Thursday Things: Through the Looking Glass Edition
25 June 2020. Vol 2 No 26 By Dan McGirt. #46
Welcome to Thursday Things! This week we go through the looking glass to another universe, learn that winning is sometimes merely a matter of showing up, and see how sorting through those old papers in a drawer can pay off.
“I’m late! I’m late! But not too concerned.” Photo by Olivia Fleur on Unsplash
The number one movie in America for June 10 had a $0 budget, played on one screen, and earned $25,488 at the box office. This was an act of pure genius:
WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — An enterprising young Long Island filmmaker had the No. 1 movie in America last week — despite theaters being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. And the story of how he did it is a reminder that happily-ever-after endings don't always happen on just the silver screen.
Last month, Nilsson said, he and YouTuber Eric Tabach were chatting about how movie theaters across the country were closed due to the pandemic.
"We joked any film put in a theater would instantly top the box office," Nilsson said. "Realizing the unique situation presented a loophole, we hatched a plan."
Read all about their crazy plan at the link. This was a real achievement by the filmmakers, because they saw the opportunity and they … acted. Here is a link to their film, Unsubscribe, now showing on Vimeo for $3.99, if you’re curious.
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/unsubscribefilm
(I’m not that curious — but please let us know if you watch it! I’d be happy to run a Happy Subscriber’s review in a future issue of Thursday Things!)
University Discovered 1648 Bond that Still Pays Interest – And they Collected! It seems that in the early days of bonds they had not yet come up with the idea of a maturation date, which means some of those early bonds issues to raise funds for things like building dikes and canals promised to pay interest “in perpetuity". And that can be a mighty long time:
Experts at Yale University discovered a Dutch water bond from 1648 that amazingly still pays interest. … YaleNews revealed that a water bond dating as far back as 1648 still contractually binds the obligated parties to pay annual interest today. Upon its discovery and subsequent analysis of its terms and agreements, reports indicate that at the time of its execution, the bond operated as a perpetual bond.
The bond is held in the Yale Library. Every decade or so they fly it (or an addendum, actually) over to the Netherlands to collect the accrued back interest. The last payment in 2015 for 12 years of interest came to 136.20 euros. I know Yale really needs the money!
Maybe 2020 is not the year for this? Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Cleared For Release In The US
A company called Oxitec has received an experimental use permit from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to release genetically modified mosquitos into the wild. This would be the first time that such an experiment was attempted within the borders of the US, and the permit would allow for the release of millions of genetically modified mosquitos each week over the next two years. The genetically modified insects will be released in Florida and Texas, but they will easily be able to travel throughout the country from there.
Well, as long as it’s only Florida and Texas. Nothing every goes wildy awry in those states.
Scientists hope that these genetically modified mosquitos can help eliminate diseases that are typically carried by mosquitos, such as dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika.
The plan is that these genetically modified male mosquitos will mate with wild females, and their genetics will cause the children to die, and should cause a collapse of the wild population.
That’s the plan. Will the genetically modified mosquitos instead mutate and trigger a zombie apocalypse? I give it a 50-50 chance.
It can always get worse. Why 536 A.D. was ‘the worst year to be alive’
A mysterious fog plunged Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia into darkness, day and night—for 18 months. "For the sun gave forth its light without brightness, like the moon, during the whole year," wrote Byzantine historian Procopius. Temperatures in the summer of 536 fell 1.5°C to 2.5°C, initiating the coldest decade in the past 2300 years. Snow fell that summer in China; crops failed; people starved. The Irish chronicles record "a failure of bread from the years 536–539." Then, in 541, bubonic plague struck the Roman port of Pelusium, in Egypt. What came to be called the Plague of Justinian spread rapidly, wiping out one-third to one-half of the population of the eastern Roman Empire and hastening its collapse, McCormick says.
Turns out the culprit was a volcanic eruption in Iceland. Thanks, Iceland!
Meanwhile, in the mirror universe…
A series of viral articles claimed that NASA had discovered particles from another parallel universe in which time runs backward. These claims were incorrect. The true story is far more exciting and strange, involving a journey into the Big Bang and out the other side.
The idea of parallel universes is familiar to any fan of science fiction or comic books (Earth-1, Earth-2, etc.). Wrapping my head around the science of how that actually works is always difficult. This article does a good job though! The simple cartoons help.
Good dog! Augie doggie celebrates milestone birthday.
A Tennessee dog is proving that age is just a number.
August, or “Augie,” as she is affectionately called, turned 20 on April 24, making her the oldest living golden retriever in history, according to GoldHeart Golden Retrievers Rescue.
Good dog! (Source: GoldHeart Golden Retrievers Rescue)
Thank you for reading Thursday Things! See you next Thursday!