Weekly Filet #217: Happy, a light year away. And more.
1. Lightyear.fm
Radio broadcasts leave earth at the speed of light. That means aliens with excellent hearing that live one light year from earth have just discovered Pharrell Williams' «Happy». A great (audio-)visualisation of how far earth's most annoying earworms have travelled into space. Pluto, just in case you're wondering, is still spinning this year's hits.
2. How to Say Everything in a Hundred-Word Language (The Atlantic)
This is fascinating: A language with a total vocabulary of a mere 123 words that – they say – can be learned in 30 hours. Fittingly, its word for «simple» is the same as the one for «good».
3. All the ways hackers will try to kill you in the future (Hopes & Fears)
Overblown title, still a good read.
4. The Worst Atrocity You’ve Never Heard Of (The New York Times)
A look at the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, where the government is dropping bombs on their own people and one single doctor is taking care of the victims. Warning: very disturbing images.
5. Kontakte – We Move Through Negative Spaces (Bandcamp)
One of those bands that can make their instruments sing so beautifully that no vocals are needed.
Recommended by Tim Urban: The Really Big One (The New Yorker)
Americans associate earthquakes with California's San Andreas Fault. But only recently did scientists discover that the big, big earthquake will hit America's Pacific Northwest. When it does, it will be by far the most devastating natural disaster in US history. Massive earthquakes in that region occur every 243 years on average, but it's been 315 years since last one. The Pacific Northwest is due.
July guest curator: Tim Urban, based in New York City, is the writer of what I like to call the world's best blog, Wait Buy Why. He writes absurdly long articles on complex issues and for some reason, they are always exceptionally good. Yes, I'm a fan. You can support Wait But Why so it never goes away and you should definitely follow WBW on Twitter.