Your roundup of tech, culture, and nostalgia for

August 30, 2022 // Web version //

TimeMachiner. Tech, culture, nostalgia. By Aaron Crocco
Inside Today's Issue:
Does It Come In Elvish?
T-Mobile Looks To The Stars
Spying Proctors
Laser Coffee
Not Quite Boomin’

Read to the end to really whip the llama's ass.

Hey there and welcome to today's issue of TimeMachiner. A shout out to everyone new from Escape from Clowntown and Scott's Newsletter! Thanks for giving me space in your inbox. 🙌🏻

I'm back from some time off, which included a trip to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. This mecca for hoops was a lot of fun to visit and to read up on so much of the sport's history. Yes, seeing displays from the greats was amazing, but there was a lot of history that was told by people most had never heard of. All of it was interesting.

It reminds me of a segment from CBS News called "Everyone Has A Story" that aired for many, many years. The gist was simple: someone threw a dart at a map and the crew would travel to that location. Correspondant Steve Hartman would randomply pick someone's name out of the local phone book and then visit them. Once he was talking with a completely random person, Hartman would weave a narriative recounting something impressive in that individual's life.

It almost felt too perfect to say this was all real, but it was. It is a testament to good storytelling. In only a few minutes, the segment would set up the premise, tell that person's tale, and then have the subject throw the next dart that will further the adventure.

It just goes to show that if you look closely at all the people in the world, there is always something fascinating they've done. And it's hiding just under the surface. All we have to do is ask about it.

Here's today's Random Factoid:

A giraffe and a human have the same number of bones in their necks. Source

Poll of the week

Thanks to everyone getting in on this new part of TimeMachiner! The response from you all has been fantastic. As promised, here's how the chips fell on the last two polls:

8/16 - Would you rather fight 10 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck? I'm happy to report that 63% of you would rather fight 10 duck-sized horses

8/23 - Does pineapple belong on pizza? Three-quarters of you guys say yes! Personally, I do too. I didn't want to skew the results so I didn't say it until now.

TODAY'S POLL

Which flavor of ice cream best represents you?

Chocolate
Vanilla
Strawberry
Cookie Monster
Rocky Road
Mint Chip

Results will be posted in the next newsletter.

When you want to read and listen to all things speculative fiction, you should check out Frivolous Comma. This newsletter and podcast is fast becoming the place to read and publish amazing sci-fi.



Does It Come In Elvish?
If there is one subset of PC hobbyists that can simultaneously become a rabbit hole and an obsession, it's those who are enamored with mechanical keyboards. These fans create custom keyboards, cobbled together from bespoke keycaps and individually suited switches in order to make their perfect input device. It is a fun hobby and…
Show Me This Story
T-Mobile Looks To The Stars
In an event that wasn't leaked beforehand or tipped off to any insiders, T-Mobile made a big announcement last week. The company, which merged with Sprint recently, will partner with Starlink to fill in gaps within their coverage map. The coolest part? It will work with existing cell phones without the need to buy…
Show Me This Story
Spying Proctors
With the rise in remote learning, partially due to COVID, there have been a fair number of companies working to get in on this new way of education. Many colleges and universities have purchased service agreements with electronic proctoring companies in order to achieve some form of honesty amongst test-takers. However, the means by…
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Laser Coffee
Coffee that is brewed by laser beams. What better combination could there be? Well, fantasy is becoming a reality thanks to Anna Rosa Ziefuss. She is a German scientist who has invented a speedy way to make cold-brew coffee. Total time? Three minutes! Jesus Diaz at FastCompany has the scoop. Ziefuss and her colleagues…
Show Me This Story
Not Quite Boomin’
The phrase "OK, Boomer" is nearly played out, but still makes a point to an older generation about the way to do things. Playing on this, Bronwyn Petry at MoneyWise makes a list attempting to equate "old things" with "don't do this anymore" or "this is a good skill to have". The weirdness of…
Show Me This Story
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You made it to the end. Hit reply to let me know and I'll respond back with a bonus factoid I left out of today's edition. 👀

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