Loved the small book "Soap-Bubbles and the Forces Which Mould Them" [1], [2], [3] by C. V. Boys.

He talks about the colors of soap bubbles (among other things). After reading it I watched a large bubble-sheet exhibit at the Exploratorium in San Francisco with fascination—noting how the colors were different at the top of the film, (where it is thinner) compared with the lower part of the film (where it is thicker).

As the bubble begins to evaporate and get thinner, it eventually becomes colorless (black, I suppose) just before popping.

Aside from the section on color, the whole book is a beautiful example of reasoning, the scientific method, etc. (as though presented to Physics students—but it is nonetheless easy for the layman to follow along).

[1] https://archive.org/details/soapbubblestheir0000cvbo/

[2] https://archive.org/details/SoapBubbles-English-C.V.Boys/

[3] https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33370

your 2nd link is great but black and white . wow

My physical copy has a single color plate (the image showing the spectrum of the colors of the bubble, of course).

An Omaha, Nebraska monarch-stop reporting in.

The wife planted one this year. (Registered, got a little placard to place on a stake.)

We saw a dozen or so cocoons appear around her garden—on plants, on the trim of our house. And then we saw them empty out. The skies too around the neighborhood were frequented by monarchs last month—we'd see them all the time.

Funny how you start to notice a thing (that had always been there to some degree or another) once you start to invest some time and interest in it.

Hello Omaha! The gently rolling landscape in that region must be a lot like a kiddie rollercoaster for bugs like this that ride the winds just above the treetops.

Your wife started a lot like several of my relatives, by planting a pollinator garden and registering it. I think projects like that give people a reason to engage in outdoor activities and to break the connection to the living room couch or the gamer chair. This is something that all ages can really get involved with and learn from.

I have seen so many photo updates of caterpillars metamorphosing and finally launching. It is pretty awesome to see how a fat, tubular bug stuffed with plant material can dissolve into a bug soup and once the components settle out it will have added wings to a much improved tubular frame and only needs a few minutes to figure out how to turn those flappers into forward motion.

I agree that this becomes a real eye-opening exercise once you discover this in your own garden. There are so many things that I have been able to enjoy since beginning to reclaim my place by eliminating all the non-native plants that were introduced by previous owners. I still have a long way to go with a couple of the more invasive species of grass but I know that I will get there. I have a rototiller and Amazon, Fedex, and UPS bring new cardboard for weed block on a schedule that is disturbingly regular. Every new season brings another species that I haven't seen earlier into camera range. I'm feeling like the bugs and other animals see me as a normal part of the landscape that offers no threat to them now. That's the best feeling. Just like them, I belong there.

This is very cool.

It is the only port (that I am aware of) that brings over the additional Room Editor app that allowed you to create and edit "house" (game) files.

just noticed the name. thanks very much for many hours of fun in my youth. I'm looking forward to playing this again!

Thanks! Glider 4.0 was one of my favorite games growing up. Hearing this made my day.

I feel like Apple had to eventually show something in this space (just like VR). With perhaps one or two more revisions I think they'll let the foldable space "go away" in a few years.

IIRC the take rate on the Samsung folds is about the same as the iPhone Mini take rate was. If that holds, Apple may ditch it as not being worthwhile, just like they did the Mini.

I just wish they could make a Mini once every three or four years. They'd sell a bunch each time.

"The wealthy pay the vast majority of taxes in the US by almost every metric."

In a progressive tax system that's the way it is supposed to work. People pay what they can afford to is kind of the point.

Anything less than a progressive tax system means the poor pay more and the rich pay less. Is that what we're advocating for?

"…tally up all the "wealth" periodically, and then "distributing" it…"

Sounds a bit like taxation.

Yes. I'm all for taxation, including progressive taxation. But I'm against saying people should not be allowed to build wealth in excess of $x.

People with wealth in excess of "$X" though might suggest that either 1) our tax code is not progressive enough or 2) that there are loopholes some people are exploiting. For the good of democracy, it should certainly be looked into.

yeah, it's almost like we have a shared reality that requires us to manage it in a way that doesn't imbalance the whole.

Or you can spend it on elections.

> Or you can spend it on elections.

Many people spend a portion of their wealth in elections. Even middle class voters.

Are you seriously trying to compare half a billion total spent by a single man (just Elon) to middle class people contributing $50 to an election?

According to the data I could find, on average the middle class donate <$100. At least 55% donate <$100, with most being small donations.

Let's be generous and use $100. That means one person exerted the equivalent pressure of 5 million people.

What the fuck are you on about at this point. What is this stupid technically correct "but many people spend on elections" nonsense? Are you being purposefully obtuse?

> Are you seriously trying to compare half a billion total spent by a single man (just Elon) to middle class people contributing $50 to an election?

Yes, I am.

It is a policy failure to allow ANYONE to spend money to influence / support elected officials. Your only influence should be voting.

But, the wealthy use their wealth to influence policy. Policy that benefits them. Like policy that allows them to spend infinite money to influence elections. How do the non-wealthy stop that?

You do realize more money was spent on the party opposing Trump? Money can lose. Money apparently doesn't like the right wing but the right wins anyway without money.

Agree.

It feels odd that you would point out the little guy when there is kind of this elephant in the room.

You could have just said we need to get money out of politics.

outsized? That vastly understates the direct and indirect influence they have

That article is 9 days old.

It's currently relevant.

I see it being contradicted (and the contradiction contradicted almost daily).

That's not a trusted service anymore

I'll take your word for it, but I must have missed that.

(I thought it was just archive.today that was untrustworthy—it seems it's also archive.ph and archive.is, and perhaps others. It would be nice if there were a substitute already.)