Pig Kidneys, Pong, and Starling Murmurations: Lux Recommends #300
Welcome to Lux Recommends #300, this week’s edition of what we at Lux are reading and thinking about (want to receive this by email? Sign up here).
Articles
The Inside Story of Pong and the Early Days of Atari: “Installed in a bar in Sunnyvale, California, the first Pong prototype was so popular that the flood of quarters jammed the machine.” — Adam K
Obsidian ‘Spirit Mirror’ Used by Elizabeth I’s Court Astrologer Has Aztec Origins: “Tudor polymath John Dee used the artifact in his attempts to communicate with angels and apparitions” — Sam
In a First, Surgeons Attached a Pig Kidney to a Human — and It Worked: “A kidney grown in a genetically altered pig seemed to function normally, potentially a new source for desperately needed transplant organs.” — friend of Lux Nicky Sid
Research as Understanding — Sam
A blind man can perceive objects after a gene from algae was added to his eye: “Researchers are trying to genetically reengineer people’s retinas to restore vision.” — Ina
Order Flocking Out of Chaos: “A physicist-turned-photographer captures the incredible harmony of starling murmurations.” — Sam
This Is How Everyday Sexism Could Stop You From Getting That Promotion — Deena
Cellphone data shows that people navigate by keeping their destinations in front of them — even when that’s not the most efficient route — Sam
Books
Bewilderment by Richard Powers: “The astrobiologist Theo Byrne searches for life throughout the cosmos while single-handedly raising his unusual nine-year-old, Robin, following the death of his wife…With its soaring descriptions of the natural world, its tantalizing vision of life beyond, and its account of a father and son’s ferocious love, Bewilderment marks Richard Powers’s most intimate and moving novel. At its heart lies the question: How can we tell our children the truth about this beautiful, imperiled planet?” — Sam
Movies
Free Guy: “A bank teller discovers that he’s actually an NPC inside a brutal, open world video game.” — Adam G
Videos
DIY Cardboard Plastic Ball Gun — Sam
The Balloon World Cup — Adam K
The Most Important Device in the Universe — Sam
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