January 19, 2012
In OTC market segments, plan to collateralize subprime CDOs
Shredding Capitol Hill
Why America is fucked SLYT.
Fireproof Your Longboxes
Comic books are destroying society. Again (or is it still?)
Bonus: the full text of Seduction of the Innocent, from 1954.
achievements.unlocked();
Gamification strikes again: Microsoft Visual Studio now has a plugin that allows you to earn achievements while you code. The full list of achievements ranges from ones that reward repeated use of Visual Studio features to ones that reward poor coding techniques. No word on when they'll be incorporated into Xcode and Eclipse, but be patient.
Stephane Grappelli
The courting behavior of the male Newt.
The rise and fall (...and rise and fall) of Newt Gingrich. With just two days to go before the all-important South Carolina Republican primary, Newt Gingrich seems to have shaken off the spectre of past failures, is leading Mitt Romney in the most recent polls, and is on the verge of an amazing political comeback... assuming you overlook his ex-wife's new claims, set to air today, of Gingrich wanting -- and potentially having -- an open marriage.
A donkey is a horse etc.
If collaboration doesn't produce the best results (SLNYT), why do we keep trying to force people to work collaboratively? Previously
What's My Name Again?
Cleveland Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona was arrested today in the Dominican Republic and charged with using a false identity. [more inside]
"Those are some of the worst female singers I've ever heard"
There's official. And then there's Facebook official. [SLYT-viral-probably-something-blue-but-totally-worth-it]
When you're poor...
Millions of links suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
Megaupload has been shut down. Four people, including the founder Kim Schmitz, have been arrested for violation of piracy laws. Two more are named as defendants in the indictment. 18 domain names have been seized, warrants have been issued in 9 countries. Given that Megaupload took the fight to Universal Music Group in December and is on record as being vehemently against SOPA, one wonders if this crackdown is a retaliation of some sort. Given that industry insiders accuse MegaUpload of being responsible for at least $500 Million in lost revenue for the music industry, it's ironic that its current CEO is Swizz Beats, noted major-label rapper and hip-hop producer.
Inform the troops
Kimchi in Cambodia
The small village of Siem Reap, Cambodia has mushroomed since the 19th century French discovery of Angkor Wat. It is now Southeast Asia's most visited tourist destination, notably among South Koreans. In 2010, they accounted for 12% of foreign visitors to the region, ranking just below neighboring Vietnam. But the sprawling temples of Angkor may not be the first stop on every South Korean's itinerary.
On the frosty Korean Peninsula, relations between North and South are perennially tense. But here amid the balmy breezes of this Cambodian tourist town, Koreans from both sides of the border are enthusiastically fraternizing at the North Korean restaurant as if reunification were just days away [NYT].[more inside]
Gordotronic.com
Gordotronic.com launched across the interwebs.... Seattle artist and record producer Gordon Raphael (The Strokes, Regina Spektor) has launched an all encompassing website featuring his own unreleased albums (7 of them) , Interviews, Art, and Video.
But... I don't think this will fit into the CD player.
Nine ways scientists demonstrate they don't understand journalism
Nine ways scientists demonstrate they don't understand journalism. Ananyo Bhattacharya, chief online editor of Nature, writes in the Guardian that science journalism will never and should never be what some scientists want it to be. Meanwhile, aggregators like Futurity (previously on MetaFilter) and The Conversation are aiming to let scientists present their findings to the public without mediation through the traditional press. Bhattacharya describes both as "a bit dull." Bhattacharya, previously: "Scientists should not be allowed to copy-check stories about their work."
The Berne Convention Redux
Writing machines
Previously the Guardian has done a series on Writer's Rooms, now they have started on Writer's Desktops - "where writers show us around their working lives by revealing what's on their computer desktops" (Previously)
MOG: Uhhhh...
Let's Break Final Fantasy 6 is a delightful Let's Play of a familiar and beloved game in which an enlivened youth sets off on a long and arduous journey of playing a long and (well, somewhat) arduous game without...saving in order to... Wait. What? Where'd that airship come from and what is that moogle doing to that train? [more inside]
National Public Rodeo
National Public Rodeo Vanity Fair's David Margolick on the recent history and (somewhat) uncertain future of National Public Radio.
I'll have to ask you again: do you like it hardcore? Scooter shout-outs circa 1994
We want to sing a big shout to U.S., and to all ravers in the world! And to Westbam, Marusha, Steve Mason, The Mystic Man, DJ Dick, Carl Cox, The Hooligan, Cosmic, Kid Paul, Dag, Mijk van Dijk, Jens Lissat, Lenny D., Sven Vath, Mark Spoon, Marco Zaffarano, Hell, Paul Elstak, Mate Galic, Roland Casper, Sylvie, Miss Djax, Jens Mahlstedt, Tanith, Laurent Garnier, Special, Pascal F.E.O.S., Gary D., Scotty, Gizmo,... and to all DJs all over the world!
Apple gets back into the education market.
Possibly inspired by Al Gore, Apple announces a new iTunes U app, textbooks for iBooks 2.0, and iBooks Author, so you can create your own interactive books.
"...very little everything and more nothing than you could imagine."
The size of the known universe - A six and a half minute video which provides a view of the scale of the universe.
Code Search is dead. Long live Code Search.
"Google turned off Code Search earlier this week." Google announced Code Search's impending departure last October (to unhappiness). Russ Cox, one of the original authors of Code Search and one of the head Go engineers (previously and previouslier) has published an explanation of how Code Search worked, and enough code that you can run similar queries on your own machine.
Boardwalk Empire VFX Breakdowns
The company that creates digital effects for Boardwalk Empire has put together the before and after shots from Season Two.
I AM UR HINIS NOW
IMDABES. [translation "I'm the best." SLYT]
Inside look at a car crash, literally.
Doo...doo...doo...dee-doo...
"The '70s, man. Martin Luther King Jr. is dead. Malcolm X is dead. The Kennedys are dead. Kids at Kent State are getting capped. Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix have both gone haint. Nixon's in the Oval Office, and the Manson murders stain the Hills. Morrison and Dennis Wilson once picked up Charles Manson on Sunset and dropped him off at producer Terry 'Turn Turn Turn' Melcher's house on Cielo Drive. A few years later, Manson's acolytes would murder Sharon Tate and four others at that house, including celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, who styled Morrison's original king-of-the-jungle coif." -- LA Weekly's Jeff Weiss presents an exhaustive account of The Door's album L.A. Woman, which is now 40 years old
Pot meets kettle - none more black.
RIP Johnny Otis
Chances are that sometime, somewhere, out of the corner of one ear, at least, you've heard the iconic (yet all-but-forgotten) "Willie and the Hand Jive". Set to a Bo Diddley beat, it was an infectious little number that made quite a splash back in its day. Here's a fun live version of the bouncy tune, complete with the three largest dancing girls you're ever likely to see, and here's the original 1958 recording. The composer of the tune, the son of Greek immigrants who decided that the world of black music was where he wanted to be, was one Johnny Otis, who has just died at the grand old age of 90. Shortly after its release, "Willie and the Hand Jive" was covered by early rock icons like Bo Diddley and, across the pond in England, Cliff Richard. But apart from his most famous tune, Johnny did a LOT of recording and performing throughout his lengthy career, so there's... [more inside]
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