She survived an encounter with the Dating Game serial killer

The second time I met Rodney Alcala was on March 23, 2013. We were inside one of the North Infirmary Command buildings on Rikers Island, two months after he’d been sentenced for raping and murdering Cornelia Crilley and Ellen Jane Hover, both women in their early 20s and living in New York City, in the 1970s. He was trailed by a prison guard, his baggy dove-gray jumpsuit hung loosely around his bony frame. His once black hair had turned the color of steel wool, still in greasy ringlets streaming past his shoulders. He was so much shorter than I remembered. Glasses that had been round wires were now rectangular. As he stiffly shuffled toward me, I felt stage fright — then a surge of real fright when I realized he wasn’t handcuffed. The first time was in April 1969, on a wet day on St. Marks Place in the East Village. He introduced himself as Jon Burger; I was 14 years old and he was 25. Four-decades-plus later, I learned his real name when it flashed across a television screen beneath his face: “Rodney Alcala, The Dating Game Serial Killer, Sentenced to Death.”(via The Cut)

Japan's new prime minister is an Iron Maiden fan and former heavy metal drummer

Speaking on Japanese radio station Tokyo FM's "BABYMETAL" podcast in August, Sanae Takaichi confirmed a longtime affinity for the iconic British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, but said her favorite artist was Japanese drummer Yoshiki, of the X JAPAN rock band from Chiba. Yoshiki is one of the founding members of the group, which has been around since the early 1980s, and Takaichi said she admired both his drumming and his piano playing, which she called "absolutely wonderful — technically brilliant and beautiful." She also told Tokyo FM that she still listens to the heavy metal band Iron Maiden regularly. Takaichi's passion for guitar-driven loud music doesn't stop at fandom. She rocks. Since her days as a student she's played both the drums and guitar, and says it's that parallel that makes her such a fan of Yoshiki. (via CBS News)

He was a one-man CSI unit who helped solve crimes in Seattle during the 1920s

The telegram went out at 4:55am, from a small town in Southern Oregon. “NEED SERVICES OF DETECTIVE TO SOLVE MURDER CASE,” it read. “RELATIVES SUSPICIONED.” It traveled hundreds of miles up the West Coast to the stately Arctic Building on the corner of Third and Cherry in downtown Seattle. Outside on the facade were terra-cotta walrus heads carved like Gothic gargoyles. Inside was the desk of Luke May, president of Revelare International Secret Service. May, only 30 years old, was the founder and lead investigator of Revelare. Humphrey Bogart as famous sleuth Philip Marlowe would have put his feet up on the desk; Nick Charles of The Thin Man would have poured a bootleg dry martini. But Luke May, real-life private detective whose big, glossy desk was ringed by bookshelves and knickknacks, simply added it to his roster of open cases. He’s been called the American Sherlock Holmes, but Luke May was more a Jazz Age blend of Encyclopedia Brown and CSI. (via SeattleMet)

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 12-year-old amateur astronomer has discovered two potential new asteroids

An Ontario preteen may be one of the youngest Canadians to ever find an asteroid. Siddharth Patel, a 12-year-old who lives in London, Ontario (west of Toronto), spotted two possible asteroids in September as part of a citizen science program that partners with NASA, according to the Toronto Star newspaper. The two suspected space rocks are called 2024 RX69 and 2024 RH39 and are cataloged in the Minor Planet Center, which is a branch of the International Astronomical Union that reports and tracks asteroids and other small, naturally occurring space objects. Siddharth told the Star he pursues his love of astronomy — he's been using a telescope since age five, supported by parents with no space background — after finishing school activities. While confirming the asteroids' orbits may take as long as a decade, Patel has another big project on his mind: becoming an astronaut. He recently joined the youth-focused Royal Canadian Air Cadets in order to learn how to fly a plane, the Toronto Star reported. (via Space.com)

There's an annual Parallel Parking Championship held in Pittsburgh

When someone asks if you're a good parallel parker, there should be no hesitation, because you already know. You're either a Parallel Parking Wu-Tang Master, sliding into that spot with silent swagger, or you're a member of the Curb Kisser Club, whispering a prayer and hoping no one's watching. There's no in-between, just legends and white-knucklers. I proudly count myself among the first group, so when conversation bubbled around the office concerning a grassroots parallel parking competition held every year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I put myself forward as the one to carry the Car and Driver banner to victory. Founder Dan Leber got the idea from a childhood memory. As a kid, Leber remembers riding in the back seat with his older brother, Alan, while their mom expertly maneuvered the family car into tight parking spots. Years later, Leber joked to his wife about turning the skill of parallel parking into a real competition. Finally, they decided to give it a try. The result is a lighthearted yet fiercely battled competition that celebrates the everyday art of parking. (via Car and Driver)

What a Boeing 747 looks like from another plane

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