Friday, May 20, 2016

Friday Links!

This is the strongest week of links we've had in a long, long time.

Leading off this week, and this is an utterly fascinating article. Who knew that the history of sumo was so rich in data? The Sumo Matchup Centuries In The Making.

Wally appears later, as he usually does, but this is a tremendous, mandatory read: Looking For Tom Lehrer, Comedy’s Mysterious Genius.

From jdv, and this is a beautifully written, heartbreaking article: The cave divers who went back for their friends.

Who knew Nigeria was a Scrabble hotbed? For World’s Newest Scrabble Stars, SHORT Tops SHORTER: Nigerian players dominate tournaments with the surprising strategy of playing short words even when longer ones are possible.

From C. Lee, and this guy is a complete badass: Listen up: James West forever changed the way we hear the world. Also, and I'm going to let him describe this: this YouTube channel interviews Japanese creators from a number of fields and has them give a tour of the places that inspired their work. Here's Swery65, creator of Deadly Premonition: Swery65. Also, Kenji Kawai, who scored Ghost in the Shell: Kenji Kawai.

From Steven Davis, and the detail here is just staggering:
Peter Jackson's Massive Gallipoli Diorama Part I
Peter Jackson's Massive Gallipoli Diorama Part II
Peter Jackson's Massive Gallipoli Diorama Part III

Also from Steven, and the numbers on Curry are just ridiculous: The Year of Steph Curry. Plus an absolutely terrifying mixtape: MVP Stephen Curry’s Ultimate Career Mixtape (2016), Do you know who Steph Curry reminds me of? Pete Maravich without the turnovers.

From Marc Klein, and this is provocative: Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight, explained with 60+ studies. Also, and this is a mesmerizing read: My secret life as a high-functioning drug user.

From Wally, and this is utterly clever: How to complain about your Internet provider. Also, and this is a terrific read, it's The Curious Case of the Weapon that Didn’t Exist. Quite aggressive, really: Crazy squirrel stalks selfie woman. These are beautiful images: The places the world forgot.

From David Yellope, and this is quite the headline: Japanese vagina kayak artist found guilty of obscenity.

From Brian Witte, and this is fascinating: The Mind-Boggling Challenge of Designing 120-sided Dice.

From Jeff Fowler, and this is quite fantastic (it's in the style of a James Bond title sequence): Star Wars - Episode V “The Empire Strikes Back” Homage (Title Sequence).

From Meg McReynolds, and this is incredibly interesting: A Better Way to Read: In the era of attention deficits, the new text will not be black and white.

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