Weekly Finds #34 - December 29th, 2023
Sharing some of the interesting things I've gathered over the course of the week.
📖 Read
Which Presidents Have Seen UFOs? Yep, It’s More Than One
In the realm of presidential fascination with UFOs, Ronald Reagan stands out as a president who leveraged the concept of extraterrestrial threats for geopolitical ends. In Reagan's second term, during a private lakeside stroll with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he posed the hypothetical scenario of an alien attack on the United States. This unusual question led to a shared acknowledgment of a desire to protect humanity, culminating in nuclear arms reduction treaties that altered the course of the Cold War. However, Reagan's encounter with, and interest in UFOs wasn't unique among presidents, as nearly every occupant of the Oval Office over the past half-century has expressed a curiosity about UFOs, with some, like Bill Clinton, making promises to disclose government information on the subject.
Jimmy Carter, another president with a UFO encounter, pledged during his 1976 campaign to reveal UFO secrets but didn't follow through once in office. Interestingly, Carter's sighting in 1969, initially a mystery, was later identified as a high-altitude rocket-released barium cloud by a researcher in 2016. The phenomenon of presidents having UFO encounters, expressing interest, or promising disclosure has persisted through the years, with Barack Obama acknowledging in 2021 that there are still unexplained objects in the sky, contributing to the enduring mystery of UFOs at the highest levels of government.
🙉 Overheard
“I don’t trust anyone who’s nice to me, but rude to a waiter because they would treat me the same if I were in that position.”
– Muhammad Ali
👯♂️ Friends of Culture Curated
This week, we have a bonus post from Food Jungle, where our friend Gregory Zenin writes about what’s happening in the food industry. Be sure to subscribe and stay up to date on the latest in the good, bad, and ugly of this storied industry.
Tipping Point
Bad news for American hospitality workers: consumers are tipping less. Worse still, the trend doesn't seem to be slowing down.
As of this November, workers in leisure and hospitality roles made an average of $1.28 an hour in tips, down 7% from 2022.
The oft-cited reasons are twofold. Firstly, the number of workers ASKING for tips has increased. Doordash, for example, has notified customers of LONGER delivery wait times if they don’t tip.
Secondly, the pandemic may have reshuffled some things. After Covid, many consumers have resorted to home cooking, pushing hospitality workers to ask for larger tips to make up for waning demand for dine-in.
ZOOMING OUT: In October, Chicago became the second-largest U.S. city to vote to require tipped workers to make the full minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) instead of the federal tipped minimum wage ($2.13 an hour). Could this be the start of a movement to scrap the tipping system altogether?
🎧 Listen
A couple of items from this week’s Music Curated issue.
I mix it up here and share various music with my readers, so you’ll see something different each week. You may be into some of what I share, and you may not be into other things, and that’s okay. My goal is to share the things I enjoy and I hope to introduce my audience to something they might not have otherwise heard, and I hope some of it also resonates with you.
In keeping with the holiday, this week I shared some holiday-themed music, but true to the Music Curated spirit of finding unique and out-of-the-ordinary versions of the usual tunes.
Song: Khruangbin - Christmas Time is Here
Here’s the start of the theme you’ll see here about Christmas songs presented in untraditional ways. I don’t have a problem with Christmas songs per se, but I like them a little more interesting and presented in a unique way that aligns with my general taste in music. This makes me excited about these songs.
As a huge Khruangin fan, this rendition of a Christmas classic is a perfect example.
Playlist: Indie Christmas
Here’s an entire playlist of Christmas songs presented in a way that I get a lot more enjoyment out of, or just out-of-the-box songs that have a Christmas feel.
🔗 Random Finds
52 things I learned in 2023
These are a couple of my favorites:
Psychedelic cryptography is a way of concealing messages (normally in videos) so that only people who’ve taken LSD can receive the messages. [Andrés Gómez-Emilsson]
Only 28 books sold more than 500,000 copies in the US in 2022. Eight of them were by romance novelist Colleen Hoover. [Jason Colvato]
The 100 Highest-Rated LEGO Minifigures
Discover the ultimate LEGO minifigure with Brickelo. This website goes beyond awesome and dives into the mathematical realm, using an ELO rating system to determine the best minifigures. Each figure's rating is crafted through head-to-head comparisons, unlocking the true champions of the LEGO world. Dive into the world of rankings and find out which minifigure reigns supreme!
Blackbridge Motors Reengineers the Land Rover Defender
Embark on a modern adventure with Blackbridge Motors' reimagined Land Rover Defenders. Founder Scott Gilbert and his team blend vintage aesthetics with cutting-edge engineering, creating bespoke solutions for every aspect of these iconic SUVs. From new sheet metal to GM crate engines, each Defender undergoes a complete reengineering that feels period-correct yet boasts reliability and performance. Whether exploring the rugged outdoors or cruising city streets, these Defenders redefine the classic driving experience.
🍲 🍹 Eat & Drink
53 Dazzling New Year’s Eve Appetizers That Are Down to Disco
Elevate your New Year's celebration with an opulent spread of finger food. From quick-and-easy 10-minute marinated Manchego cheese to hearty Juicy Lucys, these New Year's Eve appetizers from Bon Appétit have you covered. These ideas are crafted for late-night cravings—think crowd-friendly grazing boards with snappy marinated cucumbers, dangerously sweet and spicy peanuts, and flaky, buttery cheese twists perfect for double-dipping. Skip the elaborate dinner and let the kitchen fireworks begin!
French 75
Transport yourself to the elegance of Paris on New Year's Eve with the French 75—a cocktail that effortlessly blends sophistication with simplicity. Just a few ingredients and minimal effort, and you'll feel like a mixologist extraordinaire. The only challenge? Simple syrup, easily conquered with classic boiling water and sugar or the modern cold-water blend. Opt for Brut Champagne for tradition or any dry sparkling wine like cava or prosecco. Now, the age-old debate: gin or cognac? History says both have their place, so whether you're toasting with gin or sipping cognac, the French 75 is a timeless delight.
🧒 Kiddos
My kids thought this was fascinating and wanted to share it with you all.
Why are some black holes bigger than others? An astronomer explains how these celestial vacuums grow
Black holes are super mysterious and powerful objects in space. They're like invisible pits with gravity so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Some are small, just a few times bigger than our Sun, while others, called supermassive black holes, can be millions or even billions of times heavier than our Sun.
Astronomers can't see black holes directly because they're usually invisible, but they know they exist when they see stars orbiting around them. When a black hole is hungry and eating up gas in a galaxy, it becomes visible with a glowing ring of X-rays, optical light, and infrared light. The famous image of a black hole's ring from the movie "Interstellar" gives us an idea of what it might look like. In real life, the sharpest image of a black hole comes from the Event Horizon Telescope, showing the supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy called M87. Even though it might look a bit blurry, it's a remarkable achievement in capturing something so far away. So, while black holes are fascinating and powerful, they can't just keep sucking everything in forever, and they eventually become invisible again.