Hi, Slate Plus people! I’m Chris Kirk, the interactives editor. I make maps, quizzes, widgets, and games for Slate. I’ve developed projects as serious as Slate’s Gun Deaths project and as lighthearted as the Adele Dazeem Name Generator, Friday news quizzes, and first-second music quizzes. When I am not coding, I am plotting my revenge against Slate senior editor Jeremy Stahl for besting me at table tennis and foosball. I may not be the best person to catch you up on the news—David Plotz once ridiculed me for scoring half as many points as his teenage daughter on the Slate Quiz—but I’ll take a shot at it.
The happiest news: The Supreme Court’s refused to hear several appeals on gay marriage cases, effectively legalizing same-sex marriage in five states, and perhaps six more as well—the situation is still chaotic.
The second-happiest news: Another Ghostbusters sequel is happening, for real this time!
The third-happiest news: A Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to scientists who invented blue LEDs, paving the way for full-color LED screens and white LED light bulbs.
The proudest news: Jennifer Lawrence spoke to Vanity Fair about the nude photos of her that were leaked online. “I started to write an apology, but I don’t have anything to say I’m sorry for,” she said. “I was in a loving, healthy, great relationship for four years.”
The plug: FX’s American Horror Story is back in town. Check out Willa Paskin’s review of the premiere and the new podcast Slate is launching about it just for Plus members like you.
The saddest news: Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S., became the first person to die of Ebola in the U.S.
The unfunniest news: A passenger on a commercial flight yelled, “I have Ebola!” delaying the plane two hours after it had arrived so a hazmat team could confirm that he was, in fact, joking.
The grossest news: A campaign at an English university is urging students to pee in the shower.
The best sketch: Key & Peele satirized the absurd Steve Urkel plots of Family Matters.
Good luck on the news quiz,
Chris
P.S. (New York members, don’t miss an opportunity to attend our Slate movie party in Brooklyn for free! Here’s how.)
