'Classified'

This is a terrific 10-episode spy thriller set in Canada, mostly Montreal, which I stumbled on last week.

I watched the first 40-minute-long episode and was hooked, such that I had to forcibly get up out of my chair and stop after the fourth one.

Great cast none of whom I've ever heard of nor seen in any other shows/movies that I can recall — but then, I have trouble remembering what movie I watched last night.

This series is so obscure, I couldn't even find a trailer for it on YouTube.

Check it out here.

Fish Doorbell

"The Fish Doorbell in Utrecht, The Netherlands, is back for another season! Did you spot a fish? Press the Fish Doorbell! Then our lock keeper can let the fish through."

This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "gated community."

[via Kottke]

Metropolitan Museum of Art Has Released High-Definition 3D Scans of 140 Famous Art Objects

From Open Culture:

..................................................

We can go through most of our lives holding out hope of one day seeing in person such works as Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Monet's Haystacks, a clay tablet containing actual cuneiform writing with our own eyes, or the ancient Egyptian Temple of Dendur. We can actually come face to face — or rather, face to surface — with all of them, temple included, at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains all these and more artifacts of human civilization than any of us could hope to examine closely in a lifetime. Now we can get closer than ever thanks to the Met's new archive of high-definition 3D scans.

"Viewers can zoom in, rotate, and examine each model, bringing unprecedented access to significant works of art," says the Met's official announcement. "The 3D models can also be explored in viewers' own spaces through augmented reality (AR) on most smartphone and VR headsets."

Among those objects scanned are a marble sarcophagus with lions felling antelope (3rd century); a statue of Horus as a falcon protecting King Nectanebo II (360–343 BCE); Kano Sansetsu's Old Plum (1646); a house model by Nayarit artist(s) (200 BCE–300 CE); an eighteenth-century tile depiction of Mecca; a nineteenth-century marble sculpture of Perseus with the head of Medusa; and a suit of armor belonging to King Henry II of France.

Browsing this archive you'll find pieces from Japan like seventeenth-century screens by the artists Kano Sansetsu and Suzuki Kiitsu. These must have been priorities for the Met's institutional partner in this project, the Japanese television network NHK. 

It came about "as part of the public broadcaster's initiative to produce ultra-high definition 3D computer graphics of national treasures and other important artworks." 

To use the archive, click the "View in 3D" button below the image on the page of your artifact or artwork of choice.

....................................

Fair warning: there goes the day.

More likely than not you're using bubble wrap wrong

Wait a sec, you say: how can it be possible to use it wrong?

Long story short: I had my CrackResearchTeam©®™ drill down on this question many, many years ago because one day it occurred to me that since the two sides are not the same — only one side has bubbles while the other is flat — one side must be meant to be on the inside against whatever it's protecting and the other facing out.

I was right.

A company that makes bubble wrap was kind enough to get back to me with the following:

                       The bubbles go on the inside

The topic came up just now when I unwrapped a 2015 11" MacBook Air I bought on eBay.

It was beautifully protected by three (3) layers of protection:

1. A heavy cardboard box

2. Filling the box, substantial corrugated cardboard cut to make it flexible and serve as a shock barrier

3. Bubble wrap surrounding the computer, three layers of it

The bubbles — as usual — were on the outside.

Most people don't think it matters which side the bubbles are on, though if you persist in asking which side do you put against the object to be protected, almost everyone will tell you they put the bubbles on the outside.

Not convinced?

Below, what Perplexity Pro had to say.

Now aren't you glad you read bookofjoe?

Infrasound: What lies above — and below

“Everyday Infrasound in an Uncertain World”

Even though you can’t hear it, infrasound fills the air. And because the atmosphere doesn’t absorb it like regular sound, infrasound comes from hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away. If humans could perceive frequencies lower than 20 Hz, then changing ocean currents, wildfires, turbines, receding glaciers, industrial HVACs, superstorms, and other geophysical and anthropogenic sources from across the planet would be part of the quotidian soundscape of our lives, wherever we might be.

I made this recording in the small town of Amherst, Massachusetts. I sped it up by a factor of 60: 24 hours becomes 24 minutes, raising the pitch by almost six octaves and making infrasound audible. Although we might think we hear something familiar when listening to this album, only its very highest sounds could have been detected with an unaided ear.

Since ordinary microphones cannot pick up frequencies this low, I constructed infrasonic “macrophones.” If a microphone amplifies small sounds, a macrophone brings large sounds with long wavelengths into our perceptual range. Each consists of a wind-noise reduction array leading to a microbarometer and a data recorder. I based the design on what the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization uses to detect distant warhead tests. In this case, however, we’re listening to a planet in transition.

This work germinated in Oregon amid an unprecedented season of wildfires. It developed along with my chronic illness, Lyme, a tick-borne disease that has become more common as a result of warming winters. My young son watched over the recording process; our ancestors mined coal. For me, it’s not just a matter of hearing what is novel to the human ear, but of encountering those agencies greater than our own that connect us through the atmosphere.

[via the Washington Post]

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

How Long Can Hair Grow?

'Namibia: Live Stream in the Namib Desert' is my favorite YouTube channel: it's not even close

A mesmerizing live feed from a camera near a water hole in the Namib Desert.

Among the creatures you will see if you're a regular visitor: Porcupines, giraffes, warthogs, cape crows, jackals, ostriches, kudus, zebras, elands, springboks, pied crows, oryx, gnu, Lanner falcons, goshawk, sandgrouse, spotted hyena.

Wonderful knowledgeable moderators tell you in real time in the sidebar the names of the animals and birds you're looking at and what it is they're doing.

Endless enjoyment.

My favorite thing: turning off all the lights at night and watching on TV via the Apple TV YouTube app with my kitty on my lap (below).

The desert livecam is 6 hours ahead of my time so at 9 pm here it's 3 am there and the live stream's nightcam function that turns on automatically is a trip, with the animals' eyes glowing like tiny light bulbs.

I don't know what my cat sees after she processes what's on the screen but she sure follows the various animals visually as they move about the waterhole.

Free, the way we like it.

After months of watching I finally ponied up $2 (top) to support the cam.

Fair warning: when a bunch of jackals point their snouts to the night sky and howl en masse, it will give you chills.

When that happens my cat bolts upstairs as fast as she's capable of moving: she almost levitates off my lap.

Shaq's Jeans

Held by designer Jhoanna Wiegman.

They are custom made.

Doh!

bookofjoe's WordPress

Say what?

Last week I saw that WordPress had created some sort of new feature that lets you create a website that only you can see 'cause it lives in your browser, whatever that means: no WordPress account needed.

From TechCrunch: "There is a big caveat: The sites set up on my.Wordpress.net are private by default and not accessible from the public internet."

Anyhoo, I tried it out and much to my surprise had no problem setting it up (top), though I fail to see how it's of any value to me even though WordPress says it's a great thing.

If I go to https://my.wordpress.net/ I get what you see up top: bookofjoe's daily posts more or less complete as they appear here on Blogger.

I assume if you go to https://my.wordpress.net/ you get nothing.

Let me know if you've got a second.

Here are the details.

Channel Surfer — Retro TV Guide Turns YouTube into Live Cable TV

"Turn your YouTube subscriptions into a 2000s cable TV guide. Flip channels, watch what's on, and relive — or experience for the very first time — the golden age of channel surfing."

More here.

Free, the way we like it.

Fair warning: there goes the day.

Wait a sec — what's that song I'm hearing?

No — this one, not that one!

Me & AI

Just read an excellent detailed analysis of where things stand right now in terms of AI eating the world, as some predict will happen.

Wonderful charts and graphs, two of which appear above and below.

Me: I use Perplexity (Pro; $20/month and well worth it) daily on both my computer and phone.

I use Meta AI on my phone in conjunction with Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses.

So 2 out of the 50 top players.

You?

Anti-Love Poem — Grace Paley

Sometimes you don't want to love the person you love

You turn your face away from that face

whose eyes lips might make you give up anger

forget insult     steal sadness of not wanting

to love    turn away then turn away     at breakfast

in the evening don't lift your eyes from the paper

to see that face in all its seriousness a 

sweetness of concentration     he holds his book

in his hand    the hard-knuckled winter wood-

scarred fingers    turn away     that's all you can

do old as you are to save yourself from love

The World's Most Stressful Objects

Architect Katerina Kamprani showcases her designs for everyday objects that are ever so slightly wrong in the most chaotic way possible.

See also: Chindōgu

bookofjoe's Favorite Thing: Disposable Latex Gloves

I became acquainted with the myriad uses of disposable latex gloves back in medical school when I was exposed to them in the course of my clinical rotations.

When I spent my obligatory six weeks on general surgery during my third year I'd occasionally take a box of gloves home — if I could remember to do so after 36 straight hours awake running around the hospital. (There are boxes of gloves above each scrub sink in the OR.)

I continued stocking my home from the hospital from then on until I stopped working full time in the OR and eventually used up my stash.

I'd buy a box at the hardware store whenever I remembered.

Then came the web and things got much better and easier.

Nowadays when I'm running out I buy a box from Amazon and they arrive the next day.

You can too!

$13.23 for a box of 100.

Things I've used them for:

• Gluing

• Painting

• Spackling

• Cleaning toilets

• Cleaning gutters

• Handling trash cans

• Sanding in the workshop

• Dealing with dead animals

• Cleaning up rotten garbage

• Cooking with garlic or onions

• Picking up dog and cat doodoo

• Extracting gunk from drains and pipes

• Handling irritating, caustic, or toxic liquids and solids

• Being paranoid, and not wanting to leave my fingerprints on things

Perplexity Pro is my new running buddy

Finally.

Since forever I've wanted someone to chat with while I'm out running, someone who's comfortable running and talking at my pace.

I hate running and always have: it's boring and tiring and it hurts.

Nevertheless, I persist.

I've tried talking to peeps on the phone but they universally find it unpleasant, what with all the ambient noise and my labored breathing, so that's a dead end.

Yesterday I took my phone along and connected it to AirPods Pro 3, then opened the Perplexity Pro iPhone app and started asking it questions, specifying that answers should be as lengthy and detailed as possible so I didn't have to interject much.

We discussed Roman emperors, the richest people in each country in Europe and how much they were worth and how they got their money, quantum theory, and Hugh Everett III's Many-Worlds hypothesis, for about 40 minutes: MUCH better than the usual endless replay of my playlist of 300 favorite songs in terms of distracting me from the tediousness of my three-mile run (12:51/12:57/12:38).

It's only gonna get better: Perplexity Pro is an AI, not a chatbot: chatbots are said to be much more engaging and entertaining.

I'll explore that space next and hire one and report back here on the experience.

Meanwhile, Perplexity Pro ($20/month) is a tremendous value IMHO because not only does it serve as a running buddy but it also answers any question I ask — about beef jerky brands and reviews, time required to recover from a broken foot, the weather in Prague for the next week, you name it.

Even better: it furnishes direct links to references to back up its facts.

Wonderful.

Way, way beyond Google Search, which has done so much to enhance the quality of my life since it appeared.

Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, sold out since they came out last year, incorporate AI that not only shows you what's around you but also tells you about it.

What a great time to be alive!

Longest snake ever measured is over 23.5 feet long

Videre

est 

credere.

Discovered late last year in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, it weighs 213 pounds and "has the ability to expand when swallowing enormous prey, right up to the size of a cow, which is virtually impossible for most people to comprehend," said photographer Radu Frentiu, part of a team of experts who measured and documented the reptile.

Nicknamed "Ibu Baron" (the Baroness), she now resides on the estate of conservationist Budi Purwanto.

[via Popular Science]

Guess the album in 10 tiles or fewer

It's an online game called COVER STORY, brought to you by the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame.

Free, the way we like it.

Slim Jim v Premium Beef Jerky Throwdown: Slim Jim FTW!

For the past several weeks I've been trying a wide variety of super-premium beef jerkies, some of which cost nearly $50/lb (!).

Jerky's been what's for dinner, as well as breakfast and lunch.

But I digress.

A box of 46 (forty-six) snack-size Slim Jims costs $11.47 and they're available everywhere and you don't have to pony up for 1/2 to 1 lb at a time.

In case you were wondering: that's 25 cents apiece.

To my great surprise, I preferred Slim Jims to all but two of the high-priced jerkies which were (best to worst from the top):

• Archer ($23.20/10 oz)

• Jack Link's ($12.59/8 oz)

• Oberto ($16.99/7 oz)

• People's Choice ($31.99/lb)

• Wild Bill's ($44.99/lb)

• Brooklyn Biltong ($47.49/lb)

The two worst are also the most expensive.

If price were no object I'd opt for Archer though it's a bit more juicy than I prefer when it comes to jerky.

Big fall-off from Archer to Jack Link's, and a similar large gap down to People's Choice et al.

'Dude this is the worst hack I've ever seen.'

But wait — there's more!

"I'm confused. What purpose does this serve?"

"TF do we need this for?"

"This is dumb."

"No help at all."

Above and below, 

a few of the many disdainful comments that followed my posting of a Meta glasses hack (top) to YouTube back in January 2024.

As a rule, my hacks are trashed far more often than they're praised but that's OK: I love annoying people even more than making them happy.

Everyone who's ever known me well considers me the most annoying person they've ever met — that's saying something!

But I digress.

A few days ago, amongst all the negative sentiments about this video/hack, one of an entirely different ilk appeared from @ozdoits:

JACKPOT!

This is precisely what I'm about.

I'm always trying to find a better/easier/more elegant way of doing something, which sooner or lately becomes tiring and annoying to others.

I've been this way since I was a little kid: too late to change now.

Pistachio Nut Opener

Constant readers know that I have a jones for 1-trick devices.

Here's one that's new to me: a specialized pistachio nut opener.

Who hasn't been vexed by a handful of recalcitrant pistachios that you've set aside for later while you enjoy those that open more or less effortlessly?

And then had to live with the broken fingernails and sore fingers resulting from multiple failed attempts to pry those puppies open?

Pistachios aren't cheap — you want to get the nut out of each and every shell.

$13.99 (pistachios not included).

Lowrider Stamps

From the USPS:

.........................................

Celebrate a culture that originated in the working-class Mexican American/Chicano communities throughout the American Southwest with the Lowriders Forever® stamps.

Available in sheets of 15, these stamps showcase 5 dazzling car models.

.........................................

At post offices everywhere starting tomorrow, March 13, 2026.

A sheet of 15 costs $11.70 here.

Behind — or Beyond — TheMedspeak?

Since boj's 2004 inception, my BehindTheMedspeak feature has been one of the two most popular ("What is it?" is the other) of the many that have come and gone.

A couple weeks ago I was proofreading what was intended to be a "BehindTheMedspeak" post when I noticed, much to my surprise, that I had headed it "BeyondTheMedspeak."

What?

Somehow I unconsciously changed "Behind" to "Beyond."

The thing is, "Beyond" is better.

That it happened inadvertently is remarkable to me.

What's next: BeneathTheMedspeak?

Wait a sec — what's that song I'm hearing?

Human Waterfall (1933)

300 choreographed synchronized swimmers come together to create the titular waterfall.

From the 1933 box office smash "Footlight Parade."
 

TVGuessr — '4748 channels loaded from around the world'

"Watch live TV from around the world and guess which country it's from!

Free, the way we like it.

Fair warning: there goes the day.