The Norwegian Consumer Council made this lovely short video about enshittifcation, the practice of making products and services crappier than they should or need be. It’s called “The Life of Death and the Ensh*ttificator” and also called “Killing Things”. Update: Thanks to Lauren Maurer for alerting us to a predecessor video called “A Day in […]
Computer-Aided Scalp Hair Quantification (1986)
Hair counters count hairs. Scalp-hair counters can and maybe should celebrate that this year, 2026, is the fortieth anniversary year of the publication of one of the most treasured studies of how to improve one’s ability to count scalp hairs. That study is: “Quantification of Scalp Hair — A Computer-Aided Methodology,” Robert D. Gibbons, Virginia […]
A New Appreciation of Bill Lipscomb, Chemist and Theatrical Performer
Chemistry World magazine today published a new appreciation, written by Frances Briggs, of William Lipscomb. It begins with this headline and subhead: “Fifty years after he won the Nobel, Lipscomb’s insights into boranes continue to pay dividends — From fundamental bonding theory to practical applications, William Lipscomb’s influence can still be felt across chemistry”. The […]
Politicians’ Fervent Boosts to Medical Education
“Florida’s proposal to remove school vaccine mandates arrives at a moment when measles vaccination coverage in the state has fallen below the level needed to prevent sustained outbreaks. Using a mathematical model, we show that repealing the mandate could trigger the largest measles epidemic in the United States in nearly half a century, with projected […]




