John C. Rock, a Harvard professor of gynecology, was the co-inventor of the birth control pill and a pioneer of in-vitro fertilization. Harvard's Center for the History of Medicine is holding an exhibition of his papers and artifacts, including two devices to help with "family planning" during a time when the only legal form of birth control in Massachusetts was the rhythm method. Above is "The Rythmeter," circa 1944. "A Pioneer in Family Planning" (via Mother Jones)
Collapse OS is an operating system that no-one should ever have to use. It's designed to be useful after worldwide catastrophe destroys human civilization: able to run on junk and easy to work with, assuming a modicum of computer science skill and a copy of the classics. Winter is coming and Collapse OS aims to… READ THE REST
Apple's hardware engineering chief, Dan Riccio, is planning to step down to oversee a new project, the company announced Monday, providing no further details on the longtime executive's latest role. Could this be related to the iPhone maker's foray into self-driving car technology? Your guess in the Boing Boing BBS. From Reuters: Riccio will report… READ THE REST
Here's a fun quiz that finds a delightful semiotic contact point in the late 20th century, the golden age of serial killers and computer scientists. "Can you tell a coder from a cannibal?" I confess that I mistook Dorothea Puente (~15 dead) for Grace Hopper (theorist of high-level programming languages). READ THE REST
There's a decent chance that if you're under 40, you've never seriously considered life insurance. With everything happening in your day-to-day life, not to mention, the big wide world at large, that isn't a huge surprise. It is, however, a mistake. The average lifespan of an American today is about 78 years old. Of course, averages are averages,… READ THE REST
If you're still living back in the days when a Chromebook was just some cheap tech trinket that couldn't do much more than take notes or check emails, it's time to catch up. Over the past decade, Chromebooks have grown up, hanging on to their slim profiles and low price points while expanding their functionality… READ THE REST
When was the last time you sat down and actually wrote something with a pen? Not just an appointment reminder or a three-word note, but an actual written document with sentences and paragraphs and stuff? We're willing to wager that it's probably been a very long time. While keyboards and digital devices have pushed physical… READ THE REST