4chan knew about Epstein's death before it was public

Among the many mysteries surrounding Jeffrey Epstein is how, exactly, a website famous for pornography and white nationalism got the scoop on his death. At 8:16 a.m. on August 10, 2019, an anonymous 4Chan user posted, "don't ask me how I know, but Epstein died an hour ago from hanging, cardiac arrest. Screencap this." It was the first public indication that Epstein, awaiting trial for sex-trafficking charges in Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center, died while in the custody of the Department of Justice. It beat ABC journalist Aaron Katersky's post about Epstein's death on Twitter, now known as X, by 38 minutes. The Epstein files show that the Justice Department tried to identify the 4Chan user behind the posts — but couldn't figure it out. They subpoenaed 4Chan for the user's IP addresses four days after the posts were made as part of the FBI's investigation. From there, the trail went cold. (via Business Insider)

He just wanted to control his own robot vacuum but wound up controlling thousands of them

A software engineer accidentally uncovered a major smart-home security flaw after trying to control his robot vacuum with a PlayStation 5 controller, only to discover he could access thousands of devices around the world. Sammy Azdoufal was experimenting with his new DJI Romo robot vacuum and building a custom app so he could steer it using a PS5 controller. But while testing the setup, he realized the same credentials used to control his own device also opened the door to thousands of others. Instead of just moving his vacuum around the living room, Azdoufal suddenly had visibility into nearly 7,000 robot vacuums across 24 countries. The unexpected access didn’t just allow remote control; The backend flaw meant he could view live camera feeds, listen through microphones, and retrieve detailed home maps and device data from the vacuums. (via Dexerto)

Scientists say the Oracle at Delphi might have been huffing ethylene gas

For centuries, people traveled to Delphi in southern Greece hoping for a glimpse of their future. There, at the temple of the god Apollo, a priestess was said to enter a trance and issue prophecies. Ancient writers like Plutarch described how the temple of Delphi was constructed around a natural spring, where the rock produced a sweet-smelling gas called pneuma. On designated days a few times per year, the chosen priestess sat amidst the pneuma on a tripod stool and inhaled enough to enter her trance. Ethylene is a hydrocarbon and one of the world’s most widely-produced organic compounds. In industry, it’s a building block for plastics. In agriculture, it’s used to induce ripening in fruit. In the past, ethylene gas was even used as a surgical anesthetic, because inhaling it at a concentration of 20 percent causes unconsciousness. A toxicologist found many parallels between the altered state of mind produced by ethylene inhalation and ancient accounts of the Oracle at Delphi's mystical trance. (via Popular Science)

Hi everyone! Mathew Ingram here. I am able to continue writing this newsletter in part because of your financial help and support, which you can do either through my Patreon or by upgrading your subscription to a monthly contribution. I enjoy gathering all of these links and sharing them with you, but it does take time, and your support makes it possible for me to do that. I also write a weekly newsletter of technology analysis called The Torment Nexus.

A mysterious stone they found in their garden turned out to be an ancient Roman tablet

At first glance, the marble slab etched in Latin – including the phrase "spirits of the dead" – might have looked like a mass-produced facsimile designed to lend a garden a little decorative gravitas. But for anthropologist Daniella Santoro, who lives with her husband Aaron Lopez in a historic home in New Orleans' Carrollton neighborhood, the object – found half-buried in the undergrowth – set off some spidey senses. For a moment, she feared they might have uncovered an old grave. Santoro reached out to experts, and it didn't take long for the researchers to recognize what the couple had found. The Latin text begins Dis Manibus – "to the spirits of the dead" – a common dedication on Roman funerary tablets. In Roman funerary practice, Dis Manibus was a standard dedication to the spirits of the departed, often carved at the top of tombstones. The stone commemorated a Roman soldier named Sextus Congenius Verus. (via Science Alert)

A sinkhole opened in a golf course and revealed an abandoned wine cellar

An abandoned wine cellar, thought to have been sealed for around 120 years, has been discovered after a sinkhole opened up on a golf course in Manchester. The brick cellar, which was filled with dozens of historic wine and port bottles, was unearthed by staff at the 13th hole at Davyhulme Park Golf Club in Trafford last week. It is thought to date back to the original manor house on the land, which was demolished in 1888. Martyn Hamer, a professional at the club, said: “The green keeper came into the shop and said: ‘I’ve made a discovery on the golf course.’” The staff member had seen the sinkhole and assumed that a drain had collapsed. After using the club’s on-site digger to excavate the area, he noticed the brick structure. He was then able to climb inside and look around with a torch, finding dozens of empty bottles. Mr. Hamer said that the club had been aware there were wine cellars on the course, but had never known where they were located. There are likely to be more. (via The Independent)

An Italian wrestler knocks out his opponents by throwing pizza dough at them

Acknowledgements: I find a lot of these links myself, but I also get some from other places that I rely on as "serendipity engines," such as The Morning News from Rosecrans Baldwin and Andrew Womack, Jodi Ettenberg's Curious About Everything, Dan Lewis's Now I Know, Robert Cottrell and Caroline Crampton's The Browser, Clive Thompson's Linkfest and Why Is This Interesting by Noah Brier and Colin Nagy. If you come across something you think should be included here, feel free to email me at mathew @ mathewingram dot com