"Semantic satiation is a psychological phenomenon in which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener, who then perceives the speech as repeated meaningless sounds."
Every COVID-19 Commercial Is Exactly The Same
How coronavirus restrictions inadvertently lead to mass surveillance
Mashable has a great new piece — in video, and in text — about the intersections between COVID-19 restrictions and surveillance-style privacy invasions. The reporting by Tulika Bose and Jack Morse is smart and nuanced enough that it doesn't veer into anti-masker conspiracy theories, and rather, takes a rational skeptic's approach to the potential abuses… READ THE REST
Used Coronavirus tests handed to testees in UK
The good news for folks in Birmingham, England, is that the government is handing out coronavirus tests door-to-door. The bad news is the swabs are suspiciously moist. Volunteers and RAF personnel distributed kits to households in those areas on Tuesday. Ms Dunne said she had been told to complete the test within 15 minutes and… READ THE REST
Listen to this "kids music for grown-ups" song about how you should wear a facemask
Back in 2014, I went to see folk-punk troubadour Frank Turner in concert. I've seen him many times before and since then, and he always curates interesting opening acts. But at this particular performance, one of those groups was Koo Koo Kanga Roo, a "kids band for grown-ups" comprised of two goofy white dudes rapping… READ THE REST
These six voice recorders are all tiny, but mighty — and also, on sale
Have you ever considered getting a digital voice recorder? They can actually be a lot more helpful than you might realize. From constructing business letters or memos to medical or legal dictation to recording meetings, interviews or lectures, voice recorders are a compact, lightweight way to store hundreds of hours of digital audio you can… READ THE REST
This ultimate survival bag is the thinking person's disaster prep — and it's $30 off
It used to be that go bags were almost exclusively reserved for emergency responders, journalists, and those very select few who might have to drop everything and run somewhere at a moment's notice. Maybe it's a sign of our tumultuous times, but it feels like almost everyone now has their bag of emergency supplies and… READ THE REST
This self-driving truck kit is one of the coolest STEM gifts an inquisitive kid could ever get
Don't look now, but that car next to you on the road may not have a driver. Thankfully, with the advent of the self-driving vehicle, that's not the panic-inducing moment it used to be. A self-driving shuttle has been ferrying customers in Las Vegas for three years. Tesla head Elon Musk says beta testing on… READ THE REST
