Game of Thrones author co-wrote a scientific paper

From Wired: "Although fans of A Song of Ice and Fire might still be hankering for the long-delayed next book in the series, bestselling sci-fi/fantasy author George R.R. Martin has instead added a different item to his long list of publications: a peer-reviewed physics paper just published in the American Journal of Physics that he coauthored. The paper derives a formula to describe the dynamics of a fictional virus that is the centerpiece of the Wild Cards series of books, a shared universe edited by Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass, with some 44 authors contributing. Wild Cards grew out of the Superworld RPG, specifically a long-running campaign game-mastered by Martin in the 1980s, with several of the original sci-fi writers who contributed to the series participating. Initially, Martin planned to write a novel centered on his character Turtle, but he then decided it would be better as a shared universe anthology."

A 1,900-year-old papyrus describes a Roman case of tax fraud and slave rebellion

From Gizmodo: "In 2014, a researcher realized that the longest Greek papyrus ever found in the Judaean Desert was not what it seemed. The newly translated scroll reveals extraordinary details of a judicial hearing involving two men accused of crimes, including inciting rebellion on the eve of a massive revolt. Researchers in Austria and Israel have translated the longest Greek papyrus ever found in the Judaean Desert. Previously unearthed, misidentified, and then nearly forgotten, Hannah Cotton Paltiel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem rediscovered the papyrus in 2014. Now, Paltiel and her colleagues have translated the text, revealing it to be prosecutors’ notes for an ancient Roman trial from the early second century CE. The artifact provides unique insight into a case that dealt with tax fraud, forgery, and the fraudulent sale and freeing of enslaved people during a period of tension in the Roman province of Judaea."

A frustrated Dresden housewife invented the modern coffee filter

From Missed History: "When you're fed up enough with a daily annoyance, you'll either learn to live with it or change it forever. In 1908, Melitta Bentz chose the latter. Like many coffee lovers of her time, she'd grown weary of fishing bitter grounds from her cup each morning and scrubbing stained linens that served as makeshift filters. But unlike her contemporaries who accepted this as an unavoidable part of their coffee ritual, this Dresden housewife decided to experiment with her son's blotting paper from school. Her pioneering work with specialized filter paper would set new standards for coffee preparation methods globally. Armed with just 72 pfennigs and a brilliant idea using blotting paper from a school notebook, Melitta Bentz transformed her humble kitchen experiments into a thriving family business."

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 chunk of Antarctica that covers 600,000 miles is unclaimed by any nation

From Atlas Obscura: "While much of Antarctica has been claimed by various nations, this large swath of uninhabitable territory goes unspoken for. The snowy expanse of Marie Byrd Land is the largest no man's land on Earth. This uninhabitable Antarctic tundra was named by an explorer for his wife, and because no one else has claimed it, the name stuck. The area was christened by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, who led the first exploratory flight over the area in 1929. He named the area after his wife, Marie. One man attempted to claim Marie Byrd Land for himself: using a theoretical loophole in the Antarctic Treaty — which the covers international relations regarding Antarctica—Travis McHenry laid claim to the region and named it the Protectorate of Westarctic, but so far none of the nations he contacted have recognized his claim."

Some creators of in-world islands in the game Fortnite made $10 million last year

From PostingNexus: "Epic Games announced last week that the number of creators working within Epic’s Unreal Engine for Fortnite program nearly tripled between 2023 and 2024, jumping from 24,000 contributors to more than 70,000. This resulted in nearly 200,000 in-game islands for players to experience, with an approximate 60,000 creator-made islands being played each day, according to the company. More than $350 million was paid to creators in 2024, up 11% compared to the same period measured in 2023. More than 37 creators made more than $1 million; 14 creators made north of $3 million, and seven creators or developer collectives collected more than $10 million in revenue from the program. Epic noted that players spent 5.23 billion hours playing games made by creators — more than a third of the total Fortnite playtime.”

A game warden uses a shotgun to separate two antler-locked bucks

Acknowledgements: I find a lot of these links myself, but I also get some from other newsletters 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, Noah Brier and Colin Nagy's Why Is This Interesting, Maria Popova's The Marginalian, Sheehan Quirke AKA The Cultural Tutor, the Smithsonian magazine, and JSTOR Daily. If you come across something interesting that you think should be included here, please feel free to email me at mathew @ mathewingram dot com