A list of intriguing things

One: Everyone knows about the OG Titanic, but have you heard of the Indian version? The doomed ship was named SS Tilawa (see: lead image)—which set sail from Bombay to Durban in South Africa—with 222 crew members, 732 passengers, and four gunners. The ship also had 6,500 tonnes of cargo—including 60 tonnes of silver bars. Sadly, no fancy feasts or cabins for the super-rich.

The SS Tilawa was felled not by an iceberg but two torpedoes—fired by a Japanese sub. The happier news: There were 280 deaths—a smaller number than Titanic’s count of 1,500. Scroll has a colourful account of the shipwreck.

Two: Gen Z has a new crush… on Franz Kafka! The man who made giant cockroaches famous—and died 100 years ago. Swooning edits of the author have forced the New York Times to ask the pressing question: ‘Was Kafka the Harry Styles of the Austro-Hungarian Empire?’—and transport itself to flights of literary excess:

On BookTok, where a flashed book jacket conveys a glimmer of a user’s inner life, a classic text can leave a durable impression. It plays like a deep cut, reaching back through time to ground a TikToker’s content in a more enduring human experience.

Umm, okay Zoomer. Apparently, kids can relate to Gregor Samsa’s “struggle to get out of bed.” We can make endless fun of this, but we leave you to discover the ironic absurdity of Kafka worship in the New York Times (paywall) and/or Literary Hub. Also: This “swooning” edit of the man. 

Three: South Korea gave us K-Pop, K-Drama—and now K-Daydreaming? Seoul hosts an annual “space-out competition”—which involves people doing absolutely nothing. The rules are simple: do nada for 90 minutes—and the person with the most stable heart rate at the end of the competition wins. But there’s one hitch: You can’t fall asleep. 

This year’s contestants included speed skater Kwak Yoon-gy—a double Olympic silver medalist—who has not taken a break while training for 30 years: “I heard this place is where I can clear my mind and rest at least during this time, so I came here thinking, ‘Wow, this is what I needed so much.’” What we need is a 90-minute break from our phone. Take a peek at the contest below. (The Guardian)