re•blog•a•rhythm

What I saw on the web on 2026.5.13

Thu, 14 May 2026 14:33:01 GMT

Interview with Alicorn on how story conflict is optional and characters in utopia should do fewer drugs
by Alicorn speaking to Ozy Brennan
https://thingofthings.substack.com/p/interview-with-alicorn-on-how-story
especially appreciated for the conflict-is-optional and less-suspense aspects
via rss
ADA PALMER and JO WALTON Talk Fantasy, Science Fiction, Gelato, and Their New Book: TRACE ELEMENTS!!
by Jo Walton and Ada Palmer speaking with Masked Manta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWtXK_ZtMgM
how did i only find out about this a month and a half after it got uploaded? half an hour in so far, and it's of course very good
via discord

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.12

Wed, 13 May 2026 12:28:41 GMT

Historian seeks to tell the real story of Mill Woods
by Stephanie Swensrude
https://edmonton.taproot.news/news/2026/05/12/historian-seeks-to-tell-the-real-story-of-mill-woods
sadly, the discussions are at times i likely can't make. looking forward to seeing what comes out of this!
via rss
Lies, Damn Lies, and Bart Giamatti
by John Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6N16afnPRs
a reminder that you don't necessarily remember what you remember
via rss
a bunch of Middle-Earth "what if" questions
by Signum University
https://spinthewheel.io/wheels/NgDkYNtV1HhHGbawiqZNcz0xJmU9MA%3D%3D
a lot of fun counterfactuals here
via discord

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.11

Tue, 12 May 2026 14:07:18 GMT

If you found candy with my name in it, here's why.
by Tom Scott
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZRXpmnys7I
this is kinda delightful
via rss
INTEGERS WITH A PREDETERMINED PRIME FACTORIZATION
by Eric Naslund
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1203.2363
this is also delightful, but differently
via personal communication

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.10

Mon, 11 May 2026 12:28:18 GMT

Why Is Adam Savage Like This?
by Adam Savage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUDHJ1QEFxQ
an interesting explanation of how his praxis with fan interaction became this. i wonder what Fripp would think.
via youtube recommends
You're Gen X. You can bring back one thing from the 80s. What is it?
by greeneyedsoandso
https://bsky.app/profile/greeneyedsoandso.bsky.social/post/3mljqjozles26
excellent answer. hard agree.
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.9

Sun, 10 May 2026 12:35:33 GMT

The High Cost of Being a Second-Hand Thinker
by Grant Sanderson talking with Luba Yudasina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtkac4WHC1o
mostly cuz it's interesting to hear Grant's perspectives on math education. cuz of course.
via youtube recommends
LEGO Raises Age Limit to 100+ for David Attenborough’s Birthday
by Michael Walsh
https://nerdist.com/article/lego-raises-age-limit-to-100-for-david-attenborough-birthday/
in case you were worried
via discord
How I met my wife
by Jack Winter
https://www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/humor/how-i-met-my-wife.html
your challenge: read this out loud at an ordinary speaking pace
via ran prieur

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.8

Sat, 09 May 2026 13:02:32 GMT

A moment in history: May 8, 1989
by Scott Lilwall
https://edmonton.taproot.news/briefs/2026/05/08/a-moment-in-history-may-8-1989
and a fine moment it was!
via rss
Preserved Fish
by wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preserved_Fish
as per comment in discord, "this wikipedia page is not what you might expect it to be"
via discord
Active Transportation:
Snow and Ice Multi-Modal Transportation Survey
by the City of Edmonton
https://cityofedmonton.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9n9rePUl4PJgOuq
in case you have opinions about how Edmonton clears now from bike paths, bus stops, etc
via taproot

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.7

Fri, 08 May 2026 12:40:00 GMT

Endangered Butterflies Are Thriving Behind Bars
by Michaela Haas
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/prison-conservation-butterflies/
looks like an excellent match between creatures in need and people needing something to do
via rss
Conclave 1492
by Lighthaven Summer Camp after Ada Palmer
https://conclave1492.com/
in case you missed the class at the University of Chicago
via discord
The Psychology Of Gen X (Raised Without Applause)
by Big Brain Explains
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6IOe2XJd_U
i feel seen. i'm not sure i'm comfortable being seen. stop that.
via FB
I think that about covers it
by mrissa
https://mrissa.dreamwidth.org/1216496.html
looking forward to it!
via various
Hearts and Minds: An Ambivalent Review of “Project Hail Mary”
by Peter Watts
https://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=11659
perhaps unsurprisingly, Dr.Watts has Thoughts about an attempt at a Hard-SF movie
via rss
No whey, a cottage cheese shortage? Demand surges amid protein craze
by Natalie Stechyson
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cottage-cheese-shortage-canada-9.7187233
in case you were wondering where it all went
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.6

Thu, 07 May 2026 14:27:43 GMT

Ixnay on the Post-Apocalyptic Cannibals: Rebecca Solnit’s A Paradise Built in Hell
by Ruthanna Emrys discussing Rebecca Solnit
https://reactormag.com/ixnay-on-the-post-apocalyptic-cannibals-rebecca-solnits-a-paradise-built-in-hell/
this book's been on my radar for a while. i need to actually read it at some point
via discord
In Praise of Vulture
by Cory Doctorow
https://pluralistic.net/2026/05/06/champerty-loves-company/#circle-of-life
including how the current ambient system hates it when little people have agency:
Gerrymandering strips your vote of any impact on political outcomes. Monopoly strips your purchases of any ability to influence economic outcomes.

via rss
Song, Skin, Sea
by Tamara Vardomskaya
https://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/song-skin-sea/
about music and what we must do for it
via discord

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.5

Wed, 06 May 2026 12:24:02 GMT

sorry, nothing for you this time

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.4

Tue, 05 May 2026 12:16:57 GMT

What if a D&D designer designed the next American government?
by Mike Mearls & Christopher Robichaud talking at Ben Riggs
https://3b32d586-8884-4802-b778-f3b80722da69.libsyn.com/what-if-a-dd-designer-designed-the-next-american-government-mike-mearls-christopher-robichaud-ep-97
fascinating concept, passable execution
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.3

Mon, 04 May 2026 12:19:20 GMT

Purloined List of Electors imbroglio moves to the next stage: the search for a fall guy
by David Climenhaga
https://albertapolitics.ca/2026/05/purloined-list-of-electors-imbroglio-moves-to-the-next-stage-the-search-for-a-fall-guy/
that will make verifying the signatures on the separation petition much more interesting, won't it?
via rss
Ada Palmer on "Crises" and the Renaissance
by Ada Palmer speaking to C.Derick Varn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zhJTdPb_tg
mostly points i've encountered before, but she always presents her fascinating material so well
via discord
When oysters 'attack': B.C. team rescues heron from clingy shellfish
by Simon Little
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/heron-oyster-rescue-9.7173408
gotta be careful about them vicious shellfish!
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.2

Sun, 03 May 2026 12:24:30 GMT

Pedal Steel (the hardest instrument I've played so far)
by Rob Scallon learning from Doc Brown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIoA182qE58
two necks, twenty strings, several pedals, several knee levers?!?, and a volume pedal. wowzers!
via youtube recommends
AI learns language from skewed sources. That could change how we humans speak – and think
by Ada Palmer and Bruce Schneier
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/14/ai-language-human-speech
excellent piece. i didn't have "Ada and Bruce co-write something for the Gruniad" on my bingo card for today, but am glad to read it
via discord

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What I saw on the web on 2026.5.1

Sat, 02 May 2026 12:23:35 GMT

April 2026 Review
by Edmonton Weather Nerdery
http://edmontonweathernerdery.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-review.html
cuz ~~march~~ april was a weird one
via rss
LaTeX Tutorials
by Dr. Trefor Bazett
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHXZ9OQGMqxcWWkx2DMnQmj5os2X5ZR73
it's far far past time for me to grok L_AT_EX. this looks helpful?
via going looking

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.30

Fri, 01 May 2026 12:24:29 GMT

The Angine de Poitrine Argument for UBI
by Scott Santens
https://www.scottsantens.com/the-angine-de-poitrine-argument-for-ubi/
[makes triangle shape with hands in agreement]
via ran prieur
Speed limit on section of Alberta's Highway 2 boosted to 120 km/h in pilot project
by Natasha Riebe
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-highway-speed-pilot-project-9.7181734
at least they're trialing it on a piece of road with no level crossings. still not convinced this is a good idea
via rss
Do Our Pets Just Have Stockholm Syndrome?
by Simone Giertz asking Hank Green questions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8irhCqM7XUo
brought to you by the colour orange
via youtube recommends

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.29

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:54:49 GMT

A Day in the Life of an Ensh*ttificator
by Norwegian Consumer Council
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Upf_B9RLQ
i presume someone's notified Cory Doctorow about this
via someone showing it to me IRL
Five String Basses Are the Future — Here's Why
by Upton Bass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQwo6rfPyww
interesting point of view
via rss
Why Is This Village Called "Y"?
by the Tim Traveller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ6EjMFg_L8
and other short names for villages
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.28

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:03:34 GMT

Alberta Referendumb 2026
by Referendum Reality Check
https://albertareferendumb2026.ca/
yes, please take the air out of Dani's tires on this
via going searching after cbc news item
Support for Alberta separatism flat, struggling high earners more likely supporters: poll
by Joel Dryden after Janet Brown
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-separatism-janet-brown-mitch-sylvestre-9.7178496
none of these results are terribly surprising, but most are heartening
via rss
The location of every star on a national flag
by /u/conspiracie
https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/91is49/density_map_of_stars_on_national_flags_oc/
neat visualization
via discord
What I Can't Show You
by John Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUvp12he8h4
in case you need some happy-but-not-done news
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.27

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:19:38 GMT

Small gaps between almost primes, the parity problem and some conjectures of Erdős on consecutive integers
by D. A. GOLDSTON, S. W. GRAHAM, J. PINTZ AND C. Y. YILDIRIM
https://arxiv.org/pdf/0803.2636
relevant to some conjectures i'd made
via elseDW
Dickson's conjecture
by Wikipedia, after DIckson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dickson%27s_conjecture
also relevant
via same elseDW
Quantum
by Zach Weinersmith
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/quantum-6
all great, and the red button is precisely correct
via rss
Wombats Poop Cubes
by Veritaseum
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iRach9lpIlg
in case you were wondering why
via rss
If you're not ready for real patients, try fake ones.
by Tom Scott et al
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v2ZhcJcnBE
i've encountered some of this sort of stuff before. their set-up looks impressive
via not yet rss, but i'm sure it'll be there soon
set
by Zach Weinersmith
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/set
as with link 3, the red button is entirely correct
via rss
HIKED: A set of five personality attributes
by David Stark
http://zarkonnen.com/hiked/
cuz 2-axis alignment matrices are so 1980
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.26

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:53:53 GMT

nothing! was otherwise bizzy! sorry!

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.25

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 12:41:30 GMT

Ada Palmer's "Inventing the Renaissance"
by Cory Doctorow reviewing Ada Palmer
https://pluralistic.net/2026/04/25/machiavellian/#brackets-good
i mean, one of my favourite people reviewing one of my favourite people, how can i not flog it here?
via rss
The important questions raised by Parliament's game of musical chairs
by Aaron Wherry
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/parliament-committees-floor-crossing-analysis-9.7176595
two specific excellent points here:
1. canadians never vote for a majority or a minority government. canadians vote for a parliament.
2. is it ever a good idea for the government to control parliamentary committees?
via rss
End
by Zach Weinersmith
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/end-2
this is precisely why i also don't worry about it
via rss
Alberta government to add four fast tracks to teacher certification
by Janet French
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-education-teacher-certification-trades-skilled-professionals-9.7176674
they might get better results on teacher recruitment by, i dunno, treating teachers better?
via rss
The longest train journey in the EU
by Jon Worth
https://jonworth.eu/the-longest-train-journey-in-the-eu/
someone tell The Tim Traveller!
via discord
Vasari Corridor: The World's Least Secret Secret Passageway
by the Tim Traveller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp-27vp6xXk
hey, he checked out the Vasari Corridor!
via looking at his stuff, after finding the link i used in the comment on the previous link

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.24

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 13:18:31 GMT

Here's what happens when you join the Federation economy
by K.Chen
https://bsky.app/profile/tznkai.bsky.social/post/3l3xuy2fm2m2g
how does a moneyless economy with limited resources work, exactly?
via discord
The Beloved Oregon Restaurant Rewriting the Rules of Seafood
by Hannah Wallace
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/local-ocean-oregon-coast-seafood/
if ever i'm in Oregon, i must check this place out
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.23

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:57:32 GMT

All of humanity is on this card.
by Jessica Hagy
https://thisisindexed.com/2026/04/all-of-humanity-is-on-this-card/
i feel seen
via rss
What if Columbo could regenerate like Doctor Who
by Christopher Bird
https://bsky.app/profile/mightygodking.com/post/3mjzmr6clqs2j
including detailed discussion of all the choices of actors
via discord
Monkey out of Me
by Troy McClure et al
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy6CFTMnYa4
it was Earth all along!
via it suddenly getting stuck in my head
Monstrous octopus terrorized seas off B.C. in Age of Dinosaurs, study suggests
by Emily Chung
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/giant-octopus-fossil-9.6956377
in case you need some ancient gigantic octopodes
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.22

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:35:03 GMT

We asked Canada's premiers if they fly private. Here's what they said
by Sarah Berman and Sarah Petz
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/premiers-private-flights-commercial-9.7171284
especially note the answer about the one who's 6'7"
via rss
wantok
by wiktionary
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wantok
in case you were wondering. also note: wantokism
via it came up
Waiting for them
by mrissa
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01069-8
you dream for it, and then it happens
via discord

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.21

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:21:55 GMT

Nothing! Sorry, otherwise busy!

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.20

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:55:57 GMT

What's The Longest Place Name In Continental Europe?
by the Tim Traveller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRao81znZYo
unsurprisingly, it gets mired in definitional issues
via rss
Nigh
by Zach Weinersmith
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/nigh-2
mostly for the mouse-over text
via rss
Alberta government moving to adopt daylight time year-round
by Janet French
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/daylight-saving-time-clock-change-time-zone-alberta-9.7171054
so we're entering permanent hell. why am i not surprised?
via hearing about it via FB
Delete your accounts
by Jonathan Crowe
https://buttondown.com/jonathancrowe/archive/delete-your-accounts/
well said, sir!
via rss

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What I saw on the web on 2026.4.19

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:41:51 GMT

Threatening Music Notation
by Threatening Music Notation
https://bsky.app/profile/musicnotation.bsky.social
checking in again after some time. lots of funny stuff in here for folks who know staff notation
via FB

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