“Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils”*…
In a recent experiment, “a group of domesticated birds were taught to call one another on tablets and smartphones.” They enjoyed it and made new friendships. [Schuyler Velasco]
The US Defence Department earns $100m/year operating slot machines used by soldiers on their bases. [Gabby Means]
Some corrupt Mexican police are now using card terminals to make collecting bribes at traffic stops more convenient. [Daniela Dib]
Fashion models in China are cutting prices to compete with AI: “If designers using AI charge 800 yuan, I’ll do 600. If they charge 600, I’ll get down to 500. There’s no other way out. I’ll fight till the end.” [Andrew Deck]
Only 28 books sold more than 500,000 copies in the US in 2022. Eight of them were by romance novelist Colleen Hoover. [Jason Colvato]
The average US fridge uses 3–5 times more electricity than an entire human being consumes in Nigeria. [Daisy Dunne & Simon Evans]
Since 1986, Nepal’s timezone has been 5 hours and 45 minutes ahead of GMT. [Sam Enright]
A selection from Tom Whitwell’s always-illuminating annual list: “52 things I learned in 2023.”
* Hector Berlioz
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As we live and learn, we might recall that on this date in 2013 Metallica played a concert in Antarctica, making them the first band to perform on all seven continents.
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