Interesting Links for 02-03-2022

[andrewducker]

You shouldn't wear white gloves when handling old books and manuscripts

(tags:books history materials museums )

We need a Marshall Plan for post-Putin Russia

(tags:Russia thefuture viaDanielDWilliam economy )

Globle - Worldle with countries, displayed on a globe!

(tags:games maps geography countries )

Comments

[calimac]

1. Oils on even freshly-washed hands can short out the connectors on halogen bulbs. So hands aren't clean no matter what you do. But I hadn't realized how much damage the white gloves can do.

2. What we needed was a Marshall Plan, or at least an economic integration plan, for post-Soviet Russia. Instead, in the laissez-faire neocon style of the time, we let them find their own feet without assistance, and surprise, they became an oligarch autocracy.

3. Globle has the advantage over Worldle that it doesn't give the answer away with an outline map, but the disadvantage that it doesn't tell you which direction to travel to improve your answer.

[andrewducker]

We could definitely have done with it after the Cold War finished.

I like being able to see the results on a globe, so I can visualise it. And I can try and bracket it so I can see which direction is warmer/colder.

[darkoshi]

I enjoy Worldle more because Globle's colors don't tell you which direction the country is in. With Globle I have to try several directions to figure out which way gives darker results. It feels more like random guessing to me.

With Worldle, based on the direction and distance given, I can visualize a globe in my mind, and given that 10k km is about a quarter way around it, determine the general whereabouts of the county pretty well. The outline also helps to narrow choices down, but it still surprises me how unfamiliar many country's outlines look, even when I thought I was familiar with them.

> I like being able to see the results on a globe, so I can visualise it.

I believe you've mentioned not being able to picture things in your mind. Does that include not being able to visualize a globe or maps? If so, it makes sense that Globle would be more appealing.

[andrewducker]

Yup, I can't visualise things well at all, including maps. I have a vague idea where things are, but really only quite vague. I should try drawing a map of the world some time and see how it comes out!

[andrewducker]

And yes, not having a direction means I need to try and bracket things. Guess 1 tells me nothing, guess 2 a little more, guess three gives me a pretty good idea because now I can tell which direction I should be going in.

[hilarita]

I'm not convinced the white glove thing comes from ~20 years ago. It was well-entrenched 20 years ago, when I was doing serious amounts of manuscript studies, albeit not in all locations. Some were very very insistent that you use gloves, while others were sensible.