April 16, 2008

Glenn Gould's chair

Monsieur, you vill not speak disrespectfully of a member of ze family! It is a boon travelling companion, without which I do not function, I cannot operate. It has been with me for 21 years, zis thing, this chair!
Glenn Gould performed for 21 years seated in a folding card chair modified by his father to be height adjustable. That one chair accompanied him around the world in support of each of his recordings and performances, and now resides on a pedestal at the National Library of Canada. Luckily, exact replicas of the skeletal, cushion-less chair are available for only €990. [more inside]
posted by carsonb at 10:00 PM PST - 20 comments

Try to see it your way

With the eyes of the other. A Flash exhibit by Clarissa Borges, one of many photographers at zonezero (Previously 1 2 3 4 5).
posted by owhydididoit at 9:32 PM PST - 7 comments

1921 steam-powered yacht

The 257-foot Delphine was a 1921 steam-powered yacht designed by and for the Dodge brothers (of Dodge Motors). Today, "of all the large American-built steam yachts built between 1893 and 1930, the Delphine is the only one left in her original condition with her original steam engines still in service." Forbes has a fascinating history and cool pictures of the fully restored 1921 lush decor. But probably forget about chartering it (unless you have 40-60k euros a day).
posted by stbalbach at 8:05 PM PST - 7 comments

DJ Cringe on the Turntables

Haven't got your fill of awkward rap? Well there's Bill Cosby's upcoming rap CD and a new dance joint about a beat down. Or you can reminisce and revel in 13 awkward rap commercials of old. Not enough? Okay fine, how about a freestyle battle. [more inside]
posted by cashman at 7:27 PM PST - 37 comments

You're Not My Father

You're Not My Father [more inside]
posted by defenestration at 5:55 PM PST - 55 comments

Road Erections

Street Boners is Gavin Mcinnes', (co-founder and author of Vice magazine's DOs and DON'Ts) current project after splitting with Vice.
posted by Count at 5:48 PM PST - 31 comments

They Moved the Whole Town

The town of Valdez, Alaska is located in south central Alaska on the northeast tip of Prince William Sound. Incorporated since 1901, the community’s first century has been marked by a number of significant events the most notable of which are the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, being chosen as the terminus of the trans-Alaska Pipeline and the tragic 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. [more inside]
posted by netbros at 5:47 PM PST - 4 comments

tribals vs conservation

Eviction Slip :"In the spring of 2003 about 8,000 tribal people and low-caste farmers living in the Kuno area of Madhya Pradesh, India, were summarily uprooted from the rich farmlands they had cultivated for generations and moved to 24 villages on scrub land outside the borders of a sanctuary created for a pride of six imported Asiatic lions."[via]
posted by dhruva at 5:46 PM PST - 4 comments

mmmm. salmonberries!

Goat Mountain appeared on my radar screen last September.
posted by quonsar at 4:38 PM PST - 29 comments

wow - no more hanging out on craggy alpine pinnacles for me!

Dramatic footage of golden eagles hunting mountain goats. (alerts: rather gruesome; voiceover in Spanish)
posted by madamjujujive at 4:29 PM PST - 46 comments

Sax Rohmer #1

The Mountain Goats' newest video is a dizzying, typographical romp. (SLYT)
posted by auralcoral at 3:36 PM PST - 34 comments

World Where's Waldo

NPR article on World Where's Waldo Link to the website A Canadian woman made a giant waldo and put it on top of her house and is waiting for the google earth satellites to pick him up.
posted by majikstreet at 3:30 PM PST - 14 comments

An Inconvenient Audit

The Pentagon's $1 Trillion Problem. Even as the Defense Department prepares to send Congress its $481.4B FY2008 budget request, it also prepares to admit -- for the 18th year in a row -- that its finances are in such poor shape that it is effectively impossible to audit or account for over a trillion dollars in past expenses. [more inside]
posted by Kadin2048 at 2:49 PM PST - 38 comments

Perhaps the end of the hype cycle?

"Bitter" harvest The week started off in classic campaign form: a report of remarks made by Obama percolated through the media and came to dominate the news cycle. In typically circular fashion, the exhaustive coverage came to provide its own justification, as journalists covered the controversy that they had largely created... [more inside]
posted by psmealey at 2:39 PM PST - 283 comments

Coming of Age on Antidepressants

Who Are We? Coming of Age on Antidepressants. [Via Mind Hacks.] [more inside]
posted by homunculus at 2:15 PM PST - 49 comments

WARNING: This page may be altered in transit!

ArsTechnica is reporting on the practice of altering and editing web-traffic enroute from the server to your client/browser. Is your ISP, work or connection path altering your requested documents? Find out here.
posted by loquacious at 1:44 PM PST - 18 comments

Anyone know any lawyer jokes?

Where's Lionel Hutz, Attorney at Law, when you need him? Circumcision is sexual abuse. CIA is Brainwashing. Don't wait, choose your class action today!
posted by yoyoceramic at 1:41 PM PST - 33 comments

Chinese Papercuts

Chinese papercuts are an art form with a long history. Traditional subjects are popular, but more contemporary ones are also available. Who makes them? This man, and all the people listed on this page, and many more. If you find some you like, you may be surprised at the price.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 11:27 AM PST - 21 comments

Take it to YouTube

Divorce can make people do things they might regret. (SLYT)
posted by msalt at 11:20 AM PST - 100 comments

Family Tales

FamilyTales started out as an online archive of letters from a few families but has since expanded to contain letters from many historic figures. [more inside]
posted by ozomatli at 11:03 AM PST - 2 comments

When? Ella, When?

Finally available on CD is the Original Cast Recording of Sondheim's Evening Primrose. Although other recordings of the score have been made available, this is the first time that the original cast will be heard on a publically released recording. [more inside]
posted by bookwo3107 at 11:02 AM PST - 7 comments

Heil Hatler

It's the hat. The German ad agency serviceplan uses the iconic image of Der Führer to create an ad for selling hats. Thomas Weber of the Bonn hat retailer, Hut-weber, was "a bit reluctant at first, but won over fast by the rather cunning idea and the craftiness carrying the simple, straightforward message that 'hats make people'."
posted by three blind mice at 10:50 AM PST - 61 comments

Art Good Enough To Eat

Smartie Art by Prudence Emma Straite; who previously has made works of Dali (and whole rooms) from chocolate and the Pope (and the Coliseum) from pizza. (Radio 4 doc - real audio) (PS. The blue Smartie is back)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:12 AM PST - 12 comments

Literature Isn't Dead, It Just Smells Funny

Those big, wonderful book blogs like Paper Cuts, Guardian Books, and Poetry Foundation haven't totally satisfied your book blog bloodlust? [more inside]
posted by NolanRyanHatesMatches at 8:12 AM PST - 14 comments

Socks are not just for feet

Sock Puppet Portraits by Marty Allen. Past works include Sock Puppet Presidents, and the Super Speculex Bros. The puppets are featured in a sock puppet rock band called Uncle Monsterface.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:20 AM PST - 19 comments

77th Earl of Groan

Gormenghast, that is, the main massing of the original stone, taken by itself would have displayed a certain ponderous architectural quality were it possible to have ignored the circumfusion of those mean dwellings that swarmed like an epidemic around its outer walls. [more inside]
posted by steerpike at 5:19 AM PST - 57 comments

And They Would've Gotten Away With It If Not For That Meddling German Kid

Enough bad news, enough gloom and doom. You remember that Asteroid 99942 Apophis that we were afraid might hit Earth in 2029? Ain't gonna happen. But it will get close enough for Earth's gravity to alter its orbit and there's a chance it could hit the next time around in 2036. But only a tiny chance: "less than 1 in 45,000 using standard dynamical models". according to NASA. Oh wait... NASA just got skooled by a 13-year-old German Astronomy Geek who says the chances are more like 1 in 450. Still a tiny chance, and the official numbers were only off by a factor of 100. Oh yeah, we're doomed.
posted by wendell at 12:55 AM PST - 60 comments

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