The Wikipedia article of the day for July 31, 2020 is Rodrigues rail.
The Rodrigues rail (Erythromachus leguati) was a flightless bird endemic to the Mascarene island of Rodrigues, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The rail was described as having grey plumage, a red beak and legs, and a naked red patch around the eye. The bird fed on tortoise eggs. It was described as being attracted to red objects, which humans exploited while hunting it. The Rodrigues rail is believed to have become extinct in the mid-18th century because of predation by introduced cats and destruction of its habitat by tortoise hunters. The bird was first documented from life by two contemporaneous accounts, first by François Leguat, a French Huguenot refugee marooned on Rodrigues in 1691, and then by Julien Tafforet, marooned on the island in 1726. Subfossil remains (pictured) were later discovered and connected with the old accounts in 1874, and the species was named E. leguati in Leguat's honour.
Thursday, July 30, 2020
The Economy Is in Record Decline, but Not for the Tech Giants
By BY DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI, KAREN WEISE, JACK NICAS AND MIKE ISAAC from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/30eTE69
Grilled by Lawmakers, Big Tech Turns Up the Gaslight
By BY KEVIN ROOSE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2BJv2cv
‘This Is a New Phase’: Europe Shifts Tactics to Limit Tech’s Power
By BY ADAM SATARIANO from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/39Cuth6
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Wikipedia article of the day for July 30, 2020
The Wikipedia article of the day for July 30, 2020 is Ceilings of the Natural History Museum, London.
The decorated ceilings of the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, were designed by the museum's architect Alfred Waterhouse, and were unveiled at the building's opening in 1881. The ceiling of the large Central Hall (pictured) consists of 162 panels, 108 of which depict plants considered significant to the history of the museum, to the British Empire or to the museum's visitors. The remaining 54 are highly stylised decorative botanical paintings. The ceiling of the smaller North Hall consists of 36 panels, 18 of which depict plants growing in the British Isles. Both ceilings make extensive use of gilding for visual effect. Built of lath and plaster to save costs, the ceilings are unusually fragile and require extensive maintenance and restoration. Since 2016 the skeleton of a blue whale has been suspended from the ceiling of the Central Hall.
The decorated ceilings of the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, were designed by the museum's architect Alfred Waterhouse, and were unveiled at the building's opening in 1881. The ceiling of the large Central Hall (pictured) consists of 162 panels, 108 of which depict plants considered significant to the history of the museum, to the British Empire or to the museum's visitors. The remaining 54 are highly stylised decorative botanical paintings. The ceiling of the smaller North Hall consists of 36 panels, 18 of which depict plants growing in the British Isles. Both ceilings make extensive use of gilding for visual effect. Built of lath and plaster to save costs, the ceilings are unusually fragile and require extensive maintenance and restoration. Since 2016 the skeleton of a blue whale has been suspended from the ceiling of the Central Hall.
Lawmakers, United in Their Ire, Lash Out at Big Tech’s Leaders
By BY CECILIA KANG AND DAVID MCCABE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2DfEeFN
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