| A Chilly Reception |
[10 Aug 2015|08:45am] |
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http://www.slate.com/articles/life/travel_explainer/2015/08/why_are_there_ice_machines_in_so_many_hotels.html From housekeeping service to a Bible in the nightstand drawer, there’s a standard set of amenities you can expect to find in most American hotels. We can chalk up housekeeping to hospitality and Bibles to the Gideons, but what about ice machines—how did these hulking apparatuses come to be so common in the alcoves of American hotel hallways? Sure, ice is theoretically useful, but who decided that hotel guests must have free access to it at all times?
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| Nothing Was the Same |
[10 Aug 2015|09:30am] |
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http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/08/drake_meek_mill_beef_how_the_introspective_canadian_defeated_the_fierce.html It’s difficult to pinpoint the precise moment of Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill’s recent demise, at the soft but mighty hands of Drake. It may have come as early as July 21, when Meek fired off a series of tweets complaining about Drake failing to sufficiently hype Meek’s recent album, Dreams Worth More Than Money, punctuating his grievance with a whiny accusation that Drake had enlisted the services of ghostwriter Quentin Miller on “R.I.C.O.,” a collaboration with Meek from said album. It may have been July 25, when Drake released “Charged Up,” or three days later when he released “Back to Back,” each smoldering Meek disses that contained pointed references to Meek’s more famous girlfriend, Nicki Minaj, whose “it’s complicated” relationship with Drake has been speculated upon for years. It may have been July 31, when an anonymous White Castle social media employee shamelessly exploited Meek’s ongoing woes to endorse an unholy product called “chicken rings.” Or it may have been Aug. 3, when Drake wore a “Free Meek Mill” T-shirt at Toronto’s OVO Fest and opened his set with “Charged Up” and “Back to Back” while treating fans to a PowerPoint presentation of anti-Meek Tumblr flotsam.
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| A New Use for Dryer Sheets Your Friends Will Thank You for Employing |
[10 Aug 2015|01:45pm] |
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http://www.slate.com/articles/video/the_short_cut/2015/08/dryer_sheet_uses_they_can_keep_your_laundry_fresh_in_more_ways_than_one.html Dryer sheets are fantastic at helping clean laundry smell clean. But did you know they can also help dirty laundry smell clean(er)? This trick is helpful anytime you’re forced to live in close quarters with clothes that are especially dirty: camping trips, ski trips, relay road races, summer hotel stays, etc. Even better, you can throw dryer sheets into luggage, sleeping bags, and drawers to keep clothes smelling clean throughout your travel or at home. Watch the video above for a few easy dryer sheet hacks. Your friends and travel companions will thank you.
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| A.I. Thee Wed |
[10 Aug 2015|06:07pm] |
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http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2015/08/humans_should_be_able_to_marry_robots.html The Supreme Court’s recent 5–4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges legalizing same-sex marriage across the United States has already spawned speculation about “what will be next” in expanding marital rights. As the Supreme Court noted, “[t]he history of marriage is one of both continuity and change. That institution … has evolved over time.” Interracial marriage, equality between husband and wife, and same-sex marriage were all excluded for long periods of time under our Constitution but now have been sanctioned and protected by the courts. While these changes have come slowly, and courts are unlikely to take the next step in expanding marital rights for some time, the courts are probably not finished expanding the legal definition of marital rights.
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| The Fantastic Four Are Jerks |
[10 Aug 2015|10:17pm] |
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http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/08/the_fantastic_four_movie_flop_the_marvel_superheroes_are_gigantic_jerks.html Mere minutes into the disastrous new Fantastic Four movie, a young Reed Richards—who will later become an elastic-limbed superhero—borrows a child’s model airplane. Eager to demonstrate his brilliance, he inserts it into a machine that temporarily teleports it into another dimension. When the toy returns, it has been damaged beyond repair, one wing partially broken off and the chassis pitted with mysterious scars. Oblivious, he hands it back to its owner, who barely hesitates before blurting out what everyone must be thinking. “You’re a dick,” the child tells Reed. And he is not wrong.
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