If you want to spend a bit of time in educational and healthy procrastination, you've come to the right place! In this edition of the Recommended Links of the Week we have things like the end of pandemics, the silent Chernobyl, the power of polonium-210, planets suitable for life, and cars with a bad reputation, among many other things.
How do pandemics end?: "We are facing a pandemic unlike any other on record. Although people have placed their hopes in a vaccine to end it, the fact is that most of the infections our ancestors faced still live among us. Swipe down ↓ to discover how some of those pandemics came to an end. This tour can give us clues about what might happen in the future." Also, "that was the end of past pandemics", for more information.
Muslyumovo, the silent Chernobyl: "Muslyumovo, in Russia, is one of those places everyone prefers to avoid. Even in conversations. A forgotten corner of the planet. From 1948 to 1956, the Mayak nuclear plant was pouring radioactive waste; in 1957 there was an accident. Its inhabitants survive as best they can."
Polonium-210, how the deadliest poison on Earth works: "It is estimated that a single gram can be enough to kill 50 million people and another 50 million would fall ill. But just as hydrocyanic acid is toxic through chemical processes, polonium-210 is toxic through radioactivity. It was the element used to kill Alexander Litvinenko, and less than a milligram (a thousandth of a gram) was enough."
The forgotten Soviet lunar probes of the late seventies: "In 1976 the Soviet lunar program of automatic probes was at its peak. The USSR had managed to land two robotic Lunokhod vehicles —Luna 17 and Luna 21—, had brought back lunar soil samples in three missions —Luna 16, Luna 20, and Luna 24—, and had placed two state-of-the-art orbiters around the Moon —Luna 19 and Luna 22. However, after this streak of successes —to which, on the other hand, a few failed missions had to be added—, the Soviet lunar program faded until it disappeared completely. What had happened?"
Scientists discover 24 planets suitable for life, one better than Earth: "Planet Earth is the most suitable for life. Or at least that was believed until now, since humanity had not found a different planet that harbors life. However, scientists have found up to 24 planets outside the Solar System that may have more suitable conditions for life than Earth."
The fascinating paper life of the Moon's inhabitants: "Human imagination has never stopped seeing the sky inhabited by gods, animals, monsters, or beings similar to the men and women of Earth. Only similar, because for some strange reason these humanoids always had some oddity: they were green, had a single eye, pointed ears, or any other abnormality. Being the closest celestial body, the first place to be populated by imagination was the Moon, and newspapers and magazines throughout history have testified to this." More information? The Great Moon Hoax of 1835
When the Past Catches Up, the Tripods Trilogy, and other pioneering retro-regressive science fiction novels: "In the late sixties, several science fiction novels were published with a similar premise: an idyllic rural world that actually hides a future of technological backwardness. We invite you to discover these works that reveal an anxiety toward progress as current at the time of their publication as this very morning."
Cars with a bad reputation: "The Edsel brand (named after Henry Ford's son) was launched in 1957 to fit between Ford and Mercury. But from the start there were glaring mistakes, starting with an exaggerated advertising campaign full of superlatives that began a year before the launch, creating huge expectations in the public that were dashed when they saw that the car was basically just another one of the crowd."
The blue and the urine of drunks: "Color is something that is everywhere: in art, in clothing, in the products we buy... and for centuries achieving certain colors has not been easy. Then synthetic colors arrived, and the competition for the market is equally impressive. This story about blue and the urine of drunks is very illustrative of all this."
Lost in Translation, the greatest challenges of translating films and series: "Audiovisual translators are tired of saying that they do not translate words but emotions. And they are not wrong; the specific linguistic term is not as important as the emotion it conveys. No, it is not an easy job, and in their honor we have built a report in which we review some of the greatest challenges of translation."
10 YouTube channels to learn History: "How many times do we use YouTube to configure an app or get busy with DIY at home? It can also be a good educational resource that can be used in the classroom, and outside it, to learn about any subject. Here is a selection of the best YouTube channels to learn History in Spanish."
In memoriam (in my flat) - Eddie Van Halen: "Eddie Van Halen was the kind of musician that appears very rarely. Every musical instrument has a history composed of virtuoso performers, composers, designers, even companies. The guitar, for example, was born in Spain: the 16th-century vihuela gave way to the 17th-century baroque guitar, and from this emerged the classical guitar in the 19th century. There were also modalities like flamenco, acoustic with metal strings, electro-acoustic, and the electric guitar." A well-deserved tribute.
Videos
Tie Fighter in the Sky: The Ballad of Moff Gideon, aluminum prosthetic hand, magpies collecting garbage, hummingbird chicks, little girl eats sour chips, landing on a glitch, snowball fight in color (1896), Tokyo in 1964 (colorized 60fps), colorized 1918 flu campaign, a Tron remake in one day, Time Inversion | Tenet, LED cube that records CPU load, dancing pigeon, Enter Sandman (Metallica) in Halloween lights, EMINEM MEDLEY, almost death, the jumping louse, the best 10 synthwave albums, the music of the stars, the worst crash tests of all time, the strangest fire extinguishers, a warm bath for birds, restoring Air Jordan shoes, and the shorts "Nature Planet" narrated by Adam Sandler, DROID (Sci Fi Thriller) and EVERYWHERE (escaping from the witch)
Galleries
Disney characters created by AI, the girl who turns into optical illusions, the transformation of brides, Grimm's tales by Anna Láng, children's games reimagined as horror movies, the prettiest cakes, Close Up 2020 winners, celebrities without their distinguishing features, turns her body into succulent foods, horror versions of popular characters, expectation vs reality in cakes, the best diving photos 2020, the horror of Mark Gagne, behind the scenes of photography, the backstage of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Paris in 1960, Eddie Van Halen on stage, the Animated Dump and, of course, the Visual Dump.
