July 9
Ian McKellen reads "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
Read along as Ian McKellen reads "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge [30m].
I'd love to change the world, but I don't know what to do
"Is it working?"
Every John Oliver Scene on General Hospital Meet Zee (or Zed? or Zeke on the captions?). He's got black hair, he shot a guy, and he got slapped. [more inside]
Loop-de-loop
The Loop: A picture puzzle game from the Britannica Arrange the pictures so that each one is connected to the previous and the next (semi) logically.
Building a WWII Jeep from parts in 2026
The editor of The Autopian built an entire vehicle out of individual parts David Tracy, editor-in-chief of theautopian.com, built a WWII Jeep from parts that he bought online (and a few from specialty shops). Then he drove it hundreds and hundreds of miles, and took it off-roading in Moab.
Tasmanian devils the winner from feral cat trapping effort
Tasmanian devils the winner from feral cat trapping effort.
A successful feral cat trapping effort in northern Tasmania leads to a spike in the devil population.
More things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of on a stick
Every year in the heart of North America through the spring and early weeks of summer the gastronomic anticipation builds, radiating outward across the continent, exciting imaginations and stimulating appetites in even the most isolated coastal metropolises, until a day in mid-July when The List is at last released to a hungry world — the list of new foods at this year’s Minnesota State Fair.
36 concoctions (only 5 of which appear to be on a stick or skewer) are slated to bow this year, joining the roughly 1,600 other culinary offerings at the 2026 Great Minnesota Get-Together (running August 27 to September 7). [more inside]
Chainsaw Wolf is the straight-man
Guts County is an ongoing webcomic by Jamie Midwich. A neighbourly dispute between a frankenstein (sic] and a dirtbag demon [sick] blossoms into a comedy slice of life comic about rural monsters in hell that just want to get along. Short enough to be bingable.
Dementia Values and Priorities Tool
"The Dementia Values and Priorities Tool is designed to help you communicate your wishes regarding future care if you are living with dementia. After answering a series of questions related to the changes commonly seen in the progression of dementia, the tool will provide you with a document that can be added to your existing advance directive and shared with others. The interactive online tool is available in English and Spanish" and the printable PDF version is available in Spanish, English, and Chinese. [more inside]
A FAANG™ Life Simulator
Escape the 🐀 Race A rat lives under your standing desk. You name him Milton. He's seen things. He will narrate your downfall (or escape). The goal: fill the FREEDOM bar and quit forever. Mind the 🔥
The Internet Is Bad And Getting Worse - Especially For Queer Kids
Forever's gonna start tonight
How many products in your daily life are made from fossil fuels?
How many products in your daily life are made from fossil fuels? Coal, oil and gas are major ingredients for far more than just energy. Why are we so reliant on oil, and how difficult would it be to find other resources?
July 8
Another person shot and killed by ICE
ICE shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. ICE says he “weaponized his vehicle.” His son says his father would have complied. Three eyewitnesses are in ICE custody at an undisclosed location, family fears they will be deported before they can be interviewed. The photos show a van without damage. We are done taking their word for it. [more inside]
Puritans Wouldn't Eat P***y, So They Invented the Western
Colonial Puritan society treated sex primarily as a procreative duty and erased women’s legal independence through coverture. According to this piece, that created a serious “sex problem” when women were taken captive by Native American tribes: a surprising number chose to stay rather than return...
"America, in other words, isn’t illiterate. It’s postliterate."
"The library of the mind falls into disrepair." Rose Horowitch surveys the current decline of reading. (SLTheAtlantic; archived) [more inside]
Seeeeeeed oils!
People in the wellness community have a lot to say about seed oils these days. Some say we consume excessive amounts Omega 6 fatty acids, causing poorer health.And humans are not evolved to consume high amounts of seed oils/omega 6 fatty acids . Yet there are others who say seed oils are mostly harmless and even beneficial under certain circumstances.
Keeps mosquitoes away and attracts cats
"You know what you have to do, carry on"
2026 Interactive Fiction Competition accepting submissions
For it's 32nd year, the Interactive Fiction competition is accepting IF games. Authors have until August 1 to register their intent to enter. These can be Parser IF, CYOA, or Hyptertext IF styles. (The IFComp previously in 2025, 2018, 2015, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2006.) [more inside]
Binface vs Fascist dumpster fire: it is on
Millionaire grifter Nigel Farage, the oft-absent MP for Clacton, has resigned his seat because reasons. This strangely coincided with an increasing number of investigations into his finances and party incomes. In an attempt to control the narrative, Farage will fight for his now-vacated seat in the forthcoming by-election. All the main political parties have refused to participate and stand candidates, seemingly giving Farage an easy and pointless re-election. However ... enter Count Binface, who may stand and is picking up support. [more inside]
Weekend at McConnell's
Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for three weeks, and aides won’t say why. The Senator's social media accounts have also been silent since he was found unconscious at his home, leading some to wonder if there is a Weekend at Bernie's situation to delay until the upcoming special election deadline.
The roll, it was a seven. The Demogorgonichthys... it got me.
Surprising cryptic cavefish diversity in a long-studied karst cave ecosystem of northern Alabama: "Notably, D. arcanus occurs in syntopy with the Southern Cavefish (Typhlichthys subterraneus) despite lacking a close phylogenetic relationship, providing evidence for multiple independent evolutionary origins of cave adaptation within a single groundwater system. This discovery highlights persistent detection bias in groundwater ecosystems and demonstrates that cryptic vertebrate diversity can persist even in well-characterized environments. Extreme endemism and restriction to a single cave–aquifer system further underscore the vulnerability of subterranean biodiversity and the importance of integrating evolutionary and conservation perspectives."
The game is notionally boundless in its dimensions
Given the special barbarity and cruelty of the nation’s current government, the international cast of the game’s players, and most especially the enormous numbers of Latino players in the major leagues, baseball has become something of a sacred pageant for the country, providing us a picture of what we could and should be as a people.
Neal the Seal: The Public Nuisance: The Game
Have you always wanted to go on a rampage but don't want to deal with the consequences? Live out your antisocial fantasies in this fun browser game that lets you take Neal on journey through Battery Point doing the things that Neal does. Note: works on mobile but seems more suited for desktop.
Gimme the Zohran $2.12 halal wrap
The Anti-Amazon Costco's model and the future of retail
Strategy to remove red tape that hinders Aboriginal cultural burning
Strategy to remove red tape that hinders Aboriginal cultural burning. Cultural burning helps protect biodiversity and can reduce the severity of bushfires/forest fires.
The New South Wales Cultural Fire Strategy has set a clear timeline to better resource and support Indigenous-led cultural burning.
July 7
Graham Platner is a bad dude — and data shows he's a bad candidate, too
G Elliot Morris: Democrats now have an opportunity to nominate someone less troubled who polls better. Will they waste it? And from Common Dreams:“If Graham’s stepping away, I am very, very interested and think I’m the best person to replace him,” said Troy Jackson, the former Maine Senate president. [more inside]
Dr.Seuss At the Mountains of Madness
Dr.Seuss At the Mountains of Madness read-along on YouTube [22m]. Unearthly horror for children. BONUS: H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu for Beginner Readers [14m].
Mildly perilous space adventures
Val and Isaac by Tred is an ongoing space comedy webcomic about the titular space commando and wizard. Also cyborg engineer Minnow, shapeshifting assassin Space Dread and their friends. Mostly standalone gag strips or very short arcs. Tumblr-hosted so forgive some oddities with strip navigation. [more inside]
The Master's Study
The University of Bologna has opened the Biblioteca Eco, a new public library housing the personal book collection of writer and semiotician Umberto Eco, a decade after his death.
The collection, comprising more than 32,000 volumes from Eco's study in Milan, has found a permanent home in the 20th-century wing of Palazzo Poggi, with its entrance on Piazza Puntoni. [more inside]
New species found in Australia's most pristine marine parks
New species found in Australia's most pristine marine parks.
Researchers have catalogued dozens of new marine species found in the depths of Australia's most remote waters. The result is a window into a rarely glimpsed world.
A Love Letter to Handsome John (and Todd Snider, too)
Folk singer and essential roots-music documentarian Otis Gibbs recently released A Love Letter to Handsome John, a loose, 54-minute documentary streaming free on YouTube. The film is a ramshackle tribute to John Prine, told almost entirely through the chaotic, affectionate memories of Todd Snider. But with Snider's recent passing, the project has taken on an incredibly bittersweet weight. What began as an intimate thank-you note to Prine has unexpectedly morphed into a final, heartbreaking monument to both of these singular Americana icons. It is loose, imperfect, and essential viewing for the folks who love these weirdos. [more inside]
I want to float on every word you say
"For over two decades, Other Voices has brought Glastonbury headliners, Grammy-winners and New York Times cover stars to a tiny church in Dingle to raise their voices and sing."
Some examples: the ethereal Undertow by Lisa Hannigan; the intimate piano ballad Boston by Mick Flannery; the cinematic Fitzcarraldo by The Frames; Hozier's Work Song. Dozens more performances at the Other Voices youTube channel.
It’s not so much what you see here as what you don’t
Long ago, in this very place—in this very room—things happened that set the tone for all that would follow. The establishment of Mission Dolores and San Francisco are intertwined; through a calendrical quirk both are tied to the founding of the United States itself. To understand who we are in the present—in San Francisco, in America—you need to start with the mission’s past. [Esquire; ungated]
July 6
Signs of life in Ningaloo Reef's baby coral after damaging year
Signs of life in Ningaloo Reef's baby coral after damaging year. After suffering its worst bleaching event on record, only to be battered by Cyclone Narelle six months later, the World Heritage-listed reef is showing its first signs of recovery thanks to the efforts of marine scientists. (Australia)
The Last of Us, Arachnid Edition
Hot on the heels (and spiders have so many heels) of the ballista spider, newly discovered spider Taczanowskia waska disguises itself as a dead spider infested with a parasitic fungus.
The Cube
Jim Henson's experimental surrealist film The Cube [55m]. Created with Jerry Juhl, and created outside his work with puppets. I have no idea what it means but the journey certainly was something. Wikipedia.
"You're so lucky, you got molested."
Alaina Bamfield | Untouchable | Full Comedy Special Alaina Bamfield does a 24 minute standup special about getting money from being molested by Larry Nassar. Brilliant.
Biohacker Bryan Johnson Diagnosed With Incurable Autoimmune Gastritis
All men are mortal. Bryan Johnson is a man who wants to reject that premise. Well known multimillionaire biohacker Bryan Johnson who spends $2 million yearly to test, monitor, and hack his longevity towards immortality (his slogan is "Don't die") has revealed that he is among the 2-5% of people suffering from autoimmune gastritis. He blames his poor diet in his youth before he made his fortune and found his mission to perform experiments on himself with an n=1. Turns out his flesh is heir to the thousand natural shocks the rest of us share.
Pawboots [SLYT] 2 Min ad. Safe for Work. Just video & background music
This 2 minute ad for pawboots might make you smile Anyone wishing to buy Pawboots can find them at this link.
Please note: I know nothing about this company other than that the ad made me smile. [more inside]
When the heat steals your smile
Like most outdoor laborers during peak season, Rashid drinks 15 to 20 liters of water daily to survive the relentless heat. (While this can seem like an excessive amount of water, a worker can sweat as much as 1 to 1.5 liters an hour from heavy labor in 45°C temperatures. To compensate for the loss of electrolytes through sweat, workers here consume yogurt and lime drinks with added salt, and eat pickles and other salty foods.) By mid-morning, sweat soaks through his clothes as his body’s cooling mechanism works overtime. He chews on sugarcane during breaks, which provides quick calories — an ancient practice that sustained ancestors but now compounds health problems. Nothing about his general health seemed unusual at first. But when I asked about saliva — that often-overlooked component of oral health that most people never think about — there was a long pause. “My mouth is always dry,” he said quietly in Urdu. “Even when I drink water until I feel sick. My mouth stays dry.” Dentist Zain Azhar documents how extreme heat is ruining teeth. A long read in Earth Island Journal. [more inside]
Free Thread: What are your crowd-pleasing party foods?
When it's time for a cookout/party/get-together, what are your crowd-pleasing recipes? This is your weekly free thread. [more inside]
A Troubling Milestone
In its term that ended last October, the Supreme Court passed an important milestone that went unnoticed: For the first time, it decided more cases by secret ballot, and with few signed opinions, than it did for cases argued in open court. [more inside]
A media format where aimless speculation is both expected & encouraged
What I was really calling to abolish was the currently existing podcast media superstructure, which has become a colossal engine of nonstop hysteria-fomentation and dysregulated magical thinking with zero concern for bare-minimum accuracy. It also operates within a churn of algorithmic stimuli perversely arrayed to ensure this sanity-contaminating trend continues indefinitely.
A national museum's collection that's too sensitive for public display
Murder trial mementos: The Chamberlain artefacts too sensitive to exhibit. Forty years ago, the chance discovery of a bloodied matinee jacket unravelled a murder conviction. Now, that evidence lives inside a national museum's collection that's too sensitive for public display. [more inside]
July 5
War Birds
Birds near Ukraine's frontline are weaving nests from fiber-optic cables used in drone warfare [SLYT]
What’s New in Old Books
Some highlights from special collections libraries’ blogs this week.
An Anti-Nazi Woman in the Propaganda Ministry: The Katrin Janecke Diaries (1941-1945) Newly digitized and in English.
Architectural Watercolor Works of the 19th Century
From Atlanta Bar Rags to Victorian Erotica: Newly Available LGBTQ+ Rare Books & Print at the Rose Library (Behind an anti-scraper captcha, but worth the effort.)
Superboy Saves 1776 Actual dialogue “According to history, Paul Revere got the right signal, so I’m not really changing history if I relight the lantern wick with my heat vision.”
An Anti-Nazi Woman in the Propaganda Ministry: The Katrin Janecke Diaries (1941-1945) Newly digitized and in English.
Architectural Watercolor Works of the 19th Century
From Atlanta Bar Rags to Victorian Erotica: Newly Available LGBTQ+ Rare Books & Print at the Rose Library (Behind an anti-scraper captcha, but worth the effort.)
Superboy Saves 1776 Actual dialogue “According to history, Paul Revere got the right signal, so I’m not really changing history if I relight the lantern wick with my heat vision.”
Images From the 2026 Milky Way Photographer of the Year Contest
These ten breathtaking images from the 2026 Milky Way Photographer of the Year Contest capture the beauty of our galaxy. The gorgeous astrophotographs highlight the dazzling night sky and remind viewers what we risk losing to light pollution.
"From the Desert, to the Shore, French Algiers Became No More!"
In the sprit of not letting your enemy define you, let's celebrate the the 64th anniversary of the independence of Algeria: "De Gaulle pronounced Algeria an independent country on 3 July. The Provisional Executive, however, proclaimed 5 July, the 132nd anniversary of the French entry into Algeria, as the day of national independence." [more inside]