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A River Runs Through Los Angeles

Los Angeles was founded around this river. But decades ago it was confined in concrete so that, for better or worse, the city could become the sprawling metropolis that it is today.

Historically, by the time it reached LA, the Los Angeles River was not a river in the normal sense of the word. If you put it on a map, you’d have to move it every few years. Its banks had no interest in staying put.

As someone who lives within walking distance of today’s concrete incarnation of the river channel, and spends a lot of time winding up and down its valley and adjacent neighborhoods, I really enjoyed this 99% Invisible episode.

Locally, there are ongoing efforts to further restore the river (and areas surrounding it) and finally connect the two ends of the bike path through downtown. But even now, the river is a phenomenal recreation and natural resource that remains a hidden secret to most of the city.

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Moon

In the vastness of empty space surrounding Earth, the Moon is our closest celestial neighbor. Its face, periodically filled with light and devoured by darkness, has an ever-changing, but dependable presence in our skies.

An incredibly-detailed and interactive microsite on our moon and its relationship with the earth.

Fun fact: the earth’s rotation is slowing down. On an infinite time scale that will be a problem for us, but for now, enjoy that each day is slightly longer—2 milliseconds per century—than it used to be.