John Cox

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inews.co.uk

The 14 best dystopian novels of all time

A rundown roster of essential dystopian fiction, framed by The Handmaid's Tale and its sequel The Testaments as touchstones, tracing the genre from Zamyatin's We and Kafka's The Trial through Cold War-era and postmodern entries to recent works like Station Eleven, Submission and Little Eyes. Each brief entry sketches the premise and argues for why the book endures or unsettles, whether through Ballard's collapsing tower block, McCarthy's scorched-earth father-son journey, or Alderman's gender-power reversal. Worth keeping as a ready-made syllabus of the genre's key preoccupations — totalitarianism, technology, ecological collapse, and patriarchy — spanning a century of imagined catastrophe.

Permalink bookssci-fidystopianliterature

sixcolors.com

Rethinking RSS, newsletters, and how I read every morning

Reflecting on Terry Godier's newsreader app Current, the author explores why an app built to relieve "reading debt" and unread-count anxiety didn't work for them, despite agreeing with its premise. The piece traces this back to the author's own once-a-day, morning-newspaper-style reading ritual (via Feedbin and ReadKit), which led to a broader realization: newsletters that bundle stories into a single digest actually suit this habit better than raw RSS firehoses, prompting the idea of converting noisy feeds into newsletter-like summaries. It ends less as a review of Current and more as an open question about what the ideal reading app—something between mail client, RSS reader, and read-later service—would actually look like.

Permalink productivitytechnologysoftwareipad

www.benjaminlcorey.com

Could American Evangelicals Spot the Antichrist? Here Are the Biblical Predictions:

Corey walks through the standard biblical proof-texts end-times Christians cite for identifying the Antichrist, then applies them point by point to Donald Trump — arrogance, boastful speeches, the seven "hills," a shock election win, enriching himself and cronies through real estate, cruelty toward migrants at the southern border, a staged church photo-op after tear-gassing protesters, and evangelical leaders like Franklin Graham framing his rise as divinely ordained. It's satirical in method but genuinely provocative in intent, using the mechanics of prophecy-matching that his evangelical peers use against liberal targets to instead indict Trump and the Christian right that supports him. The piece is really an extended, tongue-in-cheek polemic against fear-based end-times theology and its political alliance with Trumpism, worth keeping as a sharp, list-driven takedown rather than a serious eschatological argument.

Permalink united statespoliticsdonald trump

forestcooperage.com

Cedar Soaking Tub

Product page for a Vancouver Island maker's cedar oval soaking tubs, spec'ing the clear vertical grain Western Red Cedar construction, stainless hoops, and 26"-deep single/two-person sizing, plus the choice between a wood-fired Chofu heater or 120V/240V electric packages with Gecko controls. Worth keeping as a reference for actual dimensions, heating options, and the caveat that electrical hookup and foundation prep are on the buyer, since tubs are built to order in Sooke, BC with variable lead times.

Permalink wellnessbackyardwoodhome

www.backpacker.com

The 37 Best Waterfall Hikes in America

This is a roundup piece that compiles four previous waterfall-hike lists into one reference: a 20-fall national ticklist (top pick Alamere Falls, CA), a personal-favorites list highlighting spots like Ricketts Glen, PA, a Colorado-specific list of 12 falls curated by a local guidebook writer, and a bonus list of frozen winter waterfalls like the Apostle Islands ice caves. It closes with practical safety tips—checking flow conditions, wearing proper footwear, and avoiding common accident scenarios near ledges and swift water—making it useful as a season-spanning planning resource rather than a single curated list.

Permalink hikingtravelnational parkswaterfalls

camillestyles.com

Designing the Outdoor Kitchen at Zuma Beach House

A homeowner rejects the sterile, stainless-steel-and-polished-concrete outdoor kitchen trend in favor of a Mediterranean-inspired design pieced together from travel photos, building a space anchored by a Zwilling infrared grill, Clay Imports terracotta tile (herringbone floors and a handmade-looking backsplash), a Forno Piombo wood-fired pizza oven under a stuccoed dome, and a center teak table beneath an ornamental olive tree. It's a personal renovation diary worth keeping for the specific sourcing details and layout logic—like the pass-through window connecting indoor and outdoor kitchens—rather than generic inspiration, with construction wrapping by June.

Permalink designgrillingkitchenhome

www.southernliving.com

www.apartmenttherapy.com

I Turned a Secondhand Filing Cabinet Into My Dream Outdoor Planter — So Easy!

A DIY before-and-after piece where the writer converts a thrifted metal filing cabinet into a raised garden planter, walking through the painting mishaps (glossy enamel vs. matte hammered finish), fixing a missing bottom with scrap wood and drainage holes, and layering the interior using a hugelkultur-style method of wood and organic debris under soil to cut costs and boost plant health. It's a practical upcycling guide worth keeping for the specific technique tips — paint choice, drainage fix, and soil layering — rather than just the concept of "repurposed furniture planter."

Permalink sustainabilitygardeningdiyfurniture

www.nytimes.com

Alcohol’s Effects on the Body: What Does Drinking Do to Your Health?

From the moment someone sips [[alcohol]], it alters neurotransmitters and suppresses activity in the [[brain]], producing relaxation, disinhibition and impaired motor skills, and over time can reduce brain volume. Alcohol and its metabolic byproduct [[acetaldehyde]] act directly on tissues they contact — the [[mouth]], [[throat]] and [[esophagus]] — increasing inflammation, DNA damage and cancer risk. Drinking also affects the [[heart]] and blood vessels, raising blood pressure and contributing to arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, and it can modestly raise the risk of breast cancer in women. In the gut and the [[liver]] alcohol causes inflammation, fat accumulation, fibrosis and, with sustained heavy use, cirrhosis and liver failure; some early damage can reverse if consumption stops. Individual risk depends on amount consumed, genetics, preexisting conditions and overall health.

Permalink healthbrainwellresearch

www.wired.com

This Is Why You Should Try Ultralight Backpacking (2025)

A personal, practical case for ultralight backpacking that traces the movement's roots to Mark Jenkins' 1994 "Less is More," then lays out a working definition (10-pound base weight or less), the "Big Three" gear priorities (pack, sleep system, shelter), and a needs-versus-wants framework for cutting stuff. It argues ultralight is less about gear obsession than a mindset shift—eating separately from camp, cowboy camping, trying quilts—that ultimately makes the whole backcountry experience less burdensome and more enjoyable.

Permalink hikingcampinggeartags

camillestyles.com

A Nutritionist’s Guide to Spring Produce (Plus the Easiest Ways to Cook It)

A nutrition consultant's seasonal-eating guide for spring, arguing that cooking becomes simpler and tastier when built around what's freshest right now rather than following complicated recipes. It runs through fourteen spring staples—strawberries, artichokes, fennel, asparagus, arugula, and more—with practical tips on how to pick each one at peak quality and quick, low-effort ways to use it, from roasting to raw salads. Worth keeping mainly as a reference cheat sheet for farmers' market or CSA shopping trips.

Permalink nutritionrecipescookingproduce

camillestyles.com

27 Long-Distance Relationship Ideas to Stay Close—Even When You’re Miles Apart

A personal roundup from a writer navigating a Portland-to-San-Francisco relationship, offering a curated list of nearly 30 concrete ways to stay connected across distance—ranging from shared playlists and voice notes to virtual cooking classes and surprise care packages. The framing is less about "surviving" long-distance and more about building small, repeatable rituals that make everyday intimacy possible despite the miles. Worth keeping for its practical, low-effort ideas rather than abstract relationship advice.

Permalink technologyrelationshipsromancecommunication

www.skeptic.com

Confessions of a Former Chiropractor

A former chiropractor recounts training at Palmer College and practicing through the 1990s, describing how the field's founding metaphysics (innate intelligence, subluxations) persist beneath a veneer of scientific legitimacy, and how business coaching culture pushed practitioners toward selling long-term "care plans" rather than delivering evaluable outcomes. The piece's sharpest point is structural: authority in chiropractic flows from non-practicing "paycheck" leaders who impose doctrine downward, while practitioners internalize failures as personal shortcomings rather than evidence the profession itself doesn't work—leaving the author to conclude that rigorous controlled studies consistently shrink chiropractic's apparent effects toward placebo. It's a firsthand insider indictment worth keeping for its blend of memoir and critique of how an alternative-medicine profession sustains belief against contrary evidence.

Permalink healthethics

www.gobankingrates.com

Narrow Roth Conversion Window Retirees Miss

The piece flags a narrow window—the gap years between retiring and starting Social Security—as prime time for Roth conversions, since taxable income is unusually low before RMDs and benefits kick in later and push tax brackets higher. It cites Wade Pfau and Matt Hylland making the case that retirees who delay claiming Social Security into their late 60s/70s, especially while living off cash savings, can convert traditional retirement funds at minimal tax cost. Worth keeping as a concrete tactical reminder to plan conversions proactively rather than realizing the opportunity too late.

Permalink retirementpersonal financetaxessocial security

www.theguardian.com

10 of the best fruit and vegetables to plant now for a hassle-free harvest

A gardening guide that pushes back against the temptation to choose show-catalogue vegetables, arguing that reliability, yield and flavour matter more than novelty. It runs through ten specific low-fuss crops—vine tomatoes, mangetout, courgettes, chard, rhubarb, autumn raspberries, winter squash, kale, beetroot and French beans—naming tried-and-tested cultivars for each and giving concise sowing/spacing instructions. Worth keeping as a practical, cultivar-specific shortlist for planning an easier, more productive growing year rather than a general "how to garden" piece.

Permalink foodgardeninglifevegetable

leak-hifi.co.uk

TruStream

This is a product page for the LEAK TruStream network streamer/DAC, built around Silent Angel's streaming platform and an ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M reference DAC, supporting Spotify/TIDAL/Qobuz Connect, Roon Ready, AirPlay 2 and hi-res formats up to PCM 768kHz/DSD512. It's worth keeping mainly for the full spec sheet (I/O options including balanced XLR, coaxial/optical digital out, USB audio, headphone amp specs) and the framing of the unit as a complete source component styled to match LEAK's Stereo 130/230 amplifiers rather than a bare digital transport.

Permalink technologyaudiofurniturestreaming

www.slashfilm.com

5 Forgotten '70s Western Movies That Still Hold Up Today

A roundup of five overlooked 1970s Westerns worth revisiting: Charlton Heston facing a vengeful outlaw in "The Last Hard Men," Robert Aldrich's bleak Vietnam-allegory "Ulzana's Raid," Charles Bronson's train-set whodunit "Breakheart Pass," Franco Nero's spaghetti-Western revenge tale "Keoma," and Lee Van Cleef's underseen "The Grand Duel." The piece argues that the genre's '70s output grew more cynical and violent than classic Hollywood oaters, deliberately puncturing frontier myths rather than romanticizing them, and that these particular titles got lost in the shadow of New Hollywood landmarks like "Jaws" and "The Godfather" despite still holding up. Worth keeping as a quick watchlist of underrated genre gems with a shared skeptical streak toward the "Old West as noble adventure" narrative.

Permalink western1970sclassicsspaghetti western

kottke.org

www.independent.co.uk

Tributes paid to six US troops killed in Iran drone strike including mother who was two days away from returning home

This piece profiles the six US Army Reserve soldiers killed when Iran struck a logistics command centre near Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, a day into the joint US-Israel "Operation Epic Fury" campaign against Iran. It centres on personal details from grieving families—Sgt. Amor's near-return home and unprotected relocation, Sgt. Coady's fresh promotion and cybersecurity studies, Capt. Khork's ROTC-driven patriotism, and Sgt. Tietjens' martial arts teaching—giving a human face to the first named American casualties of the escalating conflict.

Permalink united statespoliticsnewsmilitary

www.costco.com