Headlines from February 5, 2013
- A proposed think tank, the Center for the Study of Existential Risk, would study scenarios that result in the end of humanity.
- Sedentary lifestyles reduce sperm counts—as does running in tight clothing and too much time on a bike.
- Qantas asks passenger to remove T-shirt bearing an Inigio Montoya quotation from The Princess Bride.
- The web release of My Bloody Valentine’s first album in 22 years: “the closest thing to standing in line at a record store for a few hours before midnight.”
- Scientists develop a “genetic patch” that can prevent a hereditary form of deafness.
- How Hitler’s toilet ended up in New Jersey.
- Norway’s diapers are so cheap that foreigners drive hundreds of miles to buy them up.
- The Seville garbage collectors’ strike enters its second week. #photos
- Your first bull, urinating freely now, bleeding, stands his ground. Seth Sawyers visits Sevilla’s bullring. #tmn
- A new Indian league hopes to make badminton cool, but not as cool as cricket or soccer. #sports
- Surowiecki: The ban on sports betting does exactly what Prohibition did. It makes criminals rich.
- A Long-Haired Handsome Jesus, Michael Blankenburg’s beautiful online memoir about growing up in East Texas.
- From the attic: Dennis Mahoney deduces why we press the elevator call button even after it’s already been pressed. #tmn
- Out today: Mahoney’s debut novel, Fellow Mortals. #books
- Ahmadinejad says he’s ready to be the first human sent into orbit by Iran’s space program.
- Economist debuts interactive Big Mac Index, a tool “to make exchange-rate theory more digestible.”
- No prime minister of the country has been born after 1947. Tyler Cowen reads every word in a late December issue of India Today.
- Celiac experts struggle to corral wilder claims about the benefits of a gluten-free diet.
- If you want to live longer than the average American, look to the Adventists of Loma Linda, Calif., for dietary advice.
- Child retrieved safely after six-day hostage standoff in Alabama.
- In-depth biography reveals warning signs in the life of Amy Bishop, who shot six colleagues after being denied tenure. #longreads
- We’re still only at the beginning of history. Alain de Botton offers “A Manifesto for Atheists—Ten Virtues for the Modern Age.”
- If you’d like a piece of merchandise celebrating San Francisco’s big win over Balitmore, go to Zambia.
- World’s largest collection of wildlife sounds now available online, including “substrate-based vibrations of treehoppers.”
- Audio guide to current Mali music. #tmn
- Financial analysis of how Netflix spent, and will recoup, its $100 million investment in House of Cards.
- As of tomorrow, future Monopoly sets will likely no longer feature the boot or the iron token.
- Sherwood Anderson died of peritonitis after swallowing a toothpick at a party. Wikipedia’s list of unusual deaths. via
- Hatchet-carrying hitchhiker saves the day after “smashing” homicidal, racist Jesus impersonator in the head. #video