The Jacobean Traveling Library was commissioned in 1617 to hold a collection of small volumes for a traveling gentleman. (Open Culture)
Author: Mitch
Melania Trump racked up $174,000 in hotel bills for a day trip to Toronto [Quartz]
“Cheap drinks and comfort food.”
Baltimore ‘Fiddler’ Disrupted by ‘Heil Hitler, Heil Trump’ [NYTimes]
The man who yelled “Heil Hitler! Heil Trump!” during a Baltimore performance of “Fiddler on the Roof” was actually very drunk and hates Trump.
Oy, vey.
Tom Stoppard’s portable library
Playwrite Tom Stoppard carries a half-dozen or dozen books with him when he travels, in a leather-clad, purpose-built red box.
A Little Suspense Travels a Long Way (NYTimes, 2008)
imagine being on the flagship of the federation in the 24th century and getting stuck with such a shitty chair
Del.icio.us founder Joshua Schachter tells the story of his pioneering social sharing platform
Did I Make a Mistake Selling Del.icio.us to Yahoo? (New York Magazine)
Much as I loved del.icio.us – and I continue to use del.icio.us clone Pinboard.in – del.icio.us was never going to be Facebook- Google- or even Twitter-big. People like images and design; a bare-bones text-only site was always going to be a niche.
(Oh, yeah, is that so, respond Reddit and Craigslist, sarcastically.)
40-hour work-week as a tool of immiserating economic growth
What are some cheat codes you’ve found in the game of life?
Excellent tips for a good life, from Reddit.
My career would have been much less bumpy if I’d not taken so long to figure out how far a friendly attitude can get you. I’m still working on it.
Japan’s new cybersecurity minister admits never having used a computer
After being confused by a USB drive, Yoshitaka Sakurada was forced to admit he had never used a computer. [Rob Beschizza/Boing Boing]
Man shouts ‘Heil Hitler! Heil Trump!’ in Baltimore theater during ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
After a man shouted “Heil Hitler! Heil Trump!” during a Baltimore performance of “Fiddler on the Roof,” audience members told a reporter they believed they were about to die in a mass shooting. [Xeni Jardin/Boing Boing]
Saudi prosecutor seeks death penalty for Khashoggi murder, says journalist was killed by sedative overdose
Saudi prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for five people involved in killing and dismembering journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Saudis continue to maintain this was a rogue operation. [CNN]
Reevaluating Lee
Gen. Stanley McChrystal: “At 63, I Threw Away My Prized Portrait of Robert E. Lee.” “Lee was a willing and active participant in a society and economy that rested on slavery, and he fought ferociously to defend it. Lee was a Southerner, and efforts to depict him in opposition to slavery run contrary to his actions.” (The Atlantic)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Flying fists and glamour!
Trump’s Acting Attorney General was an active participant in a scam company that marketed “masculine toilets”
Matthew Whitaker advised a scam company that promoted toilets for men with large penises and a blockchain time travel scheme. He used his authority as a former US Attorney to threaten critics. [Cory Doctorow/Boing Boing]
All the best people.
Doctor Who is airing New Year’s instead of Christmas this year.
Doctor Who Holiday Special Is Moving From Christmas to New Year [io9]
First time there’s been no Christmas special since the show returned in 2005.
Guess we’ll see a movie instead. Traditional Jewish Christmas!
Keep your friends close, but your penguin closer
In the lobby of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas.
Michael Avenatti arrested on domestic violence charges
Sources are telling TMZ that Avenatti ran into an exclusive LA apartment building chasing after his ex-wife after she was escorted inside by security. He screamed repeatedly, “She hit me first.” [Xeni Jardin/Boing Boing]
“Thank you for not being a dick.”
Grocery shopping, 1960s
I unpacked my suitcase and put it away within an hour of arriving home last night.
I don’t even know who I am anymore.
Deals like the one between New York and Amazon seem to combine the worst elements of capitalism and socialism
“Amazon Is Getting at Least $1.7 Billion to Come to Queens. Now Comes the Fight Over Whether It’s Worth It” [The New York Times]
Taxpayers pay the bill, investors get the rewards. I’m reminded of the 2008 Wall Street bailout, where the slogan for opponents was “socialized risk, privatized profit.”
Apple is using financial engineering to exploit Trump’s tax cuts, diverting wealth from workers, who create value, to investors.
“Apple’s world-beating financial engineering is teaching the corporate world how to exploit Trump’s tax cuts.” [Cory Doctorow/Boing Boing]
Police think Alexa may have witnessed a New Hampshire double homicide. Now they want Amazon to turn her over.
Police want courts to compel Amazon to turn over Alexa recordings from the scene of a grisly double murder in a New Hampshire home – if those recordings even exist. [Meagan Flynn/The Washington Post]