Core77’s editors spend time combing through the news so you don’t have to. Here’s a weekly roundup of our favorite stories from the World Wide Web.
Reflecting On the Statue of Liberty’s Irreproducible Color
Did you realize that the Statue of Liberty’s color is not a paint job but instead a rich copper patina built up over a 150 year period? According to this article, Lady Liberty’s hue “is considered a type of perfection for this kind of metal”, a prime example of oxidation copper manufacturers have attempted for years to recreate. The color is beautiful and its chemistry mysterious, which must make you contemplate if our wonder for this icon of freedom lies more heavily on its green tinge than we may think. Through and through, Ian Frazier’s tightly written reflection reveals the coincidental patriotic symbolism behind a happy accident.
—Allison Fonder, community manager
Microsoft Weaponizes Minecraft in the War Over Classrooms
—Eric Ludlum, editorial director
How to Stop Being so Easily Manipulated by Misleading Statistics
Are election season polls grinding (and then melting) your gears? Are you sick of weirdly conflicting statistics shared by overenthusiastic social media friends? This heartening interview with stats wizard David Spiegelhalter touches on how to be less mislead and overwhelmed by number data, without giving up completely.
—Kat Bauman, contributing writer
Why Are There Crushed Stones Alongside Railroad Tracks?
This article explains how 200 years ago, some smart folks solved a materials-and-environment problem with a solution we still use today.
—Rain Noe, senior editor
Chickens Are Art Too
Most of this article gives me anxiety, but I can get behind the idea that science and art should merge more often to create better species, structures, etc. to benefit the planet. Is making chickens model in galleries really art though? Did the chickens sign contracts? I’m concerned.
P.S. If you’re in Detroit later this month, you can witness the breeding yourself. In an art gallery.
—Emily Engle, editorial assistant
http://www.core77.com/posts/56158/Live-Chickens-as-Art-the-Statue-of-Libertys-Irreproducible-Color-and-a-200-Year-Old-Material-Solution-Still-Used-Today