The day in posts: 04/13/2011

PDF: Indoor cultivation of Cannabis is estimated to consume 20 TWh/year, equivalent to that of 2 million average US homes. This is about 1% of national electricity consumption, and results in emission of 17 million metric tons of CO2 to contribute to global warming. [more inside]
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:10 PM PST - 89 comments

Shaun of the Dead in 30 Seconds, Scott Pilgrim Style [more inside]
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 7:14 PM PST - 40 comments

Solarized is the mother of all colour schemes. "Solarized is a sixteen color palette (eight monotones, eight accent colors) designed for use with terminal and gui applications. It has several unique properties. I designed this colorscheme with both precise CIELAB lightness relationships and a refined set of hues based on fixed color wheel relationships. It has been tested extensively in real world use on color calibrated displays (as well as uncalibrated/intentionally miscalibrated displays) and in a variety of lighting conditions."
posted by chunking express at 7:07 PM PST - 96 comments

All of the media consumed by Steven Soderbergh in one year [PDF]
posted by shakespeherian at 6:56 PM PST - 46 comments

Hugh Grant's Linda Tripp. The movie star puts his press pass in his hat band and makes the front page with an exposé of a paparazzi. [more inside]
posted by Diablevert at 6:01 PM PST - 35 comments

Shortly after the unrest in Libya started, the country was cut off from the internet, cell phone infrastructure was limited and used to send SMS messages calling on subscribers to attack foreigners, and satellite phones were jammed. In response, engineers have recently re-routed some of the national cellphone network to make a new system, Free Libya. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 4:50 PM PST - 15 comments

Australian author, John Birmingham, recently visited New York and has written an op-ed piece on the tipping culture in America. He found it strange, given tipping does not exist in Australia but he wondered if Australia should perhaps adopt it, especially if it could provide an increased level of service. However given the oft-discussed troubles with tipping and the somewhat decent base wage in Australia, one might think adopting tipping is probably not a good idea. Even some US businesses are now banning employees from taking tips, so perhaps this form of payment-for-service, described by Birmingham as "an excuse for slavery" will see its end soon.
posted by Effigy2000 at 4:26 PM PST - 293 comments

wake up, cat!
posted by puny human at 3:34 PM PST - 70 comments

A released FAA investigation describes how in October last year, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) deliberately landed his plane on a closed runway, and then caused the plane to "hop" over terrified construction workers and their vehicles. More recently, Senator Inhofe has taken to the Senate floor in praise of his friend (and friend of C Street), deposed Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo. [Previously, previously]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:28 PM PST - 82 comments

The candy cigarette has found a rightful heir. KidZania, an international chain of family entertainment centers, invites children to be the adults in a simulated city-state. It claims to teach children about work and money, but its critics say that KidZania, full of sponsored and branded activities, is an early introduction to corporate consumerism. (via)
posted by domnit at 2:00 PM PST - 47 comments

Ghostface Killah's Top 10 Softest Rappers in the game
posted by AceRock at 1:40 PM PST - 79 comments

Shit Harper Did Does exactly what it says on the can. Example: "Canadian PM Stephen Harper weakened regulations so that more pesticide residue could be left on your fruits and vegetables." "Harper decorated the government lobby in parliament with photos of just himself, instead of the traditional portraits of former Prime Ministers." And much more.
posted by Fizz at 12:54 PM PST - 96 comments

Quickish is a new site offering "real-time-ish" short-form sports news and analysis links, gathered and recommended by the site's proprietor, Dan Shanoff. Link suggestions from readers are welcome. NiemanLab interviews Shanoff. If his name sounds familiar, it's because he used to do the Daily Quickie on ESPN.com.
posted by beagle at 12:31 PM PST - 4 comments

802 Prisoners attempted escape from Auschwitz. 144 were successful. Kazimierz Piechowski, a Polish boy scout, was one of them. Today, at age 91, he tells his story. [more inside]
posted by zarq at 12:21 PM PST - 30 comments

Spring (aka scurvy season) is a great time to learn more about a wonderful weed! The dandelion, considered by many to be a scourge, a lawn-wrecker and a pest but others see it as an ingredient in many tasty recipes and as medicine.
posted by vespabelle at 11:53 AM PST - 44 comments

Open Letter TO JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. The Democrat from Springfield responds to the Chase CEO's letter to shareholders.
posted by boo_radley at 11:42 AM PST - 39 comments

"Sailors and cats have a special relationship that dates back thousands of years." The U.S. Naval Institute posts pictures of sailors and their cats, with photos from the 1880:s through the 1950:s.
posted by gemmy at 10:48 AM PST - 55 comments

One hundred years ago Don Leslie was born. Leslie invented the Leslie speaker that made the Hammond organ famous. Listen to Svoogaloo by Sven Hammond Soul and the Organ grinder's swing by Jimmy Smith and my favorite Billy's Bag by Billy Preston. [more inside]
posted by Waslijn at 10:01 AM PST - 33 comments

The Yes Men pull one over on the AP, by convincing them that GE was going to donate their 3.2 billion dollar tax credit in response to public anger over the fact that they pay no taxes.
posted by Jon_Evil at 9:48 AM PST - 66 comments

Oregon lawmakers Rickroll the legislature
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 9:41 AM PST - 24 comments

New electrical conductivity measurements show the subterranean extent of the Yellowstone supervolcano to be a lot larger than previously known.
posted by jjray at 9:32 AM PST - 40 comments

Two weeks ago, the "Stupid Man Commercials. Why?" post on MeFi front page drew a heap of interest. Today, courtesy of the Leo Burnett ad agency, and on behalf of their client, Manwich, we present "Girly Men." Six days after the start of the campaign, the ads have been pulled. (Unlike Amalgamated's campaign for Mike's Hard Lemonade, who mocked girly-man-Joey-the-intern for a whole year back in 2008.) Should we be surprised that the Manwich campaign would come from an ad shop whose tagline reads: "Big ideas come out of Big Pencils"?
posted by wensink at 9:07 AM PST - 141 comments

Law enforcement authorities are in awe of the new wave of narco "supersubs" that are being found in the jungles of Colombia. [more inside]
posted by reenum at 9:07 AM PST - 60 comments

Like something out of Neal Stephenson's Anathem: Sorting Algorithms as Folk Dances
posted by odinsdream at 8:27 AM PST - 22 comments

Whiskerino is no more, Goatee Groundhog Day has come and gone and Moustache May is still a few weeks off. Whose fecund, feral, facial hair can sustain us in the meantime? None other than Brian Wilson, closing pitcher of the San Francisco Giants, and his virtual beard. Touch it!
posted by mostlymuppet at 7:04 AM PST - 24 comments

The urge is mightier than the pen for Vaclav Klaus. Of course, it goes viral, even though Chilean officials say it was a gift.
posted by chavenet at 6:45 AM PST - 25 comments

Fruit of the poisonous tree is a legal term used to describe illegally gained evidence. The logic of the terminology is that if the source of the evidence is tainted, then anything gained from it is as well.

For the uninitiated, such terms used as described make for odd introductions to supreme court arguments (PDF warning) [more inside]
posted by AndrewKemendo at 5:16 AM PST - 26 comments

Just over a year ago New Zealand's parliament debated, passed and then scrapped a law which would in effect withdraw internet access from those accused of illegal filesharing. Today, the New Zealand government is using "urgency" (ostensibly called in order to pass Christchurch earthquake emergency legislation) to pass a new version of that controversial law.
posted by chairish at 4:09 AM PST - 70 comments