Happy Friday! If you're new to Now I Know, you'll notice that today's format differs from the rest of the week. On Fridays, I pause to write the "Weekender," my  "week in review" type of thing, or to share something else I think you may find interesting. Thanks for reading! — Dan

I Didn’t Plan This Friday Well

Hi!

As I mentioned last week and at the top of all of this week’s email, I’m on vacation this week and not writing. I didn't have a plan for today’s email and I’m kind of stuck without anything to say as a result. So, oops. Let’s keep this one short and hop right into the Week in Review. I’ll be back on Monday with something new!

(Oh, I guess the first long read is something neat.)

The Now I Know Week In Review

Monday: When Garfield the Cat ... Almost Starved?: The darkest timeline in the Garfield comics multiverse.

Tuesday: How Do You Send a Warning 1,000 Years into the Future?: The problem with telling the future about dangerous things is that they probably won’t speak our languages in the (very far off) future.

Wednesday: The Airline that Doesn't Fly Anywhere: The title shares the fact, the story explains why.

Thursday: The Political Race Which Was, Literally, a Race: Also, why the state of Washington almost had a less confusing, but still confusing, name.

Long Reads and Other Things

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

1) “There Is No Website.” This isn’t a long read — it’s a game and a joke. I’d explain more but that may ruin it for you. I suggest playing without hints unless you get horribly stuck. And you’ll need your sound on to really appreciate the whole experience.

2) “Pablo Escobar’s Abandoned Hippos Are Wreaking Havoc in the Colombian Jungle” (Smithsonian, 24 minutes, July/August 2024). A drug cartel boss decides he wants some pet hippos, and the results are as ridiculous as the setup.

3) “Costco in Cancun” (Paris Review, 11 minutes, July 2024). The author books an all-inclusive getaway through Costco’s travel agency (or whatever it’s called). but the review isn’t really a review of the trip, but rather of his own transition away from being a travel snob and enjoying what should have been fun from the get-go.

Have a great weekend!

Dan