PICKS are stories from many sources, selected by our editors or recommended by our readers because they are important, surprising, troubling, enlightening, inspiring, or amusing. They appear on our site and in our daily newsletter. Please send suggested articles, videos, podcasts, etc. to picks@whowhatwhy.org.
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The People Who Clean the Ears of Lincoln (and Other Statues) (Maria)
The author writes, “A collection of images of the varied workers and techniques used to maintain some of the world’s largest and most prominent statues and monuments.”
The Orb Will See You Now (Russ)
From Time: “Once again, Sam Altman wants to show you the future. The CEO of OpenAI is standing on a sparse stage in San Francisco, preparing to reveal his next move to an attentive crowd. ‘We needed some way for identifying, authenticating humans in the age of AGI,’ Altman explains, referring to artificial general intelligence. … The solution Altman came up with is looming behind him. It’s a white sphere about the size of a beach ball, with a camera at its center. The company that makes it, known as Tools for Humanity, calls this mysterious device the Orb. Stare into the heart of the plastic-and-silicon globe and it will map the unique furrows and ciliary zones of your iris. Seconds later, you’ll receive inviolable proof of your humanity: a 12,800-digit binary number, known as an iris code, sent to an app on your phone. At the same time, a packet of cryptocurrency called Worldcoin, worth approximately $42, will be transferred to your digital wallet—your reward for becoming a ‘verified human.’”
A Missouri Town Was Solidly Behind Trump. Then Carol Was Detained (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “The first sign of trouble came early this month when Carol didn’t show up for her shift at John’s Waffle and Pancake House. … In the 20 years since she arrived from Hong Kong, she had built a life and family in Kennett, working two waitressing jobs and cleaning houses on the side. She began every morning at the bustling diner, serving pecan waffles, hugging customers and reading leftover newspapers to improve her English. ‘Everyone knows Carol,’ said Lisa Dry, a Kennett city councilwoman. That all ended on April 30, when federal immigration officials summoned Carol, 45, whose legal name is Ming Li Hui, to their office in St. Louis, a three-hour drive from Kennett.”
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, Grandson of 10th US President and Longtime Richmonder, Dies at 96 (Dana)
From The Richmonder: “Since 2020, Harrison Ruffin Tyler was the last living link to a vanished America. The Richmond resident, preservationist, and chemical engineer, a man who founded water treatment company ChemTreat and for whom William & Mary’s history department is named, also had the distinction of being the grandson of a man who became US president in 1841. As long as he lived, much of the great sweep of American history could be contained in just three generations of memory.”
The Naked Truth About the World’s Most Common ‘Brain Worm’ (Mili)
The author writes, “Do you remember last May’s internet memes and late-night skits about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ‘brain worm’? What they lacked was concern for a problem that causes a huge toll of human pain. … Neurocysticercosis (NCC), the medical name for Kennedy’s blight, commonly targets the central nervous system. But only after larval cysts age do they typically leak, inflame tissue, and trigger symptoms. Other noteworthy facts? Not only is NCC the world’s most common helminthic invader of the human brain, it is also one of the leading causes of adult epilepsy in many parts of Latin America, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.”
Still Booting After All These Years: The People Stuck Using Ancient Windows Computers (Laura)
From the BBC: “Since its launch in 1975, Microsoft has penetrated digital infrastructure so completely that much of our world still relies on aged, sometimes obsolete Windows software and computers, chugging along and gathering dust long after they first booted up. For people stuck using these machines, the ghosts of Windows’ past are an ever-present feature of daily life. … Even if you’re a diehard Apple user, you’re probably interacting with Windows systems on a regular basis. When you’re pulling cash out, for example, chances are you’re using a computer that’s downright geriatric by technology standards.”
In New Zealand’s Parliament, a Battered Cookie Tin Decides Which New Laws Get Debated (Reader Steve)
From the AP: “Under the scrutiny of a black-robed official and before a hushed audience, a decorative cookie tin rattles like a bingo drum. Inside: the future of New Zealand’s laws. The ceremonial lottery at Parliament, where bills are drawn randomly from what’s known as ‘the biscuit tin’ in local parlance, is a way to ensure every New Zealand legislator has the chance to advance a proposed law, no matter how unpopular their bid. When a rare empty slot opens on Parliament’s agenda, the battered metal cookie tin is produced from a glass case and its solemn and silly rite is hastily arranged. Inside the faded vessel with a peeling label might be an ambitious social initiative considered too risky for partisan support, a sensible but dull measure to tweak a statute, or a lawmaker’s controversial hobby horse that their party wishes they’d stop talking about. The tin doesn’t judge.”
