Weekend link dump for August 30

Scientists accidentally create an entirely new kind of glass. Of all the things they could have accidentally created, that doesn’t sound too bad.

Can DraftKings be sued or not?

Don’t get arrested on a reality TV show if you can possibly help it.

The Thames River is back to being a body of water that can sustain wildlife.

The Carlton dance was created when it said in the script: ‘Carlton dances.’ It was never even intended to be funny; it was just that he was dancing. The dance is ultimately Courteney Cox in the Bruce Springsteen video ‘Dancing in the Dark’; that’s the basis.”

For those of you who have followed the Hugo Awards saga, the end result was not a favorable one for the provocateurs. Also, what Scalzi says.

“Now, nobody needs a reason to hate Burning Man; it can just be a feeling you have, like the way you hate strawberries or The Wire. But, if you ever need to justify your loathing of the annual pilgrimage to Black Rock City, here’s a great reason: Burning Man is bad for the planet.”

What Rowan Blanchard says.

Born to Run just turned 40. In case you weren’t feeling old today.

RIP, Dr. “Red” Duke, iconic Houston surgeon and founder of the Life Flight helicopter ambulance system.

“Tom Cotton, in case anyone has forgotten, wrote a letter to Iranian officials in March, telling them not to trust U.S. officials, all in the hopes of sabotaging American foreign policy and derailing the international diplomatic talks.”

Josh Duggar jokes aside, who actually did the hacking of Ashley Madison?

RIP, Amelia Boynton Robinson, civil rights icon and first woman to run for Congress in Alabama.

RIP, Marcy Borders, known as the “Dust Lady” from 9/11.

The pro-Hillary case for Biden 2016.

“Because there is no getting away from it. This American way of accepting killing as a way of life. And I am sick to death of it.”

“But guess what? The most successful nerds have always been the ones who are also willing to figure out what makes people tick. And the most successful politicians have been the ones who are willing to marry themselves to policy solutions that fit their time and place.”

“So here’s my question: What does it say about the deep GOP bench that none of them have managed to outperform a guy who has no comparative political advantage except celebrity and a willingness to insult anyone who crosses his path?”

“When you look at the evidence, it’s hard to deny that the overwhelming majority of men using Ashley Madison weren’t having affairs. They were paying for a fantasy.”

RIP, Darryl Dawkins, backboard-breaking basketball legend and one of the most colorful characters ever to play pro sports. My favorite Dawkins line: “I’m six foot eleven. My birthday covers three days.” You will be missed, sir.

“Give Trump credit for one thing: exposing, in plain view, that much of the religious right is driven more by politics than by religion; that is, more by mythology than theology. The usual demands that candidates pledge their fealty to the Bible, to the Christian nation, to the idea that America is in decline because of secularism have been suspended for Trump. That’s befuddling many observers. But the Trump phenomenon exposes how the piety test is often a proxy for other, irreligious motives.”

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