Ever heard the story of how the discovery of extremophiles also inadvertently led to the invention of PCR?

It's so much fun

It really illustrates two of my favorite principles in life:

1) the value of following an obsessive curiosity, for, like, *years*

2) the way big ideas come out the collision of two seemingly unconnected domains

My essay, for Medium subscribers: https://medium.com/@clivethompson/the-power-of-indulging-your-weird-offbeat-obsessions-77c12f10e69f

If you don't subscribe, here's a "friend" link: https://clivethompson.medium.com/the-power-of-indulging-your-weird-offbeat-obsessions-77c12f10e69f?sk=5194c0612f106bec7f4d28d143625f98

Mastodon Crash Course for Twitter Expats · Zeb Palmer

https://zebpalmer.com/posts/mastodon-crash-course/

Congress tasks a federal watchdog to examine Indian Affairs' troubled tribal jails - The jails program has come under fire for numerous deaths. NPR and Mountain West found a previous review was managed by a retired official who oversaw the facilities when some of the deaths occurred. #npr

https://www.npr.org/2022/12/23/1145270909/congress-spending-bill-bureau-indian-affairs-tribal-jails-watchdog

This is a third list of hashtags that reflect my interests and preoccupations. These are listed, as usual, in no particular order:

#ChagSameach
#NonprofitTechnology
#BlackLivesMatter
#TransLivesMatter
#SocialJustice
#SarahCaudwell
#BarbaraKingsolver
#EdithWharton
#JewishMeditation
#PTSD
#ComplexTrauma
#Collaboration
#CommunityBuilding
#Philanthropy
#DecolonizingWealth
#EvidenceBasedPractice
#AyannaPressley
#ElizabethWarren
#BookCrossing
#LittleFreeLibraries
#ViragoPress

#Introduction 10 years ago we started a hashtag on Twitter. It grew into a global social movement that's changing the way society thinks about generosity, driving action toward systemic change. On this past #GivingTuesday, every day individuals, brands, + celebrities gave $3.1B to charities in the US, even more globally, as well as countless acts of kindness and volunteerism.

We're on a mission to create a society that centers radical generosity. Join us.

Coming back to Mastodon after a few days of exploring other platforms. "Social media platforms have become central to our public conversations... We can’t afford not to have more democratic control over them." As we flow among platforms looking for a digital home, this is a recommended read by @andrewstroehlein

https://www.context.news/big-tech/opinion/the-real-problem-with-twitter