Don't Mail Me Cockroaches If You Hate My Blog
From eBay roach parcels to unopened Egyptian sarcophagi to Puerto Rican folk music: here's last week's strangest news.
It’s October already? Where did the time go? Ah yes, fell through the cracks along with all the vacation plans that didn’t get accomplished and the friends we haven’t seen face-to-face in ages. So to help ease your mind, let’s begin with some background music for reading this newsletter to: Experimentum Crucis by Acid42. (Fine, yes, I made this music.)
Long Reads
You’ve Got Creepy Crawly Mail: Look, if you’re mad at someone blogging about your business, you don’t order your staff to send cockroaches to that person. Unfortunately, that’s what this division in eBay did to a blogger they didn’t like.
Training the Anti-Conspiracy AI: Find out how YouTube's AI is being trained to keep from recommending conspiracy theories and stopping them from going viral.
Mad World
Leave Mommy Alone: This New York lady proved that you can wear high heels and a ladylike dress and still successfully fight off a mugger who's dressed as a ninja.
Leave Mummies Alone: The joke goes: "It's 2020! Put those back where they belong!" In reference to: 27 Unopened Sarcophagi Discovered In an Ancient Egyptian Necropolis.
Leave the City Alone: Animals are reclaiming deserted cities as many places continue to be on lockdown.
Leave the Virus Detection to the Dogs: Meanwhile dogs are performing COVID-19 tests on people at the Helsinki Airport. Looks like they can even detect people who are not yet positive but will become positive within a week. How? They let the dogs sniff sweat that's been wiped from a passenger's neck. And of course, viruses stink.
Leave the Grief and Dance Instead: How do you deal with a coronavirus death in the family? This couple lost their 32-year-old daughter. And then found solace and healing by dancing.
Leave the Ink Alone: When you tattoo yourself and turn your pupils black, you're probably going to lose your job as a kindergarten teacher. Even if you live in France. Just saying.
Leave Them Eels Alone: Please… don't dump 100 eels into your local park's lake. Just don't.
Ear Candy
Doomtronic DJ Set by Spatial: This week, I was listening to, and being blown away by, the entire doom and gloom mood on Spatial's DJ set @ BrokenSonics2020, from further_in 27/06/20. File under: ambient electronica
Puerto Rican Folk Music: Have you heard folk music from Puerto Rico? Plena Combativa, one of the few all-female plena groups, sings with their pandereta plenera — a large drum head and not much else — and a güiro to keep time. And the energy is fabulous.
Do You Like Jazz? Well if you don't, Larnell Lewis (drummer for Skinny Puppy) on drums playing his composition "Change Your Mind" on the Zildjian Live show will likely... change your mind.
Eye Candy
Have you seen these? Laprisamata's psychedelic digital illustrations are intricate, gorgeous, and out of this world.
There is such a place as the Doll's Head Hiking Trail over in Atlanta, Georgia. And it is a frightening place. Because… dolls.
What happens to Disney animatronics when they're abandoned underwater? They're forgotten until the water is drained and then the sea serpent from the attraction formerly known as "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" emerges in all its mossy glory.
Artist Lito makes Japanese cutout art from leaves. So... what's your excuse for not making art again?
That’s a wrap for now.
Meanwhile if you like the newsletter, forward it to someone who might enjoy it.
Cheers!
~ Lionel