Tidy Coffin

Recursion, Tidy Stars, And Water Lilies

Marco Giancotti | Plankton Valhalla | 30th October 2024

Wonderful essay on randomness and design. “Atoms, genes, people, companies interact, build on each other, and lead to new things without end. If all there was to physics was a series of isolated events, destructive chance would reign supreme. The key must be to look at chains of interactions, instead of single ones. Feedback makes recursion possible, and recursion is what makes the unlikely likely” (6,800 words)

The Coffin In The Roof

Kaushik Patowary | Amusing Planet | 1st November 2024

Due to reduced executions, unmet demand for cadavers at anatomy schools caused a rise in grave robberies. Henry Trigg, an 18C Hertfordshire grocer, devised a way to prevent this desecration. In his will, he stipulated that his body be placed in a coffin and mounted beneath the rafters of his barn. The unusual “burial” became popular, drawing visitors after the barn was converted into the Old Castle Inn (1,100 words)