption></figure> If you go check out that post he wrote, you can see the font in action: He uses it for the section headlines. This is a fun project, and I would try it, but my handwriting is indescribably bad. I learned to touch-type as a kid way back in 1981, quickly achieved a speed of about 80 WPM, and never looked back. I do write marginalia notes by hand, but can only make ‘em readable if I go very slowly. <hr/><h2>6) 🌞 Sea slugs turn themselves into solar panels</h2> <figure><img alt="A close-up image of a bright green sea slug with ruffled, leaf-like edges, resembling a piece of underwater lettuce. Its surface is speckled with golden dots, and delicate frills ripple along its sides as it floats near strands of green algae. The creature’s translucent texture and vivid color give it an almost plant-like appearance." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/8def000e-90ac-41ec-8499-6a1a893b0669.jpeg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via Karen L. Pelletreau, University of Maine</figcaption></figure> Scientists have discovered a type of sea slug that can steal generic material from algae and use it to <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/news/solar-powered-sea-slugs-shed-light-search-perpetual-green-energy?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">turn itself into a solar panel.</a> That is not a sentence that, when I first woke up this morning, I predicted I would be typing! Yet here we are. Anyway, here’s how it works. The sea slug spends its days eating the algae Vaucheria litorea, which contains millions of “plastids”, or teensy organic components that contain chlorophyll. These chlorophyll-loaded plastids are what allow the algae to generate energy from sunlight. What the scientists found, though, is that the sea slug can somehow incorporate those plastids into its own body – so successfully, in fact, that it can survive off photosynthesis for up to six months. During those periods, it doesn’t need to eat. It just gets energy from the sun. <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/news/solar-powered-sea-slugs-shed-light-search-perpetual-green-energy?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">As the lead author, Debashish Bhattacharya, notes …</a> <blockquote>”It’s highly unusual for an animal to behave like a plant and survive solely on photosynthesis.”</blockquote> You don’t say! This discovery also has some <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/news/solar-powered-sea-slugs-shed-light-search-perpetual-green-energy?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">potentially interesting practical implications:</a> <blockquote>“The broader implication is in the field of artificial photosynthesis. That is, if we can figure out how the slug maintains stolen, isolated plastids to fix carbon without the plant nucleus, then maybe we can also harness isolated plastids for eternity as green machines to create bioproducts or energy. The existing paradigm is that to make green energy, we need the plant or alga to run the photosynthetic organelle, but the slug shows us that this does not have to be the case.“</blockquote> <hr/><h2>7) 🍸 The evolutionary value of getting drunk</h2> <figure><img alt="A clear martini glass filled with a pale cocktail sits on a wooden ledge outdoors, garnished with two green olives on a pick decorated with shiny green tinsel. The background is softly blurred, showing sunlit trees and white umbrellas, suggesting a relaxed resort or seaside setting. The image conveys a summery, leisurely mood." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/d4d8d401-ef09-476a-9d72-7b028a1a570d.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-martini-with-olives-2531186/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Pexels</a></figcaption></figure> I’d recently read some fascinating research showing that <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/09/20/chimp-alcohol-study-ucberkeley/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">monkeys love to get drunk</a>, and occasionally <a href="https://ecori.org/coming-off-dry-january-these-birds-are-getting-a-little-drunk/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">so do birds</a>. So this primed me to be interested in <a href="https://www.edwardslingerland.com/drunk?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Edward Slingerland’s new book Drunk</a>, which argues that getting sozzled was an evolutionary advantage for humans. Why exactly would getting tipsy be a good idea? Partly because <a href="https://bigthink.com/mini-philosophy/the-intoxication-thesis-the-evolutionary-benefits-of-getting-drunk/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">it helps forge social bonds, as Slingerland tells Jonny Thomson over at Big Think …</a> <blockquote>First, there is a social aspect to getting drunk. When we drink with someone, we not only have the bonding experience of mutual enjoyment, but also come together in mutual vulnerability. When you are drunk, you’re easy to kill. When you’re staggering home, narrowly avoiding lampposts, it’s easy to steal your phone, your wallet, and your jacket. To be drunk with someone is an act of trust. It says, “I think so much of you that I’m willing to let my guard down.” And so, getting drunk is a kind of “chemical handshake” that lets the other person know you are someone to trust. Societies operate on trust, and alcohol is a kind of “social technology” that builds trust between potentially warring rivals.</blockquote> Getting a bit drunk <a href="https://bigthink.com/mini-philosophy/the-intoxication-thesis-the-evolutionary-benefits-of-getting-drunk/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">can also help with creative breakthroughs, Slingerland says:</a> <blockquote>“One of the main functions of alcohol is to depress selectively the prefrontal cortex (PFC). It turns the PFC down a few notches and helps us get back to that childlike state of mind where suddenly we see connections we wouldn’t see otherwise. Parts of our brain can talk to each other in ways that they don’t when the PFC is in charge.And so, let’s say you sit down and you need to come up with a new idea. You have a couple of drinks. You are individually more creative because your brain is now de-patterned in a certain way. Plus, because you’re disinhibited—again, because the PFC has been turned down—you’re more likely to blurt out something to someone else that maybe you would be self-conscious about, or maybe you think it is a dumb idea. You’ll suddenly be like, well, why don’t we try this for getting gazelles?”</blockquote> I dig this way of looking at it! Then again, considering I’m drinking two fingers of mezcal as I type these very words, I am not an impartial judge of this hypothesis. But I’m definitely <a href="https://www.edwardslingerland.com/drunk?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">ordering Slingerland’s book</a>. <hr/><h2>8) 🫨 Most of an earthquake’s energy turns into heat</h2> <figure><img alt="A close-up view of a seismograph machine shows a needle drawing fine, wavy black lines across a rotating drum of paper. The steady, parallel traces indicate low seismic activity, with the instrument poised to record any vibrations or tremors. The background is softly blurred, focusing attention on the precision of the recording mechanism." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/953a6044-4189-4363-b81d-a16f16185779.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/raybouk/8201310617/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Seismograph, San Juan Bautista Mission” by Ray Bouknight, Flickr</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">CC 2.0 license</a>, unmodified)</figcaption></figure> An earthquake occurs when tectonic plates suddenly slip, which releases a titanic amount of energy: Buildings shake, bridges collapse. But here’s the nutty thing — apparently all this kinetic activity is just a tiny portion of the energy produced by an earthquake. Most of the energy, up to as much as 98%, turns not into motion but heat. That’s the conclusion of <a href="https://archive.is/n77VL?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite#selection-385.0-389.264" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a fascinating experiment at MIT, where Daniel Ortega-Orroyo and his colleagues created mini-earthquakes in the lab.</a> They made little centimeter-sized wafers out of powdered granite and magnetic particles, and then crushed them between pistons until the waters slipped or snapped. When that breakage finally occurred, they measured the energy output. <a href="https://archive.is/n77VL?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite#selection-385.0-389.264" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The result?</a> <blockquote>Even these centimeter-scale earthquakes got hot fast. “It essentially went from room temperature to above 900 degrees C in a few microseconds—so extremely, extremely fast,” Ortega-Arroyo says.Between 68 and 98 percent of the energy released in these lab quakes dissipated as heat, the researchers found. The breaking of the wafer took anywhere from less than 1 percent of the energy to as much as 32 percent, whereas the shaking made up 8 percent or less.</blockquote> This is, weirdly, good news for us humans living up here on the surface of the earth, right? If more of that energy turned into kinetic activity, earthquakes might be far, far more devastating than they already are. <hr/><h2>9) 👻 Half of homebuyers think a seller should be legally required to disclose if the house is haunted</h2> <figure><img alt="A dark, moody photograph of a house at night shows a cabin-like structure surrounded by tall trees. The building’s windows glow from within. It's pretty creepy" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/fb395cff-314d-40e5-af64-03dda7f24283.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/house-with-lights-on-near-trees-during-night-1690800/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Pexels</a></figcaption></figure> I did not realize that YouGov conducts regular surveys of Americans to explore their experiences of the paranormal! But <a href="https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/53258-most-americans-say-they-have-experienced-at-least-one-paranormal-event?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the latest one is out, and it’s full of fascinating and occasionally hilarious results.</a> I really think you should go read the entire write-up, but the top-line finding is that 60% of Americans say they’ve had some sort of paranormal experience. What type of paranormal experiences, you ask? <a href="https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/53258-most-americans-say-they-have-experienced-at-least-one-paranormal-event?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Well …</a> <blockquote>The most common paranormal events Americans say they have experienced — among the 13 asked about — are feeling a presence or unknown energy (35%), smelling an unexplained odor (32%), hearing an unexplained sound or music (31%), hearing the voice of someone who wasn’t there (26%), and feeling an unexplained change in temperature (26%).Not many Americans say they have seen a demon (7%), seen unexplained smoke (9%), or seen an angel (10%).</blockquote> Also, apparently <a href="https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/53258-most-americans-say-they-have-experienced-at-least-one-paranormal-event?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">nearly one in three Americans say they’ve got a paranormal ability:</a> <blockquote>29% of Americans believe they personally have a paranormal ability. Around one-quarter (23%) say they have the ability to psychically sense others’ emotions or auras. 10% say they have the ability to psychically see events in the future; similar shares say they have the ability to hear voices or sounds from spirits or ghosts (9%) and the ability to psychically see events in the past (9%).</blockquote> There is <a href="https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/53258-most-americans-say-they-have-experienced-at-least-one-paranormal-event?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a morbidly fascinating exploration of the ethics of selling — and buying — a haunted house:</a> <blockquote>If a home were affordable and met all of their requirements, 26% of Americans say they would be willing to buy it even if they learned the previous homeowners had been murdered in it. 43% would not buy it in this scenario. Women are more likely than men to say they would not buy a house the previous owners had been murdered in (49% vs. 36%).About three-quarters (77%) of Americans say that if a murder took place in a house in the past, the homeowner should be legally required to disclose this when selling the house. Women are more likely than men to say this should be legally required (82% vs. 71%).About half (51%) of Americans say that if a homeowner believes their house is haunted, they should be legally required to disclose this when selling it. Women are more likely than men to say this should be legally required (58% vs. 44%).</blockquote> <hr/><h2>10) ⏰️ The “Chthulucene” and the psychology of deep time</h2> <figure><img alt="A luminous landscape painting depicts a vast mountain valley bathed in golden light. Towering cliffs rise steeply on either side, framing a tranquil river and meadow stretching into the distance. The warm glow of the setting or rising sun filters through a partly clouded sky, creating a dramatic contrast between shadowed rock faces and the radiant horizon" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/08cfa57b-5209-4fec-ba25-30aa4dcd5840.webp?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_Down_Yosemite_Valley%2C_California?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Looking Down the Yosemite Valley”</a>, Albert Bierstadt</figcaption></figure> It’s hard to get our heads around just how old the Earth is, and how old is life itself. Some of the first people to wrestle with this were the early 19th-century geologist Charles Lyell, and, a few decades later, Charles Darwin. Lyell had published a textbook arguing that the Earth was billions of years old — a radical idea, given the dominance of Biblical thinking back then — and Darwin relied on those estimates to help him theorize evolution. After all, lifeforms can only evolve gradually if they’re given millions of years to do so. But these timescales beggar the imagination. <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2025/07/the-geological-sublime-lewis-hyde-deep-time/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Lewis Hyde has written a fascinating essay in Harper’s about Lyell and Darwin’s struggle to grasp the enormity of “deep time”:</a> <blockquote>Having dispensed with the common belief that the earth was six thousand years old, both men nonetheless often found themselves perplexed about how to speak of the vaster reaches of time they envisioned. In his primary work, the three-volume Principles of Geology, Lyell is regularly vague, speaking of “an indefinite lapse of ages,” “very remote eras,” or “time incalculably remote.” Sometimes he speaks of “millions,” as when he’s arguing against geologists who calculate using thousands of years when “the language of Nature signified millions.” How many millions he rarely says, although his numbers can reach dizzying heights. Truly primordial matters must be figured not just in millions but in “millions of ages,” spans of time wherein all the epochs of geology taken together would “constitute a mere moment of the past, a mere infinitesimal portion of eternity.”Darwin’s vision of deep time came almost entirely from Lyell. In 1831, at the start of that five-year journey around the world, he carried with him the first volume of Principles and immediately applied its ideas to all he saw. Decades later, in On the Origin of Species, he tells his readers that any who have read Lyell and yet do “not admit how incomprehensibly vast have been the past periods of time, may at once close this volume.” In a typical passage in The Voyage of the Beagle, he writes that “the mind is stupefied” when trying to think on the “lapse of years” needed to produce a two-hundred-mile-wide bed of porphyry pebbles, or that “it makes the head almost giddy” to think of the years required for ocean tides to wear away three hundred feet of solid rock. Such a case, he confesses elsewhere, “impresses my mind almost in the same manner as does the vain endeavour to grapple with the idea of eternity.”</blockquote> As Hyde notes, this problem of deep time still haunts us, because it lurks behind the challenge of grasping climate change — i.e. the fact that the warming we’re currently seeing is happening far faster than it ought to. <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2025/07/the-geological-sublime-lewis-hyde-deep-time/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">You can only really grasp the speed of what’s going on if you grasp the depth of time …</a> <blockquote>How are we, who plant our corn in spring, who live with four-year election cycles and thirty-year mortgages—how are we to position ourselves in relation to the inhuman forces that have been shaping the earth for four and a half billion years and now seem to be accelerating? How, in short, shall we approach the climate crisis when the needed sense of proportion can be baffled by floods of geological time?</blockquote> At the end of the essay, Hyde introduces a very cool term — he notes that the feminist scholars Donna Haraway and Isabelle Stengers have argued that <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2025/07/the-geological-sublime-lewis-hyde-deep-time/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">we could consider our current geologic period to be the “Chthulucene”</a>, or, the age when the earth responds, quickly and violently, to humanity’s release of so much buried carbon … <blockquote>“Chthulucene” derives from the Greek khthon, “earth,” and chthonic powers are those associated with volcanoes, earthquakes, caves, and all that lies in the depths below. Greek myths feature dozens of chthonic divinities and forces. Aeacus, a judge of the dead, and Thanatos, winged daemon of death, are chthonic. Hermes in his office as guide of souls is Hermes Chthonios; Persephone in her winter phase is Persephone Chthonia. [snip]To describe our era as the Chthulucene is to recognize that Gaia is responding to our having released such titanic forces from their confinement. One-hundred-year floods, forest fires the size of nations, record-breaking heat waves: chthonic forces now mess with our affairs as they haven’t since the glaciers last descended from the poles. Surely among the most threatening sources of such powers are the fossil fuels now released from the depths.</blockquote> An incredibly thought-provoking essay: Go read <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2025/07/the-geological-sublime-lewis-hyde-deep-time/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the whole thing!</a> <h2 data-pm-slice="1 1 []">11) 🃏 Digital game board that changes its layout</h2> <figure><img alt="An animated gif of a game board that is composed of a grid of hundreds of tiny white LEDs. As we watch, the game board changes so it becomes several different games" draggable="false" src="https://buttondown-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/images/688fb416-1899-46ec-a722-8d81dd21bcf4.gif?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://www.pixply.io/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Pixply</a></figcaption></figure> Here’s <a href="https://www.pixply.io/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a Kickstarter for the “Pixply”, a game board that’s digital</a>: It uses an array of LEDs to display the board-designs for 50 traditional games, from chess and backgammon to Ludo and Patolli and dozens of others I’d never heard of. Interestingly, they say they’re going to include the ability to program your own games. Now this gets interesting, because I’ve long wanted to design a digital board game where the game board layout shifts and changes while you play. This could allow for some pretty nifty game mechanics, yes? i.e. your player-pieces could suddenly shift from being in a “safe” territory to a dangerous one. I think I’m gonna have to order one and mess around with this … <hr/><h2>12) 💰 The new goldrush</h2> <figure><img alt="A man wearing a beige hat, orange jacket, and rubber boots kneels in a shallow, rocky river surrounded by evergreen trees and distant mountains. He is panning for gold, holding a black pan filled with water and sediment as he carefully swirls it. It's a pretty serene image" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/43b7290b-a192-4adf-951a-63fee0d49709.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/blmalaska/38482897955/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Dalton Highway gold panning”, Bureau of Land Management Alaska</a>, Flickr (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">CC 2.0 license</a>, unmodified)</figcaption></figure> The price of gold has soared this year, reaching $4,000 an ounce. So what’s also on the rise? Prospecting! Apparently a new generation of Americans are heading out to the hills and creeks in hopes of finding a life-changingly large nugget. One is the California welder Mike Hewett, who recently found a chunk of gold “about half the size of his pinkie fingernail” while prospecting in the Mount Shasta forest with a metal detector. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/gold-price-record-highs-db122740?st=SHqb3h&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">As he told Te-Ping Chen of the Wall Street Journal (gift link) …</a> <blockquote>“I was jumping all around like you see in cartoons and stuff,” the 50-year-old said. The nugget, which he later had weighed, wasn’t exactly life-changing. “It was worth $175,” he said. “But then again, it was just sitting out there to be taken.”Across the country, a modern-day gold rush is under way. People on social media brandish gold-flecked pans and nuggets while showing off their equipment, ranging from old-fashioned picks to gold-separating sluice boxes. Others trade tips and pore over maps, determined to figure out which areas could still hide metallic riches. The dream of stumbling on a motherlode might be far-fetched, but with gold prices reaching $4,000 an ounce, it’s a tantalizing one. “The whole way I’m driving out, I’m thinking I’m going to pull out this freaking $100,000 nugget,” said Hewlett. </blockquote> Apparently gold-panning lessons are selling out. Part of the reason for this new rush is — bien sur — the effect of gold-panning influencers, some of whom have millions of followers. But it’s partly also about <a href="https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/gold-price-record-highs-db122740?st=SHqb3h&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the sheer romance of finding stuff that’s just lying around in nature that’s worth money:</a> <blockquote>He said the thrill of that first gold find in the wild can’t be beat, and keeps people coming back. “It’s like a heroin addiction,” he said.</blockquote> <hr/><h1>13) 🎱 Mapping every pool table in NYC</h1> <figure><img alt="A man in a black shirt and gray pants leans over a mustard-colored pool table, aiming his cue for a precise shot. The white cue ball is in motion toward several colored balls scattered across the table. In the dimly lit background, a woman sits quietly, half in shadow, beneath a wall painting of birds and trees. The pool table is brightly lit, but everything is quite dark, making it moodily dramatic" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/06aa2400-58f2-4090-a861-e07571f4263b.webp?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption><a href="https://archive.is/pEqht?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Sarah Daniels, Hellgate</a></figcaption></figure> For the last year and a half, Dan Tran has been obsessively mapping the location of every pool table in New York City. He’s found 411 so far, and <a href="https://pooltables.nyc/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">you can see his map online here at Pooltables.nyc …</a> <figure><img alt="A detailed digital map of New York City shows Manhattan, Brooklyn, and parts of Queens, with major bridges like the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges crossing the East River. The map is marked with numerous black and red circular icons indicating venues, restaurants, and points of interest. Neighborhoods such as Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Williamsburg, and Bushwick are clearly labeled, along with landmarks like the Whitney Museum of American Art and NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/ae05f854-ff2a-4bbc-a2c8-90d552655446.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://pooltables.nyc/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Pooltables.nyc</a></figcaption></figure> Over <a href="https://archive.is/pEqht?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">at the indie news site Hellgate, Max Pearl interviewed Tran and uncovered some fun details about the hunt:</a> <blockquote>What are some of the strangest locations where you've logged a pool table?Obviously if it's a bar or a pool hall, that makes sense to include, but then there are things like old-school social clubs. There's <a href="https://archive.is/o/pEqht/https://pooltables.nyc/banatul-folklore-and-soccer-club?ref=hellgatenyc.com&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Banatul</a>, which is a Serbian-Romanian social club on Menahan in Ridgewood. I just walked by with a bunch of friends one night, looked in, saw a pool table, and the guy out front was like, "Y'all wanna come in?" They sell drinks, but it's very much a club, same as an Elks Lodge, Moose Lodge, or VFW.Then there are ones that blur the line, like the pool table in the basement of a Bushwick <a href="https://archive.is/o/pEqht/https://pooltables.nyc/gm-bani-grocery-deli-grill?ref=hellgatenyc.com&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">bodega</a>. And there are private clubs like the New York Athletic Club, which is a really fancy spot on Central Park South. They have a billiards room with snooker tables and full-length pool tables. Those are the ones that seem a little aspirational to me—like I know they're there and it's possible to get in, but where I draw the line is: not your private residence, no amenity buildings. Though there is a pool table in the VIP room of a <a href="https://archive.is/o/pEqht/https://pooltables.nyc/wall-street-bath-spa-88?ref=hellgatenyc.com&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">spa</a> on Wall Street.</blockquote> Apparently the “pool deserts” of the city — where you can wander for blocks and blocks without encountering a table — are in the Upper East and Upper West Sides, probably because The Rent Is Too Damn High so putting space aside for a table ain’t worth it. The hotspots are out in Williamsburgh, and also <a href="https://archive.is/pEqht?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">this cool tidbit …</a> <blockquote>Some of the Chinese pool halls out in Flushing are really interesting. I'm not Chinese so I go there and I'm just like, wow, these are some very, very serious old Chinese men here, playing "three-cushion." [Ed. note: It's an older form of billiards with no pockets, where players ricochet shots off each others' balls.]</blockquote> (BTW, if you’re a New Yorker, consider <a href="https://hellgatenyc.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">subscribing to Hellgate</a>; it does amazing local coverage! I subscribed last year and love it.) <hr/><h2>14) 📟 Why we rarely “lose” technology</h2> <figure><img alt="ChatGPT said:A sepia-toned historical photograph shows an ornate stone archway framing a tall iron pillar in the center of an ancient courtyard. The arch is richly carved with intricate geometric and floral patterns, typical of early Indo-Islamic architecture. Surrounding trees and scattered stones suggest the site is part of a centuries-old ruin" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/0eab7648-47e0-4cf8-baf8-3d365dbfec0f.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>The “iron pillar of Delhi”</figcaption></figure> Sci fi is replete with stories of “lost” technologies — i.e. where a story is set in the far future, usually longer after some massive civilizational collapse, where people discover rusting old tech from thousands of years ago that they can not longer fathom, operate, or produce. Cool story, but … has this ever actually happened? Has there ever been a technology in the past that has vanished, and for which the secrets of its technique are irretrievably lost? <a href="https://www.hopefulmons.com/p/we-rarely-lose-technology?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Étienne Fortier-Dubois ponders this question and goes through a couple dozen possibilities</a> from the near and distant past, and concludes that it’s almost unheard of. Even when there’s a tool from the past that was made using some technique that has now been lost, the odds are high that we could replicate it nowadays if we tried. That said, his list of possibilities is incredibly interesting! And it includes <a href="https://www.hopefulmons.com/p/we-rarely-lose-technology?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">several technological feats of the past that I’d never heard of, like …</a> <blockquote>The iron pillar of Delhi, in India, may not look like much … but it was erected in the 5th century, under the reign of Chandragupta II, and it still hasn’t rusted, which is rather extraordinary. Scientific analyses have found that it is coated with a thin protective layer of iron hydrogen phosphate hydrate (FePO4-H3PO4-4H2O). We don’t really know how the ancient Indian metallurgists did it, which means it could be an actual lost technology. Or maybe they just got lucky.</blockquote> Or there’s wootz steel, also fabricated in India, and is … <blockquote>… a steel alloy with high carbon content that creates cool patterns on its surface: Wootz steel is the material behind <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Damascus steel</a>, famous throughout the world for making great swords. (The swords were made in Damascus from steel imported from India or Iran.) The production of Damascus steel declined until it completely stopped around 1903 [snip]Wikipedia says that:<blockquote>Several modern theories have ventured to explain this decline, including the breakdown of trade routes to supply the needed metals, the lack of trace impurities in the metals, the possible loss of knowledge on the crafting techniques through secrecy and lack of transmission, suppression of the industry in India by the British Raj, or a combination of all the above.</blockquote></blockquote> <hr/><h2>15) 🎙️ A final, sudden-death round of reading material</h2> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/09/tiny-vinyl-is-a-new-pocketable-record-format-for-the-spotify-age/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Tiny vinyl</a>. 🎙️ 1973 <a href="https://troypress.com/1973-implementation-of-wordle-was-published-by-dec/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">version of Wordle, done in BASIC</a>. 🎙️ Anal <a href="https://newatlas.com/disease/butt-breathing-ignobel-prize/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">oxygen absorption</a>. 🎙️ <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a69234817/carnivorous-death-ball/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Death-ball”</a> sponge. 🎙️ Why every movie looks <a href="https://priceonomics.com/why-every-movie-looks-sort-of-orange-and-blue/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">orange and blue</a>. 🎙️ <a href="https://codepen.io/jkantner/pen/YPwZWoy?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Sad 404 face</a>. 🎙️ Analysis of <a href="https://www.popsci.com/science/edmund-fitzgerald-wreck-science/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald</a>. 🎙️ Louisina <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/arts/design/hurricane-katrina-anniversary-art-therapy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.z08.cXmX.qsZ_tZtVmd2_&smid=url-share&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">children’s art from Hurricane Katrina</a>. 🎙️ The rise of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/08/12/balcony-solar-plug-in-rooftop/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“balcony solar”</a>. 🎙️ <a href="https://archaeologymag.com/2025/10/were-neanderthals-capable-of-making-art/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Neanderthal art</a>. 🎙️ Linux running in <a href="https://joelseverin.github.io/linux-wasm/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a browser tab</a>. 🎙️ Minecraft running <a href="https://www.tomshardware.com/maker-stem/microcontrollers/hardware-hacker-installs-minecraft-server-on-a-cheap-smart-lightbulb-single-192-mhz-risc-v-core-with-276kb-of-ram-enough-to-run-tiny-90k-byte-world?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">on a smart lightbulb</a>. 🎙️ Doom running <a href="https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/28/doom_running_in_space/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">on a satellite</a>. 🎙️ Cool <a href="https://bencrowder.net/blog/2025/11.7/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">religio-digital art</a>. 🎙️ Making music with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClqGVn9L5bE&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a massage gun</a>. 🎙️ It takes <a href="https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/only-250-documents-poison-any-ai-model?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">only 250 documents to poison an LLM</a>. 🎙️ The etymology of <a href="https://grammarphobia.com/blog/2025/10/yclept.html?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“yclept”</a>. 🎙️ What, exactly, is <a href="https://archive.is/JnZsF?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a moon?</a> 🎙️ In praise of <a href="https://www.hilobrow.com/2025/09/21/endora-23/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">xenomorphs</a>. 🎙️ Like Strava, except for <a href="https://www.writewithjolt.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">writing</a>. 🎙️ Why LLMs are <a href="https://www.robinsloan.com/lab/knowledge-and-memory/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">stuck in Memento</a>. 🎙️ Behold the <a href="https://motofockervelocar.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Motofocker Velocar</a>. 🎙️ Spreadsheets <a href="https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2025/10/11/how-to-tame-a-user-interface-using-a-spreadsheet/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">as UI</a>. 🎙️ Power-generating <a href="https://newatlas.com/murakami-electricity-generating-rocking-chair/13141/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">rocking chair</a>. 🎙️ The <a href="https://tidbits.com/resources/iskm3html/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Internet Starter Kit book</a> from the mid-90s. 🎙️ Zorin, the Linux variant that <a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/forget-linux-mint-windows-alternative/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">looks like Windows</a>. 🎙️ Kodak’s secret <a href="https://archive.is/gb4Kj?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">nuclear device</a>. 🎙️ Conway’s Game of Life, <a href="https://www.hudsong.dev/digital-darwin?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">with music</a>. 🎙️ New version of <a href="https://theamericanscholar.org/baby-shoggoth-is-listening/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Pascal’s Wager</a>. 🎙️ 3D-printable <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/08/25/butta-melta-stops-rock-solid-butter-from-tearing-your-toast/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Butta Melta”</a>. 🎙️ Why prisons ban <a href="https://lithub.com/censoring-imagination-why-prisons-ban-fantasy-and-science-fiction/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">fantasy and sci-fi</a>. 🎙️ The most <a href="https://www.neatorama.com/2025/08/24/The-Most-Terrifying-Bike-Ride-Youll-See-Today/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">terrifying bike ride</a> you’ll see today. 🎙️ <a href="https://archive.is/fYJ99?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Mind captioning</a>. 🎙️ The people who think <a href="https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/who-knew-cockroaches-could-be-cute/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">roaches are “cute”</a>. 🎙️ The “Killer Shark” videogame from Jaws <a href="https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/15694/jaws-arcade-video-game-killer-shark-atari-sega-electromechanical/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">actually existed</a>. 🎙️ DIY <a href="https://makezine.com/projects/homemade-sugar-rocket/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">sugar rocket</a>. 🎙️ An octopus <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcWnQ7fYzwI&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">plays piano.</a> <hr/>CODA ON SOURCING: I read a ton of blogs and sites every day to find this material. A few I relied on this week include <a href="https://www.robinsloan.com/newsletters/long-rush/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Robin Sloan</a>, <a href="https://strangeco.blogspot.com?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Strange Company</a>, <a href="https://www.timemachinego.com/linkmachinego/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Link Machine Go</a>, <a href="https://hackaday.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Hackaday</a>, <a href="https://www.messynessychic.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Messy Nessy</a>, <a href="https://www.numlock.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Numlock News</a>, the <a href="https://theawesomer.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Awesomer</a>, the <a href="https://themorningnews.org?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Morning News</a>, and Mathew Ingram’s <a href="https://newsletter.mathewingram.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-41-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“When The Going Gets Weird”</a>; check ‘em out!

Linkfest #43: Archaeoacoustics, "Nocotourism", and the 8-bit Backrooms

The Linkfest Mar 18, 2026

Hello there! It’s time for "the opposite of doomscrolling” — a new Linkfest, in which I sort through the planet-wide digital rummage-sale of the Internet to locate the finest items of culture, science and technology, just for you. If you’re a subscriber, thank you! If not, you can <a href="https://buttondown.email/clivethompson/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-43-archaeoacoustics-nocotourism-and-the" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">sign up here — it’s a Guardian-style, pay-whatevs-you-want affair; the folks who kick in help keep the Linkfest free for everyone else</a>. (Full archive of issues, including this one, is <a href="https://buttondown.com/clivethompson/archive/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">online free here</a>.) And: Please share this email with anyone who'd enjoy it.

Linkfest #42: Phytomining, Adversarial Poetry, and Popping A Wheelie for 93 Miles

The Linkfest Dec 2, 2025

Hello! It’s time for "the opposite of doomscrolling” — my next Linkfest, a collection of the most interesting items in science, culture and technology I could find during a complete A-to-Z reading of the entire known Internet. If you’re a subscriber, thank you! If not, you can <a href="https://buttondown.email/clivethompson/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">sign up here — it’s a Guardian-style, pay-whatevs-you-want affair; the folks who kick in help keep the Linkfest free for everyone else</a>. (Full archive of issues, including this one, is <a href="https://buttondown.com/clivethompson/archive/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">online free here</a>.) And: Please share this email with anyone who'd enjoy it. Let’s begin ... <hr/><h2>1) 🎨 Aerial embroidery</h2> <figure><img alt="A hand holds a circular embroidery hoop showing a detailed, textured aerial landscape with fields, roads, clusters of green trees, and a bright blue canal running vertically through the center. A small embroidered boat floats on the canal, adding a pop of color against the green terrain. The stitching varies in texture and density to mimic foliage, paths, and water, giving the scene a rich, tactile depth" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/4d3917cc-10b8-4434-b82f-fe3147f52689.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>by Victoria Rose Richards</figcaption></figure> Behold <a href="https://victoriaroserichards.co.uk/work/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the lovely embroidered landscapes created by Victoria Rose Richards</a> — each one looks like a textiled vision of the planet as seen from a passing airplane. As she notes, there’s something fascinating about the geometry of our landscapes: Humans attempt to impose firm Platonic shapes on the fields around us, but their edges are often slightly softened or distorted by the facts on the ground — like hills, trees, waterways, and the like. <a href="https://victoriaroserichards.co.uk/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and#about-me" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">So it’s geometry, with fuzzier math:</a> <blockquote>In living in the countryside in a place of natural beauty, I am surrounded by inspiration for my pieces in the endless fields and meadows, lush forests, winding rivers and reaching moorland. I’ve always had an interest for aerial landscapes and use a combination of stitches on felt sheets to recreate them based on the Devon countryside. I particularly enjoy recreating the fields – I love the shapes they naturally form and are made to form by agriculture, seemingly perfectly fitted together yet forced.</blockquote> She’s got a huge gallery of dozens of these works, sadly all of which appear to be sold. I’d love to get one some day … <hr/><h2>2) 🚲 Popping a wheelie for 93 miles</h2> <figure><img alt="A cyclist in a blue jersey and black helmet performs a wheelie on a light-blue bike while riding indoors on a track. The background is motion-blurred, emphasizing speed, with gym equipment and a few people faintly visible. The rider looks focused and balanced, holding the handlebars steady as the front wheel lifts high off the ground." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/3f6304a4-d3be-4b32-ba6a-70cef356ce3a.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>Oscar Delaite (via himself)</figcaption></figure> Oscar Delaite, a 19-year-old student in France, just did a bicycle wheelie for 93 miles — a feat that required six and a half hours of riding on one wheel. The Guiness Book of World Records confirmed that Delaite has pulled off the “Greatest Distance Covered While Performing a Continuous Bicycle Wheelie”, and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/sports/wheelie-world-record-oscar-delaite-240e2429?st=iy9pwX&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Jason Gay at the Wall Street Journal has the story (gift link):</a> <blockquote>Oscar trained for more than a year, 10 to 15 hours a week. His record-breaking set up was quite typical: a Rose commuter bike with a flat bar and slick, 50 millimeter width tires, standard pressure. The only modification was adjusting the seat so Oscar could sit as he attempted the record.Delaite wore a helmet, a camera strapped to his chest, and a water supply draped around his back. He did not wear fancy cycling shoes—he wore Nike basketball high-tops. Over the six and a half hours, he averaged a speed of 14 miles an hour, which is rather remarkable. I asked him what he thought about during the attempt. Could he daydream? Could he zone out and listen to the entire Dylan catalog? Terrible podcasts?“I had to be focused,” he said. “I checked the times, the number of laps. The last hours are really, really intense. If I make a mistake, I can’t restart at 100 kilometers.”</blockquote> Apparently his arms and legs felt fine; his butt, however, was pretty sore. I’m impressed. And I’m familiar with bike stunts — I cycled across the entire United States, from NYC to the Pacific, two years ago! (Annnnd my book about it arrives spring of 2027; you will be hearing much more about this from me in the year to come.) I’ve done lots of rides of 93 miles or more … but I used both my wheels, which now feels like cheating or something? This kid is metal. <hr/><h2>3) 👾 “Escheresque”, the game</h2> <figure><img alt="An isometric illustration shows a maze-like architectural structure made of pale stone, with multiple staircases, platforms, and archways arranged in an Escher-like, impossible layout. The walls and steps are textured with a speckled pattern, giving the scene a surreal, dreamlike quality" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/c35b1156-74b2-41d8-ae34-e78a43e4b33c.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://openprocessing.org/sketch/1223047?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Wren Durbano</a></figcaption></figure> The digital artist Wren Durbano has created <a href="https://openprocessing.org/sketch/1223047?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Escheresque”, a trippy little browser game where you walk around a faux-3D isometric world composed of platforms, stairs and tunnels</a> — all done in a style vaguely reminiscent of Escher. When you hit the spacebar the scene swaps between dark and light modes, each one slightly changing the configuration of the scene … and allowing you to navigate through the puzzle levels. It’s not terribly hard, so I found it kind of soothing to play. <hr/><h2>4) 🧮 Weirdest Excel functions</h2> <figure><img alt="A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet is open, showing a row labeled “Input,” “Formula,” and “Output,” with the number 472.5 entered in the first column. The formula cell displays “=BAHTTEXT(A2),” and the output cell contains Thai text converting the number into words" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/0bd68795-41d5-4f5c-bcf0-7b676450a5c6.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/strange-microsoft-excel-functions-no-one-ever-uses/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">MakeUseOf</a></figcaption></figure> Amir Bohloohi went digging around inside Excel and discovered that it includes <a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/strange-microsoft-excel-functions-no-one-ever-uses/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">some very cool — if extremely weird and specific — functions.</a> Consider <a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/strange-microsoft-excel-functions-no-one-ever-uses/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">this one:</a> <blockquote>BAHTTEXT converts a number into Thai Baht words. For example, <code>=BAHTTEXT(472.50)</code> returns <code>สี่ร้อยเจ็ดสิบสองบาทห้าสิบสตางค์</code>, which means four hundred seventy-two Baht and fifty Satang.This function was introduced for Thailand’s accounting and invoicing standards, where monetary values are often written in both numeric and textual form to prevent fraud or misreading. It’s the only language-specific number-to-text function built into Excel, although Thailand is not the only country to write both numeric and textual values in official forms. Oddly, Microsoft didn't add this support for any other country.</blockquote> Or consider <a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/strange-microsoft-excel-functions-no-one-ever-uses/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">DOLLARDE and DOLLARFR …</a> <blockquote>These two are remnants of the financial world’s pre-decimal era. They're also the most interesting to me, because learning their purpose turned into an impromptu history lesson: U.S. bonds and some stock prices were once quoted in fractions rather than decimals (typically in sixteenths or thirty-seconds). For example, a bond price might appear as 101 8/32. This means $101 and 8/32 of a dollar, or $101.25 in today's notation.DOLLARDE converts fractional dollar values to decimal form, while DOLLARFR does the reverse. For instance, <code>=DOLLARDE(1.02,16)</code> returns 1.125, and <code>=DOLLARFR(1.125,16)</code> returns 1.02.These conversions allowed analysts to run calculations on legacy data without rewriting pricing systems. Since modern markets use decimals, both functions now survive mostly for historical completeness. They remain accurate but have almost no practical application outside of reconstructing vintage financial records.</blockquote> He also found one that takes regular numbers and turns them into Roman numerals — and another that does the reverse. Go check out <a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/strange-microsoft-excel-functions-no-one-ever-uses/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the whole list!</a> <hr/><h2>5) 🦠 Growing algae in the light of another star</h2> <figure><img alt="A blueprint-style illustration shows a telescope labeled “Stellar Harvest” mounted on a tripod and connected by tubing to an IV-style bag marked “Ocean Water,” which hangs from a medical stand. A small bottle sits beneath the telescope’s eyepiece, as though collecting a liquid sample. The entire scene is rendered in white outlines on a blue grid background" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/6217e95e-7765-4438-8a1a-fd68fd4d30fe.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> The Center for PostNatural History is developing <a href="https://www.postnatural.org/stellar-harvest?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Stellar Harvest”, project in which they’ll grow algae using the light from another star.</a> Basically, if I’m understanding their write-up here, they’ll hook a box full of algae to the eyepiece of a telescope, and focus it on a star at night — exposing the algae to those ancient and distant photons. (And I guess during the daytime they’ll keep it in total darkness, so the only light it’s exposed to is the night-time starlight?) <a href="https://www.postnatural.org/stellar-harvest?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">As they write:</a> <blockquote>These lucky lifeforms will be the first to experience actual light from another star at concentrations similar to a forest floor or deep ocean waters on Earth: a fraction of a percent of direct sunlight’s intensity. Some diatoms are already adapted to the extremely low-light conditions that will be necessary for this project to work. “It’s not easy to squeeze light from the night sky,” continues Pell. “To reimagine the night as a source of light, is a real break with tradition to say the least.” [snip]The project gets its name from a process Pell calls “Stellar Drift:” preparing the microbes for their new host star using a custom incubator which simulates the gradual shift from the lighting conditions of the Sun towards those of the new star. Another invention necessary to the project is what Pell calls the “Stellar Harvestar,” a little box he designed that fits where an eyepiece or camera normally would go on the telescope, and maintains the conditions that the cells need to live and holds them in the right place to receive the stellar light.</blockquote> This hasn’t yet begun, so it could be vaporware, but considering these folks are high-concept artists I’m betting they pull it off, lol. Why, though, would they do this? Part of it is just <a href="https://www.postnatural.org/information?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the mission statement of the Center</a>, which attempts to track and meditate on the ways in which human activity has produced a postnatural world of nature. <a href="https://www.postnatural.org/stellar-harvest?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">As Rich Pell, the Stellar Harvest’s lead artist, notes:</a> <blockquote>I believe there is something to be gained in stepping beyond the theoretical by doing something that appears impossible. It’s 21st century alchemy that might help get us out of the cosmic rut we as a civilization appear to be in.</blockquote> <hr/><h2>6) 🐤 Starlings are pretty good at imitating R2-D2</h2> <figure><img alt="A detailed 3D rendering of R2-D2, with the robot standing on a smooth gray surface, its white and blue panels slightly scuffed and weathered" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/a5330085-b324-4ffd-9322-fb26b6bcf929.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> Lots of birds are good at imitating sounds from the world of electronics, like the ringtones of smartphones. But can they imitate … R2-D2? And if so, which type of bird is the best at imitating the famous Star Wars robot? A group of scientists decided it was high time science got off its collective butt and answered this question. So they collected data, in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-23444-7?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a hilariously online fashion …</a> <blockquote>We collected videos of parrots and European starlings imitating R2-D2 sounds from publicly available social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Search terms included “Parrot imitating R2-D2”, “Parrot R2-D2”, “Starling imitating R2-D2”, “Starling R2-D2”, common names of parrots (cockatiels or African grey) followed by “imitating R2-D2” and the same search terms translated in other languages (Dutch, German, Spanish, Portuguese).</blockquote> … then they analyzed the videos. The results? Starlings won. As one of the authors wrote <a href="https://www.uva.nl/shared-content/uva/en/news/press-releases/2025/11/can-birds-imitate-artoo-detoo-yes-and-some-are-surprisingly-good-at-it.html?cb&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">in a blog post …</a> <blockquote>It turns out that starlings had the upper hand when it came to mimicking the more complex 'multiphonic sounds. Thanks to the unique morphology of their vocal organ, the syrinx, which has two sound sources. This allows starlings to reproduce multiple tones at once—perfect for R2-D2-style chatter.Parrots, on the other hand, are limited to producing one tone at a time (just like humans). Still, they held their own when it came to the simpler “monophonic” beeps of R2-D2.</blockquote> This is all quite fun, but the study also included one very cool and unexpected finding. They had hypothesized that the bigger-brained parrots would be better at mimicking R2-D2 than the smaller-brained ones, like budgies. Nope: The budgies were better! Why? Possibly because the bigger-brained parrots have the ability to imitate a wider range of sounds overall, but <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-23444-7?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">at the cost of being a bit less accurate with each:</a> <blockquote>Our results could therefore be explained by a trade-off between the capacity to learn allospecific sounds versus the degree of imitation accuracy. Larger brained parrots may have a higher capacity to learn more sounds but are less accurate at imitating the sounds whereas smaller brained parrots focus more on the accuracy of the few sounds they have learned by practicing each imitated sound likely more often than parrots with significantly larger imitation repertoires.</blockquote> You can read <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-23444-7?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the entire paper here for free</a>, and <a href="https://www.uva.nl/shared-content/uva/en/news/press-releases/2025/11/can-birds-imitate-artoo-detoo-yes-and-some-are-surprisingly-good-at-it.html?cb&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the blog post about it here.</a> <hr/><h2>7) ⛏️ The rise of “phytomining”</h2> <figure><img alt="A close-up photo of a tree branch shows a single bright green bead of sap glistening on the bark. The background is softly blurred with warm greens and browns, suggesting dense foliage in a forest setting" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/3944e8d6-f825-4060-92ef-a5e85e931e09.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>Pycnandra acuminata, a plant that accumulates nickel, which dyes its juices blue. <a href="https://www.wissen.de/hyperakkumulatoren-pflanzliche-metallsammler?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">By Henry Benoit</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">CC 4.0 license</a>, unmodified)</figcaption></figure> “Phytomining” is the process of growing plants that — as part of their natural life-cycle — suck metals out of the ground and incorporate them into their structure. It was first proposed back in 1983 by the agronomist Rufus Chaney, as a way to extract zinc from polluted soil. But these days several companies are realizing that some plants are so good at inhaling metal from soil that they’re trying to use it for commercial mining. Instead of digging a hole in the ground and pulling minerals out, you’d plant acres of crops that phytomine the soil, then harvest the crops, burn them, and voila: Metal. Sometimes the quality of the metal you get is more pure and concentrated than what you’d get from old-school pick-and-shovel mining. Over at Biographic, <a href="https://www.biographic.com/critical-minerals-theres-a-plant-for-that/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Sarah DeWeerdt wrote a feature describing the current commercial attempts, such as …</a> <blockquote>… Metalplant, a Delaware-based company, is collaborating with the Connecticut-based biotech firm Verinomics on a grant to genetically engineer O. chalcidica. Metalplant is already successfully using the species to mine nickel in Albania where it is native, but the company is hoping to tweak it to boost its nickel uptake and prevent it from becoming invasive when planted in North America. Dhankher’s own phytomining efforts got a $1.3 million boost from the ARPA-E program. He aims to develop a genetically engineered version of Camelina sativa, a fast-growing member of the mustard family that is already widely grown in the United States for biofuel, so that it can become a better nickel accumulator. “The target is to create these plants that can accumulate 1 to 3 percent nickel,” Dhanker says. An advantage of C. sativa is that in some areas phytominers could grow three crops a year. If the plants accumulate at least 1 percent of their body mass as nickel, Dhanker says they could produce up to 25,000 kilograms of useful metal per square kilometer of soil each year (around 145,000 pounds per square mile). A typical electric vehicle battery contains about 30 to 50 kilograms (66 to 110 pounds) of nickel.</blockquote> That latter stat is wild: Getting the nickel for 500 to 800 EV batteries by planting crops is deeply solarpunk. Lots of caveats apply. It’s not terribly efficient; monocropping big areas is always risky; plus, some of these hyperaccumulators are basically weeds, at least one of which has already escaped from an experimental installation and become an invasive species. But the idea is pretty damn nifty. I want to keep my eye on this area. <hr/><h2>8) ⌚️ Gallery of 50 years of Casio digital watches</h2> <figure><img alt="A retro Casio Data Bank digital watch is shown with its rectangular display and a full alphanumeric keypad beneath the screen. The display shows the day, date, and time, while the buttons on the keypad are labeled with letters, numbers, and small orange function keys. It looks pretty cool" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/e51548bc-8ffa-4aa8-9705-457872fdc65d.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> For its 50th anniversary, Casio has created a <a href="https://www.casio.com/us/watches/50th/Heritage/1970s/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">timeline of all its digital watches, from the 1970s to today, with a short writeup on each.</a> It’s trippy to see how they experimented with features; in many ways, Casio watches were the first wearable computers. Above is <a href="https://www.casio.com/us/watches/50th/Heritage/1980s/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the “Data Bank”, which Casio introduced in two styles in 1985 …</a> <blockquote>These two watches came equipped with two special features for business users: a Telememo function that stored up to 50 telephone numbers, and a schedule function that provided reminders for up to 50 schedule items. The higher-capacity internal memory could store entries combining 5 letters and 12 numbers.</blockquote> Or dig this one — <a href="https://www.casio.com/us/watches/50th/Heritage/1990s/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the 1993 “Wrist Remote Controller”, which let you control a TV or a VCR …</a> <figure><img alt="A vintage Casio wrist remote control watch is shown with a rectangular digital display and an array of buttons along the sides and bottom. Labels like “POWER,” “TV/VCR,” “STOP,” and “PLAY” indicate its ability to operate electronics, while directional and channel buttons sit below the screen. It looks extremely retro" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/66eb1f23-69db-4991-9442-fe5a1723852e.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <blockquote>Its function-minded layout of large remote control buttons ensured intuitive operability. Users could turn their TV or VCR on or off, change channels, adjust the volume, and more using the watch on their wrist. It was compatible with TVs and VCRs from the major manufacturers. At last, no more searching for the remote! This convenient lifehack made the CMD-10 quite popular in its day.</blockquote> “Popular” may be doing a lot of work in that last sentence; I am not sure I ever saw one of these gorgeous beasts in the wild, and my friendship circle in 1993 was pretty nerdy. The last one of my faves is <a href="https://www.casio.com/us/watches/50th/Heritage/1980s/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the 1987 “Pulse Check” …</a> <figure><img alt="A Casio digital watch is shown with a square display and bold yellow accents highlighting its “Pulse” and “Sensor” buttons. The screen displays the day, date, and time along with smaller indicator icons for modes like alarm, jogging, and timer. Its black band and chunky design give it a rugged, sporty feel, emphasizing its built-in pulse-checking feature" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/405d67a2-4181-4e5e-9c8c-836e6e4972ee.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <blockquote>It used photoelectric pulse detection, employing LED light to measure changes in blood flow. Users simply placed a fingertip on the sensor to get a pulse readout. Comparing post-run readings with ordinary pulse rate could help users determine their optimal exercise intensity.</blockquote> Go check out <a href="https://www.casio.com/us/watches/50th/Heritage/1970s/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the rest of the gallery — there are dozens and dozens of watches.</a> <hr/><h2>9) 🌟 The “Webb compare”</h2> <figure><img alt="An image compares the Southern Ring Nebula as seen by two space telescopes, with the left side labeled “Hubble” in near-black and the right side labeled “Webb,” showing a vivid, detailed view. The nebula appears as a glowing blue core surrounded by layers of fiery orange gas against a star-filled background. A circular slider sits in the middle, allowing the viewer to reveal more or less of each telescope’s version" draggable="false" src="https://buttondown-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/images/c19fc3a6-e4a5-4f0a-8edd-c1561839ea6d.gif?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via NASA and <a href="https://www.webbcompare.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">John Christensen</a></figcaption></figure> When the James Webb Space Telescope — also known as the <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25634100-900-the-extraordinary-jwst-is-named-for-james-webb-whose-legacy-i-deplore/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Just Wonderful Space Telescope”</a> — went into operation, it started sending back images of galaxies that were much crisper than those of the Hubble. But how much better were they? The software engineer John Christensen wondered, so he collected images of galaxies shot by both telescopes, at precisely the same size and scale. Then he created a little slider you can move back and forth to help show just how much better the JWST images are. He made <a href="https://www.webbcompare.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a gallery of them — the “Webb Compare” — here.</a> Not many, but very fun to look at! Above, that’s the Southern Ring Nebula. (Thanks to <a href="https://bookofjoe2.blogspot.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Joseph Stirt</a> for this one!) <hr/><h2>10) 🦼 The joy of all-terrain wheelchairs</h2> <figure><img alt="A woman in an all-terrain wheelchair travels along a forest path carpeted with autumn leaves, accompanied by a service dog sitting at her side. The trees around them glow with vibrant yellow and orange foliage, and the ground is covered almost completely with leaves" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/4cdfe8b2-011f-4899-be8c-295eb5c536b4.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DDcXLuuK6n4/?img_index=1&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Trackchair</a></figcaption></figure> The Trackchair is “a cross between a wheelchair and a tank”, and for anyone with limited mobility, it offers something remarkable: The ability to go off-road and into nature. David Wallis, a journalist and old friend of mine, went on a ride-along with a group of people using Trackchairs, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/nov/08/off-road-wheelchair-trackchair-hiking?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">and wrote a fantastic piece about it for The Guardian:</a> <blockquote>… the mood among guests was palpably cheerful. The sun burst through, and the oaks and maples exploded in red, orange and yellow. The three-mile loop on the gravel carriage roads wound past babbling streams and verdant fields. Sheer cliffs glistened in the distance.“I could get used to this,” exclaimed Stephen Fray, 61, who has ALS. The highly reactive battery-powered Trackchairs with motorized tilting seats impressed the former civil engineer (and Boy Scout). But his disease has forced him to prematurely retire and tap his savings so he was skittish about the cost of one: between $13,000 and $27,000.David Daw, who attended an afternoon session, also seemed ebullient: “I feel free. I don’t feel sick when I’m out here.”</blockquote> Indeed, given how much we now know about the restorative quality of being in nature — it’s good for everything from blood pressure to mental health — you’d want anyone with mobility issues to have access to a Trackchair, right? But as David discovered, insurance companies are too damn cheap to pay for them. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/nov/08/off-road-wheelchair-trackchair-hiking?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The effect of being outside is soul-restoring, though:</a> <blockquote>At an event at Green Lakes state park, he met a woman born with stunted limbs who asked if he could take her to the beach in a Trackchair. Once there, she asked him to scoop some sand into her hand.“She starts crying,” Trager recalled. “I’m like, ‘What’s the matter?’”She told him she had never felt sand before.“She got very emotional,” said Trager. “And this is why we’re doing this.”</blockquote> Go read <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/nov/08/off-road-wheelchair-trackchair-hiking?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the whole piece — it’s remarkable, and the black-and-white photography that illustrates it is striking.</a> <hr/><h2>11) 📖 “Adversarial poetry” can jailbreak an LLM</h2> <figure><img alt="A small stack of poetry books rests on a wooden table, with Pablo Neruda’s Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair on top in its distinctive red cover" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/0af9bb43-d44c-4a7a-acd8-f13972f95213.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesonfink/12312916275/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Poetry” by Jameson Fink, via Flickr</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">CC 2.0 license</a>, unmodified)</figcaption></figure> These days, most large-language-model AIs are deployed with “guardrails” to try and prevent them from offering dangerous replies — like delivering bomb-making recipes or offering advice on committing assault. So there’s a cottage industry of security folks who try to red-team the LLMs, experimenting to find prompts that will jailbreak the AI and get it to ignore its guardrails. Usually this involves engaging in a long-ish conversation. But a team of computer scientists discovered another way to do it: <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.15304?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Write your prompt in the form of poetry.</a> They hand-crafted 20 poems that asked for illicit responses, and tried them on 25 well-known LLMS. Bingo: <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.15304?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">On average, they had a 62% success rate, up from around 8% when you use regular-English attacks.</a> Then they took 1,200 malign prompts from a standard test suite of these — prompts in the areas of “Hate, Defamation, Privacy, Intellectual Property, Non-violent Crime, Violent Crime, Sex-Related Crime, Sexual Content”, and more — and had them autotranslated into poems. These did pretty well too! Fully 43% were able to jailbreak the LLMs. Some LLMs fared <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.15304?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a lot worse than others:</a> <figure><img alt="The table compares attack success rates for various AI models under baseline prompts versus poetry prompts, with higher percentages meaning more unsafe outputs. Each row lists a model alongside its baseline ASR, its much higher poetry-prompt ASR, and the percent increase, which is visualized with a red-to-green heat map. Overall, poetry prompts dramatically raise vulnerability, with the average ASR jumping from 8.08% to 43.07%, a 34.99-point increase." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/6fb14da2-96da-4b1b-acaf-f299a5c7f7f5.png?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>via <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.15304?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Adversarial Poetry as a Universal Single-Turn Jailbreak Mechanism in Large Language Models”</a></figcaption></figure> What’s additionally interesting, as the authors point out, is that bigger models were more susceptible to poetic attack than smaller models. Why, exactly, would poetry jailbreak an LLM? The researchers don’t know, but they suspect that LLMs are overtrained on “prosaic surface forms”, and thus simply don’t have enough experience looking at poetry. These findings may also be further evidence that LLMs don’t grasp the actual meaning of language, so they can’t really understand “underlying harmful intent”. <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.15304?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">It’s probably a mix of both of these explanations …</a> <blockquote>For safety research, the data point toward a deeper question about how transformers encode discourse modes. The persistence of the effect across architectures and scales suggests that safety filters rely on features concentrated in prosaic surface forms and are insufficiently anchored in representations of underlying harmful intent. The divergence between small and large models within the same families further indicates that capability gains do not automatically translate into increased robustness under stylistic perturbation.</blockquote> My only complaint about this paper, <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.15304?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">which is free to read here</a>, is they don’t reproduce any of the poems themselves! I know that’s for security purposes, but I’d love to have see them. Frankly, I’d love to have all 1,220 of the poems in a print-book anthology 😅 (Thanks to <a href="http://debcha.org/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Debbie Chachra</a> for this one!) <hr/><h2>12) 🪢 “Homo cordage”</h2> <figure><img alt="A cave floor is covered in thick coiled ropes, their surfaces dark and textured. The ceiling above is rough and pale, lit to reveal layers of rock and mineral deposits. The ropes look incredibly ancient" draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/4f59e68e-f647-4494-9de4-0737e66ad03c.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption>4,000-year-old ropes discovered in Egypt (via the Joint Expedition to Mersa/Wadi Gawasis of the Università “L’Orientale,” Naples and Boston University)</figcaption></figure> In <a href="https://hakaimagazine.com/features/the-long-knotty-world-spanning-story-of-string/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a wonderful essay for Hakai Magazine</a>, the science writer Ferris Jabr ponders the role of string, rope and knots in human civilization. This is not something I had ever considered before! But as he points out, cords are one of our oldest technologies — and they’re a catalytic one, because they make other technologies possible. You could argue, as he notes, that humanity could be considered “Homo cordage”. Indeed, <a href="https://hakaimagazine.com/features/the-long-knotty-world-spanning-story-of-string/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">we were making cords long before we made other tools …</a> <blockquote>Because they are prone to decay, pieces of intact string from more than a few thousand years ago are scarce. Even when they are found, they rarely make headlines or feature in museum exhibits, more likely to be relegated to storage. But they do exist: in 2009, scientists revealed the discovery of tiny 30,000-year-old flax fibers in clay excavated from a cave in Europe. Some of the fibers were twisted, knotted, spun, or dyed turquoise and pink, suggesting complex textiles. If one looks at the archaeological record in the right way—focusing on the implied rather than the material existence of ancient fiber—then the evidence for the importance of string and rope is even older. In South Africa, Israel, and Austria, researchers have found shell and bone beads dating as far back as 300,000 years ago. And in the Hohle Fels cave in southwestern Germany, archaeologists discovered a 40,000-year-old piece of mammoth ivory carved with four holes, each enclosing spiral incisions. They think the tool was used to weave reeds, bark, and roots into a thick cord.Although string and rope began to take shape on land, it was the ocean that unleashed the full potential of cordage. The earliest watercraft were probably rafts lashed together from branches or bamboo, and dugout canoes carved from logs, such as the 10,000-year-old Pesse canoe discovered in 1955 during motorway construction in the Netherlands. At first, the only means of propulsion were oars, poles, and the whim of the currents. Sailing required a critical insight: that the wind, like a wild animal, could be caught, tamed, and harnessed. A mast and sail, which is really just a tightly knit sheet of string, could trap the wind; long coils of sturdy rope could hoist and pivot the sail. String transformed seagoing vessels from floating lumber to elegant marionettes, animated by the wind and maneuvered by human will.</blockquote> One other <a href="https://hakaimagazine.com/features/the-long-knotty-world-spanning-story-of-string/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">detail that thrilled me:</a> <blockquote>Cordage is so invaluable that it has even accompanied our most sophisticated scientific machinery into the depths of space: to secure cables on the Mars rover Curiosity, NASA engineers relied on variations of the clove hitch and reef knot, two traditional knots that have been used for thousands of years. That rover is currently exploring the surface of Mars.</blockquote> This is just a taste; it’s <a href="https://hakaimagazine.com/features/the-long-knotty-world-spanning-story-of-string/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a long, richly reported piece that’s worth savoring in full</a>. <hr/><h2>13) 👻 The invention of the haunted house</h2> <figure><img alt="A black-and-white photo shows an abandoned, weather-beaten house on a slight hill, surrounded by leafless trees and overgrown brush. The building’s siding is warped and peeling, with boarded or broken windows hinting at long neglect. The stark contrast and barren landscape give the scene a haunting, desolate atmosphere." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/65253ff3-e653-47a7-87d1-69570c250753.jpg?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/skutchb/3077733229/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“Haunted House 3”, by Bridget H on Flickr</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">CC 2.0 license</a>, unmodified)</figcaption></figure> In the last Linkfest I wrote about <a href="https://buttondown.com/clivethompson/archive/linkfest-40-the-chthulucene-doom-on-a-satellite/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the ethics of selling a haunted house</a>. (Apparently 51% of buyers believe a seller should be required to disclose if a house is haunted.) When did people start thinking that houses could be haunted, though? The author Caitlin Blackwell Baines has a book about precisely this question — How to Build a Haunted House: The History of a Cultural Obsession. She argues that <a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n20/jon-day/gloomth?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Horace Walpole was maybe the first to invent the conceit of a haunted house, in his novel The Castle of Otranto:</a> <blockquote>The Castle of Otranto, too, emphasises its confected artificiality. With a complicated plot involving a long-lost heir, star-crossed lovers and a mysterious death by falling helmet, Walpole promoted it as ‘a new species of romance’, which fused ‘imagination and improbability’ with a ‘strict adherence to common life’. The novel established narrative tropes that have proved remarkably persistent in the haunted house genre ever since: gloomthy location, veiled prophecies and a narrative framing device involving the discovery of a manuscript. More significant than plot was the novel’s setting. Before Walpole, ghosts in English literature tended to haunt people, or generic geographic locations: crossroads, bridges, graveyards. After him, they came inside, haunting domestic spaces.Baines’s central argument is that the rise of the haunted house in the popular imagination coincided with the emergence of the modern home as a physical and psychic reality: a building designed specifically as a dwelling, separate from farm or workplace, where a single nuclear family lived together in isolation from the rest of society. This led to a turning inward of domestic experience that is, as many historians have argued, reflected across culture more broadly. On this reading, haunted houses are ghostly analogues of the stream of consciousness novel, Impressionist painting or the rise of psychoanalysis. In the essay in which Freud first used the term unheimlich, he pointed out that one of the few successful English translations is ‘“haunted”, in the sense of “a haunted house”’.</blockquote> That quote above is from <a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n20/jon-day/gloomth?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Jon Day’s essay in the London Review of Books, which has tons more intriguing details.</a> Makes me want to read Baines’ book in full! <hr/><h2>14) ✈️ The climate benefits of eliminating jet contrails</h2> <figure><img alt="An infographic explains how rerouting just 5% of flights can avoid “contrail forming zones.” On the left, a grid of airplane icons highlights one aircraft in orange to represent the small share being shifted. On the right, two orange planes take slightly altered paths (1–2% shifts) around a blue-shaded zone, while a white plane follows the mitigated contrail-free route, illustrating how minor adjustments can reduce climate-impacting contrails." draggable="false" src="https://assets.buttondown.email/images/32965da9-8633-4ee7-b2ff-79e79175e20e.webp?w=960&fit=max"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure> Hannah Ritchie has written <a href="https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/eliminating-contrails?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">a fascinating essay about why it’d be good — and easy — to eliminate jet contrails.</a> Why would it be good? Because jet contrails are heat-trapping gases. Jets form contrails when they emit vapor, soot and particles that trigger the formation of high-up clouds of ice-crystals. When heat tries to escape the planet, trace amounts bounce off the bottom of the contrails and get redirected downwards. A lot of naturally-occurring clouds have this effect; it’s called “radiative forcing”. Contrails create about 2% of all the planet’s radiative forcing. That isn’t a huge amount, but it has the benefit of being artificially generated — which means it’s something we could, in theory, avoid or reduce. This is the “easy” part! Basically, planes create contrails only when they fly through thin regions of the atmosphere that are cold and humid. All we’d have to do is predict where these regions are, and have the planes take slight detours around them. It wouldn’t add more than a few minutes to a flight. Better yet, contrails are quite rare — only 3% of all flights create nearly 80% of them. So we’d only need to add very small detours to a very small percentage of all flights, and we could get rid of 2% of radiative forcing. In the engineering puzzle/challenge of dealing with climate change, a quick fix is a rare and significant “win”. Granted, making flights every so slightly longer would increase their CO2 emissions — but the greenhouse reductions you’d get from eliminating contrails would be much bigger. As Ritchie points out, <a href="https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/eliminating-contrails?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">this also wouldn’t be very expensive:</a> <blockquote>Let’s take a quick example for British Airways. They operate around 300,000 flights per year. If we reroute 2% of those to avoid contrails, and rerouting increases fuel burn by around 2% (I’m being deliberately harsh here), then I estimate that the additional fuel costs are in the range of $1.2 to $2 million per year. Let’s say that the operational costs of forecasting and modelling adds another 50%. That takes us to around $2.5 to $3 million.In 2024, British Airways had an operating profit of around $2.7 billion. Contrail avoidance would therefore be just 0.1% of its operating profits.</blockquote> They could pass the price on to customers if they wanted — estimates vary, but it might only be 10 or 15 bucks per flight, which is only a couple pennies per passenger. <a href="https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/eliminating-contrails?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Go read the essay</a>, and while you’re at it subscribe to Ritchie’s newsletter. She does excellent by-the-numbers dives into climate-change mitigation all the time, and they’re invariably fascinating. (I covered <a href="https://buttondown.com/clivethompson/archive/linkfest-27-aztec-death-whistles-supercircular/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">her analysis of “supercircular” solar-panel recycling back in Linkfest #27.</a>) <hr/><h2>15) 📬 A final, sudden-death round of reading material</h2> <a href="https://strangeco.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-return-of-libelous-tombstones.html?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Libelous tombstones.</a> 📬 <a href="https://www.therobotreport.com/california-agencies-eye-burnbot-for-wildfire-prevention/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Burnbot</a>. 📬 <a href="https://ambrook.com/offrange/livestock/turkeys-of-the-sun?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Turkeyvoltaics</a>. 📬 The historic origins of <a href="https://bigthink.com/books/the-word-for-wind/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the word for “wind”</a>. 📬 NYC’s “fan man” <a href="https://gothamist.com/news/nycs-flying-fan-man-demands-nypd-return-his-fan-after-he-soars-near-verrazzano-bridge?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">wants his DIY motorized parachute-sail back.</a> 📬 The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/science/biggest-spiderweb-sulfur-cave.html?unlocked_article_code=1.0k8.gLtx.2iDolO40b26G&smid=url-share&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">world’s hugest spiderweb</a>. 📬 The Incans used a mountain <a href="https://archive.ph/pzFdU?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">as a spreadsheet</a>. 📬 Data-center <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-05-14/finland-s-data-centers-are-heating-cities-too?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">cogeneration</a>. 📬 Two-car regional-airport <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/11/california-airport-tries-out-bidirectional-ev-charging-microgrid/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">microgrid</a>. 📬 Lions have <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/21/listen-lions-have-two-roars-scientists-discover/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">two types of roars</a>. 📬 Finally, a female <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/11/21/nx-s1-5616284/female-crash-test-dummy-design-approval?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">crash-test dummy</a>. 📬 Powering a house for eight years with <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/energy/recycled-laptop-batteries-power-home?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">used laptop batteries</a>. 📬 Rats are snatching bats <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rats-are-snatching-bats-out-of-the-air-and-eating-them-and-researchers-got-it-on-video-180987610?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">out of the air</a>. 📬 <a href="https://www.random.org/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Random.org</a>. 📬 <a href="https://spacetypegenerator.com/stripes?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Space Type Generator</a>. 📬 Stirling engine powered by <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/mechanical-power-linking-earths-warmth-space?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the frigid void of space</a>. 📬 White noise <a href="https://www.instructables.com/Noise-Maker-a-DIY-Sound-Sculpture-to-Help-You-Slee/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">sound sculpture</a>. 📬 Ants use social distancing <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads5930?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">during an epidemic</a>. 📬 The <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/11/17/meet-the-shape-that-cannot-pass-through-itself/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“noperthedron”</a>. 📬 <a href="https://codepen.io/boytchev/pen/NPNabOQ?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">3D marble block</a> done in javascript. 📬 The parallels <a href="https://antigonejournal.com/2025/11/fall-smaug-achilles-heel/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">between Achilles and Smaug</a>. 📬 Mechanical star system <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3iUpv1Wclw&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">in a coffee table</a>. 📬 Using electromechanical relays <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/11/13/2025-component-abuse-challenge-relay-used-as-guitar-pickup/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">as guitar pickups</a>. 📬 <a href="https://nukesnake.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Nuke Snake</a>. 📬 Bike helmet with voice <a href="https://blog.arduino.cc/2025/11/02/improving-bicycle-safety-with-voice-activated-turn-signals/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">activated turn signals</a>. 📬 The first English-language <a href="https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=72066&utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">dictionary of slang</a>. 📬 <a href="https://newatlas.com/biology/stool-banks-poop/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Stool banks</a>. 📬 Apparently yelling at seagulls <a href="https://newatlas.com/biology/seagull-stealing-food-shout/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">works</a>. 📬 The Prolo <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/prolo/prolo-ring-precision-control-for-keyboard-power-users/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">wearable trackpad</a>. 📬 <a href="https://coolhunting.com/buy/schotts-significa/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Schott’s Significa</a>. 📬 Those who drank 3-4 cups of coffee per day had <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/coffee-linked-to-slower-biological-ageing-among-those-with-severe-mental-illness-up-to-a-limit?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">longer telomeres</a>. 📬 Ultrasonic <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2025/ultrasonic-device-dramatically-speeds-harvesting-water-air-1118?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">moisture farming</a>. <hr/>CODA ON SOURCING: I read a ton of blogs and sites every day to find this material. A few I relied on this week include <a href="https://www.robinsloan.com/newsletters/long-rush/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Robin Sloan</a>, <a href="https://strangeco.blogspot.com?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Strange Company</a>, <a href="https://www.timemachinego.com/linkmachinego/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Link Machine Go</a>, <a href="https://hackaday.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Hackaday</a>, <a href="https://www.messynessychic.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Messy Nessy</a>, <a href="https://www.numlock.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Numlock News</a>, the <a href="https://theawesomer.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Awesomer</a>, the <a href="https://themorningnews.org?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Morning News</a>, and Mathew Ingram’s <a href="https://newsletter.mathewingram.com/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-42-phytomining-adversarial-poetry-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">“When The Going Gets Weird”</a>; check ‘em out!

Linkfest #40: "Microlightning", Quantum Navigation, and There Is Water At The Bottom Of The Ocean

The Linkfest Oct 9, 2025

Hail! It’s time for "the opposite of doomscrolling” — my next Linkfest, in which I offer up the finest items of science, culture and technology that I could snip from the endless and infinite stock-ticker of the Internet. If you’re a subscriber, thank you! If not, you can <a href="https://buttondown.email/clivethompson/?utm_source=clivethompson&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=linkfest-40-microlightning-quantum-navigation-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">sign up here — it’s a Guardian-style, pay-whatevs-you-want affair; the folks who kick in help keep the Linkfest free for everyone else</a>. And: Please share this email with anyone who'd enjoy it.