Author: Michele Debczak

Spring has arrived in Southern California, and dedicated selfie-snappers have taken note. For the past month, the typically barren deserts of the region have been animated with flowers and tourists traveling to see them. The vibrant flora makes for an epic Instagram backdrop, but California park rangers are begging guests to stick to the trails and resist trampling flowers for the sake of a photo op, Mashable reports.

California’s current super bloom follows a winter of drought-ending rainfall. Thousands have visited places like Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Walker Canyon, and the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve to see the rare display, but for some people appreciating the flowers from afar isn’t enough. Tourists hoping to snap the perfect photo are stepping, sitting, and laying down in the fields. In some cases, they’re doing damage that lasts for years.

Park officials have made it clear that the fragile flowers should be left alone. A post on the California Poppy Reserve’s Facebook page reads:

“If you walk off-trail because ‘everybody else is doing it,’ or because someone else already stepped on those plants, you’re still part of the problem. Wild lands everywhere are experiencing unprecedented damage this year because tens of thousands of individuals want that one picture in the flowers.”

In response to the destruction, one section of the park’s wildflower trail has been closed for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, there are other places in the reserve to see the super bloom during the last few weeks of the season. And selfies are still permitted, given they’re snapped from a reasonable distance.

[h/t Mashable]

If you feel inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s Walden but not inspired enough to isolate yourself in the woods for two years, you can now relive his experience by playing a video game. As The Verge reports, Walden: a game presents the theme and setting of the classic book in a modern package.

We first reported the video game last year, and it launched through the indie game marketplace itch.io in late February. A team of developers led by Tracy Fullerton, a University of Southern California professor and the director of USC Games, went to great lengths to ensure their creation channeled the source material. Players can find inspiration at Walden Pond, build a cabin, forage for food, and visit Ralph Waldo Emerson at the neighboring town.

If they so please, players can also make choices that contradict Thoreau’s original mission. Instead of living in seclusion, they can take the path of the successful writer and purchase fine suits from the local shop and ask their editor about public speaking opportunities. Thoreau’s words are hidden in descriptions of items and actions, hinting at the choices he himself would make.

Whether or not the same writer who championed surrendering everyday luxuries would approve of video games is up for debate. Video game players looking for a transcendental experience, or those who just want to relax with some virtual fishing, can purchase the game for $18.45.

[h/t The Verge]

Following years of being left off of many elementary school curriculums, cursive handwriting is starting to resurface. As the Associated Press reports, public schools across the U.S. are making lessons in writing loopy, unbroken longhand a requirement.

It wasn’t so long ago that learning cursive was considered a grade school rite of passage. But since the start of the new millennium, students have traded in their contraband gel pens for smartphones and transitioned to the digital world. Teachers have also switched focus from handwriting to typing. In recent years, schools in many states have abandoned the old-fashioned writing style in favor of courses on “keyboard proficiency.”

But something has shifted: In 2016, Alabama and Louisiana passed laws implementing cursive in all public schools. They joined 12 additional states with similar laws mandating proficiency in traditional script. One of the most encouraging signs for the future of handwriting happened in fall 2016, when the New York City public school system, the largest in America, recommended their teachers introduce students to cursive writing in the third grade.

New York State Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis told the AP that cursive became an issue for her following a voter registration event she attended. After asking an 18-year-old to sign his name, she watched him spell it out in print, the only way he knew how to write by hand.

In addition to teaching kids how to sign their own names, those in the pro-cursive camp say the skill has other uses. Pre-computer era documents, such as letters written by an ancestor or a founding father, require a familiarity with cursive to read. Opponents, on the other hand, say that teaching cursive presents unnecessary hurdles to kids learning to read and write. And as a 2016 article from Nautilus pointed out, there’s virtually no research suggesting that cursive has any cognitive benefits.

Whether or not it’s useful, some students in New York City at least seem to appreciate it. Third-grader Camille Santos told the AP that cursive is “actually like doodling a little bit.” Senior Emily Ma said, “It’s definitely not necessary but I think it’s, like, cool to have it.”

[h/t U.S. News]

The BBC Earth-PBS miniseries Spy in the Wild wouldn’t be possible without its animatronic creatures. Thanks to their realistic movements and designs, the robot spies have allowed filmmakers to capture up-close-and-personal footage of animals in their natural habitats. This clip spotted by Sploid takes a closer look at how these covert operators function. Follow special effects artist John Nolan inside his London studio to see what models of an African wild dog pup and a meerkat look like without their skin. For more Spy in the Wild content, check out this adorable blooper reel highlighting unexpected moments caught on tape.

[h/t Sploid]

Header/banner images courtesy of BBC Earth-PBS Miniseries.

For over two centuries, the Library of Congress (LOC) and its staff have served as invaluable resources for American legislators. But their mission isn’t limited to U.S. politics. With a diverse inventory that includes iconic films, historical documents, and your tweets about lunch, the LOC is a cultural treasure. Here are 11 facts worth knowing about the Washington D.C.-based establishment.

1. IT’S THE NATION’S OLDEST CULTURAL INSTITUTION.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is America’s oldest federal cultural institution. It was established by the same bill that officially moved the capital from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. The library was conceived of as a resource available exclusively to members of Congress, containing “such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress.” That remains the case today, though citizens can read books on site or request them at their local library through an interlibrary loan.

2. THOMAS JEFFERSON HELPED REBUILD THE COLLECTION AFTER A FIRE.

Not long after it was established, tragedy struck the Library of Congress: Its contents were destroyed when the Capitol Building was set on fire by British Troops during the War of 1812. Approximately 3000 books (mostly law-related) were lost in the blaze, but luckily a friend of Washington D.C. owned a collection that was even bigger. Thomas Jefferson’s personal library comprised well over 6000 volumes, making it the largest library in the country at the time. He agreed to sell all of his books to Congress for $23,950 in 1815. Jefferson’s contributions significantly expanded the scope of the library, by including books on art, science, and philosophy. (The increased diversity of the collection was a subject of criticism at the time, to which Jefferson responded by saying “there is in fact no subject to which a member of Congress may not have occasion to refer.”) Sadly, the library met with another tragedy when a second fire tore through it on Christmas Eve 1851, burning two-thirds of Jefferson’s contribution.

3. JAMES MADISON FIRST PROPOSED THE IDEA.

Seventeen years prior to the LOC’s official formation, James Madison proposed the idea of a special library for Congress. He planted the idea as a Continental Congress member in 1783 when he suggested compiling a list of books to which lawmakers could refer. As president, Madison approved the purchase of Jefferson’s personal library in 1814.

4. IT MAKES CONGRESS’S JOB A LOT EASIER.

Congress members drafting legislation don’t necessarily need to do the nitty-gritty research themselves: There’s a whole team [PDF] of lawyers, librarians, economists, and scientists employed through the Library of Congress to do it for them. Established in 1914, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a legislative department within the LOC responsible for supporting lawmakers through every step of the lawmaking process. Based on what’s asked of them, CRS employees supply House and Senate members with reports, briefings, seminars, presentations, or consultations detailing research on the issue in question. The CRS is currently staffed with 600 analysts. In any given year, a single researcher responds to hundreds of congressional requests.

5. IT’S THE LARGEST LIBRARY ON EARTH.

With over 164 million items in its inventory, the LOC is the world’s largest library. In addition to the 38 million books and other printed materials on the premises, the institution contains millions of photographs, recordings, and films. It also houses some record-breaking collections; more maps, comics, newspapers, and phonebooks can each be found there than any other place on Earth. The whole thing is stored on about 838 miles of bookshelves.

6. IT CONTAINS SOME SURPRISING ITEMS.

The Library of Congress is home to an eclectic collection, with books ranging in size from a tiny copy of “Ole King Cole” to a five-by-seven-foot photo book filled with color images of Bhutan. Some items, like a Gutenberg Bible and a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, feel right at home in the historic library. Others, like Rosa Parks’s peanut butter pancakes recipe, are a bit more unexpected. Additional noteworthy artifacts include Bob Hope’s joke collection, George Gershwin’s piano, and the contents of Abraham Lincoln’s pockets the night he was shot.

7. THE LIBRARY OWNS MATERIALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

The Library of Congress isn’t solely dedicated to American documents. The institution possesses materials acquired from all around the globe, including 3 million items from Asia and 10 million items in the Iberian, Latin American, and Caribbean collections. Over half the books in their inventory are written in a language other than English. In total, over 460 languages are represented, and their end goal is to eventually have at least one item from every nation. The LOC also maintains overseas offices in New Delhi, Cairo, Islamabad, Jakarta, Nairobi, and Rio to acquire, catalog, and preserve items that might be hard to access otherwise.

8. IT PRESERVES AMERICA’S MOST IMPORTANT FILMS.

Since the National Film Preservation Act was passed in 1988, 700 “culturally, historically, or aesthetically” significant films have been selected for the LOC archives. Up to 25 entries are chosen each year by a board of industry professionals, and the only rule is that submissions must be at least 10 years old. Beyond that, they can be anything from beloved comedy blockbusters like Ghostbusters (1984) to health class classics like The Story of Menstruation (1946). Pieces added to the National Film Registry are kept in a climate-controlled storage space where they can theoretically last for centuries.

9. IT SERVES PATRONS OF ALL ABILITIES.

In 1931 the Library of Congress launched The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). Today the service offers free braille and audio books, either through digital downloads or physical deliveries, to people with visual impairments or other issues that limit their reading abilities. Offerings include a wide array of books and magazines, as well as the world’s largest collection of braille music. NLS librarians are currently undertaking the painstaking process of scanning every sheet of braille music onto their computer system. Once that project is complete, the National Library Service’s entire collection will be fully digitized.

10. ONLY THREE LIBRARIANS OF CONGRESS HAVE BEEN ACTUAL LIBRARIANS.

When nominating someone to head the largest library in the world, presidents rarely choose actual librarians. They’re more likely to select a scholar, historian, or some other veteran of academia for the job. Of the 14 Librarians of Congress we’ve had, current title-holder Carla Hayden is one of just three to come into the role with prior librarian experience. (She is also the first woman and the first African American to hold the job.) On top of running the world’s largest library, Hayden is also responsible for managing relations with Congress, selecting the Poet Laureate, and overseeing the U.S. Copyright Office.

11. IT RECEIVES EVERY PUBLIC TWEET YOU WRITE.

The government isn’t just responsible for cataloging tweets coming out of the White House. In 2010, Twitter agreed to donate every public tweet in its archive to the Library of Congress. That amounts to several hundred million tweets a day. In addition to documenting the rise and fall of #dressgate and live tweets of The Walking Dead, the archive would also act as an invaluable data source for tracking language and societal trends. Unfortunately, that archive isn’t much closer to being completed than the day the deal was announced. The LOC has yet to develop a way to organize the information, and for the past seven years, unprocessed tweets have been stored out-of-sight on a server. There’s still no word on what the next step will be, but that might change with the newest Librarian of Congress. Unlike her predecessor, Carla Hayden is known for taking a digital-forward approach to librarianship.

Historians who want to know what a place looked like 100 years ago can refer to photographs. If they’re lucky, they might even find voice recordings that capture the sounds of that environment during a certain time. But determining what a room smelled like in an earlier era isn’t so straightforward. That hasn’t stopped researchers at New York City’s Morgan Library & Museum from attempting to document the aromas that filled the institution’s John Pierpont Morgan Library when it first opened in 1906.

As Hyperallergic reports, an experimental historic preservation class from the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP) has embarked on an olfactory journey through time. Their mission: fabricating a scent profile of what the library might have smelled like 110 years ago.

“I try to get students to rethink how we can preserve objects in a creative way that reengages people with those objects,” professor Jorge Otero-Pailos, who leads the project with Morgan Library & Museum curator Christine Nelson, told Hyperallergic. “In architecture school, we teach everything about space, light, and color of spaces, somehow everything but the smell.” Also helping with the program are Otero-Pailos’s co-instructor, Andreas Keller, master perfumer Carlos Benaim, and organic chemist Subha Patel.

To collect the historic scents, students use something called “headspace technology.” They place a glass bell on the pages of a 100-year-old book and, using a wax needle, are able to sample the manuscript’s chemical aura without causing damage.

Anyone who’s flipped through the pages of an old book knows that distinct scent. A team of chemists once compared it to “a combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness.” A more accurate description would be a cocktail of acetic acid, benzaldehyde, butanol, furfural, octanal, and methoxyphenyloxime. But old books don’t always smell exactly alike; the GSAPP group has studied the differences between more than 1500 of them.

Musty book smell isn’t the only scent going into their roundup. They’ve also analyzed the museum’s fireplace, its 16th-century tapestry, and an old box of cigars that belonged to J.P. Morgan himself. Once the class ends, Otero-Pailos plans to continue the project, eventually turning it into a sensory art installation that transports the fragrance of the library back to 1906.

[h/t Hyperallergic]

A dispute between the U.S. and the European Union (EU) could impact Americans planning to vacation in Europe this summer. As TIME Money reports, the European Parliament has voted to impose visa requirements on Americans traveling within the 28-nation bloc by May.

The decision was a response to restrictions the U.S. currently places on five European countries. Citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland, and Romania—combined, about 14 percent of the EU population—currently need to acquire visas before visiting the United States. EU lawmakers have taken a hard stance against these constraints by moving to make visas necessary for U.S. citizens entering the union, where only passports were required before.

The EU’s rules state that the EU Commission must retaliate against nations that don’t fully reciprocate their visa requirements following a two-year warning period. The U.S. was first warned of potential consequences in April 2014, and the EU says the new restrictions are overdue.

That doesn’t mean you need to scramble just yet; the resolution isn’t set in stone, and while the plan is to enact the stricter rules in two months, that will likely be delayed. The EU Commission emphasizes that they hope to reach a diplomatic solution to the problem before the May deadline rolls around (since making it more difficult for Americans to visit could hurt tourism economy). And even if the new requirements are passed, the EU says they will only be temporary.

[h/t TIME Money]

Since it premiered in 1969, characters hailing from various backgrounds have called Sesame Street home. Now, the iconic children’s series is launching a program to promote diversity behind the scenes as well. This summer, a group of rising writers from underrepresented demographics will be invited to participate in a writing fellowship at the Sesame Street offices in New York City.

The Sesame Street Writers’ Room will consist of six three-hour-long weeknight sessions during the months of June and July. In the meetings, seven to 10 writers will learn the ins and outs of creating children’s media, receive mentoring from industry professionals and Sesame Street alumni, and complete at least one script of their own. Two students may receive additional guidance and the chance to work on more projects after the program ends.

The main goal of the fellowship is to elevate talent from communities that are sometimes harder to spot on television. “As a company that advocates diversity,” the website explains, “we recognize the importance of representation both on and off-screen, so that children of all backgrounds can see themselves in the content they consume.”

If this opportunity sounds like a good fit for you, you have until March 31 to submit your resume, script sample, personal statement, and other information about yourself. All applicants must be age 21 or older, and resumes with extensive media writing experience (such as writing several episodes for a network or cable show) won’t be eligible.

When it’s not looting archaeological sites, ISIS is destroying them—and often doing both. The terror group has obliterated numerous ancient treasures, including the Temple of Baalshamin at Palmyra (in Syria) and the Palace of Ashurnasirpal II in Nimrud (Iraq). In 2014, after invading territories in northern Iraq, the group demolished Mosul’s Nabi Yunus shrine, where the biblical prophet Jonah (or Yunus, as he’s known in the Koran) was thought to be buried.

Now, archaeologists have made a surprising discovery beneath the shrine’s wreckage. As The Telegraph reports, a pristine ancient palace located beneath it has been made accessible through tunnels dug by ISIS. Iraqi archaeologist Layla Salih uncovered a marble slab from the passageways inscribed with cuneiform referring to King Esarhaddon of the Assyrian Empire. That would make the artifact nearly 2700 years old.

At its peak from the seventh to ninth centuries BCE, the empire ruled the region from what is now Egypt through southern Turkey. Construction on the palace began during the reign of Sennacherib (681–669 BCE). The area around the structure was partly excavated in 1852 and again in the 1950s, but until now the palace had remained undiscovered. In addition to the cuneiform tablet, archaeologists found a stone sculpture of a demi-goddess. ISIS built the tunnels to pillage the site, and they likely looted hundred of items like pottery and small artifacts before they were forced to flee the area by Iraqi troops.

Musul’da DAEŞ’in yıktığı ‘Nebi Yunus Türbesi’nin altından M.Ö.600 yılından kalma bir saray çıktı! Bu arada, bilinen ilk şehir ‘Uruk’tur. pic.twitter.com/EakrmjAoyx

— ÇapaMag (@CapaMag) March 2, 2017

 
With support from international organizations like the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, local archaeologists are now racing to excavate and document the palace before the unreliable tunnels collapse and bury it one again.

[h/t The Telegraph]

March Madness is fast approaching. If you’re planning on planting yourself in front of a TV for the duration of the tournament, you’ll need the right equipment—and some sustenance. Enter Pizza Hut’s “Pie Tops,” a pair of branded smart sneakers that can request a pizza delivery to wherever you’re wearing them with just the press of a button, Thrillist reports.

The promotional product ties in with the NCAA tournament taking place from March 14 to April 3. But these stylish kicks aren’t for running up and down the basketball court; Bluetooth buttons embedded in the shoes can be used to place instant pizza orders. When wearers press the Pizza Hut logo on the tongue, the shoe connects to their smartphone and purchases an $8 large supreme pie (owners can change this default setting to the pizza of their choice). Wherever they’re standing when the order is made is where the delivery will end up.

There are just 64 pairs of sneakers to go around and, according to Engadget, the chain will distribute them to the public “at some point in the future.” Lucky recipients might consider supplementing their wardrobe with more Pizza Hut-branded apparel to complete the look.

[h/t Thrillist]