January 24, 2014

The Expert's Expert

The Death Of Expertise An expert serves up the argument that online culture is bringing about the death of expertise.
posted by Annika Cicada at 10:51 PM PST - 89 comments

If you're short on time just find William H Macy and move along

Photographer Victoria Will took some fantastic tintype portraits of celebrities at Sundance.
posted by sacrifix at 10:22 PM PST - 53 comments

Dead...

Dead... [NSFW] (Animated short film by Joe Bichard and Oswald Skillbard.)
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:45 PM PST - 14 comments

"Code Gouda"

Fans of "The West Wing" will recall the season one episode where Leo McGarry forces his staff to participate in "Big Block of Cheese Day" by listening to the complaints of everyday people who visit the White House. Well, it looks like that fiction is becoming a reality.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 8:06 PM PST - 30 comments

Ridiculously comprehensive overview of the Nintendo GameCube's lifespan

A Dolphin's Tale: The Story of GameCube
The company discovered that many gamers became personally attached to their consoles. They would take their consoles over to a friend’s house to play, or they would move their console from one room to another. Nintendo decided to include a handle on the GameCube to give it portability and a more personal, friendly look.
posted by porn in the woods at 7:21 PM PST - 35 comments

I can’t go on. I’ll go on.

The pedestrian truth that you live one day at a time didn’t help: What was I supposed to do with that day? My oncologist would say only: “I can’t tell you a time. You’ve got to find what matters most to you.” —neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi on coming face to face with his own mortality. SLNYT.
posted by Athanassiel at 6:55 PM PST - 29 comments

Chicken lollipop

Jacques Pépin debones a Chicken Galantine Ballotine. (SLYT) [more inside]
posted by growabrain at 4:46 PM PST - 120 comments

Radio, still playing.

The December 16, 1996 issue of Sports Illustrated featured Someone to Lean On, a longform article by Gary Smith [previously]: "We begin way over there, out on the margin. We begin with a dirty, disheveled 18-year-old boy roaring down a hill on a grocery cart, screaming like a banshee, holding a transistor radio to his ear. No one ever plays with him, for he can barely speak and never understands the rules. He can't read or write a word. He needs to be put away in some kind of institution, people keep telling his mother, because anything, anything at all, can happen out there on the margin," begins the article. It's the story of James Robert Kennedy, nicknamed Radio, popularized by Cuba Gooding Jr.'s portrayal in the 2003 movie of the same name. Want to know how Radio and Coach Harold Jones are doing these days? Check our their website for a brief update: Radio is 68 and still attending school and helping out with the athletic teams. [more inside]
posted by MoonOrb at 4:41 PM PST - 3 comments

Happy 30th Birthday Macintosh!

Apple is kicking off the Mac's 30th in typical Apple style with a lovely landing page. Slate has a copy of the video of Steve Jobs unveiling the Macintosh in 1984. Watch as the audience looses their minds over scrolling graphics and a basic voice synthesizer. iFixit has posted an appropriately retro teardown of a Mac 128k in celebration. As always, Folklore.org is your best source for first hand accounts of what it was like to actually create something cheaper and less clunky than the Lisa. All whilst hiding in the closet from Steve Jobs.
posted by BartFargo at 4:32 PM PST - 87 comments

Ubu Roulette

As noted previously, Ubuweb hosts a stellar collection of avant-garde films and videos. But how does one ever decide what to watch? Use Ubu Roulette! Use it to throw a party (as the creators suggest) or to discover something fabulous (e.g.) just by yourself.
posted by mahershalal at 3:28 PM PST - 9 comments

"We Just Can't Have You Here"

“What makes you think I will be safer away from school, away from my support system?” School was my stimulation, my passion and my reason for getting up in the morning. “Well the truth is,” he says, “we don’t necessarily think you’ll be safer at home. But we just can’t have you here.” (article contains description of cutting behavior)
posted by dsfan at 3:23 PM PST - 56 comments

An irruption of owls

Snowy owls are irrupting across the upper Midwest and down the East Coast as far as the Carolinas in what could be the largest such irruption in at least 20 years. They're here because there were a lot of lemmings in the Arctic last year, and so snowy owls made a lot of snowy owls. This year? Not so many lemmings, and so many of them have come south in search of food. [more inside]
posted by rtha at 3:16 PM PST - 50 comments

Alaa Abd El-Fattah, et al. via the EFF

Alaa Abd El-Fattah (wp, manalaa.net) is among the many Egyptian activists, organizers, and bloggers being held under the military government's law against protests. The EFF's Bloggers Under Fire section highlights bloggers detained for their online speech and provides advice for bloggers at risk.
posted by jeffburdges at 3:15 PM PST - 5 comments

“We have wish to stay in the sky, not here. Not on Earth,”

Manoj and Maninder recall their harrowing year-long escape from brutality in India. They smuggled themselves into the United States, where they encountered further abuse in a detention center in El Paso, Texas. In the aftermath of the ruling on India's sodomy law, they've been granted asylum, but they continue to fear for their lives.
posted by orangutan at 2:16 PM PST - 11 comments

Desert Island Strips

With Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns and Maus taken as given, which comics would you take to a desert Island? (part 2)
posted by MartinWisse at 2:16 PM PST - 65 comments

The northern soul and R&B sounds of Lenis Guess, straight outta Norfolk

Lenis Guess was one of the pioneers in the Norfolk recording scene. This self-taught vocalist and musician was cranking out records from his 35th Street studio in Norfolk for many artists, including his own and himself. This, producer, singer, musician, performer was at the forefront of the Norfolk sound. With songs like,I was Born to Be A Drummer,“ his funk band, The 35th Street Gang, were mainstays of the 70s in and around the Hampton Roads area. Lenis himself had hits like,I Keep Coming Back for More,” andWorking for My Baby.” [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 2:10 PM PST - 4 comments

CivClicker

Friday Timewaster: CivClicker
posted by saladin at 1:59 PM PST - 93 comments

"Owl pets dog"

Louise the baby owl loves Annie the shaggy dog! [slyt | via]
posted by quin at 1:05 PM PST - 25 comments

"It's a solar panel for a love machine!"

Notorious Baldies (by Brazilian artist Mr. Peruca)
"A series of illustrations depicting the distinct bald heads of some of pop culture's most notorious icons."
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:54 PM PST - 7 comments

Mr Churchill and Herr Beans

The only known recording of the Cambridge spy Guy Burgess, made just before he defected to Russia in 1951, has been recovered from FBI files by researchers at City University London. Speaking late at night, and clearly the worse for drink, Burgess describes his meeting with Winston Churchill in September 1938, shortly after the Munich Agreement, and recreates Churchill's side of the story with a number of amusing impressions.
posted by verstegan at 12:53 PM PST - 6 comments

The Dark Side of the Truffle Trade

Inside the high-stakes pursuit of the world's most-prized fungus. [more inside]
posted by elizardbits at 12:15 PM PST - 35 comments

Do We All Float Down Here? One Clown Says Yes

These editors decided to rewrite book titles to sound like clickbait. The results will astound you.
posted by divabat at 11:15 AM PST - 169 comments

Hundreds and hundreds of big brown eyes

Here is a song about cows by Sadie & The Hotheads, a band fronted by actress Elizabeth McGovern, who is best known as Lady Cora on Downton Abbey (previously). [more inside]
posted by mudpuppie at 9:50 AM PST - 64 comments

Native Fashion 101: Not doing it wrong, at least

How to wear Native fashions without committing cultural appropriation. Also included: a photo album of gorgeous Native designs. (via)
posted by desjardins at 9:43 AM PST - 139 comments

A wild Ball Lightning appears!

A natural occurence of the rare and mysterious weather phenomenon known as ball lightning has been captured on video by researchers in China. [more inside]
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:39 AM PST - 33 comments

Sina 2013 Centigrade Photojournalism Contest

Sina, one of the biggest websites in China, is hosting its annual photojournalism contest. The subjects range from: urban pollution, a SARS patient 10 years on, construction & destruction, the biggest fur market in China (warning: somewhat graphic), "The World" amusement park, erstwhile beggars, incense makers, more workers, and a school on the Loess.
My favorite two: hermits and mothers who pump.
posted by of strange foe at 9:38 AM PST - 2 comments

Ephemeral and Immortal

Along with its famous World Heritage Site rolls, UNESCO maintains lists of more intangible cultural treasures. In 2013 alone, they recognized the vertical calligraphy of Mongolia, the communal name pools of western Uganda, the 8000-year-old viticulture traditions of Georgia, the skeletal melodies of Vietnam, the forty-fold feast of the Holy Forty Martyrs, the making of kimchi, the use of the abacus, the annual rebinding of the Q’eswachaka bridge, the carol epics of Romania, and the shrimp-fishing horsemen of Belgium. These are only a few of the hundreds inscribed. [more inside]
posted by Iridic at 8:59 AM PST - 21 comments

Days of Thunder

"Days Of Thunder’s script wasn’t complete when shooting started, and Towne reportedly wrote and re-wrote many scenes on the day of filming, which helps explain why a script by a man widely considered one of the greatest screenwriters of all time is filled with rookie mistakes. It’s chockablock with moments where characters tell other characters things they both obviously know, solely for the benefit of an unseen audience. Also, it’s utter garbage." Nathan Rabin reexamines 1990's 13th biggest movie in The Dissolve's ongoing Forgotbusters series. List of previous Forgotbusters here.
posted by cnanderson at 8:55 AM PST - 89 comments

Tiny People's Adventures in the World of Food

Dioramas of food and tiny people, courtesy playful food photographers Akiko Ida and Pierre Javelle. Those tiny people are so industrious! More and more of the same.
posted by aka burlap at 8:47 AM PST - 13 comments

(Re)building Worlds and reverse engineering a flight sim for VR

Reverse engineering Strike Commander. Fabien Sanglard realized he wanted to play ORIGIN Systems "Strike Commander" combat flight sim using an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset (Sanglard on Oculus Rift development). But, after he learned the source code went missing during the shutdown of Origin by EA, he decided he no choice but to reverse engineer the massive—for the early 90s—game (eleven 1.44MB floppy disks!).
posted by skynxnex at 8:25 AM PST - 9 comments

Most Publish Research Findings are Probably False

"Given the desire for ambitious scientists to break from the pack with a striking new finding, Dr. Ioannidis reasoned, many hypotheses already start with a high chance of being wrong. Otherwise proving them right would not be so difficult and surprising — and supportive of a scientist’s career. Taking into account the human tendency to see what we want to see, unconscious bias is inevitable. Without any ill intent, a scientist may be nudged toward interpreting the data so it supports the hypothesis, even if just barely." [more inside]
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 8:09 AM PST - 44 comments

I caught a crook . . .

What if Bob Kane had gone ahead and created Bat-Man without Bill Finger? [more inside]
posted by Think_Long at 7:56 AM PST - 50 comments

The Silicon Valley cartel

Mark Ames on Silicon Valley's conspiracy to drive down workers' wages:
In early 2005, as demand for Silicon Valley engineers began booming, Apple’s Steve Jobs sealed a secret and illegal pact with Google’s Eric Schmidt to artificially push their workers wages lower by agreeing not to recruit each other’s employees, sharing wage scale information, and punishing violators.... The secret wage-theft agreements between Apple, Google, Intel, Adobe, Intuit, and Pixar (now owned by Disney) are described in court papers obtained by PandoDaily as “an overarching conspiracy” in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act....
[more inside]
posted by enn at 7:37 AM PST - 96 comments

What would happen if you played Paper Mario on a Paper Game Boy?

Zim and Zou are paper artists. They make delightfully colorful paper versions of things like food and technology and the whole world. [via]
posted by jacquilynne at 7:29 AM PST - 4 comments

aka: The Rise and Fall of the Nod Empire

The final confessions of a Silk Road kingpin Patrick O'Neill recently undertook an astonishingly open set of interviews with Nod, a major black-tar heroin and cocaine dealer who traded on Silk Road. By our third phone call, Steven Lloyd Sadler was a fugitive. Facing federal charges for drug trafficking and distribution, Sadler decided he'd rather skip the trial and jail sentence altogether. He was pulling away from Seattle, where he was charged, and we talked for hours. He began that particular conversation on speakerphone, attempting to circumvent the state’s law prohibiting the use of cellphones while driving, but noisy interference forced him to pick up the call. [...] "They'll be pretty pissed off at me," he said, referring to his federal public defenders.
posted by jaduncan at 7:16 AM PST - 28 comments

40 Years in the Dungeons

January 26, 2014 will mark the 40th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, and the anniversary will culminate with an event called Tyranny of Dragons. The playtest of the forthcoming D&D Next has been ongoing since 2012, and the final playtest version is available. Alternatively, the original game (complete with its supplements) is available as a boxed set. [more inside]
posted by graymouser at 6:40 AM PST - 139 comments

OverDrive library platform to drop DRM-enabled WMA files

The library platform OverDrive has announced that it will discontinue the sale of audiobooks in the WMA format, and transition solely to DRM-free MP3 files. Many local libaries use OverDrive to offer ebooks and audiobooks for download to their patrons. [Disclosure: my local library does, and I hate it.] Currently, some audiobooks are offered as DRM-enabled WMA files; the are not playable on iOS devices, so this will open up a lot of the collection to a wider user community.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:18 AM PST - 30 comments

Written In The Bones

Written in the Bones, a short, sad comic. [more inside]
posted by zamboni at 5:51 AM PST - 25 comments

How to Rock a Hospital Gown

Dr. Deborah Cohan, right before having a double mastectomy, held a dance party in the OR with her surgical team and they filmed it and posted it on Youtube. It's joyful and uplifting. Really, go watch. Here is an article with a little more about her if you're interested. I'm kind of surprised no one else has posted but I looked and couldn't find it so I apologize if it's a double post.
posted by BoscosMom at 5:27 AM PST - 21 comments

Wormhole Radio

Scratchy Grooves For almost twenty years, starting in 1984, Bill Chambless on WVUD-FM at the University of Delaware, explored the pop music of 1900 to 1940 on vintage recordings, "scratches and all." Stream the shows at this website, migrated from the original cassette tapes and maintained by his son.
posted by Miko at 5:15 AM PST - 9 comments

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