Bonus Drop #79 (2025-03-16): Weekend Hodge Podge

The Weekend Bonus Drop covers Prettier, an opinionated code formatter ensuring consistent style across programming languages, and Krep, a fast C-based string search tool outperforming traditional utilities. It also includes updates to the {hrbrthemes} #RStats package. | Continue reading


@dailydrop.hrbrmstr.dev | 31 minutes ago

Mice administer 'first-aid' to friends — even trying to bring the dead back to life

Mice will lick the faces and pull at the tongues of other mice if they're found unconscious, with more vigorous grooming resulting in faster recovery. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 32 minutes ago

Sunday photoblogging: the iron bridge at Ironbridge

At the cutting edge of world history and industrial progress back when it was built in 1799, but now Ironbridge and nearby Coalbrookdale are bucolic backwaters where you struggle to get a decent phone signal. | Continue reading


@crookedtimber.org | 33 minutes ago

New battery-free electricity source: Tiny plastic beads

Harnessing a principle known as triboelectrification, researchers have worked out the optimal way to generate an electrical charge in a relatively simple way. The breakthrough could provide a battery-free way to power wearables and other devices. Continue Reading Category: Materi … | Continue reading


@newatlas.com | 39 minutes ago

The Best RAM for Your PC (2025)

Building a new computer or looking to upgrade your memory? Here are our favorite options right now. | Continue reading


@wired.com | 39 minutes ago

Who needs Chromecast? I switched to this $20 Google TV box and haven’t looked back

The Chromecast is dead in name, but lives on in spirit thanks to this budget alternative. | Continue reading


@androidauthority.com | 41 minutes ago

Scientists Discover Potential Ozempic Rival That Could Help People Lose Weight With Less Nausea

Stanford Medicine researchers have identified a promising, naturally occurring molecule that could help people lose weight—without the nauseating symptoms now commonly seen with GLP-1 drugs. | Continue reading


@gizmodo.com | 42 minutes ago

This gaming mouse has a striking skeletonized design and hot-swap batteries

Angry Miao is known for ridiculous, over-the-top mechanical keyboard designs, but now it’s made a gaming mouse that’s, you guessed it: ridiculous and over-the-top. It’s also cool as all hell, starts at $125 on a Kickstarter preorder special ending March 17th, and may be my … | Continue reading


@theverge.com | 42 minutes ago

Researchers make stunning discovery about promising next-gen fuel source: 'We are working at the limits of our knowledge'

The research came together as part of a collaborative effort by multiple European institutions. Researchers make stunning discovery about promising next-gen fuel source: 'We are working at the limits of our knowledge' first appeared on The Cool Down. | Continue reading


@thecooldown.com | 42 minutes ago

Guru’s Lie – Writing Isn’t Easy, and That’s the Point

It will not literally speak to you. But visible areas of increased connectivity within the slip box, what Sonke Ahrens calls “clusters” can guide you towards ideas ready for expression. – A System for Writing Pg 111 This is one of the big misconceptions with a Zettelkasten/PKM sy … | Continue reading


@curtismchale.ca | 42 minutes ago

A greener Ramadan: How Atlanta-area mosques are cutting food waste during the Muslim holy month

At some places of worship, hundreds of people attend the evening breaking of the fast — which means a lot of discarded food and plastic water bottles. This year, more than a dozen sites of worship are planning “zero-waste” iftars to tackle the problem. | Continue reading


@grist.org | 42 minutes ago

It’s all hallucinations

The discourse on “AI” systems, chat bots, “assistants” and “research helpers” is defined by a lot of future promises. Those systems are disfunctional or at least not working great right now but there’s the promise of things getting better in the future. Which is how we often perc … | Continue reading


@tante.cc | 43 minutes ago

Framed iPhone screenshots

After reading Jason Snell’s review of Shareshot and Framous, I thought I should start adding frames to my iPhone screenshots again, something I haven’t done for several years. But I didn’t buy either of the apps he reviewed, nor did I download Federico Viticci’s Apple Frames Shor … | Continue reading


@leancrew.com | 46 minutes ago

NASA’s New Satellite Could Change the Way We Farm Forever

The NISAR satellite is set to revolutionize global agriculture by providing high-resolution, frequently updated radar data on crops and soil moisture. This breakthrough will allow farmers and policymakers to optimize planting schedules, irrigation, and resource allocation with un … | Continue reading


@scitechdaily.com | 49 minutes ago

Anti American Demonstration in Nuuk, Greenland

I am so deeply humiliated, so deeply ashamed, and so deeply, deeply, deeply angry with those who have made this absurd atrocity a reality. | Continue reading


@thinc.blog | 1 hour ago

Why Canadian-trained doctors should be allowed to practise anywhere in Canada without additional licensing

Pan-Canadian licensing can improve health-care access in underserved areas and increase flexibility for physicians. (Shutterstock) While politicians tout the benefits of reducing interprovincial trade barriers to unlock prosperity amid escalating trade tensions, our most precious … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 1 hour ago

Donald Trump thinks some accents are ‘beautiful,’ but what makes them so?

United States President Donald Trump has recently been commenting on accents while meeting foreign leaders and taking questions from foreign journalists. Trump praised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s “beautiful” accent, saying he would have been president 20 years ago if he … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 1 hour ago

Trump’s English language order upends America’s long multilingual history

Across its nearly 250-year history, the United States has never had an official language. On March 1, U.S. President Donald Trump changed that when he signed an executive order designating English as the country’s sole official language. The order marks a fundamental rupture from … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 1 hour ago

Why Gordie Howe’s elbows are Canada’s answer to Donald Trump

When Canadian ice hockey centre Connor McDavid scored in overtime to lead Canada to victory over the United States in the National Hockey League’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted on social media, “You can’t take our country … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 1 hour ago

Sunday Poem

Amber Inside the sugar maples’ locked branches something clear has begun to come loose; it will be caught, held, plied with intense heat. I pity the pink tips of those branches, their forced march in the dark before the clocks catch up. And I pity myself, swaddled bones scraping … | Continue reading


@3quarksdaily.com | 1 hour ago

Why some Canadians are in denial about Donald Trump

Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed Canada will never be a 51st American state and has called on Canada to present a united front to defend against United States President Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on Canada’s economy and sovereignty. Most Canadians are already on board. … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 1 hour ago

Email signatures are harming the planet and could cost people their lives — it’s time to stop using them

A recent study has shown that the environmental and human mortality impacts of modern information technology — especially email infrastructure — are significant. (Shutterstock) The use of information technology (IT) has significant environmental and social impacts, including huma … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 1 hour ago

Joey Molland (1947 – 2025) Songwriter, Guitarist, Badfinger

Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now. | Continue reading


@3quarksdaily.com | 1 hour ago

Extracting content from an LCP "protected" ePub

As Cory Doctorow once said "Any time that someone puts a lock on something that belongs to you but won't give you the key, that lock's not there for you." But here's the thing with the LCP DRM scheme; they do give you the key! As I've written about previously, LCP mostly relies o … | Continue reading


@shkspr.mobi | 1 hour ago

These Laptop Stands Run My Household, and Life Is Better for It

Attention Apple users: Rain Design makes the best minimal, fuss-free stands for Macbooks, iMacs, iPads, and iPhones. | Continue reading


@wired.com | 1 hour ago

Napoleons of paintings: 2 Defeat

After his divorce, his son the King of Rome. Disaster on the retreat from Moscow, and exile on the island of Saint Helena. The rapid rise of Napoleon III and his military failure against Prussia in 1870. | Continue reading


@eclecticlight.co | 1 hour ago

Scientists make game-changing discovery that could unlock next-gen devices: 'Can answer the long-time unanswered question'

The study was conducted by a team of researchers from Tohoku University and the University of Münster. Scientists make game-changing discovery that could unlock next-gen devices: 'Can answer the long-time unanswered question' first appeared on The Cool Down. | Continue reading


@thecooldown.com | 1 hour ago

Coalescence

A poem | Continue reading


@theatlantic.com | 1 hour ago

New pill reduces nasty side-effects of Parkinson’s meds in human trial

Despite being a mainstay of Parkinson's disease treatment, levodopa, a dopamine-replenishing medication, can cause nasty side-effects with long-term use. A recent human trial found that a new drug significantly reduces these effects, representing a breakthrough milestone in Parki … | Continue reading


@newatlas.com | 1 hour ago

Avoiding the Automation of your Heart

A correspondence with Freya India | Continue reading


@gurwinder.blog | 1 hour ago

Samsung can take my Galaxy Note 9 and S Pen from my dead cold hands

This seven-year-old combo is a core facet of my new wind-down routine. | Continue reading


@androidauthority.com | 1 hour ago

LeBron James Cracks Down on the Press

It’s embarrassing for everyone involved. | Continue reading


@theatlantic.com | 1 hour ago

The Last Great Yiddish Novel

Chaim Grade’s Sons and Daughters rescues a destroyed world. | Continue reading


@theatlantic.com | 1 hour ago

Researchers discover unexpected benefit of new trend in lawn care: 'Can be a hotspot'

Cornell AgriTech tested the campus lawn over the course of two years, measuring a variety of factors. Researchers discover unexpected benefit of new trend in lawn care: 'Can be a hotspot' first appeared on The Cool Down. | Continue reading


@thecooldown.com | 1 hour ago

Google's AI 'co-scientist' cracked 10-year superbug problem in just 2 days

Scientists took 10 years to figure out how one type of superbug gains its ability to infect diverse bacterial species. When prompted, Google's new AI "co-scientist" gave them the answer in two days. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 1 hour ago

A bad movie full of big ideas about tech

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 75, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, hope you have some time to kill this weekend, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading … | Continue reading


@theverge.com | 1 hour ago

How to Customize the Samsung Galaxy S25’s Best New Features

The Galaxy S25 flagships come with several clever new software tricks. Two of them—the Now Bar and the Now Brief—can be highly personalized. | Continue reading


@wired.com | 1 hour ago

Wild ‘Waterbending’ Technique Uses Waves to Steer Floating Objects With Precision

Researchers manipulated water waves to move ping pong balls and grains of rice with a level of precision that seems straight out of a sci-fi movie. | Continue reading


@gizmodo.com | 1 hour ago

Shelf-Life #5: A Man on the Moon

Some books are a call to action. Such was Andrew Chaikin’s A Man on the Moon. This book set me off on two paths of discovery: one [...] | Continue reading


@jamierubin.net | 1 hour ago

And Oh, About that Thing – Introduction

I am someone who has lived what I could call a normal, everyday, and unusual life. Therefore, what I have seen, heard, lived through, and all that I have experienced is unique and subjective to me. I know this.I have my own way and my own style, or like anyone else in this world, … | Continue reading


@thewrittenaddiction.com | 1 hour ago

Innovative program puts Mardi Gras beads to good use after the party is over: 'A big impact'

The program gives back to the community in many ways, including financially. Innovative program puts Mardi Gras beads to good use after the party is over: 'A big impact' first appeared on The Cool Down. | Continue reading


@thecooldown.com | 1 hour ago

New Wearable Device Allows You To “Feel” Virtual Worlds

The device provides a range of sensations, such as vibrations, pressure, and twisting. A team of engineers led by Northwestern University has developed a new wearable device that stimulates the skin to deliver a range of complex sensations. This thin, flexible device gently adher … | Continue reading


@scitechdaily.com | 1 hour ago

David Sellers (1938 – 2025) Architect

Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now. | Continue reading


@3quarksdaily.com | 2 hours ago

March 16, 2025

Dawn arrives between showers. I think about all the cicada larvae of Brood XIV stirring under the ground, preparing for the last and most eventful spring of their lives. | Continue reading


@morningporch.com | 2 hours ago

Cyclone Alfred to cost budget $1.2 billion, hit growth and push up inflation: Chalmers

Cyclone Alfred will cost the March 25 budget at least A$1.2 billion, hit growth and put pressure on inflation, Treasurer Jim Chalmers says. In a Tuesday speech previewing the budget, Chalmers will also say that on preliminary estimates, the cyclone’s immediate hit to GDP is expec … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 2 hours ago

How to Clean a Toaster Oven: Tips and Tricks

How to keep your oven clean in the first place. And how to degrease a really dirty one. | Continue reading


@wired.com | 2 hours ago

Artist creates inspirational works using surprising materials: 'We can recreate the natural world'

"Abstraction and representation at the same time." Artist creates inspirational works using surprising materials: 'We can recreate the natural world' first appeared on The Cool Down. | Continue reading


@thecooldown.com | 2 hours ago

The Kushan Empire and its languages

Jean Nota Bene, the biggest French YouTuber (millions of followers) on historical subjects, recently focused on the Kushans. He follows many of the same themes that we do on Language Log and Sino-Platonic Papers (including Greek-Indian-Chinese associations), so many readers of th … | Continue reading


@languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu | 2 hours ago