Our favourite finds from around the internet this week.
Asteroid named after Iain Banks
When Scottish author Iain Banks died earlier this month, he left behind countless grieving fans around the world. One of those fans has come up with a novel way to pay tribute to the great writer: he successfully applied to have an asteroid named after him. Asteroid 5099 is now officially known as Iainbanks.
Dr Jose Luis Galache of the Minor Planets Centre (MPC), part of the International Astronomical Union said: ‘When I heard of his sickness I immediately asked myself what I could do for Mr Banks, and the answer was obvious: Give him an asteroid!’
What if Star Wars was written by Shakespeare?
What happens when you combine what’s widely agreed on as among Hollywood’s worst scripts and the English language’s finest writer? Harrison Ford famously told George Lucas of his dialogue, ‘You can type this shit George, but you sure as hell can’t say it.’ In this book trailer, William Shakespeare’s Star Wars, find out if tweaking by The Bard makes it any more sayable.
Amazon’s robot workers
What’s it like to work for Amazon, the world’s largest bookseller? According to this Co.Design report, not so great. ‘An Amazon fulfillment associate might have to walk as far as 15 miles in a single shift, endlessly looping back and forth between shelves in a warehouse the size of nine soccer fields. They do this in complete silence, except for the sound of their feet. The atmosphere is so quiet that workers can be fired for even talking to one another.’
‘And all the while, cardboard cutouts of happy Amazon workers look on, cartoon speech bubbles frozen above their heads: “This is the best job I ever had!’
10 Nerdiest Jokes of All Time
Salon has gathered what they’ve dubbed the 10 nerdiest jokes of all time. Here’s one, ‘a zinger for when drunken bar banter inevitably turns to talk over film/TV roles for women’:
‘Two women walk into a bar, and talk about the Bechdel test.’
Amish Gadget Culture
Contrary to popular opinion, the Amish aren’t total Luddites - they’ve developed a tech culture all their own, ‘hacking’ technology to fit their needs. ‘Amish are all about the loopholes,’ Chris Weber, who works with Amish youth, told Buzzfeed. ‘The best way to create an exception is to have it be dependent on business.’
