What I Want

Edition № 2 · Monday, 10 August 2026 · 10 items

React to the titles by gut — “number three, more like this” is enough. One of these ten is your assignment to actually consume; the fold-in reveals which, after your first pass.

1

Bacteria and Cancer: The Latest Word

In the Pipeline (Derek Lowe) · essay

There have been a great number of reports over the years of associations between various bacterial species and human tumor tedition, but the problem is that no one has been sure how many of…

2

The last ice age

Aeon · essay

Retracing his grandparents’ journey to Iceland’s Vatnajökull glacier, a writer draws on storytelling to grasp climate change - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon

3

Egri Minaret in Eger, Hungary

Atlas Obscura · essay

The northernmost surviving minaret in mainland Europe is a very claustrophobic reminder of the 16th- and 17th-century Ottoman occupation of Hungary. Ascend the 98 very cosy steps for a view…

Expedition — testing Does non‑American place evoke longing?
4

Typewriter interview with Mark Haddon

Austin Kleon · essay

My most recent typewriter interview — a big hit with readers! — is with author and illustrator Mark Haddon, who said it was the most enjoyable interview he’s ever done and bestowed upon me…

5

The Gruel Manifesto: How to Love Plain Rice Gruel (糜)

Chinese Cooking Demystified · video

Chaozhou's Mue is the plainest food I've ever eaten... and it's actually pretty great? 0:00 - the rice gruel of chaozhou 3:44 - learning to love the gruel 7:44 - making the gruel 10:26 -…

6

How I use LLMs to learn complex topics

Hacker News · essay
Expedition — testing Does self-hosting feel realistic?
7

Chemical Onshoring of All Kinds

In the Pipeline (Derek Lowe) · essay

Here are two rather related stories that I’d like to bring together. The first is this very interesting article from Bloomberg on the humble nitrile glove, companion to laboratory and…

8

Review of “Mario Vargas Llosa” by Gerald Martin – the Peruvian leftist who fell in love with Margaret Thatcher

3 Quarks Daily · essay

Pratinav Anil in The Guardian: “At what precise moment had Peru fucked itself up?” Those words on the opening page of Conversation in the Cathedral announced the arrival of a writer who…

9

How Does an Enigma Machine Work?

Kottke.org · essay

This is a completely fantastic look at how the Enigma Machine works . Jared Owen constructed a 3D model of the German cipher device and clearly walks the viewer through how the electricity…

Wildcard — Mechanical cryptography
10

A Short Film Sheds Light on the Garfield Phones Washing Up on a French Beach Since the ’80s

Colossal · essay

Breton coastal residents grew up collecting parts of a 1984 Garfield-themed plastic telephone on the beach—and still do. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal…