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Shirley Temple lives!

In Tuesday's Reddit Digest, redditors are shocked to learn that Shirley Temple isn't dead, MIT invents "solar cubes," and redditors discuss the timeless question, "are we really that smart?"

 

Kevin Morris

Internet Culture

Posted on Apr 10, 2012   Updated on Jun 2, 2021, 6:47 pm CDT

Want to read Reddit but don’t have the time? Our daily Reddit Digest highlights the most interesting or important discussions from around the social news site—every morning.

  • How would Shirley Temple feel knowing that the simple fact she’s still alive is the most popular piece of information on a large corner of the Internet that’s devoted entirely to little-known factoids? (/r/todayilearned)

  • MIT scientists have invented the “solar cube,” a kind of solar tower that can be 2-20 times more efficient than traditional solar panels—but only in terms of ground area used. Is the technology as amazing as it sounds? Redditors are divided. (/r/science)

  • Redditor ta_trans is a straight man dating a post-op transgender woman. His AMA is worth a read. It could have been even better, if Reddit’s crappy side hadn’t come out force: “I originally posted this without involving my girlfriend, with the intention that I’d see what the questions were like, and maybe we could answer some together,” ta_trans wrote in an update to his post. “Sadly, since most of the comments here seem to be either LGBT-related slurs or questions about her fucking junk, I’m gonna just stick with doing stuff myself here.” (/r/IAmA)

  • This amazing photograph of a 15-year-old Incan girl who was frozen solid 500 years ago was a top post at r/pics yesterday. Today, r/askscience discusses whether scientists could clone her. The conversation provides a fun primer on problems with current cloning technology. ([/r/askscience)

  • r/AskReddit lists out common untruths that are nevertheless always paraded about as “facts.” Top on the list? “Einstein failed math in grade school.” Redditor polltype posts a scanned copy of the legendary physicist’s report card, just in case you held any doubts. (/r/AskReddit)

  • Here’s an entertainingly-phrased question: “Redditors … are we really that smart?” Reddit’s really too big for the “we” to have any meaning in this context, but the discussion is still worth reading. (/r/TheoryOfReddit)

Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments.

Photo by Puck777

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*First Published: Apr 10, 2012, 10:15 am CDT