Am very excited about this week’s issue, hope you enjoy it too.
Superb image off Reddit, where the F-22 is accelerating so much that the low pressure causes the water to condense in its wake. I call this a planebow.
- Rapture of the Deep - A brilliant Sports Illustrated piece from 2003 about two of the world’s best freedivers. While chasing records and diving deep, only one of them survived to tell the tale.
- The Legend of America’s Most Dedicated, Most Creative People Smuggler - Riveting read about Elden Kidd, a man who ferries people across the border from Mexico into the US.
His throat was raw from all the salt water, his ankles and calves throbbed, he was physically spent, his body tugging him down into the sweet molasses of sleep. But elation is what he felt—he was almost goofy with it. - The Man who Lit the Dark Web - John White works on something called Memex, which is a new-age data visualisation of the internet, including the Dark Web.
Memex tools can show the movements of ISIS recruits or propaganda; links between shell companies and money laundering; the flow of illegal guns or labor; and heat maps showing the frequency of social-media mentions for words and ideas, and the intention around them, live across the map. They’ve been sought out to track an Ebola outbreak in West Africa, to understand how people moved in and out of hot zones, and to help the White House determine how to respond to the outbreak. They can also track and map moods and public sentiments as they ripple and change across the planet.
“Some of the best minds of our generation are using the Internet to make advertisers richer,” White says. “But the connectivity of the Internet is also an unprecedented mechanism for compassion, for understanding each other, ourselves, and our world. What could be more interesting than that?” - The Virtual Surgeons of Syria - Yay, the internet is being put to good use!
- I read about a piece of art in Nevada in the US called City by Michael Helzier. Hardly anybody has got to see it yet, and it’s been in the works for over forty years. Great profile about it, and modern art in general, here.
- Is Jazz entering a new golden age? - Yay (again)! By the way, if you like jazz, tune into jazz.fm’s internet radio. It’s a treat, 24 hours a day!
- The Icy Elegance of Arthur Ashe … And the Passion of Muhammad Ali - Very nice profile about two of the premier black athletes of the 20th century.
If we think of Ali by his given name, Cassius Clay, even their surnames—Clay and Ashe—represent opposing states of matter. - The distance from the moon, Italo Calvino (video) - Beautiful, beautiful animated short film based on Calvino’s masterpiece. Watch, and read the original if you can.
- Addicted to Anticipation
Townsend-Lyon had little interest in alcohol or other drugs. Gambling seemed like a relatively harmless pastime, and she was excited by the possibility of what winning might mean. But the more she played, the less important winning and losing became. Instead, Townsend-Lyon played to reach “the zone”—a place where time, space, and self melt away and the cares of the real world vanish. When they’re in this realm, some gamblers find winning big to be annoying because the bright lights and bells and other jarring signals that announce it can bring them back down to earth. - The Secret Life Of A Squirrel - Delightful!
6:30 am - Wake up disoriented, with a funny taste in my mouth. Shift away from the sun and discover a chipmunk, fast asleep not two inches from my protruding belly. I whimper, curse, and then remind myself (again) not to go on any more blind dates. Fermented chestnuts will make anyone look good. - Even Roger Federer Gets Old - sadface.
Have a great Sunday, everyone!