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What is neglected by media but will be studied by history?

2023-07-26

This is a Twitter thread by George Mack:

The ones that stood out to me most:

  • The fall of mental hospital and the rise of prisons populations. Link
  • Overdoes are the leading cause of death in the US for people under 45 Link
  • The boom in homeschooling, from thousands of kids in the 1970s to 2.5 million in 2019, rising again to 5 million in 2021 (likely due to the pandemic school closures). Hard not to believe that this one won't have ripple effects, for better or worse. Link
  • 1 in 5 teens report being almost constantly on YouTube. Somehow, YouTube continues to be underrated. Link
  • Japan has virtually eliminated homelessness Link

I think the frame of "what will seem consequential to us in hindsight" is an interesting one!

Invention of the telephone

2023-07-26

If Alexander Graham Bell had not secured the patent for inventing the telephone, Elisha Gray would have gotten it because they both applied for the telephone patent on the same day (Feb 14, 1876).

That is via Noahpinion in his interview with Kevin Kelley. Kelley's point is that invention is an emergent property of society (what he calls the technium), rather than an individual act.

HIV in Australia

2023-07-26

HIV transmission in Sydney has plunged more than 88% from the 2008-2012 average to just 11 cases per year.

It seems it will be possible to greatly reduce or even eliminate HIV transmission.

Via Tyler Cowen.

Square watermelons

2023-07-24

square watermelon

From Wikipedia:

Square or cube watermelons are watermelons grown into the shape of a cube. Cube watermelons are commonly sold in Japan, where they are essentially ornamental and are often very expensive, with prices as high as US$200.

They are grown in boxes, which form them to their distinctive shape. I discovered these via the Kroger app, which has distinctly wonderful food facts as it's loading screen.