February already seems to be going quicker than January, probably due to this quality reading matter helping to pass the time 
Happy invoicing!
- My Quest to Find the Owner of a Mysterious WWII Japanese Sword - ”When I was a kid, I was fascinated by a traditional katana my grandfather had brought home from Japan in 1945. Years later, I decided it was time to find the heirloom’s rightful owner.” Turns out getting a sword back to Japan can be a complicated business
- Santorini Earthquakes Create Panic In Greece As Locals Fear Volcano Could Erupt - Jetting off for a winter break in the sun? It may be warmer than you expect: ”Residents on the popular island of Santorini have experienced over 8,000 recent earthquakes. Now, researchers have revealed a new magma chamber growing underneath the Kolumbo volcano.” HT to Paddy for this one
- Mysterious Radiation Belts Detected Around Earth After Epic Solar Storm - If the Earth doesn't get you, the Sun will: ”In May 2024, an epic solar storm rattled Earth so powerfully that its effects were felt even at the bottom of the ocean… In the months following the storm, Earth was girded by two new, temporary radiation belts of high-energy particles, trapped by the planet's magnetic field.”
- Years-long research project finds snakes become 'very disoriented', lose weight and get sick when relocated - ”Hundreds of snakes are moved from backyards, inside homes and other urban areas into reserves and bushland each year. Little is known about what happens to the snakes after they're released but a years-long research project, now in its final stages, is revealing alarming results.” Looks like Australians will have to learn to love their local serpents
- Local Map - A map showing what Wikipedia has to say about any location you like, by Matthew Siu
- Bog Bodies Lay Hidden in a Florida Pond for More Than 7,000 Years - It wasn't just Europeans that ended up in bogs: ”In the 1980s, archaeologists uncovered 168 ancient skeletons from the peat at the bottom of Windover Pond.”
- The Perils of Medieval Pubs: Drinking, Gambling, and Disorder - ”Medieval pubs were more than just places to drink—they were hubs of gambling, crime, and deadly brawls. From barroom assassinations to drunken feuds that ended in murder, these rowdy establishments were as dangerous as they were lively.” No word on whether they had flat roofs with Rottweilers
- Turn Cow Poop into $10,000? Bingo! - At country fairs in the USA, they have a sweep on where a cow will crap: ”For hours, a large crowd of spectators watched her roam around the playing field, wondering when they’d get a show. Finally, five hours into the contest, Blessame pooped. The crowd erupted in cheers, then went home.”
- Odd Inputs And Peculiar Peripherals: The Morse Keyboard - HT to DoctorStrangelove for this one: ”When it comes to rendering text input into an electronic form,the newest keyboards use USB for wired interfacing, while the oldest Morse keys use a single conductor. Shall the two ever meet? For Matthew Sparks the answer is yes, with his ‘The Gadget’ Morse-to-USB HID interface which presents a Morse key to a computer as though it were a USB keyboard.”
- The Peppermills of Jens Quistgaard - ”Over the course of his prolific and varied design career, Jens Quistgaard created a series of peppermills… Intriguing and fantastical, the variety of forms expands the vocabulary of functional design, calling on an array of familiar references: chess pieces, tools, clocks, toys, as well as natural and botanical shapes.” This one incorporates a salt cellar in the top
Happy invoicing!
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