Hi!

Last week, I made my now-annual pitch, asking you to please consider financially supporting Now I Know. The response was tremendous and I wanted to thank everyone who chipped in and everyone who wrote in saying that they would if they were financially able to, but can’t right now (or maybe ever). I really appreciate it.

Now I Know is a labor of love for me and I can’t tell you how much I enjoy learning new things and sharing them with all of you. But it’s always good to see that you value what I share — I check to see how many people open each email and how many are forwarded/clicked on, etc., because I like to be sure that you all are reading and enjoying what I send. But direct feedback is even better. Whether you show it with a couple of dollars or a quick “thank you” email, it all has a large, positive impact on me.

So, thank you!

I don’t have much else to share today — let’s jump to the Week in Review.

The Now I Know Week In Review

Monday: Is It Illegal To Not Wish Someone Farewell?: The answer is “no,” obviously, but someone tried to argue it anyway.

Tuesday: The Identity Theft That Went Backward: I’m still not over this story. It’s scary that it could have happened.

Wednesday: When New York Tried to Take Away a W: A story about a license plate and a President.

Thursday: The Man Who Found Himself: A name appeared in his head. It turned out to be very important.

Long Reads and Other Things

Here are a few things you may want to check out over the weekend:

1) “Dragonslayer” (The Verge, 19 minutes, January 2016). The subhead: “How a man accused of million-dollar fraud uncovered a never before seen, secret surveillance device.”

2) “The Right Chemistry: The life and death of a Soviet-era search for longevity” (Montreal Gazette, 7 minutes, September 2024). The subhead: “A physician’s hypothesis drew the attention of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, who was interested in increasing life expectancy — his own.”

3) “How Cheerleading Became So Acrobatic, Dangerous and Popular” (New York Times/gift link, 39 minutes, October 2024). The high school cheerleading industry is dominated from top to bottom (of the pyramid?) by one company, and every few years, there a story about it. This is an extensive look, probably as extensive as any.

Have a great weekend!

Dan