More trivia (this should have been published on 9th August)

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Modern Office: 1921
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave

December 1921. Washington, D.C.
“Machinists Association”
Mad amenities in this office paradise include windows and a sink. Note the Burroughs tabulator with glass sides.
National Photo Company glass negative
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The Science of Champagne
From Smithsonian via 3QuarksDaily
A glass of champagne is often synonymous with toasting some of life’s biggest moments—a big promotion at work, weddings, the New Year. So too, is the tickle that revelers feel against their skin when they drink from long-stemmed flutes filled with bubbly. There’s more to that fizz than just a pleasant sensation, though. Inside a freshly poured glass of champagne, or really any sparking wine, hundreds of bubbles are bursting every second. Tiny drops are ejected up to an inch above the surface with a powerful velocity of nearly 10 feet per second. They carry aromatic molecules up to our noses, foreshadowing the flavor to come.
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The language of celluloid. Film has a unique power, a mystical pull that brings us into closer dialogue with life, says Martin Scorsese… more

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3 Fun (and Horrifying) Reasons to Be a Grammar Snob

via Big Think by Nicholas Clairmont
The reason that I started The Proverbial Skeptic in the first place is that I get annoyed at the undue credulity with which people regard well-phrased sayings. But even more irksome are attempts at well-phrased sayings, particularly in ads, which do not even meet the basic confines of grammar.
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How Big is the Solar System?
via How-To Geek

While we all realise that our solar system is large, we may not have a good idea of just how huge it actually is. Enter the folks from “It’s Okay to be Smart” with the outdoor solar system model they put together for this video. It will give you a whole new appreciation for the distances involved should we ever start travelling to our neighbouring planets.
Bonus!
The “About Section” for the video included a link for creating your own solar system model, which we have added in here for easier reference/access. This would be an awesome “at home” weekend project that you could do with your kids (or friends) if they have an interest in astronomy!
Build a Solar System Model [Exploratorium]

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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Can evolution illuminate the mysteries of economics? David Sloan Wilson on the new social Darwinism… more

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British TV’s Best Dramas

via Flavorwire by Alison Herman
American viewers are accustomed to hearing just how much better television audiences have it across the pond. Most British TV imports tend to be either comedies or BBC miniseries; who hasn’t plowed their way through The IT Crowd on Netflix or mooned over Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy? But with the recent ascendancy of BBC America, the network behind critically acclaimed shows like Orphan Black, we’re reminded that there’s more to UK TV than laughs alone.
Here’s our guide to the best British dramas on television both past and present, from science fiction to spying.
Starts with the best of the lot: Dr Who.

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via 3QuarksDaily by Morgan Meis


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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Whether or not he was an apologist for violence, an enemy of virtue, Machiavelli knew that in politics, one should never confuse hope and reality… more

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Brilliant new New York Subway map
via BoingBoing by Rob Beschizza

New York has the worst subway map in the world. Instead of using London Underground-inspired abstract maps like a normal metropolis, the locals prefer a more geographically-faithful "spaghetti" rendering, thereby making wayfinding a pain for tourists. But it’s not as if improvements haven’t been attempted: New York’s peculiar layout, and the density of its downtown lines, tend to make minimalist maps confusing in other ways. Mapmaker Max Roberts, however, has created this incredible “circular map”, which uses a Tube-like style but with the 90- and 45-degree angles ditched in favor of radial lines emanating from the Upper Bay.
P.S. Roberts tried the same thing with the London map, but to my eye it only introduces unnecessary decompression to the original’s optimized snarl.
There’s lots of links to check out and, of course, a much larger version of the map here.