A weekly collection of links lovingly curated by Colin Wright.
40 Maps that Explain World War I
“The Franco-Prussian War, 40 years before World War I, birthed the unified German state. Prussia baited the French into launching a war, and then aligned with several small German states to decisively defeat France and seize the economically valuable Alsace-Lorraine province. The unified Germany that emerged from the war instantly became one of the most powerful states in Europe, overturning the continental balance of power. Germany's rising power alarmed Britain and Russia, drawing both countries into closer alignment with their long-time rival, France.”
The Complete History of Carabiners
“From the beginning, carabiners existed to facilitate mobility and safety. The first-known carabiners were put to the test by lightly armored cavalrymen known as carabineers. They needed quick access to their lightweight short-barrelled firearms — called “carbines” (or carabine, in French) — while riding on horseback. The guns were equipped with a simple strap, attached via small oval-shaped metal hooks or karabinerhaken (German for “carbine hook”) with spring closures — a predecessor to the mountaineering keychains we now know and love today.”
How Do Induction Stoves Actually Work?
“When powered on, an alternating electric current begins to course through this electric coil. In the U.S., alternating current reverses its direction 60 times per second. But in the induction stove, power electronics make the current cycle much faster: 20,000 times or more per second. That process requires a huge amount of power, which could come from an upgraded 240-volt outlet or an added battery. As the coil’s current ping-pongs at superfast speed, it induces a fast-changing magnetic field. And that changing magnetic field has a superpower: It can induce electric current to flow in a metal pan.”
A Microscopic Look at Snail Jaws
“Snails and slugs eat with a jaw and a flexible band of thousands of microscopic teeth, called a radula. The radula scrapes up, or rasps, food particles, and the jaw cuts off larger pieces of food, like a leaf, to be rasped by the radula.”
Frustrated By Outdated Grids, Consumers Are Lobbying for Control of Their Electricity
“While most customers in the United States still get their electricity from investor-owned utilities, which operate at a profit and are overseen by state utility commissions, more than 49 million people across the country are already served by public utilities, nonprofits overseen by elected officials. ”
Threat of Popocatepetl Volcano Looms Outside Mexico City
“Activity remains well below levels recorded in 2000 when some 50,000 people were evacuated, she said. Still, on May 20, flights from Mexico City's main airport were suspended for hours due to ash billowing from the volcano. In 2019, smoke columns reached as high as 9 km (5.6 miles). Mexican officials have warned some 25 million people living in a 100 km radius of the crater will need to protect themselves and their homes from ash rains. Evacuation routes have been readied.”
The Joy of Sulk
“Most of us will never experience the frustration of having our human trophy confiscated by a king, but there are familiar aspects of Achilles’ plight. Like Achilles, you might be a sulker. You’ve probably had to deal with someone else’s sulk, too. But what is sulking, exactly? Why do we do it? And why does it have such a bad reputation?”
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