THE MEANING OF “AMERICAN PIE”

There are people who dislike this song from 49 years ago. Others love it. I'm agnostic but I wish I could figure out why I know the complete lyric by heart.

We were talking about what Don McLean's most famous song means back in the day and some people still do. Here's one explanation from a few years ago found on YouTube.

IS WEATHER REALLY BECOMING MORE EXTREME?

Most of us know the difference between weather and climate but this video goes further than that to show us what is changing.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN IS 175 YEARS OLD

Scientific American is 175 years old this year, the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States.

Poynter reporter, Rick Edmonds, took a look at the magazine then and now as shown in its anniversary issue:

“One piece considers whether a hundred years of successes of drugs and vaccines bred complacency about controlling infectious diseases.

“Among the greatest-hits offerings was a tale of the 19th-century Scientific American editor who designed and built a demo of an air-driven subway — only to have it scuttled for political reasons by New York City’s Boss Tweed.”

You can read more about this venerable publication here.

HOW HIGH CAN BISQUIT GO?

Given the limits of life in a pandemic world, pretty much all of us are looking for ways to entertain ourselves. Here is what the grandchildren of TGB reader Ruth Johnson have been up to.

WHAT THE HECK IS MARIKO AOKI PHENOMENON

Leave it to the Mental Floss website to once again come up with something stranger than I could ever think of:

”In the mid-1980s, a woman named Mariko Aoki sent a letter to Japan’s Hon no Zasshi, or Book Magazine, explaining a puzzling condition: whenever Aoki entered a bookstore, her bowels suddenly seemed to leap to life.

“The magazine printed the letter in its February 1985 issue, and it soon became clear that Aoki wasn’t alone. Other readers mailed in letters detailing similar experiences...”

No one knows what causes this but there are many theories. There is even a lengthy Wikipedia page about the “Mariko Aoki phenomenon”.

The short version is at Mental Floss.

OTTER ESCAPES ORCA JUST IN TIME

The Youtube page explains,

”This is the dramatic moment a genius otter being chased by a killer whale hops onto a boat for safety with just seconds to spare. In the incredible footage, captured in Halibut Cove, Alaska, on Sunday July 26, [2020] the otter is first seen roughly 200 yds away from John Dornellas’ boat, swimming frantically as the orca follows.”

Take a look:

There is more information on the Youtube page.

SOME CREATIVE, EXTRA-CLEVER LIFE HACKS

Most lists of life hacks are pretty much the same but this collection really caught my eye. Here are three examples:

There are plenty more at Bored Panda.

BOUBOU PAINTS WITH WHATEVER HE GETS HIS HANDS ON

TGB reader Mary Evans Young sent this story about Senegalese artist BouBou Niang. Here is a short overview of his work.

As Deepak Mehla explains at awesomebyte.com,

”What tools does an artist use? Brushes and palettes, you’d say. But, do you know that Boubou Niang, who uses the sobriquet of Boubou Design, can paint with whatever he can lay his hands on & Not only this, but he can also draw with his eyes closed or standing behind the canvas!”

You can read more about BouBou at awesomebyte where there are half a dozen more short videos of him at work, and additional examples of his paintings on his Instagram page.

TAGGING BEARS IN CANADIAN WINTER

TGB reader Joan McMullen sent this video of Canadian comedian and satirist Rick Mercer tagging along on a winter bear-tagging trip.

This is a load of fun.

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.