Some great and funny stories to share this week!
Mauna Loa erupts, Buffalo Snow, a simulated wormhole, and protected bread, to name but four amazing things below!
A TED Talk
Earlier this week I wrote a post on how we tend to think of the future as an extension of the past, instead of considering more broadly, what’s possible. Well, yesterday, I saw a TED talk about exactly this idea from Hidden Brain podcast host, Shankar Vedantam. It’s called ‘You Don’t Actually Know What Your Future Self Wants’. Pretty much says it all really! He calls this effect, the ‘illusion of continuity’. Great storytelling in this talk.
A Lot of Snow
I can’t let this Bits and Bobs edition go by without noting the preliminary tally of snow in Buffalo and surrounding area from November 16th-20th. Insane amounts of the white stuff. The official reviewed numbers have not been released yet, but the preliminary totals suggest that a few records were broken, especially for the two-day total. One site west of Hamburg, NY measured 81.2 inches of snow (over 6 1/2 feet!), there was a public report of 80.0 inches in Orchard Park, NY, and several others others above 76 inches, according the Northeast Regional Climate Center.
But the photos are the best. Here are a selection that made me laugh from Twitter.
And for Buffalo Bills Football fans:
Next Stop: Teleportation!
Well, maybe not quite yet, but scientists have simulated a wormhole! And they’ve sent a message through the simulated “smallest, crummiest wormhole you can imagine”, which arrived unscrambled - intact - at the other end. Whoaaaa. The scientists are downplaying this, but I am getting a new swimsuit with the assumption that I will be able to teleport to a beach in Bali by this time next year.
The Floor is Lava!
Mauna Loa is erupting! It’s been quietly hanging out for about 40 years now, but suddenly got the urge to get up and party this week.
No residences or buildings are currently in the path of the lava as it flows north, but Mauna Loa is home to important scientific observatory equipment and as of November 29th, the access road to the NOAA Air Resources Lab and its instruments was cut off by lava. Power was also cut meaning there will be a pause in the data flow. Mauna Loa is the most commonly cited data source for global carbon dioxide - it’s been measuring CO2 since the late 1950s, so hopefully that will be back online soon. All the scientists are safe, and the main concern at the moment is whether the lava will reach a main highway just a bit further ‘down the hill’.
The map and pictures below are from the US Geological Survey.
Scary and powerful, but also a magnificent sight. So very cool.
And Finally: UNESCO is Backing Up the Baguette
The United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has dedicated special heritage status to the humble baguette. I am exceptionally pleased to hear this! Among the best bread in the world in my opinion, and it’s virtually impossible to make a great version at home. So we need to protect the rural boulangeries (bread bakeries) that are declining all over France. Apparently since 2017, hamburgers have outsold the traditional baguette-based jambon-buerre sandwich (ham and butter) in France. C’est une horreur. Well done UNESCO.
And with that, I hope you have a great start to December!
My goodness - what a funny and fascinating little collection of little (& big) interesting news from around the world. Love these Friday posts. 😍