april 27 roundup

• "In essence, no one really knows today what a kilogram is." [via LA Times]
• son-of-a-bitch mouse solves maze, ruins chances of scientific discovery. [via the Onion]
• "Two things make tall buildings possible: the steel frame and the safety elevator. The elevator, underrated and overlooked, is to the city what paper is to reading and gunpowder is to war. Without the elevator, there would be no verticality, no density, and, without these, none of the urban advantages of energy efficiency, economic productivity, and cultural ferment." [via New Yorker (long, but worth it)]
• "I’m afraid I have some bad news for you: You walk wrong." [NY Magazine (very long, worth skimming)]
  
• Oh, Internet, how I love thee: