Morning Coffee (6/10/16)

Happy Friday!

This Hamilton algorithmic rhyme analysis is so cool.

I love a summer reading guide. (In that one, I second the recommendations for The Object of My Affection and The Name of the Wind.)

I had a very good perry recently, so this was suddenly of interest.

Stop the presses: Prince William ATE CAKE FROM PAPER PLATES IN PUBLIC. (No, it's cute how everyone's so excited.)

“Frog and Toad”: An Amphibious Celebration of Same-Sex Love

A Secret Tunnel Found in Mexico May Finally Solve the Mysteries of Teotihuacán

How Novels Came to Be Written in the Voice of Coins, Stuffed Animals and Other Random Objects

TOO REAL: 23 Things That Will Make Short Girls Say “Sounds Fake, But OK”

!!! Rare 'Baby Dragon' Hatches in Slovenia

All the Reasons Why People Did Not Reply To Your Party Invitation

Morning Coffee (6/9/16)

It’s time to admit Hillary Clinton is an extraordinarily talented politician

The irony of Hillary Clinton’s historic moment

As Clinton makes history, remember the women whose talents America wasted

Get Out Now, Bernie

The Onion but TOO REAL: Nation Clinging Desperately To Brief Inspirational Moment Before Being Thrust Back Into Raging Election Maelstrom

God bless Andy Borowitz: Sanders Vows to Keep Fighting for Nomination Even if Hillary is Elected President

The Spring Awakening Kickstarter clearly lied to its fans and was deliberately misleading at best and fraudulent at worst, and I'm glad a major publication is calling them out on it after so many just reprinted their PR message with some fawning commentary.

Unsurprising but SIGH: Showrunners for New TV Season Remain Mostly White and Male

Interesting! Vienna Violins Show ECB How Asset Buying Is Music to the Ear

If you haven't read the Tumblr shoplifting community story yet, it's pretty fascinating.

Morning Coffee (6/8/16)

I woke up to the news from California and THAT was delightful.

(Me elsewhere: Feed the Beast was disappointing.)

This is really happening: Hillary Clinton will be the first woman presidential nominee — that's a big deal beyond symbolism

The meaning of Hillary, and the long, hard climb to the top of the ticket

Hillary Clinton Made History, but Bernie Sanders Stubbornly Ignored It

No concession, but the Times says Sanders is laying off half his staff.

And I just read this and it made me both furious and so so glad that he will not be president, as he would clearly be terrible at it: Inside the bitter last days of Bernie's revolution

Reporters covering Clinton report harassment following AP call

I'm not saying what it is here but reading this Cursed Child spoiler about a certain character last night of all nights made me start crying again.

Stop the Bots From Killing Broadway

This piece on Dancing with the Stars casting was interesting even though I don't watch the show, and obviously if they got Bill Clinton (their dream contestant) I would WATCH EVERY MOMENT.

The Lost Literature of Medieval England

Morning Coffee (6/7/16)

Well, last night was exciting. In case you were off doing other things: Based on a combination of pledged delegates and superdelegates, the Associated Press declared Clinton the presumptive Democratic nominee. Sure, it would have been more fun (and better optics) if this had happened on an election night - what changed Monday that allowed the AP (and then other news orgs) to do this was a combination of more results from Puerto Rico and previously unpledged superdelegates declaring themselves for Clinton - but this is still important, exciting, and historic - the first female major party nominee.

(But if you're in a state that votes today - go vote anyway!!!!)

Nate Silver has some good explanation and analysis: Hillary Clinton Will Be Nominated Because More Democrats Are Voting For Her

Related: "The nomination is won by adding up pledged delegates and superdelegates. Clinton has a large lead in pledged delegates, and an even larger lead in superdelegates. You could rely entirely on one or the other, or change the weights between them in any fashion, and Clinton would still win. Sanders simply refuses to accept the combination of the two, instead changing subjects from one to the other. Ask him about the pledged delegates, and he brings up the superdelegates. Ask about the superdelegates, and he changes to the pledged delegates. It’s an infinite loop of bullshit."

This seems like a good time to break for some celebratory Broadway Carpool Karaoke featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Audra McDonald, and more.

Welp: Florida AG Asked Trump for Donation Before Nixing Fraud Case

And: "Republicans working to elect Trump describe a bare-bones effort debilitated by infighting, a lack of staff to carry out basic functions, minimal coordination with allies and a message that’s prisoner to Trump’s momentary whims."

Good for BuzzFeed: "We don't run cigarette ads because they are hazardous to our health, and we won't accept Trump ads for the exact same reason." (I know this is, to some extent, a PR stunt, but honestly... so what? If we care about the public political stances companies take, then we should want PR stunts that mesh with our goals and priorities. Wondering what's truly in the heart of executives we don't know is a losing game.)

This is so good, especially about how we judge things young women are interested in: Why we're terrified of fanfiction

This piece on The Great British Bakeoff is delightful, as is the show: Let Them Bake Cake

Ooh: King Tut's dagger blade made from meteorite, study confirms

Morning Coffee (6/6/16)

Me elsewhere: TV news!

ICE CREAM TURF WARS are all I want to read about this summer. (And a follow-up.) (Obviously I am joking and real people are getting hurt and that is bad!)

Good for her: J.K. Rowling Slams Critics of Hermione Casting as "Bunch of Racists"

"Forty-seven percent of Americans, what are you thinking? I know Mitt Romney was mean to you that one time, but that's no reason for decision-making this awful. No matter your politics, you should be able to see Donald Trump would be a terrible guest at your barbecue."

Meet one of Hillary Clinton's biggest donors in California. They hardly ever talk politics.

Zuckerberg’s GOP Meeting Shows a Master Politician in the Making

This is... this is... something. Make Yourself Great Again! A group of millennial bros find salvation in the teachings of Donald J. Trump.

!!!!! Bagpipes the New Zealand penguin gets 3D printed foot

They took out a full page ad for Jonah Ryan, a fictional candidate on the show Veep, in the Union Leader, New Hampshire's largest nonfictional newspaper. What a time to be alive.

This video from the British Library of a conservation team caring for degraded silk flags is great.

Great House Therapy: The Dashwoods’ Casual and Tolerably Comfortable Cottage

Morning Coffee (6/5/16)

How Kosovo Was Turned Into Fertile Ground for ISIS

Donald Trump wants to disqualify a judge purely because of his ethnicity

Former Trump University Workers Call the School a ‘Lie’ and a ‘Scheme’ in Testimony

And: Trump University Told Recruiters to Target Single Parents With Hungry Kids

Interesting: Trump Isn't the Campaign Media's First Mistake

Will Cigna And Anthem Merge? How Health Insurance Companies Pump Money Into Politics

"Female doctors are frequently mistaken for nurses or medical students. Female lawyers are assumed to be paralegals or secretaries or court reporters. Female systems administrators are mistaken for personal assistants when their desks are near their boss’s."

Nifty: Shakespeare Sound Effect Tool Found

"Transformed" is perhaps an unnecessarily strong word, but this is an interesting read: How Princess Charlotte’s Birth Transformed the Modern Monarchy

WHY YOU KEEP HAVING THE SAME FIGHT EVERY TIME: A TEXT GAME

Morning Coffee (6/4/16)

If it's something you can handle, you should read the statement by the victim in the Stanford rape case in which the rapist was just given a light sentence because the judge wanted to avoid a "severe impact" on him. This is an incredible piece of writing and so, so important.

Big good news in another terrible situation: Francis gives Vatican authority to initiate removal of bishops negligent on sexual abuse

I agree with Jamelle Bouie here: How Should America Resist a Fascist?

CNN has finally figured out how to cover Donald Trump's constant lying

Not to be all "I PREDICTED THIS" but I totally speculated about this on Twitter a while ago: Some officials worry about briefing Trump, fearing spilled secrets

Conservatives’ new anti-Trump savior also said immigrants are rapists (Obviously I don't want David French to do well but I am sad at the thought of all the puns we won't get to make. French Revolution. French fries. French horn. French Connection. So many options. French - toast?)

Bernie Sanders and Rigged Elections: Sometimes You Just Lose

Explaining Ben Shapiro’s Messy, Ethnic-Slur-Laden Breakup With Breitbart

This was reasonably convincing: In defence of the "Dark Ages"

Ooh: Hoard of Coins and Bronze Statues Found Off Israel

Morning Coffee (6/3/16)

Happy Friday! As usual, we'll go with some lighter links today.

Me elsewhere: Some thoughts on the Outlander renewal and a new episode of The Fourth Wall!

!!!!!!!!!!! Netflix Sets ‘Julie’s Greenroom’ Preschool Series From Julie Andrews, Jim Henson Co.

I have never watched The Bachelorette but this guy is my new hero.

This xkcd showing how to estimate the dates of maps is amazing and hilarious.

New emoji are coming! I'm excited about some of the food ones.

You had me at Post-It note war.

The Rolling Stone feature on Hamilton and accompanying interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda are worth a read.

As is Esquire's delightful profile of Daveed Diggs, who plays Lafayette and Jefferson. (And I feel like in all the talk about him having the fasted rapping on Broadway, people don't even MENTION that it's in a non-native accent! [French, as Lafayette.])

This will sound familiar to anyone who has tried to get a toddler to pose for a formal picture: Mike Tindall opens up about daughter Mia's scene-stealing handbag moment in the Queen's 90th birthday portrait And of course the Queen was the one to realize how to get her to behave, because this is the kind of thing she's dealt with constantly her whole life. Never say Her Majesty isn't good at her job.

Heh: Kate Middleton May Have Called Prince William “Babe”: What Does It Mean?

Perfect: How To Tell If You Are In A Transcendentalist Essay

Morning Coffee (6/2/16)

Wow: Germany is set to recognize the 1915 slaughter of Armenians as genocide. (Turkey is unhappy, obviously, and it will be interesting to see what affect this has on current refugee/migrant issues.)

Reid on Sanders: "I think he better do a little mathing." HA.

‘I Can Watch It on TV’: Excuses for Republicans Skipping a Donald Trump Convention Make sure you read all the way to the bit about Judd Gregg. You know those politicians and their notorious avoidance of crowds!

I really really hope this is correct: Why I think Bernie Sanders will drop out and endorse Hillary Clinton soon

Some interesting background and perspective on the Brexit vote: Cameron's Folly

Bill Simmons's new site The Ringer is up and this from Jon Favreau was one of its interesting launch pieces: Barack Obama’s Last Stand

This story is crazy: A warning left on a nanny’s car. License plates stolen. And a top Pentagon official in big trouble.

MSNBC’s year of standing up straight

This radio story on the opening of the world's longest and deepest rail tunnel was surprisingly fascinating, and the fact that this project came in on time and within budget makes me want to move to Switzerland immediately. Such good planning!

Whoa. This is a big deal: 75 Percent of Networks Will Use C7 Advertising Metric for Upfront Deals

Heh: Sir…Sir! You Need to Call the ‘Other’ Time Warner

Morning Coffee (6/1/16)

It's June?!?!

This is terrible; you might not want to click. Remember the story about the tiger temple in Thailand? Forty dead tiger cubs were found and at least it sounds like they are now removing all the animals from this group. I hope they wind up somewhere safe.

Wow: From $4.5 Billion To Nothing: Forbes Revises Estimated Net Worth Of Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes

Rebecca Traister's Clinton profile is great: "These days, I think of her as General Leia: No longer a rebel princess, she has made a wry peace with her rakish mate and her controversial hair and is hard at work, mounting a campaign against the fascistic First Order."

"Last week, none of the three major cable news networks — CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC — carried Mrs. Clinton’s speech to a workers’ union in Las Vegas, where she debuted sharp new attack lines against Mr. Trump.
Instead, each chose to broadcast a live feed of an empty podium in North Dakota, on a stage where Mr. Trump was about to speak."

I don't agree with all of Matt Yglesias's interpretations here but his Bruenig explainer is a useful overview of what happened.

And then please read Sady Doyle's take.

Fascinating: How I used lies about a cartoon to prove history is meaningless on the internet

The supposed Guys and Dolls remake now has a supposed director. (I only say it that way because I feel like we've been hearing about this FOREVER.)

Aw, the baby prince of Bhutan is very cute.

Perfect: Gothic Novels, Now That The Housing Market Is Not What It Once Was