Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch. By the way, much (but not necessarily all) of our delicious Popcorn comes from articles we’ve posted on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please stop by and “Like” us and we’ll keep a fairly-constant-but-not-frequent-enough-to-be-annoying stream of these coming to your virtual door!
They Live: The Stunning Kinetic Sculptures of Theo Jansen
If a 40-foot skeletal monster comes running at you down the beach, it’s time to look for a new beach. But before you flee, see if Theo Jansen’s around first… if he’s nearby, then it’s worth staying for a longer look. Jansen is a Dutch artists who creates Strandbeests (beach animals) from PVC, cloth, and wood. These amazing machines walk down the beach driven solely by the wind. Please don’t bother looking at still images; the only way to experience these beasts (if you can’t see them in person) is in video. We have three sources for you to start… “Strandbeest: The dream machines of Theo Jansen” is from his show at the Exploratorium, “Strandbeest Evolution 2017” shows the development of several beests, and “Theo Jansen” is from the Sinaloa Science Center. Start anywhere, but it won’t be your last look at Theo’s work.
Right 2 Health- Fighting for Black healthcare equity
Our broken national healthcare system has made us longtime advocates of SinglePayer. The long-overdue focus on the differences in Black health issues may be an opportunity to move forward. (from Right2HealthUS.org) “Right To Health is about health prevention. It’s about bringing people together to share, care and alleviate the disparities that come with racial injustice and economic inequality. We are a wholly volunteer group with a vision: to create a national network of healthcare providers, researchers, scientists, healers, community leaders, technologists, educators and anyone else committed to alleviating the ills of racism across all ethnic groups, with particular attention to Black Americans.”
Let’s All Go Volcano Diving!
(from The Guardian)- “A long-dormant volcano in Fagradalsfjall, near Reykjavik in south-west Iceland, flared to life on Friday night, spilling lava down two sides in the area’s first volcanic eruption in nearly 800 years. Initial aerial footage posted on social media by the Icelandic Meteorological Office showed a relatively small eruption so far, with two streams of lava running in opposite directions.” But the eruption is bubbling along, and the video is incredible. START LOOKING at this stunning drone footage by Bjorn Steinbekk showing a flight up the lava flow and into the crater, (or another Bjorn video here) but there’s more coverage here and here.
The Word on Weed
Washington and Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2012 and Oregon joined them in 2014. Now 14 states have legal recreational weed, others have legalized a plethora of marijuana-based products, and 16 more states are considering legalization this year. Yet the evil weed remains illegal on the Federal level and elected representatives still fight against it. Is marijuana a mildly enjoyable pastime or a plague on the nation? We don’t have to guess anymore, now there’s data. Researchers now have almost a decade of facts on crime, driving, economics, employment, and more. NPR’s ‘Planet Money’ brought all the data together in one place, and surprise… Jeff Sessions apparently had no idea what he was talking about.
