Interesting Contents Archive

Titivillus, ‘the patron demon of scribes’, was said to be sent by the devil to tempt monks into making errors in their manuscripts. For fifty years, the Oxford English Dictionary listed an incorrect page reference for a footnote on the earliest mention of Titivillus. https://t.co/NTatwxLtnG

A 500 foot (170 m) long machine that not only lays ballast but also railway tracks. 📽️ Swietelsky AG https://t.co/piwnntvyq3

The drug is already FDA approved https://t.co/bmGChc0B4J

Could this be the tool that spells victory for the Ukrainians? https://t.co/zxwQufEHdQ

The device significantly increased endurance for a patient with muscular dystrophy. https://t.co/9MkgYm5Rj8

What my 3-year-old’s insides did to this penny. Accidentally swallowed it on Thurs.

The conditions the microbes were found in were truly alien. https://t.co/gR4Bdv1Eii

In 1997, a container ship ran aground off the Isles of Scilly, and a container carrying a million plastic bags drifted ashore. Its doors burst open, and the foreshore became awash with the bags bearing the words ‘Help protect the environment’.

My son was born 100 years after my grandpa. https://t.co/47yo0JN4JB

TIL George Lucas not only gave his blessing to make Spaceballs, he also handed the movie over to his effects company, Industrial Light and Magic, to provide the space effects and postproduction.

Here’s how fixing a plow to the front of a truck turns it into a snow plow. 📽️ Mählers https://t.co/rX8CFpVs1b

CEO of Dicks Sporting Goods:

TIL that Joshua Thompson sued Michigan AMC movie theater over the high price of concession snacks. He claims he used to take his snacks until the theater banned the practice. Thompson paid $8 for a soda and packet of Goobers, but he spent less than $3 for the same at a drug store nearby.

My MIL went to high school with Frank Zappa in 1958

TIL about Chesterton's Fence, i.e. the principle that you should not make reforms to a system without first understanding the current state of affairs present in that system.