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November 2004 Archives
November 30
Does relativity have any practical significance? In fact, relativity had to be
taken into account by the designers of the Global Positioning System. The GPS satellites are affected both by
special relativity (since the satellites are moving, clocks aboard them appear to run slower as seen from the ground), and by
general relativity (since the satellites are farther away from the mass of the earth, clocks appear to run faster as seen from the ground). The net effect of both is that clocks aboard GPS satellites would gain 38 microseconds per day relative to the ground, if relativistic effects were not corrected for--a figure which can be confirmed by using
Google calculator.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:33 PM PST - 26 comments
Sacred Sites. Martin Gray is an anthropologist and photographer specializing in the study of sacred sites and pilgrimage traditions around the world. Traveling as a pilgrim, Martin spent twenty years, visiting and photographing over 1000 sacred sites in eighty countries. 1000s of photos, Atlas of Sacred Sites, travel journal, etc..
posted by stbalbach at 7:24 PM PST - 19 comments
Selkie Goes to the Airport "This morning, I arrived at the airport with an hour to make my flight. I kissed my fiancee, wiped off the tears, and queued up for the TSA checkpoint with my laptop out, my shoes off and my identification in my hand. There were three people in front of me; I had plenty of time." It goes down hill from there.
posted by FunkyHelix at 7:19 PM PST - 99 comments
Here is the story of Hsuan Tsang / A Buddhist monk, he went from Xian to southern India / And back--on horseback, on camel-back, on elephant-back, and on foot. / Ten thousand miles... / Mountains and deserts, / In search of the Truth...
Traversing rivers and deserts, scaling mountains and
passing through desolate lands with no traces of human habitation,
7th century Chinese monk
Hsuan Tsang made his journey in 627 AD from Changan to India for religious purposes.
His detailed travel journal is believed to be among the
earliest reliable sources of information about distant countries whose terrain and customs had been known, at that time, in only the sketchiest way.
He travelled over land mostly on foot and horseback
along the Silk Road, west towards India. The Buddhist scholar’s pilgrimage (627-645 AD) contributed enormously to the cultural flow between East and West Asia. His "Hsi Yu Ki" or "
Records of the Western World" is considered the most valuable book source for the study of ancient Indian history and culture. Italian explorer
Marco Polo, whose
travel writings fired the imagination of Europeans for centuries, was believed
to have used Hsuan Tsang’s travelogue as a guide during his travels in the 13th century. More than 1,300 years after Hsuan Tsang’s
historical journey, Taiwanese magazine
Rhythms Monthly embarked on
a project to retrace Hsuan Tsang’s 19-year pilgrimage through a road that,
today, belongs to 11 different countries.
more insideposted by matteo at 5:20 PM PST - 20 comments
The Anti-Booty Call Cell Phone Because good judgment, heavy intoxication and raging libidos rarely go hand in hand, a new phone from Virgin will allow you to selectively "turn off" phone numbers you might be likely to dial while in a drunken and horny stupor. Thus saving you the embarrassment of calling your ex and instead sending you over to her place because you think her phone's busted.
On second thought, maybe this phone isn't such a great idea.
posted by fenriq at 2:43 PM PST - 22 comments
Apartheid Dies Second Death A South African court has declared marriage discrimination to be unconstitutional, and has registered the union of Marie Fourie and Cecelia Bonthuys. Henceforth, marriage in South Africa will be defined as "the union of two persons to the exclusion of all others for life."
posted by expriest at 2:35 PM PST - 37 comments
"Libraries are rich, deep, resources for preserving cultural heritage and indispensable resources for the communities they serve.”
OCLC, a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization, has compiled a list of the
top 1000 titles owned or licensed by its 50,000+ member libraries. There are sublists by subject, a cross listing with a
banned books list, and some
fun facts, including the supremely annoying one that the highest listed living author is Jim Davis of Garfield fame (#18).
posted by donnagirl at 1:31 PM PST - 16 comments
...when Jesus appears in your texture maps. Ok, this is old news (been there since 1996), but from my own game programmer point of view, this site is hilarious, in a bittersweet way.
It's been down for a while, only available through the
wayback machine, but recently got online again.
It might even be informative for all nerdy mefis, since latest news prove games programming stay as a
modern slavery icon.
Might be NSFW if you're working on 'in trouble' game project.
posted by denpo at 12:47 PM PST - 11 comments
The 20 X 20 Expedition is an experiment in photo format showing you what's great about ordering a 20 patty cheeseburger (with 20 pieces of cheese) at The In and Out Burger.
Not exaclty pleasant (so you were warned). Bon appetit!
posted by E_B_A at 12:45 PM PST - 31 comments
"The MP3 Experiment is the world’s first live theatrical performance that audiences will experience exclusively through headphones. There are no actors. There is no host. Audience members will download an mp3 track from the show’s website in advance, load it onto their portable players, and bring it with them to the show.
The lights go down, a video projection cues the audience to
press play on their mp3 players simultaneously, and the
show begins. The mp3 track is an intricate mix of music
and instructions from an unknown voice." Produced by Improv Everywhere, also mentioned
here.
posted by turbodog at 12:20 PM PST - 29 comments
Beer Frame and
Dishwasher
and
Murder Can Be Fun.
My top 3
Zines of all
time (here's a
list of
more). There was a used record/comics store near where I worked.
They had lots of Zines and I would frequent them just to see if new
issues were in. Weeks of waiting were sometimes rewarded with
a new issue. Almost always worth the wait. Anyone have a favorite?
Any good Zines around anymore? [more inside]
posted by e40 at 8:45 AM PST - 37 comments
Red Cross Finds Detainee Abuse in Guantánamo The International Committee of the Red Cross has charged in confidential reports to the United States government that the American military has intentionally used psychological and sometimes physical coercion "tantamount to torture" on prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The finding that the handling of prisoners detained and interrogated at Guantánamo amounted to torture came after a visit by a Red Cross inspection team that spent most of last June in Guantánamo. The team of humanitarian workers, which included experienced medical personnel, also asserted that some doctors and other medical workers at Guantánamo were participating in planning for interrogations, in what the report called "a flagrant violation of medical ethics." Doctors and medical personnel conveyed information about prisoners' mental health and vulnerabilities to interrogators, the report said, sometimes directly, but usually through a group called the Behavioral Science Consultation Team, or B.S.C.T. The team, known informally as Biscuit, is composed of psychologists and psychological workers who advise the interrogators, the report said. From the Red Cross :
The ICRC's work at Guantanamo Bay - Related: From Association of the Bar of the City of New York, a pdf:
Torture by Proxy: International and Domestic Law Applicable to Extraordinary Renditions-- Representative Edward J.]
Markey pledges battle on rendition practiceposted by y2karl at 7:50 AM PST - 85 comments
Erwin, TN . My hometown, small and wholly unremarkable. Unremarkable, of course, except for our history of
elephant hanging.
In 1916, after
Mighty Mary killed one of her handlers, the circus had to put her down. The problem: they couldn't poison her and they couldn't shoot her. The solution:
hang her from a railroad crane.
The story has become one of
local folklore. Any of your hometowns have strange histories worth sharing? (inspired by
MoFi)
posted by ruddhist at 5:44 AM PST - 62 comments
Gnod's new music-map is a big improvement over the old UI. Looks like
gnod was listening
two years ago. The new UI still isn't as pretty as
musicplasma's Flash design, or convey as much information, but it's pretty nifty to see the band names jitterbug around as mountains of historical user preference data is correlated. Anyway, I'm more interested in which site has better data. I'd guess the old
gnoosic UI is being retired, as there's not even a link to the new URL there.
posted by JParker at 12:52 AM PST - 10 comments
November 29
Now there's a time but I say none like now: After the eastern cantilever span of the
Oakland-Bay Bridge collapsed in the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, CalTrans engineers recommended
replacing it with a
cable-stayed bridge. The estimated cost was roughly 1 billion and would be completed in 2003--that is, until the Mayors Brown got involved.
Then-SF-Mayor Willie Brown objected to the
new design, saying the abutment at Yerba Buena island would interfere with his planned condominium development. Brown coaxed the Navy--who owned the land on which the foundation would be built--into preventing CalTrans from performing soil-engineering tests, saying the new bridge wasn't safe, making references to
other bridge disasters, and interviewing engineers all over the Bay Area until he
finally found one who agreed with him.
Jerry Brown--
former governor of California and current mayor of Oakland--
voiced his opposition, calling the design a "bland viaduct" and proposing an international competition to design "a world-class bridge." When CalTrans told Brown his objections were a year late, he dug up an
old Frank Lloyd Wright design and asked CalTrans, "Say, can we
put trains on it, too?" The delays and design changes have increased the cost to over five billion, and its completion date is anyone's guess.
According to Governor Schwartzenegger, this is the Bay Area's problem, not California's. (Fine then! Can we have
our water back?) Fifteen years, two audits, and
one angry architect later, the questions remain: how and by whom will this new bridge be funded,
what will it look like, and
will it be finished when the
The Big One hits?
posted by fandango_matt at 11:12 PM PST - 18 comments
Canadian authorities have arrested US President George W. Bush and charged him with offences under Canada's War Crimes Act. Says (Canadian Prime Minister) Paul Martin:
“This decision was not made lightly. But, it was also a decision that was impossible not to make. The United States is not outside the rule of law, and cannot expect to get an unlimited “free pass”. This decision puts a grave strain upon both our nations, and I urge calm and restraint from our American neighbours, as well as from Canadians. I have met with the cabinet, and with our colleagues in the House. This is a time of great crisis for us as a nation. But as people, we will survive this test. Earlier I enacted the Emergency War Powers Act. This is necessary to guarantee our domestic security. This is not a time for panic, for lawlessness, for anything other than a responsible and sobre focus on what lies immediately ahead.”posted by 327.ca at 2:22 PM PST - 75 comments
Tin Foil hat time! Here is the letter that Sibel D. Edmonds and 24 other former federal employees signed and are prepared to tell all to a grand jury. 24 - that sounds like a TV title. Or a group of people who've seen something that concerns them. 24 more than the
last time the blue talked about Mr. Edmonds. Now go scooby out the truth you meta-filter sleuths!
posted by rough ashlar at 6:55 AM PST - 41 comments
The Art of Celia Calle
Dismiss any preconceived ideas of fine art as you step into the mindset of Celia Calle. Calle's art aesthetic is strangely alluring and undeniably powerful. Her awesome images are ominous, commanding, sometimes warped, but always spiced with a generous injection of humor, in keeping with the artist's effervescent personality.
My favorites are
this,
this,
this and especially
thisposted by Hands of Manos at 5:04 AM PST - 33 comments
November 28
This .pdf (accessible to laypersons) from the labor-backed Economic Policy Institute suggests that a falling dollar is probably very bad news for Europe.
The euro area is one of the slowest growing economic areas in the world, yet it will bear much of the burden of relieving the pressure of the U.S. trade deficits. This will deprive the euro area of demand for domestic products at a time when such demand is necessary to forestall a full-blown recession.Via Marginal Revolution.posted by trharlan at 8:18 PM PST - 38 comments
For all those late nights spent wide awake, trying to wrestle with that most cursed of all questions, "How would The Stooges sound if they played trombone, tuba and drumset?",
your quest will now be fulfilled.
[preceding text written by the trombonist]posted by kenko at 6:50 PM PST - 11 comments
Professor Irwin Corey, the world's foremost expert on EVERYTHING, has quite a good
website. Special highlight for lit geeks: the
text of his acceptance speech on behalf of Thomas Pynchon when
Gravity's Rainbow received a National Book Award citation, and an
audio extract thereof.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 10:06 AM PST - 4 comments
The new video for "Rockin' In The Free World" by Neil Young The new video for "Rockin' In The Free World" directed by filmmaker Michael Moore is now posted on the Warner Reprise site as reported by Baron on BNB.
The video intercuts footage from the film Fahrenheit 9/11 and performance footage of Neil Young and Crazy Horse performing the song on the 2003/4 Greendale tour. Much of the audience footage appears to come from the May 18, 2002 broadcast of the Rockam Ring Festival in Nurburgring Racetrack, Eifel, Germany.
posted by Postroad at 9:42 AM PST - 24 comments
File under surreal tapes. Despite being essentially a links/tips page about music/film/art,
Panache is most known for its downloadable mixtapes in realaudio. There are over seven eclectic hours worth of new, old, wellknown and obscure music ranging from brazilian sambafunk, dreamy japanese 70s exotica, modern electronic wizardry to dialogue from films and novelty records etc. Some of the tapes have a rather dreamlike quality - which I believe - is the siteowner's intention.
posted by iwanttobuild at 9:06 AM PST - 3 comments
"A glance at this list, and at the daunting array of actors who have worked with him over the years, many repeatedly, suggests that Mr. Nichols is not only smart but also the cause of intelligence in others. One of the reasons his movies reliably yield pleasure in spite of their limitations is the quality of the acting on display."
It seems that Mr. Nichols is also able to inspire profoundly
interesting reviews such as this one in the NYT.
posted by semmi at 8:38 AM PST - 3 comments
Another EXTREEM! version of christianity. But this one's funny because it trades in The Clash's imagery and denies it. Contrast the in-your-face, Jesus-to-the-max logo with
Westway to the World, a documentary about The Clash (the title sequence in the film has the "roughened" quality of the church logo).
Naturally, a church this hardcore and bullshit free has to have a way to reach the kids. That vehicle is
Clash Radio, which is not to be confused with
Radio Clash. To be fair, it does look like this radical pastor's done some
hard livin'. Every cheap hood strikes a bargain with the world, right?
posted by Mayor Curley at 8:13 AM PST - 34 comments
The terror of a trapped mind is difficult to describe. Have you ever awakened to complete immobility? If so, you probably suffer from
sleep paralysis, a condition that afflicts 25% of the American population. Such episodes, which usually only last for a few minutes, can frequently be accompanied by
bizarre hallucinations, and some believe the phenomenon is responsible for
alien abduction,
"Old Hag Syndrome", and the
incubus myth. Although most believe the disorder is genetic,
explinations vary.
Are you an experiencer? Then you understand how
frightening it can be. Luckily, you can
fight it.
(This is my first FPP in 3 years of reading, so comments and criticisms are very much appreciated.)
posted by baphomet at 1:14 AM PST - 102 comments
MadeInMTL is a rich media application site that enables the user to explore the city through 15k photographs, 400 texts, 50 hours of video, 40 sound bits, as well as 25 short films that truly capture the spirit of Montreal in a virtual experience." {it be flash and I found it at netdiver}
posted by dobbs at 12:47 AM PST - 9 comments
November 27
"I'm having a little get together with some of my friends...." I found this bizarre and disturbing little flash-movie a few months ago. The first link is actually the
second installment in what is now five episodes. There's more (including the first through the fifth) on
his site.
The music is phenomenal- bits of spookiness from
sigur ros and
aphex twin.
When you're all done, there's an interview with the author regarding Salad Fingers
here. People are still trying to figure out exactly who the character is and where he's from. If you look and listen carefully, there are literary references, anagrammed names, etc.
If you liked Salad, you might also like
"Hell"(non-flash)
posted by exlotuseater at 10:16 PM PST - 21 comments
Overqualified: A new letter every Tuesday Joey Comeau wrote cover letter after cover letter, listing the same store bought traits in the same wording, day after day, hoping to find another job. And then one day he just snapped a little. He sat down to write a cover letter, and something entirely new came out. So he sent it anyway, but also publishes them on the web. (Or at least
he used to.)
posted by anastasiav at 9:27 PM PST - 19 comments
The Dawkins FAQ. Interesting Q&A session about evolution, biology, genes, etc with an
expert. Dawkins claims no final answer on the "gay gene" or a Darwinian explanation of homosexuality.
posted by skallas at 12:01 PM PST - 56 comments
Water Cooler Games is a blog devoted to "video games with an agenda. It is about games that go beyond entertainment."
They cover pretty much all you would expect from the recent furor over
JFK Reloaded to
Russian plans to create "patriotic video games in hopes to replace the popular DOOM".
Along the way they found time to play the single most unsafe for anywhere anyone might conceivably see what you were doing game -
orgasm girl (link goes to the blog discussion, not directly to the game).
posted by thatwhichfalls at 9:32 AM PST - 10 comments
I've often looked at
Magnetic Poetry in gift shops and thought, "There's no way I'm paying that much." Fortunately, there's a
free alternative, albeit a digital one. (Includes a bookmarklet that allows you to pull a word set from any webpage, and the option to save your masterpiece to show your friends.)
posted by robcorr at 3:52 AM PST - 25 comments
November 26
Just in times for the holidaze, Google adds
wishlists to Froogle. I added tinfoil to mine.
posted by keswick at 10:08 PM PST - 7 comments
Bush Seeks Money for Abstinence Education President Bush's re-election insures that more federal money will flow to abstinence education that precludes discussion of birth control, even as the administration awaits evidence that the approach gets kids to refrain from sex.
Congress last weekend included more than $131 million for abstinence programs in a $388 billion spending bill, an increase of $30 million but about $100 million less than Bush requested. Meanwhile, a national evaluation of abstinence programs has been delayed, with a final report not expected until 2006.
posted by Postroad at 7:38 PM PST - 63 comments
Everybody needs free music "Welcome to Comfort Stand Recordings, a community-driven label where all releases are free with artwork and liner notes. We strive to bring you recordings that we find interesting, compelling and downright enjoyable." Inspired by Dydecker's post about the Thinner music netlabel, I would like to speak up for
Comfort Stand - legally free music in many tastes. I particularly like
Very Proper Dragonflies and
The Apartment.
posted by SpaceCadet at 1:01 PM PST - 15 comments
Making fun
[banner ad may be NSFW] of
Furries
sure is fun, isn't it? Pointing out
over
and
over
again some of the worst examples of what the the fandom has to offer seems to be an activity almost as old as the Internet. In the rush to
point and laugh
, though, it's easy to miss entirely
some
of the more
beautiful
and
amusing
examples
of what the culture's emphasis on art and imagination has wrought upon the world. And even if you aren't impressed by the
talent on
display, someone is --
Further Confusion, one of the largest Furry conventions in the world, has had for two years running an art show bringing in
over $60,000 each year, with portions of the convention's proceeds going to organizations such as the
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
, the
Coyote Point Museum
, and the
Oakland Zoo.
posted by wolftrouble at 10:11 AM PST - 74 comments
"Salt rising bread is, when at it's best, as if a delicately reared, unsweetened plain cake had had an affair with a Pont l'Eveque cheese."
There's even a
mystery to go along with your (cheese-flavored) bread.
posted by scrim at 1:26 AM PST - 10 comments
November 25
Learn to make sushi with online videos. Chef Hyday, professional sushi chef, & amateur tv personality will guide you through step by step. You will learn everything from how to
prepare the raw fish,
proper manners,
different types of sushi, (win media links) and of course how to make rolled sushi.
He covers it all, from the California roll to the complicated rainbow roll, he'll guide you through every step. I almost feel guilty watching it, it’s almost like revealing the secrets to a magic trick.
An invaluable resource for anyone who might be interested in learning to roll their own sushi at home.
posted by joelf at 11:31 PM PST - 13 comments
Virtual Reality Panoramas of Slovenia. This virtual guide is an attempt to present world landmarks with the point to - Slovenia. The goal of this project is to display the cultural and natural heritage of our planet with interactive Virtual RealityPanoramas. The project started in 1996 and is updated almost every week, so welcome to check it On-line!
This presentation is a part of work in progress. Today it consists of 3610 Virtual Reality Panoramas, 1283 high resolution full screen QTVR-s and more than 16.000 photos (also wallpapers in three standard resolutions), which is about 80 % (hm..?) of the project (Slovenia Landmarks only) .
By Slovenian artist
Bostjan Burger.
posted by jokeefe at 10:03 PM PST - 9 comments
The Virtual Museum of Canada has funded or collaborated on almost
150 virtual exhibits, mostly relating to Canadian History and Culture. There is great diversity, among my favourites are
Nk'Mip Nation Aboriginal Childrens' Art from the Inkameep day school (a welcome counterpoint to the
residential schools tragedy), the historic re-photography and soundscapes of
Montreal, Haida Culture
documented , and also compared to
Inuit Culture, Inuit (Eskimo)
games and
3-dimensional (VR) sculpture, a history of the
Canadian Trucking Industry, a splendid overview of
Canadian documentary film making, Canadian
design in the late 20th century, and the
Shipwrecks of Vancouver Island. There is also a searchable
image gallery. The only thing missing is a historical
whodunnit or
two (or
three). All sites available in both French and English, and some in other languages too.
posted by Rumple at 8:30 PM PST - 17 comments
Husband Wanted. Girl looking for husband in Nashville, TN, puts picture on billboard. "I just want one man driving by this billboard who wants to marry me." Is this a Red state thing?
posted by metaforth at 6:14 PM PST - 59 comments
New Canadian music is infiltrating your culture with its
neo-retro ways, and you may not even know it!
Hot Hot Heat is too dance-rocky for it's own good, Joy Division-loving
the Stills are constantly mistaken for New Yorkers (thanks to touring with Interpol), and certainly
Stirling are too epic to be anything but Cure-loving Brits! Watch out for the seditiously warm synth-pop of
Stars and the society-destroying rock-folk of lesbian siblings
Tegan and Sara. While you're at it, keep tabs on Toronto super-supergroup
Broken Social Scene and the quirky, danceable girl-rawk of
Metric. This is the cell of the retro rock revolution you really need to pay attention to. The Strokes and their ilk have nothing on the Canucks.
posted by Kleptophoria! at 3:56 PM PST - 146 comments
Thinner/Autoplate is the real deal: a netlabel that doesn't suck. Ambient/dub/minimal house/drone/experimental sounds that'll turn your home into the chillout room of a Finnish club at 5 am. Or at least pleasantly buzz in the background while you read. Sixty-five releases, high-quality bit rates, zipped files, creative commons licence -- the site itself is very nicely done. But more importantly, the music is just freakin' good, for fans of this sort of thing of course.
For a taster, try the excellent
ambient dub mix (125MB) or the more beat-oriented
house standard mix (95MB).
The label chief explains the rationale behind giving the music away in an interview
here.
posted by dydecker at 11:02 AM PST - 20 comments
The heroes who saved Britain. They died in millions, the victims of wars waged by man against his fellow man.
In huge numbers, they were deployed alongside the military in the theatres of conflict, in the deserts, the seas and the sky. They carried troops, ferried supplies and even secrets. On the home front, they rescued victims trapped in the rubble of bombed buildings.
Their names? Rifleman Kahn, Mary of Exeter, Buster, Simon, Olga, Regal, Upstart, and millions of others.
This contribution has finally been acknowledged in London with a £1m memorial,
dedicated to the animals who served in war. It is the first such permanent tribute to the plethora of species that served in the military; horses, dogs, cats, monkeys, bears, pigeons, mules, even the humble glow-worm. The
sculpture was
placed at
Brook Gate, Park Lane. Among those present,
Buster the Army dog, who served with honor in Iraq.
posted by matteo at 6:53 AM PST - 16 comments
37 percent of Americans want the teaching of 'evolutionism' replaced outright. (Yeah, I know it's hackneyed but 37%??)
posted by jonvaughan at 5:39 AM PST - 155 comments
November 24
Blog Torrent is out, it's been under development for a while now by the good people at
Downhill Battle. It's a really simplified way of uploading files for the bittorrent network with an integrated client/server solution. Right now the client side is windows only, but the core functionality works with any client of course. Pretty neat.
posted by rhyax at 11:02 PM PST - 15 comments
Made from a nickel-titanium alloy, and highly processed for electrical activation and long life, the thin black thread-like
BioMetal acts as an artificial muscle. When powered,
the BioMetal contracts. When power turns off, the BioMetal quickly cools and the wire extends again to its longer, starting length.
posted by zanpo at 10:53 PM PST - 11 comments
Mariko Takahashi's FITNESS VIDEO for being appraised as an "EX-FAT GIRL" A most peculiar entry from Panasonic's
Olympic Games in Action summer promotion in Japan. From the artist: "This video expresses the joy of excercise. ...While I was trying to find something that both adults and children could enjoy, I saw a poodle with its 'muscle-like' hairstyle and I thought, how about a girl with muscles in the same places?" ...Possibly the most bizarre video I've seen all month.
(38MB - QuickTime/Real/Windows Media Player req'd)posted by Down10 at 3:07 PM PST - 21 comments
Hercules! Not the
shiny muscle man from the past, but a handy emulator for
IBM S/360, S/370, S/390, and z/Arch mainframes. Unfortunately, because of IBM's bullheadedness, you can only run
operating systems released when the
world was young, unless, for whatever reason, you decide to run
something released after the Reagan Administration.
You, too, can learn how easy we young whippersnappers have it now, but beware: to effectively use most of these systems, you will need to
descend into Hell.
posted by Captain_Tenille at 12:07 PM PST - 10 comments
If
chess is the game of kings...
The
2005
U.S. Chessmaster Championships are being held
right now, in 2004,
here
in
San Diego.
When you have tons of money and a
lifelong passion,
like
Erik
Anderson,
you can do things like
prevent
the tourney's demise.
Keep your eyes on
Hikaru
Nakamura
and
Gata
Kamsky,
and ask yourself what
Garry
Kasparov
will be doing this weekend.
Deep
Blue's
press secretary told me that he will not attend, but I
plan to stop by with my
Ivan
II, The Conqueror.
And if I can't get in, I'll just stay home and
read
a
book,
watch
a
movie
or do my damnedest to
get my
kicks above
the waistline,
sunshine.
(First one is Swedish, last one's a midi.)
posted by mathowie at 12:01 PM PST - 17 comments
"Question with boldness even the existence of a God... In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own... History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government." These heretical words, spoken by a government official now, would surely result in him being targeted for removal by the GOP in the next red-state "mandate." But they were written by Thomas Jefferson, one of the founders of the
increasingly pious,
"faith-based" United States of America. A
timely reminder from Robin Morgan in Ms. Magazine [via the sublime
wood s lot.]
posted by digaman at 7:57 AM PST - 48 comments
Whack Your Boss. Finally, a place to express your rage without harming a soul. Whack your boss, here in cyberspace, so you don't have to. The challenge: Find 50 seven ways to leave whack your boss. [Flash]posted by Ljubljana at 1:23 AM PST - 9 comments
November 23
The Orange Revolution --
A coup is taking place
right now in the streets of several Ukrainian cities. Following the "election" of Viktor Yanukovych, an election that
everyone from the Ukrainian man-on-the-street to
EU observers and
the US and
Canada say was marred by serious and obvious fraud, Ukrainians are turning out by the
hundreds of thousands to
show their support for the opposition candidate, the pro-West reformer
Viktor Yushchenko.
Individual cities and
municipalities, not to mention heads of
Ukrainian religious groups, have even announced that they will refuse to recognize Yanukovych as the Prime Minster.
The problem is, Yanukovych is supported by the Kremlin. Russia's state-run TV stations had been broadcasting propaganda on his behalf, they
called the election on his behalf before the polls were closed, and their increasingly despotic President Putin even congratulated him on his "win", before
backtracking slightly. And now reports are
trickling out--from
former American congressmen communicating via Blackberry, no less--about
Russian soldiers being flown across the border into Ukraine,
dressed in Ukrainian militia garb, and
set among the protestors. Phones have been cut across much of the country, including at the embassies. A semi-covert Russian-backed military push against the pro-democracy protestors is feared. Will this be another peaceful
Rose Revolution, as happened in Georgia one year ago today, or more like
Hungary, 1956? Stay tuned to
the Ukrainian bloggers and
webcams; this could
get messy.
posted by Asparagirl at 8:40 PM PST - 147 comments
What the Bleep Do We Know? Has anybody else seen this movie, about quantum physics and the nature of reality? We went to see it last night and were flummoxed by the 100-person line sprawling up the sidewalk outside our little downtown art theater. The movie was good, but for the most part didn't cover anything I hadn't heard or thought about before. Except for the work of
Dr. Masaru Emoto, whose experiments seem to prove that ice crystals form in different shapes depending on the mood that the water is subjected to.
As somebody with only the most introductory familiarity with quantum physics, I'm curious to know from people who've spent more time around the subject: What do you think (of the theory, and of the movie if you've seen it)?
posted by damn yankee at 6:28 PM PST - 125 comments
Lakoff say - mellow frames sooth savage Thanksgiving : The guru of framing offers a handy free excerpt from his all-the-rage book, just in time to defuse tense Thanksgiving dinner situations ( All fall asleep - Lakoff or the turkey ? ). Says Penny Kolb, on the practical magic of Lakoff's approach :
"....By last night, the chat room was civil. An amazing (to me) number of posters turned off their capitalization and we were actually having conversations."posted by troutfishing at 2:53 PM PST - 19 comments
An odd category for this DVD. I was searching for a favorite film of mine, The Hebrew Hammer, when I noticed that Overstock.com had filed it under the wrong category. This made me chuckle and I hope it makes you smile too.
Happy two days before thanksgiving everyone!
posted by aj100 at 10:19 AM PST - 47 comments
Acid Keg is a titter-inducing webcomic that delivers a story of spies, tikis and rock n' roll. Retro done right. The story starts
here.
posted by picea at 8:27 AM PST - 8 comments
From cells to bells, 10 things the Chinese do far better than we do Ah, those clever Chinese. First they invent gunpowder and a few other essentials of modern civilization. Now they're gunning their economic engines. Yet who would have thought that, after a millennium of poverty, they'd already do so many things better than we?
In fact, compiling a Top 10 list of what China does better than Canada isn't easy. There are so many items. To whittle it down, let's assume it's unfair to count anything related to cheap labour.
So we won't include the wonderfully thorough mop-ups of supermarket spills: The staff don't plunk down those yellow you-can't-sue-us caution signs. They actually fan the floor with a broken sheet of Styrofoam until it is dry.
Nor will we mention the exquisite, free head-and-shoulder massages that come with every shampoo and haircut....
posted by Postroad at 7:18 AM PST - 72 comments
When I look at you with my eyes,
be the coolness of my eye.
Solace, a textbook of romantic psychology.
posted by kenko at 6:45 AM PST - 7 comments
November 22
Rouge. For people who like a little theory with their cinema. Four volumes so far.
posted by dobbs at 2:59 PM PST - 15 comments
Who Wears Short Shorts? Micro Stories and MFA Disgust Being a writer in today's lovely world of fiction and creative nonfiction is like reliving 70's TV hell, where that Nair commercial jingle has been conveniently rewritten into "Who writes short shorts?" Poetic vision rarely shows up. After all, how can you express vision in 100 words? As for plot and character development, give those antiquated goods to Goodwill. All that matters with short shorts is a competent writing style and a desire for lots of publication credits.posted by ColdChef at 12:26 PM PST - 33 comments
Searching for Hope? Purpose? Relief? Well then, look no further my friends -
Bob Saget will save your soul! In my goal to share my love for Bob Saget with the rest of the world, I have taken it upon myself to amass the
largest collection of pictures to ever chronicle the life of
our great Saviour. So please, browse through our website and prepare yourself for a journey into the vast depths of Bob's heart. Remember,
Bob loves you, and he wishes for you to join us on the spiritual path to enlightenment.
Don't know about you - but I'm convinced.
posted by mattr at 10:22 AM PST - 25 comments
Computer as author. (NYT) "Dave Striver loved the university - its ivy-covered clocktowers, its ancient and sturdy brick, and its sun-splashed verdant greens and eager youth. The university, contrary to popular opinion, is far from free of the stark unforgiving trials of the business world: academia has its own tests, and some are as merciless as any in the marketplace. A prime example is the dissertation defense: to earn the Ph.D., to become a doctor, one must pass an oral examination on one's dissertation. This was a test Professor Edward Hart enjoyed giving." by Brutus.1posted by semmi at 9:12 AM PST - 16 comments
Peep Show. Ah, now that's lurid-sounding. What it is, however, is a comedy from BBC that's way, way funnier than
The Office. Reviewers
chatter about the Herman's Head-like gimmick -- you hear the characters' thoughts -- but the better gimmick? Excellent writing.
posted by mimi at 7:04 AM PST - 26 comments
Rate My Professor! A searchable database of student ratings of their college professors. In what must be a wonderful reflection of the current status of the American and Canadian higher education systems, the ratings include entries for how easy the professor is and, of course, how hot they are. So click around, visit your alma mater, and let that jerk who almost flunked you in freshman comp feel your wrath!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:46 AM PST - 74 comments
HeightMax I'd like to believe this is a joke, but I don't think it is. Internet scammers are no longer content with enlarging just
parts of your body. Now you can grow the whole thing!
posted by Mwongozi at 4:05 AM PST - 35 comments
November 21
Dating website bans seriel shagger. DatingDirect.com kissed Clive Worth buh bye after he slept with over 100 of its female ranks in 5 years and women started complaining that he "lacked commitment." Seems wrong to ban someone from a website for being good at what he does, though.
posted by onlyconnect at 6:50 PM PST - 103 comments
Use the free 7 day trial while it's available! This lil program lets you zoom in pretty darn close on just about any spot in the world. And it is FREAKING COOL. I don't have much better commentary than that, sorry. You can zoom around to your favorite locations, tilt the camera, show all road names, rotate views - and once you've got a bunch of stuff plugged in its really neat to just click between them and watch the flyby.
I can't believe this isn't a double post, but couldn't find it on search. Have fun!
posted by glenwood at 5:37 PM PST - 67 comments
The Washington Post decided to publish this advertising insert. Basically, it is political propoganda aimed at blacks speaking against gay rights. The problem is that it is filled with so much questionable information, and is so obviously intended to inflame one minority group towards another, that I seriously question The Washington Post's judgment in publishing it. It tries to destroy comparisons with the black civil rights movement by claiming homosexuality can't be genetic since they don't reproduce and conveniently ignores events like
the Stonewall riots. Will we see advertising supplements from holocaust deniers next?
posted by McBain at 12:37 PM PST - 164 comments
Who Lost Ohio? As more evidence comes in
disproving voting fraud in the 2004 Presidential election, perhaps the real lessons for Democrats can be gleaned from this NYT (Reg required, of course) feature on ACT, a Democratic 527. Lavishly funded by George Soros and unions, this high tech organization turned out a record number (2.66 million) of Democratic voters in Ohio, but were out-organized and beaten by a grass-roots Republican effort operating below their radar. [MI]
posted by mojohand at 10:54 AM PST - 57 comments
Tse-whit-zen. Excavation for the Hood Canal Bridge near Seattle has unearthed a huge prehistoric Indian village and alienated tribal spiritual leaders.
posted by xowie at 9:04 AM PST - 18 comments
Hermit crabs need your help. The intended audience of the Hand Up Project is someone who, while walking on a beach, might pause to contemplate a slowly ambulating hermit crab, wearing on its back a tiny, man-made plastic house bearing a corporate logo.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 2:56 AM PST - 42 comments
November 20
Llamas (including, but not limited to, images of llamas on stamps (regular and unusual), musical instruments, postcards, paintings, jewelry, fabric, signs, advertisements, view-master slides, pottery, trading cards, crests, Christmas decorations, stereoviews, puzzles, currency, pins, logos, toys, misc., and much more).
NOTE: "They are not for sale, they are simply for your entertainment."
posted by dobbs at 11:26 PM PST - 23 comments
So I'm not even a sports fan, but holy crap, this was a
serious fight, especially for Basketball. They've got a video posted, but it does NOT include "the punch," by Ron Artest, delivered to some fan in a Pistons jersey. If anyone's got a link to that footage (I only saw it on TV) please post it!
posted by zekinskia at 11:09 PM PST - 89 comments
Nerdfilter "The community blog for weirdos like you."--just opened and trying to emulate Metafilter, without the politics...take a peek.
posted by Postroad at 6:24 PM PST - 31 comments
Flashy Cars, Flashier Avatars: Each project looks remarkably similar, but the differences are enough to provide hours and hours of fun, be those hours in the combat-oriented venue of Sherwood, the rodent slaughter of the Ratinator, the sparkling conversations and fast cars of Marian's World, or what have you. Enjoy. [Incidentally, it's hard for me to imagine this hasn't been posted yet, but I looked, really I did, and I didn't see it.]
posted by hank_14 at 3:06 PM PST - 8 comments
November 19
Born-again liberal Christians. Do you think that mainline denominations are hemorraging members? Wrong. Fundamentalist Christianity is the way of the future and all US Evangelicals worship the same political party?
Not so fast, buddy.
Many scholars and
theologians think that it's time for liberals to take Christianity back.
Oregon State's
Marcus J Borg, for example, argues that Christianity "still makes sense and is the most viable religious option for millions". He contends the earlier paradigm,
based upon a punitive God, simply doesn't work anymore for too many people.
It is an argument for an alternative to the literalist and
exclusivist tradition that has dominated Western Christianity in the modern era. According to Borg, "So different are these two views of Christianity that
they almost produce two different religions, both using the same Bible and language. A time of two paradigms is virtually
a tale of two Christianities."
There is, for example, an alternative view to the Resurrection Narrative
not as report of an actual, physical event but as means for Jesus' early followers
to express the miracle of his continuing spiritual presence among them,
after his execution. It is in short an 'emerging paradigm which has been developing for over a hundred years and has recently become a major grass-roots movement within mainline denominations'.
Just
don't be afraid to
ask questions. Not even about the
dogs beneath the Cross. More inside.
posted by matteo at 8:08 PM PST - 100 comments
Do you like fast-forwarding through commercials on a television program you’ve recorded? How much do you like it? Enough to go to jail if you’re caught doing it? If a new copyright and intellectual property omnibus bill sitting on Congress’s desk passes, that may be the choice you'll face.
Let's hope this legislation goes lame duck like this session of Congress.
posted by hockeyman at 6:54 PM PST - 46 comments
Our Whizeels iz tha Shizeel Awesome compositing, audio and 3D work. I like art that make me want to step in to its world, (Note: QuickTime). The incredibly low barrier to entry for this kind of project, as compared to 10 or even 5 years ago blows my mind.
posted by Scoo at 3:08 PM PST - 31 comments
No bicycling in NYC without a license? That's right, a new law -- apparently the first of its kind in the nation -- proposed this week by bike-bashing Bronx Councilwoman Madeline Provenzano, will carry serious fines and even jail sentences for violators who ride unregistered bicycles on city streets. And yes, there will be a $25 per bike registration fee. Way to encourage alternative transport in this crowded, congested, polluted town. What next? Licenses for rollerblades, skateboards, wheelchairs? How about my
running shoes -- during peak traffic they're faster and more hazardous to fellow city dwellers than my beat up old Trek, any day.
posted by jellybuzz at 10:54 AM PST - 131 comments
Next in the "America slowly slipping toward fascism" saga: Reporter Convicted for Refusing to Give Identity of a Source. Mr. Taricani would be one of only a handful of journalists to go to jail for refusing to identify a source. Mr. Taricani was convicted in connection with a long-running federal investigation called Operation Plunderdome,
which resulted in the conviction of at least nine city officials, including Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr., who was sentenced to 64 months for racketeering conspiracy.
His bad: refusing to identify the person who leaked him an F.B.I. videotape in 2001 related to an investigation of government corruption in Providence.
posted by acrobat at 7:45 AM PST - 59 comments
November 18
Song meanings is a site where you can read the lyrics to a song and then post your thoughts on what the song means.
posted by bargle at 4:41 PM PST - 57 comments
The Frag Dolls "represent the ladies in gaming with the taste and talent for beating you at your own games. So, for all you guys who think the only gals in gaming are the leather-clad, pixilated beauties on your screens, think again. We're real, and we've got the skills to teach you a few tricks of our own." They're also sponsored by
UbiSoft. Dismantling stereotypes or reinforcing them?
(via Annalee Newitz, and a nice counterpart to this thread)posted by mrgrimm at 12:31 PM PST - 52 comments
How often does the average person lie? First, it's important to point out that lying is normal, and more often spontaneous and unconscious than cynical and coldly analytical. Our minds and bodies secrete deceit. That said, Robert Feldman, a psychologist at the University of Massachusetts, suggests that there are three lies for every ten minutes of conversation. I think that's plausible. And bear in mind that his research measured only the frequency of narrow, explicit, verbal lying. The real rate of deception, which includes our movements and expressions, must be considerably higher.
Questioning Authority - David Livingstone Smith, author of
Why We Lie: The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and the Unconscious Mind, is a liar. And he explains why you are too. (
More Inside )
posted by y2karl at 11:35 AM PST - 13 comments
Congress plans to reintroduce RU-486 suspension. After
only three deaths in an estimated 360,000 uses, the GOP-led Congress plans to reintroduce a bill to "temporarily suspend" sales of RU-486 so it can be more thoroughly investigated. With a
maternal death rate in the US of 12 per 100,000, RU-486 is about 13-14 times safer than a full term pregancy. Of course, the solution is simple: suspend all pregnancies for a year so we can more fully evaluate their safety.
posted by u.n. owen at 11:32 AM PST - 119 comments
Stand on the shoulders of giants. Google Scholar enables you to search specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research.
posted by fvw at 6:23 AM PST - 49 comments
The arrival of secret law. Americans can now be obligated to comply with legally-binding regulations that are unknown to them, and that indeed they are forbidden to know.
This is not some dismal Eastern European allegory. It is part of a continuing transformation of American government that is leaving it less open, less accountable and less susceptible to rational deliberation as a vehicle for change.
posted by acrobat at 3:45 AM PST - 38 comments
November 17
Apologevents Cuban says "Please make me apologize… The FCC as Marketing Partner" and he hits on the latest network trick.
posted by billsaysthis at 8:37 PM PST - 7 comments
The Duel. A Flash feature. Actually, as I write this, I'm worried that it's lame. But I smiled and you don't have anything going on for the next three minutes, anyway.
posted by Mayor Curley at 11:42 AM PST - 20 comments
Denial Of Water Water supplies to Tall Afar, Samarra and Fallujah have been cut off during US attacks in the past two months, affecting up to 750,000 civilians. This appears to form part of a deliberate US policy of denying water to the residents of cities under attack. If so, it has been adopted without a public debate, and without consulting Coalition partners. It is a serious breach of international humanitarian law, and is deepening Iraqi opposition to the United States, other Coalition members, and the Iraqi interim government.
posted by Postroad at 10:15 AM PST - 31 comments
Real-Time Biological Natural Gas Generation. A research lab has discovered that microbes living in Wyoming's Powder River Basin are generating methane (natural gas) through their natural metabolism of local coal beds. In relation to the many Peak Oil discussions here, could be way to get more energy for the future. (via SpaceDaily.com)
posted by zoogleplex at 9:52 AM PST - 22 comments
RFID to track students in Spring, Texas... the information is fed automatically by wireless phone to the police and school administrators. That's right: constant and continual monitoring of all the schoolkids in the district by the local police department.
posted by Irontom at 8:44 AM PST - 74 comments
The Dead Schembechlers - a college football rivalry goes punk rock crazy.
(Background audio on first page & lyrics pages)
Rising up out of Columbus, Ohio's “Wolverine Hatecore” scene, The Dead Schembechlers have earned the dual titles of "The Best Damn Punk Band on the Planet" and "The Band Most Likely to Have Their Eyeballs Gouged Out If They Ever Show Up in Michigan."
Hey Ho... Fuck Bo!
posted by putzface_dickman at 5:56 AM PST - 22 comments
November 16
Another salvo in the growing culture war. PABAAH (Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood) takes on Skinny Puppy and college radio. College radio mostly yawns; Some fans resort to bad language and idle threats, a few others offer highly eloquent and reasoned replies.
posted by loquacious at 5:31 PM PST - 50 comments
Adopt an Ex-Lab Experiment Monkey The
BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) is sponsoring an adoption program to help care for some 50 macaques that had been owned by a lab in Thailand to be used for scientific experiments. After some publicity, they were pressured into releasing the little monkeys just prior to their last experiment that would have killed them all.
posted by fenriq at 1:56 PM PST - 33 comments
Get a Pair... Ever tell anyone to "Get a Pair?"
Ever wish you (or someone you love) had more conviction, more commitment, more..."cajones?"
Well, now you can finally "fix" that situation.
Because, now there are
Balsies.
posted by Dunvegan at 12:38 PM PST - 19 comments
Only about 350 of the original 400 structures designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright are still standing. As of last week, that number has
decreased by one. The demolition of the 1916
W.S. Carr house in Grand Beach, Michigan was the first Wright building in over 30 years to be demolished. Mark another loss to the heritage of U.S. Modernism.
posted by ScottUltra at 11:37 AM PST - 12 comments
Grey Video: a further experimental mashup (this time, in video) of the Beatles and Jay Z, for the DJ Dangermouse song Encore. Looks almost as slick as the old Weezer Happy Days video by Spike Jonze.
posted by mathowie at 11:29 AM PST - 21 comments
Bloggers as TIME's "People of the Year" ? " Each year around this time going all the way back to 1927 the editors of TIME magazine sit down to debate and select their Person or People of the Year. Last year, if you recall, they selected the American soldier. In prior years they have selected everyone from Charles Lindbergh (1927) to The Computer (1982)...
The Person of the Year is defined as folllows:
"Person of the Year is an annual issue of TIME magazine that features a profile on the man, woman, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or worse, has most influenced events in the preceding year"
Why not
bloggers?
Steve Rubel thinks so.
posted by azul at 11:15 AM PST - 33 comments
Oh
crap. Rumours are starting to emerge that following the death of his favourite consort Kim Jong-Il has retreated into virtual seclusion allowing the the military to take over in a defacto coup.
posted by PenDevil at 10:42 AM PST - 35 comments
The Urban Archipelago. "It's time to state something that we've felt for a long time but have been too polite to say out loud: Liberals, progressives, and Democrats do not live in a country that stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Canada to Mexico. We live on a chain of islands. We are citizens of the Urban Archipelago, the United Cities of America. We live on islands of sanity, liberalism, and compassion--New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, St. Louis, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and on and on. And we live on islands in red states too--a fact obscured by that state-by-state map."posted by gentle at 9:30 AM PST - 54 comments
Trade in your Ashlee Simpson CD here.. A group calling itself HOPE (Horrified Observers of Pedestrian Entertainment) are offering to trade your Ashlee Simpson CD for one by one of Elvis Costello, The Ramones, X, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Aretha Franklin, Mr. Bungle, Ray Charles, Abe Lincoln Story, Grateful Dead, Neil Hamburger, Joni Mitchell, and Brian Wilson. Next target is the film
"Taxi".
posted by salmacis at 9:26 AM PST - 68 comments
Marvel Comics sues NCsoft and Cryptic Studios, the makers of the online game
City of Heroes for player created content they feel infringes on their copyright. If Marvel wins the case, all game developers can expect to be held responsible for the behavior of their players. This case covers similar ground to the proposed
Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act, which is before a Senate Judiciary Committee. Introduced to crack down on illegal file sharing on peer-to-peer networks, the bill would hold technology companies liable for manufacturing products that encourage people to infringe copyrights. The language of the bill
caused an uproar among technology and consumer advocates who claimed it would kill innovation. If successful in their lawsuit, would Marvel be able to
sue the makers of pens and pencils for producing products that allow people to create pictures of copyrighted characters?
posted by Stuart_R at 8:54 AM PST - 31 comments
How the other half top quintile lives... Coldwell Banker has released the first
Coldwell Banker(R) Luxury Index, a "study conducted in August 2004 of U.S. luxury homeowners -- those owning homes valued at $1 million or more -- concerning their attitudes, preferences and purchasing behavior related to luxury goods and services." You might be interested to discover that 61% of those surveyed stated recent increases in interest rates would have no impact on their luxury item purchases.
posted by Irontom at 8:10 AM PST - 8 comments
Eat Poop You Cat! is "a variant on the exquisite corpse family of games... The mutations can be hilarious. You don't have to '
know how to' draw. You don't have to '
know how to' write. Just keep the papers moving, until the space is used up."
posted by sciurus at 7:32 AM PST - 7 comments
Yale Law School Dean : "I might have been an unwitting accessory to fraud" Ian H. Solomon's belated realization :
"Could we have been so naive?....by my presence, along with other Democratic lawyers, I lent an air of legitimacy to the voting process....We should have had trained observers - computer scientists, not lawyers! - verifying the integrity of polling data from machine upload through the tabulation of countywide and statewide results. Somehow we neglected the most vulnerable step....I realized that I might have been an unwitting accessory to fraud....The time is now for voters from all states that used electronic voting machines to request an audit of results and a manual recount of ballots if possible."posted by troutfishing at 7:00 AM PST - 41 comments
November 15
Dollar's Decline Is Reverberating All this talk about blue state, red state. How's the state of the one thing we all think about equally in common coming along?
Isn't it time for a serious, non-partisan, "morally" neutral dialogue on the state of the US economy?
posted by crasspastor at 10:57 PM PST - 61 comments
The DNA of Litrature. Between now and next July, The Paris Review will be putting all of its writers-at-work interviews online, starting with those from the 1950s, which include William Faulkner, Truman Capote and Dorothy Parker. Good stuff.
posted by liam at 11:35 AM PST - 13 comments
Fox's 1.2 million dollar indecency fine was caused by three people complaining. Jeff Jarvis does a little investigative journalism that no mainstream outlets bothered to do. All he did was submit a freedom of information act request
via this form, and they sent him the 90 complaints they had on record (the original claim was 159 complaints). But it turns out 88 of them were nearly identical. So three people complained in America, and the FCC fined a network over a million dollars for a show that was already cancelled.
posted by mathowie at 10:53 AM PST - 39 comments
RIP, Jhonn Balance (of Coil, and many other projects)
posted by qDot at 10:38 AM PST - 19 comments
While everyone has
heard of the legendary 1978 performance by William Shatner of
Rocket Man, few have actually had the chance to
see it.
Now you can in a relatively-decent video file courtest of iFilm.
(ASF link, via Mark Evanier)posted by XQUZYPHYR at 10:14 AM PST - 27 comments
November 14
Robo-Dump A device which simulates that guy over in the Sales cubes who usually doesn't drink coffee but had 3 cups over lunch.
posted by scarabic at 11:45 PM PST - 14 comments
For 60 years the skeletal remains of more than 200 people, discovered in 1942 in a remote Himalaya region, have puzzled historians, scientists and archaeologists. Now they think they know what killed them around AD 840. "The only plausible explanation for so many people sustaining such similar injuries at the same time is
something that fell from the sky".
posted by stbalbach at 7:30 PM PST - 13 comments
Truly mind blowing! First, you must follow the rules.
Watch this short video. You are only allowed to watch it once. Seriously, do not cheat! In the video you will see a group of basketball players, some in white and some in black passing two balls around. Your goal is to
count how many times the ball is passed by those wearing white shirts. It’s that simple. Remember, count just the passes of the ball by those wearing white.
Once the movie is over, write down the number of passes you have counted, Do not watch the video again--
proceed to step two. (
via)
posted by limitedpie at 11:02 AM PST - 131 comments
November 13
Robert Cutter, Phillip Kuhn and Marlene Kuhn, Thursday night league bowlers: "I take the bus to the bowling alley," says Robert. "It takes me about an hour. I've been bowling 36 years. I've never missed bowling in 36 years. I'm the first one here and the last one to go home. I even beat the sheet maker (the guy who keeps score for the teams). If I have the flu, I'm still bowling. I still come. I've got rheumatisim and I'm still bowling. If I don't bowl I sit on the couch." When asked if he'd ever consider quitting bowling, he said, "Hell no! I gotta be dead first!" ..."Phil and I have been bowling five years," says Marlene. "We've only missed bowling once in five years. We walk here. We walk even when it rains or snows. It's about 4-1/2 miles to get here. I try to do my best. I've got a bad leg. I've got a trick knee that goes out on me. We're going to start up our own team soon: the Klingons. We watch Star Trek all the time. We're Trekaholics. We have a cat named Leonard 'Bones' McCoy."
Marzano's Miami Bowlposted by y2karl at 2:32 PM PST - 17 comments
'Runaway': Alice's Wonderland Knockout of a book review by wonderful writer about a marvelous author:
"JONATHAN FRANZEN
I want to circle around Alice Munro's latest marvel, "Runaway," by taking some guesses at why her excellence so dismayingly exceeds her fame."
posted by Postroad at 7:14 AM PST - 11 comments
November 12
Fecal Face is a San Francisco based arts community that promotes things that turn us on and primarily focused on the artists and happenings of SF.
{as safe for work as any art collective's site's gonna be.}posted by dobbs at 7:57 PM PST - 7 comments
Overexposed: Upon closer inspection, it seems the vice president’s smile was not his biggest, ahem, asset. Is that what we think it is?posted by dogmatic at 3:00 PM PST - 57 comments
Mainstream Baptists is an organization which is very concerned about the takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) by right-wing fundamentalists. The site includes a daily blog. One post-election entry: "SBC Hardwiring to GOP....There was a day when Baptist preachers and lay people would have been alarmed by and indignant about this egregious violation of the Baptist principle of separation of church and state. Today Southern Baptists are so cowed by and subservient to their denominational overlords that it will hardly raise an eyebrow."
posted by Sixtieslibber at 1:42 PM PST - 8 comments
Japan's Global Claim to Asia and the World of Islam: Transnational Nationalism and World Power, 1900-1945 During the years 1900-1945, the question that motivated Muslims and some Japanese was whether Japan could be the "Savior of Islam" against Western imperialism and colonialism if this meant collaboration with Japanese imperialism. Even during the 1930s, when there was little hope left for prospects of democracy and liberalism in Japan (for that matter in Europe as well), the vision of a "Muslim Japan" was so compelling to many Muslims in Asia and beyond, even among black Muslims of Harlem, as a means for emancipation from Western hegemony/colonial reality that it justified cooperation with Japanese intelligence overseas. Okawa Shumei, the major intellectual figure of Pan-Asianism, the "mastermind of Japanese fascism" in the Tokyo trials, who justified Japan's mission to liberate Asia from Western colonialism by war if necessary, saw Islam as the means. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the relationship transformed into a major Japanese military strategy as the Japanese government began to implement its Islamic policy by mobilizing Muslim forces against the United Kingdom, Holland, China and Russia in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Alternately,
The Fukuwaza Doctrineposted by y2karl at 1:11 PM PST - 11 comments
Only Children have a different set of experiences than those with siblings. This take on a privileged young New Yorker made me reflect on my own only upbringing. On the one hand, it seems intuitively correct that
birth order contributes to life experience, but it actually looks like a pretty
soft science, akin to astrology.
Parenting advice is available, but on a folk wisdom level. Will this subject go away in time, like the old view of left handedness as a sign of potential deviance? What impressions does the girl in the article make?
posted by rainbaby at 11:15 AM PST - 30 comments
Don't Fuck the South. Neal Pollack has resurfaced with a series of responses to the recent liberal backlash against red-state elitism: "I'd rather have a cup of coffee with my next-door neighbor every day for the rest of my life than share one "hazelnut latte" with you. He thinks I'm going to hell but helped me fix my lawnmower last weekend anyway."
posted by eustacescrubb at 4:25 AM PST - 70 comments
SoNHoRS - Panorama, histoire des musiques electroniques.
Great French language site on the history of electronic music.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 12:20 AM PST - 3 comments
It's Just A Plant: a children's story of marijuana "One night Jackie woke up past her bedtime. She smelled something funny in the air, so she walked down the hall to her parents' bedroom." Here's a new way for parents to teach their kids about drugs--through a brightly-illustrated children's book, not second-hand misinformation or Drug Warrior scare tactics. Parents, librarians, and booksellers, please take note. [via
D'Alliance, the blog of the
Drug Policy Alliance]
posted by Asparagirl at 12:15 AM PST - 59 comments
November 11
Jack the Ripper: the most complete online resource. A wealth of information, from scanned letters purportedly sent by the killer, to contemporary police reports, to recent scholarship and discussion, articles about Victorian London, social history, and dissertations. To my mind the most interesting of all are the detailed
biographies of the victims, which give a glimpse of the difficult life experienced by working-class Londoners, especially women, during the mid 19th century.
Note: The site has been mentioned here before, but only in the context of two discussions about Patricia Cornwell's book claiming that the murders were committed by artist Walter Sickert (
1,
2). Some images NSFW.
posted by jokeefe at 5:36 PM PST - 16 comments
Athletes... Steroids... blah blah blah.. Only this time it's the
pigeons. Poor birds.
posted by Lizc at 3:02 PM PST - 7 comments
Mike Allred, maverick comic book auteur, has plied his pen on such notable series as
Madman,
The Atomics,
Red Rocket 7, and *ahem*
X-Force.
Now, Allred, a long time member of the
Church of Latter Day Saints, has turned his attention to
The Golden Plates, a 12 volume adaptation of
the Book of Mormon (earlier discussion waaaay back
here), God's revelation to
Joseph Smith. Pick up a copy at your local comic book store or Mormon book store, crank up
Low's
Secret Name, and geek out, Mormon-style.
posted by mikrophon at 2:59 PM PST - 13 comments
Liquid Freedom. "There is, in fact, a war-winning weapon close to hand that the Allawi government could use — with support from allies and from both Democrats and Republicans. This weapon could, at a stroke, put flesh on the bones of formal democracy, change the dynamic of the insurgency, begin to win the confidence of the Iraqi people and create a powerful, growing force for stability, national unity and economic development. The weapon, of course, is oil — and the huge flows of cash it generates." Lenny Glynn suggests an
Iraqi People's Freedom Trust modeled after
the Alaska Permanant Fund.
posted by Ty Webb at 2:34 PM PST - 14 comments
DooWop Nation Not to get all Pepsi Blue on your collective ass, but I have been luxuriating in the Proper box sets
The Dawn Of Doo-Wop (
tracklist) and
Doo Wop Delights (
tracklist and discography) and thought to construct a post around the topic of the original postwar--
as World War II--black harmony singing style, of which, as Greil Marcus notes in his
Lipstick Traces, there were 15,000 records recorded after World War II--a DIY phenomenom which he compares to rise of punk... (more inside, naturally)
posted by y2karl at 1:03 PM PST - 16 comments
The Chilling Effect. Some ABC affiliates have opted not to broadcast a scheduled airing of
Saving Private Ryan, due to concerns over new FCC indecency regulations. They don't want to get fined. The FCC won't say in advance whether the film is indecent ("that would be censorship"). But don't worry, the
Parents Televsion Council says the "context" makes it OK. Which is fine, but who utlimately gets to judge the context?
posted by jpoulos at 11:46 AM PST - 75 comments
Call Turk Did you watch this week's episode of "Scrubs" where Dr. Turk got his ultimate cell phone number (916-CALL-TURK)? Well, give him a call, it's a working number...(916)-225-5887.
posted by ColdChef at 10:30 AM PST - 23 comments
Disgruntled spouse 'outs' Electronic Arts' harsh employment practices, and by implication disses the whole American 'work 'em 'till they drop' ethos. Is this the start of a quiet revolution or is the American Way too entrenched to be stopped?
posted by Duug at 10:03 AM PST - 65 comments
I feel safer already! Yesterday, the
Department of Homeland Security lowered the terror alert-level for the financial-services sector in the NY/DC area from orange to yellow, which has nothing, repeat nothing, to do with the election. "We don't do politics here at this department," days DHS deputy secretary James Loy. When the alert was jacked up back in August, some
felt otherwise.
posted by digaman at 9:03 AM PST - 16 comments
A Marketing and Promotional Urinal Screen - I mean - WTF?
Is there nowhere I can go and not be bombarded by
advertising...now when I go for a 'slash' I can be detected 'visiting' the urinal, and a pre-recorded voice can 'interact' with me while I read the
graphics.
Honestly, I never, ever, ever wanted to interact whilst standing at a urinal...please don't make me start interacting in there!
posted by mattr at 5:26 AM PST - 21 comments
Microsoft has unleashed their internet
search engine to the world. It currently isn't working, at least for me. Is it wrong of me to wish it stays that way?
posted by ashbury at 5:23 AM PST - 43 comments
November 10
Arafat is dead. I cannot help to think that the fact that he had an iron grip on the PLO for so long made this issue so hard to resolve...but maybe after all this time there CAN be a final resolution on the question of the Palestinian state? Will we see massive internal warfare amongst his followers after he gets put in the ground? Interesting times, indeed.
posted by PeteyStock at 9:11 PM PST - 113 comments
YELLOW PERIL "Imagine a person, tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan, a close-shaven skull, and long, magnetic eyes of the true cat-green. Invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race, accumulated in one giant intellect, with all the resources of science past and present, with all the resources, if you will, of a wealthy government--which, however, already has denied all knowledge of his existence. Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the yellow peril incarnate in one man."
Sax Rohmer's tales of the sinister
Dr. Fu Manchu and his arch enemy
Sir Denis Nayland Smith of the British Secret Service (the nephew of
Sherlock Holmes whose name is also
invoked in
Thomas Pynchon's
Gravity's Rainbow), have fascinated readers and
cinemagoers alike for
the best part of the twentieth century. Two things make Fu Manchu all the more monstrous a villain: his proximity to the West, and his intellect. His base is in
Limehouse, the
Chinese area of London. So by allowing him to live in the country, England is vulnerable to
his insidious plans (and so becomes a validation of strict immigration policy). His intellect comes from Western learning, and it is often emphasized that he has been educated in a University. So we see the evil Asian as using the West's own knowledge against it.
It is up to Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie to stop Fu Manchu's plans in each story. As Smith remarks in
The Hand of Fu Manchu, "the swamping of the white world by Yellow hordes may be the price of our failure."
(more inside)posted by matteo at 5:44 PM PST - 16 comments
Time-Life Navigation: "a synthesis of five inter-related elements: organization evolution (main change vehicle); life design (main change beneficiary); work life (career) evolution (main change initiator); financial investing (the golden goose); and a life navigation system (the action sequencer)."
Huh? While a bit more easily parsed than the famous
TimeCube, I'm not sure where this falls on the sanity scale. If you paste the text into Notepad, sans all the crazy font effects, it begins to seem less bug-eyed. Crazy theory or just crazy web design? Wait, here's a
site map graphic to clear it up...
posted by Tubes at 5:43 PM PST - 1 comments
Do little people go to heaven? ...The scientists who have come up with these new Floresians do not count them among the ancestors of man, but among the collateral branches which died out, like the Neanderthals, only later. The suggestion is that the Floresians are, like us, rational animals. Now Christians believe that man (I mean homo, of course, not vir) is a special creation of God. Would these Floresians be in the image and likeness of God too, with immortal souls to be saved or lost, capable of praying to God and going to heaven? asks Christopher Howse.
posted by y2karl at 10:55 AM PST - 89 comments
Night Windows Gorgeous images of night-time urban Japan (Japanese titles, English alt tags, 1024x768 images available). Includes:
sleeping bullet trains,
trams,
cats,
Tokyo Harbour tunnel,
bridges,
tail lights,
Narita airport,
offices,
Mount Fuji, Tokyo Disneyland (
1,
2,
3,
4,
5), and many more.
posted by carter at 10:26 AM PST - 13 comments
Enough Is Enough: It's time to stop dancing to "Hey Ya!"
"As of today, November 10, 2004, it is one year since 'Hey Ya!' was released in the UK. So all you Beyonces, and Lucy Lius, and babydolls, GET OFF THE FLOOR." Further proof that
Popjustice is the world's greatest pop magazine, if their
review of Girls Aloud's What Will The Neighbours Say? with
Neighbours-cast-members-out-of-ten ratings scale didn't already convince you. Oh, and
"note to DJs: This is not an excuse to start playing 'Crazy In Love' again."posted by logovisual at 9:19 AM PST - 10 comments
Editors Suck! Freelance writers will feel this author's pain. (Via Mediabistro. I believe registration is required. Sorry.)
posted by Man-Thing at 7:38 AM PST - 20 comments
Political discourse in these desperate days is - as we all know - very much a no-holds-barred affair. We have come to expect that political debate will be nasty, personal, based on appeals to emotion, and largely divorced from consideration of real-world consequences of the positions claimed.
Still, I hope we can agree that some rhetorical flourishes are simply unacceptable in civil society. Like this piece of vileness from Adam Yoshida, imagining that "
the future of the Democratic Party [is] providing Republicans with a number of cute (but not that bright) comfort women." You read that right: "
comfort women." Left, right, or center, I hope we can all agree that we are within measurable distince of moral surrender if this sort of rhetoric goes unchallenged. Or is this really what we've come to?
(Via
Atrios, upon whose summary I cannot improve.)
posted by adamgreenfield at 7:24 AM PST - 62 comments
Arundhati Roy's call for action, on accepting the Sydney Peace Prize. (That's action from
us specifically). I often find Roy's speeches overblown, overcooked and one-sided, and if that kind of rhetoric bothers you then you might want to skip this link. But she does speak lyrically, and I find it hard to argue against what she says this time.
posted by iffley at 3:27 AM PST - 7 comments
November 9
Dunstan Orchard designed his site header to mimic the view and weather of his parent's home in Dorset. To do so he created
90 illustrations reflecting the local weather such as cloud condition, wind, humidity, etc. and matched the pics with a XML feed from
weather.com. The design features a panel which folds out from beneath the current illustration and presents detailed local weather for both San Francisco & Dorset. Dunstan's
talent and attention to detail are astounding. I've only scratched the surface of what he does with this site.
posted by filchyboy at 10:22 PM PST - 25 comments
Discovering Japan. As a
perennial outsider at loose in Japan,
writer Donald Richie captures the
joyous freedom of being foreign. The foreign observer is likely to be happy only if he sees his foreignness as an adventure, and recognizes that he has given up a sense of belonging
for a sense of freedom, traded the luxury of being understood for that of being permanently interested.
Richie, the philosopher-king of expats in Asia for the past half-century, arrived in Tokyo in 1947 as a typist with the U.S. government and never really left,
writing dozens of books ,
on Japanese movies,
temples, history and
fashion, while enjoying himself as an actor, musician, filmmaker and painter.
The Japan Journals: 1947-2004 is a monument to the
pleasures of displacement. Richie watchers can observe, more intimately than ever, a man who is generally happiest observing. More inside.
posted by matteo at 5:28 PM PST - 12 comments
Lose WeightMoney Fast! If you click on this link, you'll go to an apparent sales site for "FatFoe
TM Eggplant Extract" another 'miracle' weight loss aid. But click on the
Order Now! link and you get a lecture from the FTC on how to avoid getting scammed by diet products that are too good to be true, all part of the US Federal agency's
campaign against diet fraud.
posted by wendell at 4:10 PM PST - 12 comments
Last night's aurora borealis was seen in, among other places,
Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana,
Nebraska, New York, Virginia, and
Wisconsin. Recent sightings are reported
here, and lots of charts and graphs that I don't understand are
here courtesy of the government.
posted by PrinceValium at 10:42 AM PST - 20 comments
Pharmacist Refuses to Dispense Birth Control (USA Today link, sorry)
A pharamacist has decided that she's morally opposed to birth control and so has refused to dispense it to her clients. Neverminding the fact that its her job.
"The American Pharmacists Association, with 50,000 members, has a policy that says druggists can refuse to fill prescriptions if they object on moral grounds, but they must make arrangements so a patient can still get the pills. Yet some pharmacists have refused to hand the prescription to another druggist to fill."
If a pharmacist refuses to fill your prescription and you suffer for it (pregnancy or whatever) wouldn't that pharmacy and pharmacist be culpable for your suffering?
Doesn't this just expose these drug stores to massive lawsuits? Or just massive boycotts?
posted by fenriq at 10:27 AM PST - 90 comments
Germs, Germs Everywhere... Get Over It "The makers of antibacterial products are fond of the word 'germs.' It is purposefully vague. Do they mean bacteria? Viruses? Both? Neither? Because the idea is simply to connote contamination. These products are as much about cooties as they are about viruses or bacteria."
posted by Irontom at 10:11 AM PST - 16 comments
The Mormon Peanut Butter Assassin David Race Bannon was serving as a Mormon missionary in Korea when he was caught up in a peanut butter smuggling ring that led to his imprisonment and eventual recruiting by Interpol for project "Archangel," a team of assassins trained to hunt down and terminate the leaders of child sex rings. Whew. Oh, and he
has a book out. Is it just me, or does this sound a little . . . odd?
posted by mecran01 at 9:51 AM PST - 35 comments
Zicam is an amazing intranasal gel that shortens the duration and reduces the severity of the common cold. I've had four colds so far this fall (I've got a toddler) and all of them disappeared within a day. Problem is, now reports are saying that if you get this stuff too far up your nose, you could
lose your sense of smell. Damn!
posted by fungible at 8:09 AM PST - 15 comments
If you want to use
Firefox but still want the alt text for web images to appear when you hover the mouse pointer over them, then you want
this.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 8:01 AM PST - 28 comments
November 8
Cruel and Unusual - The End Of The Eighth AmendmentIt might seem at first that the rules for the treatment of Iraqi prisoners were founded on standards of political legitimacy suited to war or emergencies; based on what Carl Schmitt called the urgency of the ''exception,'' they were meant to remain secret as necessary ''war measures'' and to be exempt from traditional legal ideals and the courts associated with them. But the ominous discretionary powers used to justify this conduct are entirely familiar to those who follow the everyday treatment of prisoners in the United States—not only their treatment by prison guards but their treatment by the courts in sentencing, corrections, and prisoners' rights. The torture memoranda, as unprecedented as they appear in presenting ''legal doctrines . . . that could render specific conduct, otherwise criminal, not unlawful,'' refer to U.S. prison cases in the last 30 years that have turned on the legal meaning of the Eighth Amendment’s language prohibiting ''cruel and unusual punishment.'' What is the history of this phrase? How has it been interpreted? And how has its content been so eviscerated?posted by y2karl at 9:42 PM PST - 25 comments
Move over X-Prize - in order to win the next big space prize($50 million) one will have to build a spacecraft capable of taking a crew of no fewer than five people to an altitude of 400 kilometers and complete two orbits of the Earth at that altitude. Then they have to repeat that accomplishment within 60 days.
posted by sourbrew at 9:07 PM PST - 15 comments
Detailing the impossible. Louis Feuillade made
more than 800 films covering
almost every contemporary genre: historical drama, comedy, realist drama, melodrama, religious films. However, he was most famous, or infamous, for his crime serials:
Fantômas (1913-14),
Les Vampires, Judex (1916), La Nouvelle Mission de Judex (1917),
Tih-Minh (1918) and Barrabas (1919).
Critics panned his
crime films, often savagely, because the preoccupation of French critics and film-makers in the 1910s and 20s was to elevate cinema -– and, ironically, back then the French saw their own films as lacking the artistry and sophistication of American ones, by Griffith or DeMille – to the level of art. It was years before
Feuillade's films escaped the label of aesthetic backwardness. Now,
critics have realized that what Feuillade has done is to offer us an alternative cinematic mode to Griffiths', one that continues in updated variants throughout cinema. It is predicated on a principle of uncertainty, that questions our understanding of the real. It is
as fluid and elusive a tradition
as a cat burglar,
dressed in black on a night-time rooftop.
posted by matteo at 5:15 PM PST - 7 comments
"Absolutely nobody, but nobody has seen this guy," said Paul Pruss, a middle school teacher who is president of the union. "The whole thing is just bizarre."
Steve Rocco, a 'mystery candidate' / unknown recluse, won a seat on the Orange Unified School District by 54%, beating out Phil Martinez, a park ranger who raised contributions, attended forums and sent out a political mailing to homes of voters in the district, none of which Rocco did.
What might have helped him this time around was that he identified himself as a writer/educator on the ballot, though he offered no proof of those occupations.
posted by Lizc at 12:08 PM PST - 22 comments
Mr. Bush's first big political move. Banning gays? Killing babies to produce oil? No, tax reform! What? Nothing sinister in that, you say! Except he might totally do away with the current system and create a flat tax or national sales tax. Quick, everyone read up on
flat taxes, and
national sales tax! Blogger's favorite economist Atrios gives
his two cents. With everything going on, it is almost nostalgic to see tax reform become an issue.
posted by geoff. at 11:44 AM PST - 165 comments
eBay for the NRA
A place (mentioned once before in the blue,
here) where you can drop nearly $4K on a
high-end showgun or bid on a
His & Hers Pistol Set or, if you just need a gat for a quick drive by maybe a
Cobray CM-11 Carbine 9mm is what you need (with a free 32-rd magazine!). What's that? Thirty two rounds isn't enough? Go big and get the
50 round clip!. Or heck, why not get yourself a real honest to goodness
Gatling Gun (sure it shoots .22 rounds but they are dirt cheap and you can run through up to 1200 in a minute)?
I'd like to get one of these
cute little numbers. But I also wouldn't mind one of
these either.
Note: All gun auctions are processed in complete accordance with firearm laws, all guns are shipped to Federally licensed gun dealers and background checks are run on buyers.
I am a gun nut and I approve this message.
posted by fenriq at 9:50 AM PST - 58 comments
November 7
Driven, immodest, intense and abrasive,
Jeffrey Sachs is clearly a man on a mission. That mission is ending global poverty in our lifetimes.
Can the man who once administered "shock therapy" to a reeling Russia, with tragic if predictable results, redeem himself? And even if the developed world somehow comes to a consensus that this is a project worth undertaking, would it work? (Apologies for yet another
NYT piece.)
posted by adamgreenfield at 8:09 PM PST - 9 comments
Robert J. Vanderbei is trying to show us we're not as divided as it seems.
It's not quite the City Vs. Country conflict that you may have understood it to be in this years election. Methinks, perhaps, this extends to other political opinions as well.
Lots of great voting result
visualizations are available at
this blog. Including my favorite, state results, with electoral votes dictating the relative size of the state. I'm not explaining it well. Go
look here.
I *promise* this'll be the last political post for a while. I know we're all wretchedly sick of it.posted by Parannoyed at 4:02 PM PST - 24 comments
The Numero Group is a web-based record company specializing in unearthing great music that you probably didn't know existed but can't live without. (Flash site; more inside)
posted by ba at 11:34 AM PST - 6 comments
All Pop Art. Do you like Andy Warhol pop art? Did you want
your face to be on it? Is your narcissism overwhelming? I always viewed pop art as having a sense of irony, poking fun of mass culture. When mass culture then embraces and produces pop art based on themselves, is this a reflection of the apocolypse? I think this is similar to going back in time and meeting yourself.
posted by geoff. at 8:28 AM PST - 12 comments
Two Americas, but not the ones you might have thought. Apologies for perpetuating ElectionFilter, but this page has, in addition to all the blue/red/purple maps we've seen, a bar graph at the bottom of the page that I find fascinating. To quote the authors, "It appears that there are, as the pundits have been telling us, 'two Americas,' but they are not the ones people usually talk about. They are 'divided America,' where people split roughly evenly between Republican and Democrat, and 'decided America,' where everyone is a Democrat. " (via
Crooked Timber)
posted by Kat Allison at 7:33 AM PST - 69 comments
November 6
Google Blocks Abu Ghraib Images
I went to Google Images to search for it. "Abu Ghraib" brought up only photos of the outside of the prison. Not a single photo from the scandal. Next I searched for "Lynndie England", not a single picture. Next I decided to look for "Charles Graner" her boyfriend who was also prominently features in the pictures, nothing.
See for yourself.
posted by destro at 9:20 PM PST - 71 comments
Join Canada? Okay, many of you feel you've been disenfranchised by the recent election, maybe even to the point of
hating the heartland. We've heard lots of "I'm moving to Canada" and discussion of immigration requirements. But some are now talking about a merger of the Blue States and the Great White North. Joining Canada isn't a new idea, either for
Americans or
others. C'mon, do you really think it would work?
posted by Turtles all the way down at 6:31 PM PST - 64 comments
Memento Mori. The Aztecs made war almost tenderly, wielding wooden swords that were edged with bits of obsidian or flint and, in face-to-face combat, endeavoring not to kill their enemies but, commonly by striking at their legs, to disable and capture them. Later, the captives—thousands of them for a rededication of the Great Temple at Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City) in 1478—were led to high platforms, where priests tore out and displayed their still-beating hearts. An especially respected prisoner might be allowed to fight for his life against Aztec warriors, at the last, with clubs and a sword, but his sword was edged with feathers.
“
The Aztec Empire,” at the
Guggenheim in New York, is
advertised as the
most comprehensive exhibition of Aztec art ever mounted outside Mexico. More inside.
posted by matteo at 4:48 PM PST - 16 comments
Southern Conservativism explained from the inside. "I get very antsy when I see this entire election outcome being blamed on radical conservatism or on ignorance or stupidity. Because really when people talk about "radical" conservativism, what they really mean is Southern conservativism, specifically the kind that originated in the Southern Baptist church in the late 70's/early 80's. And that makes me unhappy. I am an ex-Southern conservative." An interesting read coming out of the election fallout.
posted by FunkyHelix at 4:19 PM PST - 131 comments
November 5
Ever wonder how the world is going to hell in a handbasket if gay marriage runs amok? Our own
digaman recounts
his ceremony from a couple years ago, after being together with someone for ten years. Sounds like every other wedding I've ever been to (except for the lack of bridesmaids). I'm always telling family members that don't have gay friends like I do: don't fear them, I assure you they're just as boring as you and I.
posted by mathowie at 5:14 PM PST - 218 comments
Saturn's enigmatic moon
Titan holds on to its mysteries.
Radar images reveal quite a bit of variation but no clear interpretation. The hazy atmosphere prevents the sudden shock of discovery that characterized the Voyager and Galileo flybys of the moons of Jupiter, revealing little more than
fuzzy Rorschach blobs. With less than 1% of the surface mapped, researchers suspect that Titan has a
young surface shaped by processes that have yet to be revealed.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 3:14 PM PST - 5 comments
A long-lost treasure too toxic to touch: Construction at New York City's Harlem Community Justice Center recently revealed a room piled high with records documenting the building's former life as an early 20th century prison. They offer a peek into the street life of ca. 1900 NYC and scholars are already interested - there's only one problem: the room also contains decades worth of toxic pigeon droppings. (NY Times - registration required).
Photos (click on the "records rescue" link at the bottom) of the room are available at the great correctionhistory.org which also offers histories and photos of other out-of-the-way corners of NYC like the Hart Island Potter's Field.posted by ryanshepard at 2:59 PM PST - 9 comments
It's like EverQuest...only pink. Well, maybe not
exactly like EverQuest. But Sanrio
is entering the world of online gaming with their new MMORPG, Hello Kitty Online World. Preliminary views indicate that it's going to be a fully-realized 3D world where players can control both their own
avatar and an "
angel," which seems a little bit like a witch's familiar. The Sanrio characters are, of course, NPCs - you can't make Hello Kitty punch Spottie Dottie, because that's just not what Kitty-chan would do! There will be countries, populated with player homes (you can decorate it with a Titanic poster!), and you can also adventure, train, and form alliances.
posted by etoile at 2:51 PM PST - 10 comments
One soldier's opinion. "If you voted for Bush, didn't vote, or voted no on gay marriage, I hope you get drafted.
I hope they stick you in my unit, and you go with me to Iraq when my unit goes back in September. I will laugh when you see what soldiers in that country face on a daily basis. I hope you work with gay soldiers too. I did. One of them saved my life. Think he shouldn't have the right to get married? Fuck you. He fought just as hard as I did and on most days, did his job better than me. Don't tell me gays don't have the same rights you do. Think the war in Iraq is a good thing? I'll donate my M-16 to you and you can go in my place."posted by insomnia_lj at 2:46 PM PST - 53 comments
Unionized Clergy?! Some members of the clergy with the United Church of Canada are looking to unionize over four thousand pastors across the country. Their compliant, bad working conditions and sweatshop wages. Bad working conditions? Give me a break.
viaposted by Coop at 2:07 PM PST - 13 comments
A bizzare pattern of impossible anomalies This has long been known : the
welter of financial ties of Diebold and ES&S to the radical religious right (with stakeholders currently, it seems, on the secretive
CNP) and Bob Fitrakis notes : "Wherever Diebold and ES&S go, irregularities and historic Republican upsets follow."
Howard Ahmanson was the original funder for Bob and Todd Urosevich's Data Mark,which became ES&S, Bob later left to head
Diebold ,maker of
HAVA Act mandated touch screen voting machines used in Ohio and Florida and elsewhere....
Ahmanson is a
Christian Reconstructionist (a form of
Dominionism ) who has talked of imposing Biblical law on the US - including the death penalty for gays and drunkards - and is also a main funder of the
Chalcedon Foundation. However, the most bizzare patterns of anomalies in Florida came not from touch-screen but optical scan machines. Florida's central vote tabulator also is
Diebold made, raising questions on the
a bizzare pattern of anomalies in which a large number of counties in Florida had increases in Republicans votes over expected levels - by an overall average of 50% to 100% and - in one county, as high as
700%. Meanhwhile, here are
graphs of variance between exit poll results for battleground states.
posted by troutfishing at 1:13 PM PST - 85 comments
Updating this mefi story
here where a set of extremely abusive parents who abused their children into their teens were sentenced to only 9 months prison. A judge now deems that sentence "demonstrably unfit" and resentences the mother and father to 5 and 4 years in jail, respectively.
Thanks to t r a c y for the update.posted by shepd at 12:18 PM PST - 4 comments
Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back The tattoo is of a great, blue mushroom cloud, and in the cloud, etched ghost-like, is the face of our daughter, Rae. Her lips are drawn tight, eyes are closed and there are stitches deeply pulled to simulate the lashes. When I move fast and hard they rip slightly and Rae cries bloody tears.
That’s one reason for the martial arts. The hard practice of them helps me to tear the stitches so my daughter can cry. Tears are the only thing I can give her.
East Texas writer
Joe R Lansdale has written
horror, science fiction,
fantasy,
mystery,
suspense, westerns, "
men's adventure," and just about
every other kind of writing you can think of. On his website
(see main link) Lansdale makes a story
available for free every week to his readers.
Lansdale also wrote a novella featuring an aging Elvis Presley who teams up with a delusional, African American John F. Kennedy to battle an ancient Egyptian mummy with a predilection for anal soul-rape. It made it to the big screen, too: Bubba Ho-Tep. With Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. More inside.posted by matteo at 12:17 PM PST - 9 comments
Machine Error Gives Bush Extra Ohio Votes An error with an electronic voting system
gave President Bush 3,893 extra votes in suburban Columbus, elections officials said.
Franklin County's unofficial results had Bush receiving 4,258 votes to Democrat John Kerry's 260 votes in a precinct in Gahanna.
Records show only 638 voters cast ballots in that precinct.
do the math.
posted by specialk420 at 10:51 AM PST - 133 comments
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is to be considered an authorization to condantiques, a seller on Ebay, to offer on auction, for the Feinstein Foundation, the 1919 Original Ruth contract to the highest bidder which exceeds the reserve. All proceeds of this sale will go to charity.posted by anathema at 9:08 AM PST - 8 comments
Sidewalks without dog shit, angels, and
Hustler: the day after the election the way-left paper Die Tageszeitung explained what's
better in America.
posted by kenko at 7:04 AM PST - 37 comments
Maybe the rest of the United States could take a lesson from Delaware's long-standing tradition of
Return Day. Return Day started in the 1800's, when residents of Sussex County would gather in the County seat two days after the vote to hear the election returns announced, close out their races, and
start looking ahead to the next election. It has grown to a day-long festival featuring a ceremonial burying of the hatchet and a parade in which opposing candidates for each race have to share a carriage. Of course, sometimes the hatchet-burying is only ceremonial. This year's campaign for Governor was ugly and so, apparently, was
yesterday's carriage ride. On the other hand, in a local County Council race,
now in a recount with a difference of three votes, the trailing candidate was heard to joke to the leader yesterday "Lynn, I can't stand this. Why didn't you just beat the hell out of me so I didn't have to do this?" Oh yes, and Punkin' Chunkin' starts today.
posted by mmahaffie at 5:36 AM PST - 8 comments
Onward Christian soldiers or the Divided States of America "In the wee small hours of November 3 2004,
"a new country appeared on the map of the modern world: the DSA, the Divided States of America." But is this really
anything new? In his novel "Sybal"or "The Two Nations" Benjaman Disraeli described the England of his day and said that it comprised not one but "two nations between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each other's habits, thoughts, and feelings, as if they were dwellers in different zones, or inhabitants of different planets; who are formed by different breeding, are fed by a different food, are ordered by different manners, and are not governed by the same laws." Out of the divisions of Watergate and the Vietnam war the modern American Right Wing built it self up from the ashes of the Nixon downfall and the party has labored for the past 30 years to
build a powerful and united party with the help of of its very own homegrown
American mullahs. And of course, no one has been better at surfing this Republican wave than the
Bush family. And for the right wing the
revolution has just started.posted by thedailygrowl at 12:41 AM PST - 71 comments
November 4
How Bush Did It "A team of
Newsweek reporters unveils the untold fears, secret battles and private emotions behind a historic election." An in-depth series of behind-the-scenes articles.
[via Salon 's War Room, which also says Bush's bulge was a bulletproof vest.]posted by kirkaracha at 8:05 PM PST - 55 comments
ADD, Esq. In browsing part-time jobs in NYC, I came across this gem. It would blow my mind to watch this dude in the courtroom... if he doesn't get sidetracked along the way.
posted by adamms222 at 6:52 PM PST - 3 comments
''My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today I've just signed legislation which outlaws [the Blue States] forever. The
bombing begins in five minutes.''
posted by monju_bosatsu at 5:56 PM PST - 39 comments
Web of Influence Every day, millions of online diarists, or “bloggers,” share their opinions with a global audience. Drawing upon the content of the international media and the World Wide Web, they weave together an elaborate network with agenda-setting power on issues ranging from human rights in China to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. What began as a hobby is evolving into a new medium that is changing the landscape for journalists and policymakers alike. Hmm. Big Talk or should I get a clue & with the program ? Decisions, decisions....
posted by y2karl at 5:25 PM PST - 15 comments
V-Disc Records , a government-created music company, made 78's full of music, stories and announcements and sent them overseas to US servicemen from 1943-1949. They were never made available in record stores and, since the American Federation of Musicians was on strike at the time, they were the only
recordings being made. All of the top stars of the day made them, including
Duke Ellington,
Louis Armstrong,
Benny Goodman and more. After the program ended in 1949, the government, following an AFM request that the records not be used for commercial purposes, destroyed the original masters. Luckily the Library of Congress has a
complete set of V-Discs and the National Archives saved some of the metal stampers.
posted by tommasz at 4:11 PM PST - 2 comments
Welcome to WM Recordings! WM Recordings is a netlabel operating from Heerlen, the Netherlands. WM Recordings brings you music that is a little "different". We do not specialize in one style, but instead bring you exciting sounds that you're not likely to find anywhere else. Everything you see here is free, so take as much as you like.posted by soundofsuburbia at 3:01 PM PST - 9 comments
Election 2004, county by county: For those who just can't get enough political mapping goodness. Here's the 2004 presidential election's Red/Blue divide at the county level, where possible. Lesson: most red states aren't quite as red as they seem, and blue states aren't as blue. Author has 2000 election data plotted as well, which I believe was posted earlier.
posted by mojohand at 11:47 AM PST - 53 comments
Only in 1967 did Loving v. Virginia overturn vigorously-enforced laws against interracial marriage in these 15 states--Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Only in 1964 did the
Civil Rights Act overturn laws against equal access to voting, public accommodation, and public education. Only in 1963 did the
Equal Pay Act mandate that men and women be paid the same wage for the same work at the same job.
History isn't a superhighway, leading us in straight lines toward utopia. We
fall back and we
move forward, but over the past fifty years, the United States has become considerably more inclusive and equality of access to opportunity has widened. Take a look at
this article from the
Atlantic Monthly in 1956--1956!--if you don't believe me.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:42 AM PST - 190 comments
Great Political Yard Signs on the Ohio Lawn of Dischord co-founder/Minor Threat drummer Jeff Nelson. I've always enjoyed his design work, and these are just really cool and worthy of sharing, methinks.
posted by glenwood at 11:06 AM PST - 10 comments
Blast Maps. The threat of nuclear terrorism is not limited to New York City or Washington, DC. While New York is widely seen as the most likely target, it is clear that Al Qaeda is not only capable but also interested in mounting attacks on other American cities. Imagine the consequences of a 10-kiloton weapon exploding in San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Charlotte, or any other city Americans call home. From the epicenter of the blast to a distance of approximately one-third mile, every structure will be destroyed and no one would be left alive. A second circle of destruction extending three-quarters of a mile from ground zero would leave buildings looking like the Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City. A third circle reaching out 1 mile would be ravaged by fires and radiation.
Harvard professor Graham Allison's website lets you visualize these consequences in the city of your choice. Just enter a zip code.
More inside.
posted by matteo at 8:59 AM PST - 46 comments
Would the real Postal Service please stand up?
The Postal Service named their band to reflect the fact that its album was created by mailing tracks back and forth between collaborators. But about a year ago, it received a cease and desist order from that
other Postal Service, as in, that one that actually delivers the
mail. Well, a year later, instead of crushing the synth-wielding weaklings, the two entities have actually kissed and made up. The Postal Service gets to keep its name, and in exchange, the USPS gets a house band for its upcoming conference and maybe a soundtrack for its next tv spot. Somewhere,
Moby is nodding approvingly.posted by UncleDave at 8:57 AM PST - 32 comments
Go Team Venture! The official Venture Bros. website is now up (though slightly incomplete). While you're waiting, download Brock's workout song, read interviews with the creators or make your own Super Secret Agent license.
posted by drezdn at 8:27 AM PST - 20 comments
Plotting your escape? Marry a Canadian. "Legions of Canadians have already pledged to sacrifice their singlehood to save our southern neighbours from four more years of cowboy conservatism."
[via Gothamist]posted by milovoo at 7:32 AM PST - 48 comments
Imminent job openings at CNN... Open the link and right click the picture of Bush and wife, click "Save Picture/Image" and look at the filename!
In the words of a certain Denis Leary, "He's an asshole, asshole, asshole-e-o-oe-oh".
I suggest someone mirrors this ASAP!
posted by metaxa at 2:36 AM PST - 14 comments
November 3
Philippe Starck's been making lots of stuff lately, but I didn't know he was
producing shoes for Puma until today (flash site features an odd naked guy you can make jump and walk). Clean and sleek, but they're fetching $200+ a pair which is kind of outrageous. Another bunch of freaky expensive wacky shoe designs I found are from
Fessura.
Click through their gallery to get an idea of what they offer.
Medium continue to be my personal favorite shoes, but I'm always on the lookout for more interesting things to wear. If you've seen any interesting shoes lately, do share.
posted by mathowie at 6:08 PM PST - 25 comments
Democracy 2004 - Earlier this year, Richard Avedon decided that he would try to capture a sense of the country in the midst of a crucial Presidential election campaign. These are the (unfinished, but wonderful) results.
posted by amandaudoff at 5:03 PM PST - 16 comments
Hidden pictures! In an effort to get back to that "best of the web" thing, here are some cool hidden pictures within pictures. Can you find them all without looking at the answers? (from B3ta)
posted by salmacis at 11:34 AM PST - 14 comments
Kerry Concedes President Bush won a second term from a divided and anxious nation, his promise of steady, strong wartime leadership trumping John Kerry's fresh-start approach to Iraq and joblessness. After a long, tense night of vote counting, the Democrat called Bush to concede Ohio and the presidency, The Associated Press learned.
posted by Outlawyr at 8:22 AM PST - 504 comments
It all comes down do one question: Must France stay in Algeria? “If the answer is yes,” he says, “then you must accept the consequences.” Gillo Pontecorvo's "
The Battle of Algiers",
now out on a
Criterion dvd, is a film of
quiet,
overwhelming power. The mix of subjective and
documentary techniques holds the viewer's trust so authoritatively that many scenes come close to sneaking out of the mental "movies I saw" box to mix with the viewer's own memories. No matter how complicated or fragmented the action becomes, Pontecorvo gets the pace, tone and rhythm exactly right, filling the screen with eloquent details.
(Last year, Pontecorvo's masterpiece was discussed here, too. More inside)posted by matteo at 8:21 AM PST - 9 comments
All this will pass. "A day will come when all this will pass away...all this will pass and a new, a noble existence will begin. "I am not here for ever", he tells himself again and again, "soon I shall be there - there where there is liberty, all that I dream of, all that the suffering soul desires. Here is a heavy sleep, a nightmare. There it will be waking, beautiful and happy. Open the doors of the prison, send away the warders, strike off the chains, it will be enough. I shall find the rest for myself, in this free and beautiful universe which I did not know how to appreciate before, although I saw it." A commentary on
Dostoevsky's House of the Dead, a fictionalised account of his four year's of hard labour.
posted by biffa at 6:52 AM PST - 21 comments
While you were re-electing a president:
Senator-elect
Jim DeMint: Thinks that unwed pregnant women and gays are unfit to be schoolteachers.
Senator-elect
Tom Coburn: Wants the death penalty for abortion doctors.
Senator-elect
John Thune: Mr. School Prayer Amendment.
Voters in 11 states
voted to ban same-sex marriage. The
lowest margin was 57%-43%. The highest (Mississippi) was 86%-14%. Kentucky's also bans
civil unions. That one was 75%-25%.
The Senate will likely be split
55-45 in favor of Republicans, creeping closer to a filibuster-proof supermajority. Meanwhile, 89% of
these guys are older than 65.
Enjoy your tax cut, America. You're going to need it.
posted by PrinceValium at 6:47 AM PST - 73 comments
November 2
Some kids I go to
grad school with are putting on a live interactive public access show from New York tonight,
Konscious Election -- four live video feeds plus an onscreen chat room so viewers can share their comments and send questions straight to the cameramen and interviewers. If you're in New York you can see it on MNN (Time Warner channel 67 in Manhattan), or you can watch it streaming from the website! 9:30 to 10:30 PM EST.
posted by lia at 6:33 PM PST - 1 comments
Jesus Built My M16 (474.9 MB Music Video torrent) "
The Future Patriots were established in 2002 by the Honorable Donald Rumsfeld as a method of training our nation's youth in the arts of propaganda, fear-mongering, race-baiting, dis-information, and electoral fraud.
We aim to assure that the control of this great nation will never be handed over to the liberal homosexual atheists who threaten our way of life by their very existence.
May these songs profit the Revolution!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!"
posted by quasistoic at 10:14 AM PST - 22 comments
Bohemian election. Just a little something to lighten the day. Bound to be a double post but can't find any signs, so apologies in advance if it is. Altogether now,
My brother jeb has votes put aside for meeee...
posted by ciderwoman at 2:57 AM PST - 7 comments
November 1
John Kerry's Horoscope Shows Strong and Optimistic Election Day For November 2: "First thing this morning, you are made aware of a groundswell of activity that benefits you. This powerful locomotive is unstoppable and likely to outperform everyone’s expectations. Even so, you will experience moments of uncertainty from time to time – but not for long. . ."
and for the other guy:
George Bush's Horoscope Predicts Change, And Acceptance For November 2: "You comfort others, especially this morning, and take the attitude that, no matter what, things will turn out fine. Your apparent acceptance creates comfort, strength and unity among friends and loved ones. Throughout the day, you can feel the future quickly approaching your front door. You anticipate change, travel or even moving, and feel at peace with the prospect. . ."
posted by jackspace at 5:54 PM PST - 15 comments
The Big Picture Yep...one day left. MSNBC.com presents a broadband-only interactive that puts you in the hot seat of a Campaign Adviser. The "Produce and Ad" bit is a hoot.
posted by crunchybird at 4:04 PM PST - 8 comments
Rogue taxidermists (more exhibit photos at
Creative Electric Studios) abide by strict a non-violence policy. Not to be confused with plush
urban beasts, almost none of the animals used in the taxidermy were killed expressly for the purpose of mounting. Specimens are collected as roadkill, gifted to the taxidermist by friends, gifted after natural deaths by pet stores, or purchased from scientific supply companies.
[not safe for the delicate] [related
MeFi discussion]
posted by pedantic at 1:59 PM PST - 3 comments
Don't like how your country is being run?
Roll your own! "
Welcome to this exciting universe where you can start your own country, build its economy and trade with your neighbors. You preside over its resources, its army and [are] responsible for its relations with its neighbors. Depending on your experience level, you can control many functions that influence the development of your country." You can play for free on most of the available worlds.
posted by ewagoner at 12:36 PM PST - 1 comments
The Ladder is a website devoted to the writer
Henry James (1843-1916). It comprises
electronic editions of a selection of James’s works and also
* a textual note
on the source and any amendments required during editing
* annotations of the text explaining such things as references to real persons and places, references to other fiction by James, or in
in his notebboks
* a summary and a detailed (chapter by chapter) synopsis of the plot, so you can easily find passages you remember, by what happens
* a bibliography including original publications, subsequent reprints
Interestingly enough, lately more than a few writers seem to have
a bit of James-mania: in June,
Colm Tóibín published "
The Master", a portrait of James recovering from his humiliating failure as a playwright. Now comes "
Author, Author", by
David Lodge, which is about James' humiliating failure as a playwright as well. These in turn arrive on the heels of
Emma Tennant's "
Felony", a novel about James' near-romance with
Constance Fenimore
Woolson, and
Alan Hollinghurst's "
The Line of Beauty", a
BookerPrize-winning novel in which James plays an important off-the-stage role.
posted by matteo at 10:11 AM PST - 12 comments
