Recommended Links of the Week (N°622)

The history of WordPerfect, phone anxiety, aliens before the 20th century, and the world's most valuable coins lead a bunch of links that will keep you entertained for a while. Because that's what this NeoTeo section is about: useful procrastination full of laughs and knowledge.

How WordPerfect conquered the world, then nearly vanished, and was rescued from oblivion: "If someone asked you on the street about the most important word processor in history, the most frequent answer would probably be Microsoft Word. If you had been asked in 1995, the answer would have been very different. Back then, if someone wanted to work with text documents, the default option was a program called WordPerfect."

Phone anxiety, the millennial hatred of talking on the mobile: "A recent survey by the company BankMyCell reveals that 81% of Americans aged between 22 and 37 feel anxious apprehension before gathering the courage to make a phone call. In Spain, WhatsApp was the favorite channel for 96.8% of young people between 14 and 24 to communicate with family and friends in 2018, according to the Household Panel of the National Commission of Markets and Competition."

How the fall of the Leaning Tower of Pisa was avoided: "The Piazza dei Miracoli is a large walled area in the heart of the city of Pisa (Italy). It is dominated by four great religious buildings: the Duomo (the cathedral), the Leaning Tower of Pisa (the cathedral's bell tower), the Baptistery, and the Camposanto (cemetery). The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the cathedral's bell tower, and it is attributed to the architect Bonanno Pisano, who reportedly did not want to sign the monument out of shame for its tilt."

How did people conceive of aliens before the 20th century?: "As fewer unknown lands remained to be discovered on the seas, spyglasses were replaced by telescopes that turned the gaze to the sky. As more of outer space was discovered, the press and fiction increasingly spoke of extraterrestrial species, such as the Selenites from the Moon and the Martians from Mars. But, despite everything, the idea of distant inhabited worlds was not invented in the 19th century."

Why many bosses favor "presenteeism" over productivity: "Now, presenteeism has simply become digital: people work longer than ever, responding to emails and messages at all hours of the day to show how 'committed' they are. And, as bosses call workers back to the office, there is growing evidence that we may not have moved the needle on presenteeism at all. But why, despite what we know, is presenteeism still so emphasized?"

These are the 9 most valuable coins in the world (and why): "We are in a moment in the numismatic market when coin prices are rising. In fact, in 2021, the record for the most expensive coin was broken in several countries such as Australia, Russia, or the United Kingdom, so I think it is a good time to see which are the most valuable coins in the world, and why they are. Before starting the list, a couple of clarifications on the choice of the coins..."

What is a 16th-century elephant doing buried under the Vatican?: "The unusual caravan had to travel from the port of Hercules to Rome. As it advanced on its way, it awakened the astonishment and curiosity of all who saw it. On one occasion when they had to spend the night, the elephant had to remain in a square so that the curious would not storm the stable where it was supposed to stay; and during its journey many nobles tried to convince those in charge of the caravan to deviate it toward their castles."

Rise and fall of Italian design: "Yes, at the time there were other similar designs but not as beautiful and harmonious, and the Farinas knew how to promote it on a world tour, at the end of which in 1951 it was permanently exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The Americans fell for this "Italian machine" and the rest, as they say, is history."

Cannibalism in the Crusades: the tragedy that forced Christians to eat Muslims: "In the 11th century, during the First Crusade, war did not smell of diesel and gunpowder. It stank of sweat and exuded the heat of the desert. They were different times. Those of fighting for a Holy Land far from the shelter of the old continent and those of enduring unimaginable hardships in defense of Christianity. And if you think I exaggerate, just remember the hunger and desperation that the defenders of the city of Ma'arra must have suffered to be forced to eat human flesh."

The secret code in Bram Stoker's Dracula: "It is interesting to note that, in these titles, the word 'voluptuous' is paired mainly with nouns that denote collections of information ('history', 'confessions', 'miscellany', 'scenes') and, therefore, is fundamental in indicating the generic nature of the content. This word is also used as a kind of code denoting a certain liberal attitude in women, a contravention of Victorian standards of behavior; in short, a woman capable of enjoyment."

How did medieval barmaids dress?: "On the Internet we can find many medieval tavern keeper costumes. Costumes that can serve for any era and that even work to dress as a peasant woman. Of course, medieval tavern keepers and peasant women did not dress like that. We have no images of tavern keepers from before the 13th century, but by looking at later scenes we can come to the conclusion that these wore the same garments as the rest of common women."

The cuckoo's score: "Among all birds, the cuckoo and the nightingale seem to have received special attention within the repertoire of Western music. The popularity of the cuckoo, specifically, is probably due to the simplicity of its song, so characteristic and easy to remember. It consists of only two notes, which draw the same repetitive descending pattern. The very name 'cuckoo' is clearly onomatopoeic and has its origin in this melodic pattern."

Videos: Hot knife with 1000 Amp, when "Friends" were prisoners, hunger in Marvel, "Take On Me" performed by slaps, humans vs ants in weightlifting, photos of swans with expired film, Star Wars Droid Screen Tests (1976), final encounter between Mario & Bowser, "mathematical" secret, BolaWrap compilation, El Libro Gordo de Petete - 'Las Vacunas', how tranquilizer darts work, cars that run by bicycle, samurai ratings, unholstering the iPhone, Pirates of the Caribbean in Indian style, airplane dance in 4K, Yann Frisch - the crazy magician, Rhythmens EP.1 - Viewfinder, the short The Upside Down, and Soviet Storm (Russian documentary series).

Galleries: wooden sculptures of elephants, people standing weirdly, Studio Ghibli-style interiors, from movies to cartoons, famous women as girls and grandmothers, the sad truth of modern life, portraits of Polish people, take photos of little animals that come to drink, how people see with different medical conditions, "creepy" designs, the BBA Artist winners, contemporary architecture, the Animated Dump and the Visual Dump.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! See you next time!