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The Roundup

This is a round up of the most interesting things I saw online this past week. I follow what I’d consider to be a large variety of interests, so I hope you find something interesting below, too.

COVID-19: Get Vitamin D! Get sunshine, and/or take a supplement. I have seen SO much coming out about this. Scientists just beginning to understand the many health problems caused by COVID-19. A Spanish opera house played to an audience of over 2,000 plants. The flu season was cut short, and other diseases have seen a decrease too (though maybe people just aren’t going to the doctor). How the Pandemic Will Reshape Architecture. A map of the surge. You can see Everest from 125 miles away right now, thanks to the lockdown.

Higher Ed + COVID-19: This post outlines almost everything I question with “reopening” campus/going back to school this year. Visualizing Fall 2020 US Higher Education Plans. College Leaders Must Explain Why—Not Just How—to Return to Campus. Related: Why Do Universities (Still) Have Endowments? Turns Out You Can Build Community in a Zoom Class – lots of good suggestions for class at the end of the article. I am planning to incorporate some similar ideas this fall.

Ohio: Cincinnati folks, this is pretty cool – the restaurant Washington Platform is using artificial intelligence to help diners self-monitor if they are too close together. Columbus folks, BrewDog is trying out delivery drones.

Anti-Racism: The simple, but meaningful, interview question this anti-racist company asks job applicants – worth reading the article, but the question is “Without using the word ‘different,’ what’s your definition of diversity?”. Law Professor Skillfully Handles a “Black Lives Matter” Complaint From Her Students. Race and Origin in the United States – I’d love to see a visualization like this over time. How to be an Anti-Racist Teacher – worth entire article, but in short, make sure your black students feel seen and taken seriously.

Space Stuff: A partial lunar eclipse is coming overnight July 4th-5th!

Health: Floor Sitting – Do you spend enough time on the ground? I want to stop sitting in chairs so much.

Environmental: Plastic Rain is the New Acid Rain. Craft Beer Brewer Feeds CO2 Emissions to Tanks of Hungry Algae. You can find people near you who will take your compost-able materials with ShareWaste (h/t Eric).

Did You Know: Visualizing the True Size of Land Masses from Largest to Smallest – some of these will probably surprise you (thanks to Eric).

Fun: You can send someone a Piñatagram. Here’s a massive list of online games to play, if you need to switch it up with your video calls. Make music in Excel.

I realized I forgot to end with a funny last week, so you get two today:

Click to watch a dog play Connect 4, courtesy of my wonderful husband.

This XKCD keeps making me giggle.