- new"Do not feel absolutely certain of anything." Bertrand Russell's 10 rules for thinking clearly, from 1951
In 1951, Bertrand Russell closed an essay on liberalism and fanaticism with what he called a "Liberal Decalogue" — ten rules for honest thinkers, not to replace the original commandments but to supplement them. Writing in The New York Times Magazin…
- 2 hours ago 11 Feb 26, 1:19pm -
- newEurope builds its own payment network, ditches Visa
Thirteen European countries have formed an alliance called EuroPA to build a continent-wide payment system that routes around Visa and Mastercard — and the $24 trillion in annual transactions the two American companies currently handle, Cory Doctor…
- 2 hours ago 11 Feb 26, 1:09pm -
- newBondi refused to turn around and face the Epstein victims sitting right behind her
Every trafficking victim seated behind Attorney General Pam Bondi at Wednesday's House Judiciary Committee hearing raised their hand when asked whether the Department of Justice had refused to meet with them. Bondi wouldn't turn around to look, accor…
- 3 hours ago 11 Feb 26, 12:22pm -
- newWWII's strangest vessels were ice cream factories
Their names sound like a chemistry exam: USS Antimony, USS Calcium, USS Hydrogen — three concrete barges that spent World War II doing exactly one important thing in the Pacific: making ice cream. Roughly 500 gallons per shift, about five tons a da…
- 5 hours ago 11 Feb 26, 10:37am -
- newFour students solved a geometry puzzle by pretending squares were resistors
Four Cambridge math students in the 1930s wanted to know if you could fill a square with smaller squares, each a different size. They solved it by pretending the squares were electrical resistors. Brooks, Smith, Stone, and Tutte — who published as…
- 5 hours ago 11 Feb 26, 10:33am -
- newA surreal animation of a goose confused by a fire extinguisher
This looping animation by Robert Samuel Hanson is only a few seconds long. A goose tries to interact with a fire extinguisher. The goose and the extinguisher share the same beak (or handle), depending on how you look at it.The simple black-and-white…
- 5 hours ago 11 Feb 26, 10:26am -
- newHow James Nasmyth created stunningly realistic moon models in 1874
In 1874, an astronomer named James Nasmyth built his own telescope, observed the moon, and then created and photographed detailed plaster models of its surface. You can see one of those photographs here. Without context, you'd think it was taken from…
- 5 hours ago 11 Feb 26, 10:04am -
- newUpgrade your listening with JBL noise-canceling earbuds, now just $40
TL;DR: Upgrade your listening setup with these JBL Tune Buds 2 True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds, now only $39.99.Are you in the market for some new earbuds? These JBL Tune Buds 2 True Wireless Noise Canceling Earbuds offer killer sound, all…
- 6 hours ago 11 Feb 26, 10:00am -
- newThis MS Office 2024 sale is the tech version of getting your life together
TL;DR: Get modern, AI-powered Office 2024 apps for Mac or PC for a one-time $99.97 — faster performance, smarter tools, and lifetime access without subscriptions.There are two types of people: People who don't mind paying monthly subscriptions.…
- 6 hours ago 11 Feb 26, 10:00am -
- newA manhole cover may have been the first object launched into space
Manhole covers are round for a mix of safety, engineering, and practical reasons. A circular cover can't fall through its opening, regardless of rotation, making it safer for workers and pedestrians. The shape also matches the circular shafts below,…
- 6 hours ago 11 Feb 26, 9:58am -