Internet Wading for May

This month, I have all sorts of odds and ends, ranging from an odd Internet site, through to history and art and more.

Oddest of the lot this month is the site 11foot8, which is “A site that points cameras at a railroad overpass in Durham, North Carolina, which has a clearance of 11 feet 8 inches, and then films trucks crashing into it—over and over again.” While it is odd, it’s also oddly fascinating.

History can be shown many different ways, and The Guardian is juxtaposing history with Google Street View, as in their latest, “Second world war in Google Street View”, which places historic photos from World War 2 in position on top of Google Street View images. Kind of amazing, really.

Speaking of history and World War 2, “Hitler's Jewish neighbour looks back in horror in new book”. It’s not yet available in English.

History of another sort is on view in “Ogle the Woolworth Building's Stunning, Rarely Open Lobby”, which looks at in a series of photos. I’ve never actually seen it before.

Speaking of art, “A Couple Of Anonymous Students Sneak Into a Classroom Every Week And Blow Everyone’s Mind”. Okay, then.

Ah, university days! Roger Green remembers his time in student elections. I never did anything like that, but it reminds me that someday I should talk about what I did do back then.

Also at university, researchers think that lab mice may have anxiety toward males, and that could have skewed years’ worth of studies. Whoops!

Remember that gay-inclusive Nabisco Honey Maid “This Is Wholseome” ad that got the frothing rightwing extra frothy? Well, “A Gay Dad Recognizes His Real Life” in the ad: “The minute I saw that simple scene, I burst into tears. That was me. That was my family. While the Coke commercial may have made history for the Super Bowl, Nabisco made history for me. It was at that moment that I realized I had never, ever recognized my real life in a commercial before.”

Finally, given my recent dental dramas, this popped out of the screen at me: “Teeth the new benchmark of inequality – expert”. I don’t know about that, but I do now notice people’s teeth more than I ever have before.

That’s enough wading for this month.