BEING 97

In a film by his grandson, 97-year-old philosopher, Herbert Fingarette, faces in own death and realizes he has changed his mind since he wrote his book about about death published in 1996.

In that book, he argued that fearing ones own death is irrational:

”When you die, he wrote, 'there is nothing.' Why should we fear the absence of being when we won’t be there ourselves to suffer it?”

At 18 minutes, the video is longer that I usually like to publish at Interesting Stuff but I think this is worth it. You can also read a bit more about it at The Atlantic.

THE WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP COOKS 30,000 MEALS PER DAY

I've never once been tempted to take a cruise but I liked this short video about what it takes to serve so many meals. In it, the narrator reports that guests eat EIGHT times a day, and never explains it.

Oh well. The rest of the information is astounding.

THE SHAKESPEARIAN INSULT KIT

You dankish, boil-brained canker blossom. How's that for putting some jerk in his/her place? It's way better than the F-word too many of us fall back on.

Now, thanks to TGB reader, Joan McMullen, we have the Shakespearean Insult Kit in which you choose a phrase from each of three columns and let fly.

Give it a whirl – it's a load of fun even if, like me, you don't know what a lot of the words mean.

THE UNUSUAL ITALIAN VILLAGE IN WALES

As the Youtube pages tells us:

”Tucked away on the coast of northern Wales is the village of Portmeirion, a truly unique town built with a colorful, whimsical design and an eye for conservation.

“Built between 1925 and 1975 by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, Portmeirion became a home for lost building parts, such as taking the stones of a demolished castle to make a town clock tower.

“But the most striking part of the town is the integration of nature with the town's colorful architecture, modifying nearly every single building to work with the nearby terrain.”

A BOATLOAD OF SNOW IN CANADA

In Canada last weekend, they got a megamonster snowstorm. Bored Panda posted a big bunch of photographs of the snow like you've probably never seen before. Fortunately, these Canadians have sense of humor.

A whole lot more photos at Bored Panda.

HOW MUCH WARMER WAS YOUR CITY LAST YEAR?

The New York Times tells us:

”Scientists announced that 2019 was the second-warmest year on record. In a database of more than 3,500 cities compiled by AccuWeather, about 83 percent saw average temperatures higher than normal last year.

New York City was .07 degrees F warmer than 2018. Washington, D.C.: 2.4 degrees F above 2018. Seattle, Washingnton: 1.1 degree F above 2018.

Check your American city at The New York Times.

CAT FIGHTS OFF THREE COYOTES

Max is one badass cat. Take a look at his owner's security cam footage:

WE SOLVED PARALLEL PARKING 93 YEARS AGO

...and then, apparently, forgot about it. Take a look at how it was done with this car in Paris in 1927.

PATROL DOGS OF JACKSON HOLE

The Youtube page tells us

”The Jackson Hole Patrol Dogs are the hardest working canines in the valley. Day in and day out they work alongside ski patrol practicing search and rescue techniques.

“More than just members of the patrol, these dogs are family members of the patrolers who take care of them.”

Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.

You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.