Recommended Links of the Week (Issue 675)

Giant chickens, the last days of Elvis, artificial photosynthesis, and the world's oldest tree. In these weekly Recommended Links you already know what you'll find: wonderful things and viral videos. I hope you enjoy it!

A Japanese man lost 200 times on a claw machine. The store wanted to prove it wasn't rigged... and lost 300 times: "Last fall, another Japanese man called the police after losing 200 times on the same game but at a different store. To investigate whether it was a scam or not, the officers asked the staff to try to grab the plush toy. They failed another 300 times. The employees had to place the prize in an easier location inside the machine to be able to hook it, and the police left without any incident."

How the chicken you eat grew 400% in size in 50 years: "But back then, the chicken was nothing more than a skinny animal, raised mostly for egg production and taking about four months to grow. In just over half a century, according to a University of Alberta study published in 2014, the average size of a broiler chicken increased by 400%. Martin Zuidhof, one of the study's authors, confirmed that what happened in the competition influenced the development of the bird we eat today."

What is a fish doing printed on that paper?: "The gyotaku technique allows the exact shape of the fish to be transferred to the support, whether paper or silk, thus obtaining its two-dimensional image. To do this, the fish is inked with sumi (Japanese black ink) or sepia ink, so it can be consumed later. On top of it, a Japanese paper (washi) or silk cloth is placed, and then it is rubbed by hand. The resulting image is retouched with a brush."

Dark Elf Reading Guide: "Drizzt Do’Urden is a fictional character belonging to the universe of Dungeons & Dragons and the Forgotten Realms. He is a warrior of chaotic good alignment who has renounced the evil inherent in his race and his home (the Dark Antipode). He is one of the few drow known to live on the surface. Other dark elves, aside from Drizzt, reside in a small drow community in Cormanthor (which was once the home of the elven court)."

The Hashishim and the Old Man of the Mountain: "Rashid ad-Din Sinan, like his predecessors, was known to all as the 'old man of the mountain', the leader of the Nizari sect, popularly called al-hashishim. He was not the first with that nickname, and in fact he did not reside in the mythical fortress of Alamut. But when he became leader of the sect at the age of forty-four, he became the 'old man of the mountain' even though he was not that old then, nor did he live on a mountain."

The works of art that the French stole and we gave to the English: "It was a decisive battle in the War of Independence. The French carried away everything they had wanted to loot during their flight, including works of art, jewels, gold, coins, furniture... in short, all kinds of things. Much of that was abandoned when they had to choose between staying behind with what they carried and being captured or even losing their lives, or leaving immediately but empty-handed."

Elvis's last days: how loneliness and drugs changed the face of the King of Rock: "Thus was born a pop culture myth that Elvis, the film by Baz Luhrman starring Austin Butler, which premieres on June 24, does not quite do justice to. The fat Elvis. The decadent Elvis. The Elvis entrenched in Las Vegas, sunk in narcotic stupor while the world turns and he remains oblivious to everything that happens. Of all conceivable Elvises, this one is perhaps the most romantic. Above all, for those of us who have become accustomed to finding an aura in decrepitude."

The worst thing that can happen to you is not death, but not living for fear of dying: "We have bad news for you. You are not able to correctly interpret the risks of daily life because your brain is not well designed for that task. Furthermore, the media focus on the least likely risks today, which are precisely the ones that excite that poorly designed part of your brain, in order to capture your attention. The good news, in any case, is that we live in a world where there are fewer risks than before."

Revolutionary discovery: artificial photosynthesis to grow without light: "Scientists from UC Riverside and the University of Delaware (USA) have found a way to completely avoid the need for biological photosynthesis and grow food without sunlight by using artificial photosynthesis. The research, published in Nature Food, uses a two-step electrocatalytic process to convert carbon dioxide, electricity, and water into acetate, the form of the main component of vinegar. Food-producing organisms then consume acetate in the dark to grow."

The story of 'El Gran Abuelo', the oldest tree in the world dating back before Stonehenge: "With more than 5,400 years of life, 'El Gran Abuelo' is the oldest tree on record on Earth. This is its life in Chile. Rising above a wooded ravine, the 'Gran Abuelo' has guarded Chile's natural history for more than 5,400 years. According to a recent digital model, the oldest tree on Earth sprouted around the same time that the mythical Neolithic site of Stonehenge began to be used as a precise solar calendar in prehistory."

Old age in Ancient Rome: "Celsus, a physician in the time of Augustus, says that old people are prone to chronic diseases, rheumatism, urinary and respiratory problems, sinusitis, kidney and joint pain, insomnia and paralysis, ear, eye, and intestinal pain, dysentery, and colic. He adds that the elderly cannot tolerate hunger, that their wounds heal with difficulty, and offers as a prescription that the elderly should bathe in hot water and drink undiluted wine; when their sight weakens, one should rub their eyes with honey or olive oil."

Stupidity, the most dangerous trait of the human being: "Hanlon's principle states that 'never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by stupidity.' For Hanlon, it is the origin of most of the most serious errors committed by human beings. Anthropologically, in Homo erectus there were no stupid people, quite the opposite. It is only modern man, Homo sapiens, who, thanks to the process of civilization and socialization, is capable of reaching this singular state: stupidity."

Videos

Videos: AI wrote a Jerry Seinfeld routine, Moog synthesizer, the world's largest chicken nugget, dog defends grandma, deadly hacks, music with bicycle wheel, 1940s races, BACK TO THE FUTURE in Unreal Engine 5, the first 10 minutes of Shin Ultraman, factory catastrophe, 300-kilo manta ray, what a beach day was like in 1899, Escanor VS Estarossa, pet porcupine, and the short films The Fourfold and The Tunnel.

Galleries

Galleries: Manhattan in the 30s, realistic celebrity dolls, bar signs, the London Underground between the 60s and 80s, scenes from a tiny parallel world, the best independent photography 2022, AI revives dead people, Tokyo in the rain, fear of the ocean, the best bird photos, the Animated Dump and Visual Dump of the Week.

I ran out of links. It's over. The end. Until next time!