Maybe it’s aliens?… Probably not. Maybe they’re here.
The Secret Jews of The Hobbit.
Subterranean sonic blues? A journey through the first ever sound map of the London Underground.

Total solar eclipse. Already planning my roadtrip.
Hugo Awards announced last week. Some puppies were kicked.
Naming colors. The Crayola Effect.
Fifth force of nature. Insert obligatory George Martin reference here.

Following Columbus: The team trying to rewrite the explorer’s route [via BBC]
Could life on Earth have occurred prematurely? [via Astronomy]
Defining every English word used between 600 and 1150 CE [via University Affairs]
The Revenge of Monoculture: The Internet gave us more choices, but the mainstream won anyway [via Salon]

Beyond Anne Frank [via NYTimes]
Here’s Why We can’t just Rocket Garbage into the Sun [via Astronomy]
Welcome to the Scream Room

The universal gap [via Languagehat]
Russell Hoban’s manuscripts and Apple ][ acquired by Yale’s Beinecke Library

Alvin Toffler [via NYTimes]

Caribbean Sea acts like a whistle and can be ‘heard’ from space
The opposite of original
Skygazers Have Already Found the U.S. Government’s New Spy Satellite
Irish bards: rat killers

Blonde on Blonde at 50
Why America adopted race-based slavery

How Typography can Save your Life [via ProPublica]
Nothing Works until It Works: On Writerly Discomfort [via The Millions]
Dig at Theater where Shakespeare Worked Uncovers a Surprise [via AP]
Follow Up [via Futility Closet]

How to Work Alone [via 99u]
Unplugging the Colorado River [via NYT]
Scotch Trooper [via Design You Can Trust]