Light Posting Notice

Admin note: Posting may be lighter than usual the rest of this week and early next week due to external obligations.

Google Microphones

"After a big privacy backlash, Google's Nest explains which of its products have microphones and why"

Hydro Flasks

"Why Are Hydro Flask Bottles Suddenly Everywhere?" (Via H.R.)

[Off Topic] Hsieh Forbes Column: Should Therapists Treat Climate Change Denial As A Psychological Disorder?

[Off topic] My latest Forbes piece is now out: "Should Therapists Treat Climate Change Denial As A Psychological Disorder?"

Spoiler: "No."

ET Life Update

"Life probably can't exist on quite as many planets as we once thought"

Missionary Texting

"Latter-day Saint missionaries can now call, text home weekly":

Missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can now call, text or video chat weekly, the First Presidency announced Friday. This update to guidelines regarding communication between full-time missionaries and their families follows a decades-long tradition of missionaries only calling home twice a year -- on Christmas and on Mother's Day.

Paying For Super-Expensive Stuff

"How Do the Insanely Wealthy Actually Pay for Something Worth Hundreds of Millions of Dollars?"

Emojis In Court

"Emoji are showing up in court cases exponentially, and courts aren't prepared"

Bubble Wrap History

"The Accidental Invention of Bubble Wrap"

Amazon's Middle-Earth

"Where the Stars Are Strange: A First Look at Amazon's Middle-earth"

Northern Vs. Southern Lights

"Why Do the Northern and Southern Lights Differ? Scientists have discovered the culprit: how the sun squeezes Earth’s magnetic tail"

Medieval Trade Routes

"A Detailed Map of Medieval Trade Routes in Europe, Asia, and Africa"

Zebra Stripes

"The Surprising Reason Zebras Have Stripes"

Google Sees All

"How did the police know you were near a crime scene? Google told them"

'Oumuamua Update

"No, 'Oumuamua is not an alien spaceship. It might be even weirder"

When Kids Realize Their Whole Life Is Already Online

"When Kids Realize Their Whole Life Is Already Online"

Protecting Privacy

"Chrome will make it harder to block incognito browsing"

Foldable Phone

"Samsung's foldable phone is the Galaxy Fold, available April 26th starting at $1,980"

Good Apple

"Man discovers 30 year old Apple computer still in working order":

“My oldest, who is 9, exclaimed “that’s a computer?!” in genuine surprise, and then pointed at the floppy drives and asked “what are those?” My younger twins just kept laughing at how silly it seemed to them.”

Bad Plagiarist

Courtney Milan: "Cristiane Serruya is a copyright infringer, a plagiarist, and an idiot".

The evidence is pretty convincing.

Plus as the victimized author notes: "[I]f I were an unethical plagiarist and I was looking to plagiarize a romance author, I would pick literally anyone except the one who clerked for the Supreme Court, taught intellectual property as a law professor, and doesn’t back down from a fight."