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.
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.
1440: Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and everything in between - in a 5-min read each morning, 100% free. Read it today.
Refind: Get smarter every day. Every day Refind picks 7 links from around the web for you, tailored to your interests. Loved by 50k+ curious minds.
Plum Deluxe Tea: A top-notch subscription for tea-lovers. Subscribe today and get 20% off additional teas, sweets, and accessories. All orders get free shipping.
The above are affiliate links. I receive a small commission only if you sign up for any of these offers.
The Sample: My favorite newsletter discovery tool. Every few days The Sample forwards you a newsletter to discover. The more you use it, the better it gets at delivering what you want.