FourPacketsOfPeanuts

I like to binge read and self educate. When coming to a new topic (let's say History of Western Art or Pharmacology) I've never found a single place where I could look up the key texts that a university student would be reading to get into the subject. Usually I search around and find an actual university's reading list or something equally well put together but it's hit and miss.

Had anyone ever come across a single place that holds this kind of info over a wide range of subjects? (Books specifically)

Am looking for a compact paperback encyclopedia but am struggling to find one available in the UK. I used to have the Hutchison compact, but believe that was last printed in the 90s..

You know, "hatch". But it's funnier saying door. Could a ship just dock with it, equalise pressure, and open the hatch? Or is there some sort of security? I tend to think there's no lock because of a macabre situation where the crew are dead and the station is being recovered. But it's amusing to think in space they don't need to keep the doors locked.

It was very satisfying

I was in town to set up a new banking account but wanted to check the deals on my existing ones first. I would have used my phone for this but I have recently got a new phone and would need to join a public WiFi to reinstall my previous apps (if it was possible to do this over my unlimited 5G connection, the way to do this wasn't apparent). I attempted to join the library's public WiFi but needed to supply my membership number which I had not brought with me. No problem I thought as I happened to have my passport and I could surely show this to the customer service desk to prove who I was. The person there was helpful, but said I would need to also show proof of address in order to release my membership number. They suggested I access one of my banking apps on my phone which would show my home address on a statement. But getting my banking apps working was the very reason I needed to join the WiFi in the first place! I asked why proving my address was relevant to getting my membership number when I had already proven who I was, and they admitted they didn't know. We both mused at how things like this highlighted the futility of life. I returned home having not accomplished any of the things I set out to do.

A family member put on a game show that included Brian Blessed and I commented it 'must be old as he's been dead for a while'?

Nope. 88 and going strong.

Who else has surprised you?

Modulation / key changes have been used in music for ages but the style I'm talking about is the distinctive last verse (or chorus) sudden key change up to power through to the end. Seems to have come about sometime in the 60s/70s and was everywhere in the 80s onwards.

Examples:

Heaven is a place on earth - Belinda Carlisle

I will always love you - Whitney Houston

But who popularised it? What was the first big song to do it and set the style for the genre?