Bit late today as I've been awaiting delivery of a new recliner. They had to take the back off in the hall to get it into the apartment 
Happy invoicing!
- Humphrey’s world: how the Samuel Smith beer baron built Britain’s strangest pub chain - Excellent, in-depth look at the brewery chain and its owner, and his… interesting ways: ”He now presides over a vast empire of shuttered pubs and grand, empty buildings that generate no income. It is a strange kind of businessman who avidly accrues property, only to let much of it moulder – but Smith has a strong claim to being Britain’s strangest businessman.”
- World's 1st nuclear-diamond battery of its kind could power devices for 1000s of years - ”The world's first nuclear-powered battery, which uses a radioactive isotope embedded in a diamond, could power small devices for thousands of years.” It's probably arrived too late to avoid the inevitable Christmas morning trip to the petrol station for not-included batteries, but maybe next year
- Watch The Insects’ Christmas from 1913: A Stop Motion Film Starring a Cast of Dead Bugs - ”In addition to offering brief respite from the chaos of consumerism and modern expectations, this simple stop-motion tale from 1913 is surprisingly effective at chasing away holiday blues.” Who needs Die Hard when you have this?
- The Ripley Rattlers - HT to DoctorStrangelove for a bit of Nottinghamshire tram history: ”The switchback route through the hill towns of Eastwood, Heanor, Codnor and Ripley, together with the fact that the route was single track with no fewer than 316 passing loops made the journey long and bumpy, and gained the trams the reputation of being ‘the most dangerous tram route in Britain’.”
- It’s beginning to look a lot like Mithras: Is an ancient Roman god really the reason for the season? - ”Mithras’ story and festival were co-opted by the Christian faith, forming the basis of Jesus’ Nativity story, and now ubiquitous Christmas celebrations. You have probably read or heard this before, but is it true?” Something to ponder at Midnight Mass
- Red Wine and Diabetes Health: Getting Skin in the Game - HT to Paddy for this important medicinal news: ”Insulin-mediated whole-body glucose disposal improved by 43% after red wine consumption but did not change in the control group, suggesting that red wine attenuates insulin resistance.”
- Mistletoe Actually Has a Surprisingly Powerful Healing Effect - ”For centuries, mistletoe has symbolized love, peace and healing, becoming a cherished part of Christmas traditions. But beyond its romantic reputation, mistletoe carries a remarkable scientific story – one that offers hope in the fight against cancer.” But only when cut with a golden sickle, I presume?
- Our writers pick the 26 best science fiction short stories of all time - ”We asked New Scientist writers to pick their favourite sci-fi short story.” Lots of good stuff in this list, including Lena by qntm which appeared here the other year
- “Twelfth Night Till Candlemas” – the story of a forty-year book-quest and of its remarkable ending - An enjoyable tale from legal eagle David Allen Green about his decades-long quest for a story he remembered from childhood: ”This post is about finally finding a book from one’s youth forty years later… It is also a tale about goblins and Christmas decorations; about the perils of ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence; and about the real value of librarians, cataloguers, indexers, and archivists – what should be called the Noble Professions.”
- Have A Weird Christmas With Our Album Of Vintage Photo Oddities - ”There’s a weird vibe running through this album of Christmas images. Harvested from Robert E. Jackson’s phenomenal collection of snapshots we see all kinds of unusual goings on.” Have a good one!
Happy invoicing!
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