Great video essay on the channel ‘The Pop Detective’ on a trope that is used in the US television show The Big Bang Theory of adorkable mysogyny: “Adorkable misogynists are male characters whose geeky version of masculinity is framed as both comically pathetic and endearing. And it’s their status as nerdy nice guys that then lets them off the hook for a wide range of creepy, entitled, and downright sexist behaviors… These types of characters are shown engaging in a variety of harassing, entitled, and sexist behavior where women are concerned. They consistently stalk, spy on, lie to, and try to manipulate the women in their lives. They’re overbearing, they refuse to take ‘no’ for an answer, and they often ignore the basic tenets of consent.”. Also check out their other video on The Complicity of Geek Masculinity on the Big Bang Theory.
Leila McNeill at The Baffler writes on the mythos of the male scientific genius and the moral license given to them: “Feynman, who died in 1988, is only one of the famous male scientists now sparking heated debates over the question of whether it’s possible, or even desirable, to separate the science from the scientist. Even as several high-profile scientists have lost their jobs due to charges of sexual misconduct over last few years, #MeToo has not much altered the science professions, and it likely won’t until the culture of science is dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up. Part of this process must include a serious reconsideration of how we’ve regarded abusive male scientists in the past—and how we have allowed such figures, in turn, to control the story and direction of science.”.
What travellers during baroque period would bring home: “Engravings made ideal souvenirs: they were light, portable, and relatively affordable. Long after the tour ended, they could serve as a focus for treasured memories and display the wonders of Rome to the people back home.” Read more here.
The New York Times on what some of the filed Facebook patents tell about their privacy policy: “Facebook’s patents show a commitment to collecting personal information, despite widespread public criticism of the company’s privacy policies and a promise from its chief executive to “do better.””.
Winter cleanup: trying to delete google activity…so much different kinds… 😱 But at least the tools to manage the data are great 🙃
TIL how soy sauce was introduced do the US market and how Kikoman “had to adapt its sauce to the local cuisine if it was going to succeed” by creating new recipes and branding it differently". More here at The Economist.
Via Bloomberg: Facebook has become part of the e-commerce infrastructure in emerging markets so of course it’s hard to quit.
A Short Video Introduction to Hilma af Klint, the Mystical Female Painter Who Helped Invent Abstract Art via [@openculture] (http://www.openculture.com/?p=1059102).
Scary TedEd talk on fake videos of real people, but the last part of the title seems to be missing from the talk. “And how to spot them” = install the browser extension?
Kids say the darndest things 🍃