Stranger than Fiction

By Ben Frederickson

Europe Was Once Obsessed With Fake Dilapidated Buildings
The Atlantic - Paul Cooper
Decadence, awe, and jealousy inspired a strange 18th-century architectural trend. If you walk through Belvedere House Gardens and Park in Westmeath, Ireland, a dramatic sight rises through the trees: enormous,
Uber had a secret program that froze company computers if the police raided an office
bgr.com - Yoni Heisler
Not too long ago, there was great scene on the television show The Americans wherein a Russian spy, fearful that the FBI was about to bust in the door …
Triple Meltdown: How So Many Researchers Found a 20-Year-Old Chip Flaw At the Same Time
WIRED - Andy Greenberg
On a cold Sunday early last month in the small Austrian city of Graz, three young researchers sat down in front of the computers in their homes and …
Why Photos of the Eiffel Tower at Night are Illegal
petapixel.com - Will Nicholls
You can almost never find videos or photos of the Eiffel Tower at night on stock sites. Why is this? Because the Eiffel Tower is copyrighted when …
Spain and Catalonia Wrestle Over .Cat Internet Domain
The New York Times - By JONAH ENGEL BROMWICH
On the same day this week that the Spanish authorities stormed the offices of the Catalan regional government, detaining at least 14 people, a less-noticed raid took place. The puntCat foundation, which
Cheetos to open restaurant with celebrity chef
CNN Business - by Shen Lu
Cheetos aren't just for snacking anymore. Now you can get a three-course Cheetos meal. Cheetos, the snack chip owned by PepsiCo (PEP), is launching a pop-up restaurant in New York City devoted to Cheetos-inspired
The 'Monkey Selfie' Monkey Just Filed an Appeal
VICE - Sarah Jeong
Naruto v. Slater is headed to the Ninth Circuit, fighting for animal copyrights. A monkey appealed his copyright case to the Ninth Circuit on Sunday. The lawsuit was brought by PETA on behalf of Naruto,
You're not going to believe what I'm about to tell you
theoatmeal.com - Matthew Inman
This is a comic about the backfire effect.View
Panicked Newborn Didn’t Realize Breathing Would Be On Apgar Test
theonion.com - The Onion
When Pixels Collide
sudoscript.com
Last weekend, a fascinating act in the history of humanity played out on Reddit. For April Fool's Day, Reddit launched a little experiment. It gave …
The Weird Economics Of Ikea
FiveThirtyEight - By Oliver Roeder
Ikea is a behemoth. The home furnishing company uses 1 percent of the planet’s lumber, it says, and the 530 million cubic feet of wood used to make …
Revealed: How one Amazon Kindle scam made millions of dollars
ZDNet - Zack Whittaker
For years, thousands were tricked into buying low-quality ebooks. NEW YORK -- Emma Moore could have been the health and weight loss guru you spent …
It's like the Olympics, but for Microsoft Office
CNN Business - by Heather Kelly
Seventeen-year old Ryan Catalfu trained for this moment all year. Most recently this summer, he spent two hours a day practicing at home in North Carolina. He completed more than 300 trial runs ahead the
Lake Nyos - Deadliest lake in the world suffocated over 1,746 people in one night
Atlas Obscura - Dylan
Deadliest lake in the world suffocated over 1,746 people in one night. “I could not speak. I became unconscious. I could not open my mouth because …
A sloth risks its life every time it poops. Watch the harrowing act for yourself.
The Washington Post - By Jason Bittel
Valentino is a baby Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth. At five months old, he weighs about as much as a cantaloupe (and only moves slightly more). Everything he does, little that that may be, is beyond adorable.
Citigroup trademarks “THANKYOU” and sues AT&T for thanking clients
Ars Technica - David Kravets
Not to be outdone by Citigroup, AT&T has applied to trademark "AT&T THANKS." Who knew? Banking giant Citigroup has trademarked "THANKYOU" and is now …
Now Displaced by New York’s Gentrification: Feral Cats
The New York Times - By MATT A.V. CHABAN
Zane was the first to disappear, followed a few days later by Dali. Freckles was barely breathing when they found him. Buzzy, by the time they rushed him to the hospital, his stomach distended, had died.
China's Atlantis: How Shanghai is sinking under the weight of its tallest towers
International Business Times (GB) - Orlando Crowcroft
Could China's financial hub soon be underwater? On a warm spring day in Pudong, confused tourists mill around the base of the second tallest building …
We shouldn't have to explain that Ted Cruz's dad didn't kill JFK, but here goes, I guess
Vox - Dylan Matthews
We have officially reached the point in the 2016 Republican presidential primary when candidates are accusing each other's parents of involvement in the John F. Kennedy assassination: Specifically, Trump
Banned ‘Throw Your Phone’ Game Knows if You’re Cheating
WIRED - Ryan Rigney
Like many successful smartphone games, the goal of Send Me to Heaven is easily communicated. Unlike other games, the goal is to throw your phone as …
The Killer Hiding in the CDC Map
slate.com - Jonathan M. Katz
Last Friday, a friend doing research at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta sent me a photo of a display at the CDC’s …
Russia looking to buy 5 dolphins with perfect teeth and killer instinct
The Guardian - Agence France-Press in Moscow
Government website reveals plan to revive Soviet-era use of marine mammals for combat operations Russia’s defence ministry is looking to buy five dolphins, the government has revealed, as the country to
Caffeine For Sale: The Hidden Trade Of The World's Favorite Stimulant
NPR - Dan Charles
I came home from a trip the other day with a small plastic bag filled with 4 ounces of brown powder that, truth be told, made me a little nervous. The powder had a strong odor that reminded me of badly
Death from above: North Korea has started using balloons to drop cigarette butts on the South
nationalpost.com - The New York Times
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea likes to call South Korea a land of “political filth” and its leaders, including President Park Geun-hye, “human …
Dutch Police Training Eagles to Take Down Drones
ieee.org - Evan Ackerman
No matter how many regulations are put in place, drones are cheap enough now that frequent misuse is becoming the norm. There’s no good way of …
Tokyo police are using drones with nets to catch other drones
The Telegraph - By Rhiannon Williams
Tokyo's police force has introduced an elite fleet of interceptor drones designed to chase and catch suspicious-looking drones in nets flying over sensitive locations amid concerns for the prime minister's
The Japanese Art of Self-Preservation
damninteresting.com
The mountains of Japan’s Yamagata prefecture are considered sacred by the Buddhists in the region. These holy sites are sparsely populated, their …
How a Thor-Worshipping Religion Turned Racist
VICE - Rick Paulas
Fans of 'The Avengers' aren't the only lovers of Thor. We looked into the current observations of Odinism and Asatru, religions that celebrate the Norse gods, to reveal their dark, white supremacist underbelly.
Meet the Midwestern Pilots Who Risk Their Lives to Change the Weather
Atlas Obscura - by Justin Nobel
Flying near a fast-forming storm in North Dakota. (Photo: Shawn/flickr) The storm is fierce and glowing turquoise, and Steffany Royal is waiting for …