Imagine if humans shot their spores with such force. No, really. Imagine it.

ZPG would become the mainstream religion overnight.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 8:48 AM on October 5, 2008

From New Scientist, July 7, 2001, Stench Warfare:On Monday 16 August 1999, a little after 9 am, staff at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington DC were settling down to work. Then someone in the cafeteria smelt something unfamiliar. It wasn't very strong but it was definitely a bit "off". No one could see where it was coming from and no one could identify the odour. That made it suspicious. Was this a terrorist gas attack?... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 6:54 AM on October 2, 2008

From the International Swimming Hall of Fame, newsreels of Chairman Mao and the Yangtze, 1966.

Keeping your head above water, indeed.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 7:43 PM on September 27, 2008

There's not much new here, unfortunately. Even in the best war evar, literally millions of Axis prisoners were legally re-designated as 'Disarmed Enemy Forces' and did not fare well under the Americans, British, and French. (The Russians were even less gracious.)

The participation of psychologists and doctors during torture is questionable — does their presence promote or prevent harm? — but in a nation of increasingly plastic laws, the attorneys who... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 7:31 PM on September 27, 2008

I see your coke-burning, steam-powered, propeller-driven dirigible and raise you a nuclear steam turbine-powered, propeller-driven dirigible. Cutaway views of the +1000 foot long concept here and here from the March 1956 Mechanix Illustrated article, Why Don’t We Build An Atoms-For-Peace Dirigible?... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 8:19 PM on September 24, 2008

From the August 23, 2007 New York Times, Militias Seizing Control of Iraqi Electricity Grid:Armed groups increasingly control the antiquated switching stations that channel electricity around Iraq, the electricity minister said Wednesday. That is dividing the national grid into fiefs that, he said, often refuse to share electricity generated locally with Baghdad and other power-starved areas in the center of Iraq.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 10:02 PM on September 23, 2008

Napoleon — President, Hero, and Lawmaker of Animal Farm.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:20 PM on September 23, 2008

The Olympics, 100,004 BCE:

One hunter from each clan
+ Pile of flint nodules
+ Pile of broken branches

Last 'Thal standing wins (and eats).
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:00 PM on September 23, 2008

From Reuters, the text of the Legislative Proposal for Treasury Authority to Purchase Mortgage-Related Assets:Sec. 6. Maximum Amount of Authorized Purchases.
The Secretary's authority to purchase mortgage-related assets under this Act shall be limited to $700,000,000,000 outstanding at any one time.
...
Sec. 12. Definitions.
For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 5:21 AM on September 22, 2008

From the LA Times, Chevy Volt's unveiling sparks questions about financing:...company executives faced a barrage of questions about whether some of the $25 billion in low-interest loans the industry is urging Congress to fund would be used to subsidize the Volt's development and production.

At the same time, GM executives called for federal and local incentives to boost the Volt program.

The... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 6:02 PM on September 21, 2008

From Saturday's New York Times -- Rescue Plan Seeks $700 Billion to Buy Bad Mortgages:The Bush administration on Saturday formally proposed to Congress the largest financial bailout in United States history, requesting virtually unfettered sweeping authority for the Treasury to purchase up to $700 billion in mortgage-related assets from financial institutions headquartered in the United States.

The proposal was stunning... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:51 AM on September 20, 2008

Did any black holes leak out?

Rescue Plan Seeks $700 Billion to Buy Bad Mortgages
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:40 AM on September 20, 2008

Judy Collins' Farewell to Tarwathie (1970: lyrics) is hauntingly beautiful.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:43 PM on September 7, 2008

A big pharma recipe from The Ambien Cookbook (by Paul Simms in The New Yorker, July 31, 2006):Icebox Melange

Entire contents of refrigerator
1 Diet Snapple
5 mg. Ambien

Take Ambien, fall asleep.
Wait 2-3 hours, then sleepwalk to kitchen.
Devour everything in refrigerator (including all fancy mustards and jellies, iffy takeout leftovers, and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:45 PM on September 2, 2008

More about Peter Parker in pp. 31-34 of A History of Yale's School of Medicine — Passing Torches to Others. He was quite the Yalie:...as we see in a letter to his mother in 1831:

"I arise at half-past five in the morning, and attend prayers in the Seminary. From this till breakfast, at half-past six, study Hebrew or Greek. From eight to ten, again study Hebrew or Greek. From ten to eleven, attend Dr. Ives' lecture on the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:17 PM on September 2, 2008

Knapped obsidian scalpels have an edge over surgical steel scalpels. Aztecnics (no longer in business) offered several models in the 80's.

The Flintknapping blog has many interesting posts about the history of modern flintknapping, including one about Erret Callahan's beautiful and fantasy (ouch!) blades.

One glimpse into prehistory may be KanziWP, a Bonobo chimp who was taught to make simple stone flakes. (He's a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:17 AM on November 14, 2007

Facing macuahuitl, it's no wonder the Conquistadors kept wearing all that hot armor.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 10:01 AM on November 14, 2007

Bug.On.The.Camera.Lens. Or a camera side effect — see previously: Skyfish Revealed.

If it's actually moving around the outside of the gas station, why don't we see blue reflections on the cars and gas pumps? Pehaps it's a vampiric ghost?
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:42 AM on November 14, 2007

But one thing I don't hear any reassurances on is exactly what the United States has a comparative advantage in producing.

delmoi wrote: Military equipment.

And labor: The Pentagon's New Map for War and Peace [TED video] by Thomas Barnett.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 12:48 AM on November 14, 2007

From the FPP study Socialization between toddlers and robots at an early
childhood education center:Results indicate that current robot technology is surprisingly close to achieving autonomous bonding and socialization with human toddlers for sustained periods of time and that it could have great potential in educational settings assisting teachers and enriching the classroom environment.
...
The importance that touch played... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 12:31 AM on November 14, 2007

Very nice, thanks for the post. The forms are much like Bathsheba Grossman's mathematical sculptures.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 11:25 PM on November 13, 2007

I've flushed public toilets that sound like 747s when everything goes down the drain, but I'm more bothered by what's being spewed out: Does flushing the toilet cause dirty water to be spewed around the bathroom? [via The Straight Dope]:In 1975 Professor Gerba published a scientific article describing the little-known phenomenon of bacterial and viral aerosols due to toilet flushing. The more you learn about it, the scarier it sounds.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 10:29 PM on November 13, 2007

stbalbach wrote: ..from Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie (1900):...We see, as we grieve for them, the whole detail of their blighted career, a vast confused imagery of mishaps covering years, much as we read a double decade of tragedy in a ten-hour novel. The victim, meanwhile, for the single day or morrow, is not actually anguished. He meets his unfolding fate by the minute and the hour as it comes...From the Victorian Web —... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 8:42 PM on November 13, 2007

More LOLXIANS? Please </yawn>. At least MeFi could switch amphitheatres for a while: Muslim creationism makes inroads in Turkey (more at Harun Yahya).
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:27 AM on November 13, 2007

Honey, The Passion wasn't a how-to show.

I'll take your word for it, Sweetie. Never saw it, didn't want to. Hollywood's much better at whipping up their own illusions than representing history.

Didn't actually read the article, did you? — "...To be clear, the “horseshit” I’ve been speaking of is not Christianity, it’s creationism, which to my mind is a teleological quirk substantially unrelated to the grace one... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 1:05 PM on November 13, 2007

...his blog article has gotten lots of responses from Christians who don't seem to be taking the article as a slam on Christianity, only as a slam on creationism.

For many people, it's hard to separate the two. As previously mentioned, everyone — however we may define ourselves — is entitled to their own opinions. To have others insult part of those beliefs as "horseshit" still leaves an undeserved stain. If the intent is to win people away... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 7:17 PM on November 13, 2007

Open-plan: the work of the devil.

The fluorescent green office in Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) was particularly hellish, but it's depressing ambiance had nothing over 1928's The Crowd [YT clip: here's all 11 parts].

There's more big-screen employment ennui in Chasing the image: Office spaces [via scanners:... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 6:18 PM on November 13, 2007

It was definitely the Golden Age of flight in those days.

For those of us that don't do it that often, passenger flying is still golden. How many times does the average human being go up to 30,000 feet and get to look around at 600 mph?

Always get a window seat.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 3:21 PM on November 13, 2007

...and while you're up there, hope for something decent to eat. "Stewardess, I'll have what they're having" (Braniff International Airways, 1950-71).

More air fare from AirlineMeals.net: according to their Meal of the Week archives, Singapore Airlines serves up the best.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 4:05 PM on November 13, 2007

Q. Post-political punditry propping up preferred perceptions?
A. Kircher and Decker at Babel.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 7:23 AM on November 13, 2007

That depends which side of the Channel you're on. Fin de siècle, if you prefer. Enjoy the picture show.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 8:32 AM on November 11, 2007

Quitegal, I'm just a 3D fanboy, but that's a big topic with many variables, all depending on the capabilities of the application(s) used. For general info, browse the galleries, forums, and tutorials at 3D communities like CG Architect, Renderosity, Creative 3D, and 3D Allusions. They frequently post articles about top notch architectural work like that of Alejandro Nogueira, or King Kong CG Supervisor Chris White.

For specific info, look for... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 12:46 PM on November 11, 2007

Quietgal,...
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 2:01 PM on November 11, 2007

As an encore, the Library of Congress has several Kinetoscopes of the 1900 Paris Exposition produced by the Thomas A. Edison company (if you've got the bandwidth, the larger MPEG files are easier to see):Panorama of the Paris Exposition, from the SeinePanorama from the moving boardwalkPanoramic view of the Place de l'Concord (with René Binet's grand entrance*)Eiffel Tower from Trocadero PalacePanorama... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 5:13 PM on November 11, 2007

Gah - if the individual Edison Kinetoscope links above are borked, use this list of LOC search results instead. There's a "Digital ID" at the bottom of each video's page with a permalink.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:07 PM on November 12, 2007

Not everyone likes our little fine-feathered friends — The Royal Society for the Preservation of Pigeon Killing.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 8:45 PM on November 12, 2007

geos wrote: Read the article by Binyavanga Wainaina.

From the excellent article, Glory:If you walk into any African market, you see chaos. Things tend not to cross over from the formal side of an African city to the informal side. The two speak very different languages. Often, the formal side, out of its good nature or its panicked guilt, out of a feeling that the giant world of the urban poor is too pathetic to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 7:27 PM on November 12, 2007

Looks like the same guy has been fighting wars for over 60 years now:Hue, Vietnam, 1968 — Donald McCullinNaktong River, Korea, 1950 — David Douglas DuncanPrince and the Pauper, WWII — Bill MauldinTime to take a break.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 3:42 PM on November 12, 2007

MetaFilter: POWERTHIRST drinkers quenched by PREPOSTERONE!
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 10:39 PM on November 11, 2007

wh00t!
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 10:24 PM on November 11, 2007

...the voluntary nuclear disarmament of South Africa was carried out by the apartheid regime...

Arms Control Wonk has a May 16, 2006 post quoting a Newsweek interview with former South African president F.W. de Klerk:I wasn’t part of the inner circle that developed [the program]. It was not my decision to build [the bomb], and I did not have the power to stop it. I was never enthusiastic about it. But as it was... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 10:15 PM on November 11, 2007

Give your local tailor a pattern and some fabric, and you'll be lookin' good. Add a lapel pin, and you're ready for the 21st century.

Don't forget your hat.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:36 AM on November 10, 2007

Military Zips Lips on Pain Ray Accident

Watching Danger Room's video of the ADS test, let's hope all the bad guys — bare-headed, in shorts and t-shirts — advance neatly through a field of fire laid out in traffic cones.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 9:53 AM on November 10, 2007

Puke Ray: Coming Soon to a City Near You

Well, nothing new here. The Cathode Ray has been doing this for several decades now.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 10:13 AM on November 10, 2007

...Taser is an acronym for "Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle"...

Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle (1911) is also discussed at Technovelgy (the original story describes Tom's rifle about halfway into Chapter II.) It electrically discharged small blobs of plasma-like ball lightning, but didn't use any physical projectiles.

TASER's law enforcement guns work by firing wired barbs with compressed... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 1:02 PM on November 10, 2007

MetaFilter: don't bring a stapler to a Taser fight.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 2:20 PM on November 10, 2007

We are not worthy. Fortunately.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 2:07 PM on November 10, 2007

From the University of Nebraska, the Carrion Beetle Video Gallery [WMV files].

The most amazing video is a time lapse showing a female Nicrophorus* beetle moving a dead mouse from a board into dirt for burial. The most unnerving: symbiotic mites trying to bum a beetle ride to their next meal.

*More at Nicrophorus Central.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 1:58 PM on November 10, 2007

With the nearby Rocky Mountains providing some of the most diverse geology on the planet, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has an excellent gems and minerals exhibit.

Two of its best displays are Tom's Baby, an 8 lb. gold nugget found in Breckenridge in 1887, and a wall of red rhodochrosite crystals from the Sweet Home Mine in Alma, CO.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 8:45 AM on November 10, 2007

More about the privately-funded Center for the Intrepid, which opened in San Antonio on January 29, 2007. (This photo gallery shows McCain and Hillary — surrounded by wounded veterans — attending the ceremonies.)

You can donate to the Center at http://www.fallenheroesfund.org/.

Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have. — H. Jackson Browne, Jr.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 7:33 AM on November 10, 2007