Gregorian chants and a spiral sea creature
Time to take a screen break.
Hi all! I woke up on Tuesday and was convinced it was Friday. Anyone else confused about time?
This week a construction crew cut through the fiber optic cables for the entire neighborhood, so we were all left without internet for a day. Thankfully it was fixed (by 5am the next morning), but for some reason internet construction crews continue to dig up multiple parts of the road outside my window. Amid all of this though, I have to remind myself how fortunate I am that the internet was out for only one day. Here’s what it’s like to live through the pandemic without reliable, broadband internet.
As always, feel free to get in touch with any comments and suggestions. Here's the sign up link if you feel so inclined to share with others.
This week I learned…
In China, robot mannequins will fill out stadium seats instead of baseball fans.
Prehistoric footprints measuring 1.25 meters long (that’s massive, but less than the 6 feet of distance we’re supposed to keep from other people right now) have been discovered in a French cave. They belong to a previously unknown species of dinosaur.
A couple in Naples has started leaving “solidarity baskets” hanging from their window into the empty street below with a note: “Those who can, put something in, those who can't, help yourself.” People are now dropping produce in them and the couple puts together bundles of food for the homeless.
I’m amazed by…
This spiral, which is actually one single organism (related to jellyfish) likely more than a hundred feet long. What is it doing? Eating.
By the numbers…
100,000: Historic texts from 5,000 rare, centuries-old books to be digitized by two institutions in Belgium.
2: Number of hamsters quarantined (along with 50 other pets) in Hong Kong so far due to the coronavirus pandemic.
7,000: Hours worth of Gregorian chants by Benedictine nuns recorded in France. Thought to be the largest recording project ever, a week’s worth of chants have been released for Easter since, due to the coronavirus, people can’t actually go to the abbey in person.
I’m watching…
This very clever PSA on social distancing using mouse traps and ping pong balls.
“I don’t usually get stressed over work. But in this case, when you have 400 traps set 1/4 inch apart, and you have to put that ping-pong ball on the last 100 without letting a single one go off... yeah, that’s pure stress,” said Andy Nick, from the Dayton, Ohio, creative agency Real Art that produced the video.
I’m reading…
Veterinary scientist hailed for Faroe Islands’ lack of COVID-19 deaths — Daniel Boffey for The Guardian
New Zealand isn’t just flattening the curve. It’s squashing it. — Anna Fifield for The Washington Post.
It’s still hard to predict who will die from COVID-19. (Two medical experts break down the five different factors at play that can impact how people are infected) — Arturo Casadevall and Liise-anne Pirofski for Bloomberg
The viral ‘study’ about runners spreading coronavirus is not actually a study — Jason Koebler for Vice (sharing this in case anyone saw an article warning you not to run or bike, this piece debunks that flawed report)
ICYMI
As shelter-in-place drags on, a lot of us have pressing questions. “Can someone outside of your household quarantine with you?” (short answer: no) or “Can you see friends if you stay 6 feet apart” (short answer: maybe). And, of course, “how do I cut my own hair, if I absolutely need to?” (short answer: be careful please!)
You can get answers to almost any question you’ve been wondering about these days here.