The Internet Could Run Out Of Space, 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 (having fun).
The Internet Could, Conceivably, Run Out Of Space
Congestion could someday plague the information superhighway, thanks to all the Netflix we've been watching. There's only so much information that can pass through internet cables at any one time, and we're starting to edge towards that limit. While fixes are in the works — new and improved fiber optics and other workarounds — it is conceivable that we might end up with rationed internet at some point in the future. Clutch your gigabytes closely, friends.
Taylor Swift Finally Dropped Her Video For 'Bad Blood' And It Really Is Something
Swift has been teasing the video for 1989 cut "Bad Blood" for ages, and it finally dropped at Sunday's Billboard Music Awards. The entire clip is apparently predicated on the idea that A-list celebrities and models + scary weapons = awesome.1 Between this and Mad Max, the theme of the summer seems to be unstoppable, heavily-armed women.
Mitt Romney Fought Evander Holyfield; Did Not Bite His Other Ear
Mitt very nearly became the President of the United States of America. But he didn't, so now he does other things to fill his time, like entering the boxing ring with former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield for a charity fight. Romney managed to "knock down" Holyfield once, but went down himself — for good — in the 2nd round.
We can't snark too much, though, as the bout raised over $1 million to fight curable blindness in developing countries.
Is That Wine In Your Fridge Still Good?
No one really knows exactly how long wine lasts after it's opened, partially because everyone has a different interpretation of what's "drinkable." But, to get a general idea, here's a handy chart of how long different types of wine last once uncorked. It turns out that boxed wine — in addition to being cheap — also lasts a really long time.2
Violent Conflict Might Not Actually Be Decreasing
The general consensus these days seems to be that, despite the breathless newscasts about ISIS' latest exploits, warfare is trending downward on a historical scale. But as Mark Buchanan writes, that's probably an illusion:
Sure it looks as if things are getting more peaceful. But, looking at the mathematics, that's exactly what we should expect to see, even if we're most likely due for a much more violent future.
If the Taylor Swift video is any indication, he's not wrong.
We Should All Be Drinking Whole Milk
Counterintuitively, drinking fatty whole milk has been linked to lower levels of obesity. And all that great vitamin A and D in milk is actually fat soluble, so skim milk drinkers are cheating themselves out of some sweet, sweet vitamins. Don't drink watered down milk — drink the real thing.
Man Encounters Bear. Bear Tries To Attack Man. Man Scares The Hell Out Of Bear.
Humans are at the apex of the apex predators, thanks to our big brains. So it's always fun to see man overcome another top predator with brawn rather than brains, as Ralph Persson did when he and his wife encountered a bear out in the woods of Sweden. When the bear charged him, Persson did not play dead; instead, he spread his arms and let out a primal roar, and the bear immediately — and reasonably — had second thoughts.
In the news: A shootout involving several rival biker gangs and police killed at least nine people in Waco, Texas; the derailed Amtrak train may have been hit by a projectile before it crashed; Mohammed Morsi, ex-president of Egypt, was sentenced to death; David Lynch will direct the reboot of "Twin Peaks" after all; ISIS seized control of the city of Ramadi in Iraq, while the U.S. claimed that it killed a high-level ISIS commander.
