And Other News
You weren't in the office over the weekend – we hope – which means you weren't hanging out on Digg to avoid working. Here are some interesting stories that you might have missed while you were out (or in, watching House of Cards).
A Brief History Of The Speed of Light
Given that we once thought the earth was flat and that the Sun rotated around our tiny planet, it shouldn't be particularly surprising that we used to not know all that much about light.
In light of1 a recent breakthrough that saw Scottish researchers slow down a photon in a vacuum — previously thought impossible — Jennifer Ouellette breaks down the new research along with the history behind the "speed of light."
How To Steal An Election, A Visual Guide
Well, first you'll need to get elected to office. Once you've done that, get ready to gerrymander!
San Francisco's Drug Geography
Arrests are recorded,2 and records are data waiting to be analyzed. So when Lance Martin came across 1.7 million arrest records — spanning a 12-year period — from the San Francisco Police Department, he decided to dive in.
Focusing on drug-related arrests, Martin was able to visualize some interesting trends about drug use in San Francisco, including the drugs of choice for the city's various neighborhoods.3
How I Requested My Photographs From The Department Of Homeland Security
Whenever a foreign citizen enters the United States, they are photographed and their fingerprints are scanned, and a similar protocol may be shaping up for U.S. citizens.
Runa Sandvik requested the file logging her visits — here's what she found.
Dad Builds A Luge Track For His Kids
Winter is long, dark and cold. But there are certain things you just can't do during the summer, like building a sledding track for your kids in the backyard.
Simple Secrets To Happiness
Spontaneity may be the spice of life, but research is starting to indicate that habit — dreary, mundane habit — may be the main ingredient for a happy life. Good habits, of course — you won't be able to bite your your nails, pick your nose, and smoke cigarettes to achieve that happiness.
Google Wants To Rank Websites Based On Facts Not Links
In order to push this article up in the search rankings, here are some facts from the CIA World Factbook:
1) Brazil is 64.6% Roman Catholic;
2) Sweden's coastline is 3,218 kilometers long;
3) The Cook Islands are roughly 1.3x the size of Washington, D.C.
4) Lesotho has 24 airports, 3 with paved runways.
In the news: Los Angeles Police officers were filmed fatally shooting a homeless man, Anthony Mason, former power-forward for the New York Knicks, died at 48, after suffering a heart attack a few weeks ago; a Missouri town is reeling after a gunman killed 7 people, before taking his own life; ISIS threatened Twitter employees in retaliation for the banning of ISIS's social media accounts; and Oregon is weighing whether to scrap most of its vaccine exemptions.