In the course of my web wanderings, I have encountered some remarkably appealing photographic accounts on Instagram, with tasteful, artistic, and captivating images of the human female form (and not AI). I decided to occasionally feature sites like that here, with a couple of examples of their work.
Here's the first one: stevejmckee_shoots
Recent research revealed that the whiskers on an elephant's trunk are remarkable sensing instruments, which is why the trunk is capable of such remarkable capabilities.
"To try to figure out why [why the trunk hairs have a stiffness gradient], Schulz worked with colleagues at MPI-IS to 3D print a scaled-up whisker with a stiff, dark base and a soft, transparent tip. Having this physical "whisker wand" prototype helped the researchers develop their intuition for what an elephant trunk feels through its whiskers.
Schulz left the wand with his mentor after a meeting, and a few days later…Eureka! Kuchenbecker carried the wand in her hand as she walked through the halls of the Institute, gently hitting the columns and railings. She recounted, "I noticed that tapping the railing with different parts of the whisker wand felt distinct—soft and gentle at the tip, and sharp and strong at the base. I didn't need to look to know where the contact was happening; I could just feel it."
This Lighthouse of the Week is most peculiar, because the Lighthouse Directory has very little information about it, but websites and pictures and Google Maps call it historic. It certainly has great views, and that's what people visit it for.
It is located on Cantanduanes Island of the Philippines, which is here on the map. I believe the island has been hit pretty hard by a couple of typhoons moving in from the warm Pacific Ocean.
Now, here is all that the Directory has (excluding the photographic information):
"Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; two white flashes every 10 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) square white concrete tower with a stairway spiraling around the tower. ... Located on heights near the village of Bote and the southeastern tip of Catanduanes. Site open and nothing prevents climbing the tower."
With all that, here are some pictures and a video:
Because I am lagging behind the news, I haven't been able to keep up with sports, which is old news if you aren't commenting on it the next day. (I'd like Vegas to beat Carolina in the Stanley Cup Final, by the way, even though I won't get very excited if they do.)
So it's amazing that I can briefly comment on the upset fest at the French Open this year. Rybakina went out really fast (but her game isn't built for clay), to be joined by Gauff and Swiatek, the latter having not found her unbeatable form again ever since she lost it. Hard to see how anybody beats the dominant Sabalenka, but I'd love to see Svitolina do it.
On the men's side, this is Zverev's great opportunity. I was going to say that Casper Ruud was his biggest challenge, but he just lost to Fonseca. Fonseca may be young and brash enough to go all the way. We know Zverev can play on clay -- he was pushing Nadal a couple of years ago before he turned an ankle badly and had to retire. But you can never tell with clay court specialists.
So, that's where we are as Roland Garros goes into Week 2 of the 2026 French Open.
As we go into the World Cup, I thought I'd make a quick comment or two on the Premier League season. As hoped but maybe not expected, Arsenal managed to outlast Manchester City down the stretch to take the Premier League cup. I saw at least one sour-grapes headline about how VAR saved Arsenal's season, but judgment calls will always be judgment calls. So congratulations to the Gunners.
(And may I once again add that penalty kicks are a lousy way to finish a major championship, but I don't think they will ever go away, given how much bettors must love them. I still think a 9-on-9 overtime (8 players and the goalkeeper) would be a LOT more interesting, and give the star players a chance to shine. But nobody listens to me about that. Eze, formerly of Crystal Palace, tried to be way too cute in the Champions League final.)
Crystal Palace started really hot, but ended up where they are usually expected to be, in 15th. They flirted with relegation, but managed to win what they needed to win. Their manager, Oliver Glasner, is moving on, probably to a major club. So next year will probably be like this year -- just hanging on.
The other big stories down the line to the end were the collapse of Chelsea, the resurgence of Manchester United (who is their star player, by the way?) and the survival of Tottenham Hotspur. As others have noted, West Ham United in the Championship puts many smaller teams on the big stage of their massive stadium.
OK, so how do I finish it? How about the Goal of the Season?
A discovery in a dry Oregon cave has been a major advance (backwards) regarding the age of culture and manufacturing crafts in North America. Sewn animal hide and woven materials that were determined to be about 12,400 years old pushed back the time when the early residents switched over from hunting and gathering to a more cultured lifestyle, according to the researchers.
Article: Oldest Sewn Hide Found in USA Rewrites Ice Age Clothing History
Research paper: Complex perishable technologies from the North American Great Basin reveal specialized Late Pleistocene adaptations
The buzz around the Victoria's Secret Angels is not as loud as it used to be, and there are less recognizable VS Angel superstars than there were a few years ago. Several of them dropped out of the VS runway appearances as the brand became more inclusive, and as the recognition that came with being an Angel became a bit reduced. Age, marriage, and changes in career and life goals also reduced their number. I'll comment on the current status of one of the "later" Angels, Barbara Palvin, shortly.)
One of the memorable Angels of the height of the Angel era was Candice Swanepoel. As the Daily Mail article attests, indicates, and demonstrates, Candice is still allied with the Secret, has a swimwear collection with them, and is still eminently suited (ha) to model the suits of the collection.
What's the secret to the Victoria's Secret "killer abs"?" 'I've been doing my own kind of yoga. It's not traditional yoga, but I put on some music and mix in some Pilates and squat resistance stuff,' she told The Cut."
A little more detail might be useful for those wishing to emulate her exercises, and their results.
Speaking of results, here's one of the modeling shots. The exercises appear to work, and she also appears quite memorable. (BTW, she's at age 37 now.)
