The Post-Partisan Emporium

  Strangled In The Dark For A Good Harvest? Using modern forensics to solve a Neolithic ritual murder STONE AGE HERBALIST At the Middle Neolithic site of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in the central Rhône Valley, one of the most disturbing burials of European prehistory has come to light. The reconstruction of the scene is almost a work of art, relying on the most meticulous and patient observations, and the payoff is immense. The  resulting paper  covers the evolution of a ritual murder charmlessly dubbed ‘ homicidal ligature strangulation’.  20 cases of this particular death have now been identified, starting in Sicily at the end of the Italian Mesolithic, and concluding around 3,500 BC in the Rhône valley. Using modern forensic techniques, archaeologists are dispelling the idea that the Neolithic was in any way a peaceful time to live, and are unearthing some of the most unsettling rites of Europe’s stone age farmers. Solstices, silos and strangulation Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux is one o

  The Essence in Apple's VR Flop SIMPLICIUS THE THINKER A few people have pointed out that the much-vaunted Apple Vision Pro—meant to be the savior of AR/VR and usher in the paradigm-shifting cyberpunk age—has in fact unexpectedly, kind of, sort of, regrettably… flopped . Okay, so there’s actually a debate on that fine point. Rumors claimed the device has sold 200,000 units, which is supposedly impressive. However, others claim most of those were presales, and since release things have stalled. In fact, nearly half of those early buyers now reportedly plan to return the headset, citing various problems: https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/apple-vision-pro-returns-headaches-vr-b2496609.html Don’t worry—this isn’t meant to be a pedantic tech review. But to dispense with the preliminaries, let’s just acknowledge that the Apple Vision Pro costs a whopping $3,500 for its very lowest base price. For the highest end 1tb storage models, after taxes,  and  other recommended or quality of lif