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ift.tt/2hXlR8W heather-benjamin: single tear via ift.tt/2hX6QEp ift.tt/1b8W9aj

ift.tt/2iQIMDf There is nothing quite so satisfying as manipulating materials using hand tools. There’s a level of connection with the work, and human finesse, that you just can’t get using things that plug into the wall. There’s been a bit…

ift.tt/2iRsldQ “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (i.e., the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (i.e., the…

ift.tt/2hAiKTw Clutter, probably more than cleanliness, affects our sense of well-being at home. And in a place where we should feel relaxed, refreshed, and most like ourselves, it’s imperative to shed anything that makes us feel otherwise. Here are our…

ift.tt/2iivsu9 The Washington Post on Friday reported a genuinely alarming event: Russian hackers have penetrated the U.S. power system through an electrical grid in Vermont. The Post headline conveyed the seriousness of the threat: The first sentence of the article directly linked…

What did you learn to cook by heart this year? We believe that utter confidence and enjoyment of cooking lies first in knowing the smartest, simplest ways to cook the essentials. We teach you week in and week out with…

ift.tt/2hVMU4Q (Photo: Desiree Kane) Independent media will be an essential lifeline next year. Make sure we’re there to bring you the truth about 2017: Make a tax-deductible donation to Truthout today! I arrived at Standing Rock in the very last…

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Thursday unveiled its full 37-page report on its three-year investigation into Edward Snowden, drawing even more criticism for conclusions that have been called biased by supporters of the former NSA contractor. The…

ift.tt/2ihYXwh trulyunpleasant: This statue is a couple miles from where I live, just sitting in someones backyard. It was in two crappy Atlantis sword-and-sandal movies back in the 50′s/60′s. Then it sat on top of a bar (or club) for…

ift.tt/2hQ2KRs How 60 ambiguous words gave the United States’ president unprecedented war power ‘The President is authorised to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organisations, or persons he determines planned, authorised, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks…

ift.tt/2i01994 The legendary Roman dining couch, known as the klinai, was made from wood or stone, covered with cloth, and designed for lying down. I sometimes wonder how comfortable it really was. Then again, since people 2,000 years ago weren’t…

ift.tt/2i933nR Cuban refugees granted asylum in the USA in September 1996. Photo courtesy Wikipedia In the late 17th century, small bands of refugees began making their way into Spanish Florida. At first, they arrived in small numbers, carrying little more…

A Long Time Ago: The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy This New Year’s Eve, ring in the coming year the old-fashioned way: Listen to Sean and Stefan talk about George Lucas’s Star Wars prequel trilogy for 80 minutes! For the final…

ift.tt/2hImm6r “Humanity surely needs practical men who make the best of their work for the sake of their own interests, without forgetting the general interest. But it also needs DREAMERS, for whom the unselfish following of a purpose is so…

ift.tt/2iq70r4 This is a video of Destin from Smarter Every Day detailing the unique mechanical properties of a Prince Rupert’s drop, which is made by dripping a string of molten glass in a bucket of cold water (not to be…

ift.tt/2iNhEEY From the discovery of gravitational waves to the building evidence that a massive planet could exist beyond Pluto, it has been a thrilling year for astronomy news. We recap. When two black holes twirl in a mutual orbit, they…

ift.tt/2iiokOT Wormholes, alternate universes, time warps — we’ve all heard crazy theories about what happens inside a black hole. So what’s the real story? Artist’s illustration of the silhouette of a black hole surrounded by stars. NASA GSFC The short…

ift.tt/2iL9xJe When Vera Rubin went to Cornell University to earn a master’s degree, she quickly found herself immersed in galaxy dynamics, lured to the topic by Martha Stahr Carpenter. The interest, though, was a natural one; it drew on Rubin’s…

ift.tt/2i8yhOn Learn black hole facts, such as what we mean by “singularity” and “ergosphere,” and why we think black holes are real. You can think of a spinning black hole as a cosmic whirlpool. Harry Clarke, from Edgar Allan Poe’s…