April 24, 2009

HD-DVD to Blu-Ray

Did you guess wrong about which format would win the high-density disk war? Buy a lot of HD-DVDs? Warner Brothers has a special program now where they'll swap your WB HD-DVDs for Blu-Rays of the same titles for $5 each. [more inside]
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:47 PM PST - 50 comments

Twang!

Like crossbows? Like assault rifles? Got some spare AR-15 parts lying around begging to be crossbowed up? Then the PSE TAC 15 crossbow upper is for you! (video). Or how about this Swiss crossbow that can be cocked in 3 seconds? Alternatively build your own, or even build a repeating crossbow!
posted by Artw at 10:39 PM PST - 41 comments

Citizen Quazar and the Oath Keepers

Everybody knows about the Tax Day Tea Parties held earlier this month. Now, thanks in part to the FBI's arrest of a man calling himself Citizen Quazar, we have news of related events called Oath Keeper Rallies. Who are the Oath Keepers and what is their Oath? Will their next rally & oath taking (June 13 in Washington DC as part of the Gathering of Eagles Victory in Iraq ceremony) get any coverage from Fox? (via)
posted by scalefree at 10:26 PM PST - 72 comments

Open Source Disclosure: Improving Congressional Transparency

The Sunlight Foundation's open source development team, Sunlight Labs, have announced the winners of the first annual Apps for America contest. Over 40 entries were judged, with Filibusted (Hold senators accountable for blocking legislation) getting top marks. Legistalker (The latest online activity of Congress Members) got second, and there was a 4-way tie for 3rd. [via mefi projects] [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 10:17 PM PST - 17 comments

bio-bak

bio-bak is a little Monty Python, a little Hunter S. Thompson, and a whole lotta Katamari Damacy rolled up into an absurd little flash world. Updated from the version released in 2006.
posted by anthropoid at 9:53 PM PST - 14 comments

Walk softly but carry a big stick until you find something better.

A little late for Flash Fun Friday but it's the thought that counts right? . Like Zelda... but with large squid monsters.
posted by Mastercheddaar at 9:08 PM PST - 10 comments

KISS Burger

KISS Burger. Our Meat... Your Mouth.(via)
posted by Joe Beese at 8:57 PM PST - 29 comments

The five states of Texas

Following the recent uproar over Texas and the possibility of its secession (previously), Fivethirtyeight.com puts forward a theoretical division of Texas into five states: Plainland, Trinity, Gulfland, New Texas, and El Norte.
posted by aerotive at 8:00 PM PST - 52 comments

Twenty Times a Day

...the Department of Transportation will not keep secret the data we collect on birds striking airplanes. - Ray LaHood, United States Secretary of Transportation
From the dreaded mourning dove to the nefarious Canada goose to the humble armadillo, the FAA's recently released National Wildlife Strike Database ON-LINE contains information on aircraft/wildlife strikes from over 100,000 reported incidents between 1990 and 2008. [more inside]
posted by shoesfullofdust at 7:57 PM PST - 11 comments

Beware the Red Menace!

Rasmussen Reports published a poll recently which showed that 20% of respondants believe socialism is better than capitalism. Among those under 30, the percentage goes up to 33%. And apparently, some Republicans believe that percentage is actually much higher, as the Republican National Committee has called upon RNC chairman Mike Steele to start calling Democrats "Democrat Socialists". Steele, for his part, told Fox News, "We don't see this president so much as a socialist as we see him as a collectivist".
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 5:34 PM PST - 105 comments

Mirror to Mirror in the Mirror

Tarkovsky's Mirror Set to Arvo Pärt's Mirror in the Mirror. [previously] [more inside]
posted by MaryDellamorte at 5:02 PM PST - 32 comments

Scrabble: The Beautiful Word

Scrabble put these out for their 60th anniversary. [more inside]
posted by gman at 4:28 PM PST - 32 comments

Viva La Vida - A Copy of a Copy?

Did "Auto-Tune the News" guy accidentally write Coldplay's Viva La Vida? Michael Gregory, aka Auto-Tune the News guy (previously) talks about how his shower singing was turned into something eerily similar to Viva La Vida. [more inside]
posted by spaceboy86 at 2:28 PM PST - 46 comments

I Can Has Notecards?

Artist and musician Gen Obata photographs unique places around the US, inserts his cat Lilly into them, and sells them as greeting cards. Lilly can be spotted doing everything from zooming on a trolley car in San Francisco to attacking the St. Louis Arch.
posted by wundermint at 1:09 PM PST - 20 comments

Silence!

And when it's done there's one more thing
A simple little task, it's:
Put the fucking lotion in the basket!
A lego-animated number from "Silence! The Musical". Music and Lyrics by Jon and Al Kaplan.
posted by dersins at 11:45 AM PST - 26 comments

The Wrath of Grapes

Planning on partying hard this weekend? Here are some yummy (non-scientific) ways to treat your hangover. Canada, England, and the US tend towards piles of greasy foods. Try poutine, fish and chips, or a greasy hamburger. For a Mexican hangover experience, look for menudo (previously) or chilaquiles. Peru lauds ceviche as a cure, while Ecuador turns to encebollado and churrasco. Bulgaria uses sauerkraut brine, Turkey has turnip juice, Korea looks for haejangguk, and Scotland has a soft drink called Irn-Bru. [more inside]
posted by specialagentwebb at 11:30 AM PST - 63 comments

Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggglllllllllle

This is what cheerleaders and jello look like at 1000 frames per second. (For comparison, standard film is shot at 24 fps, and animation at 30 fps.)
posted by ocherdraco at 11:11 AM PST - 122 comments

Gathering intelligence vs. Manufacturing intelligence: the uses of torture

Col. Steven Kleinman, interrogation specialist, was interviewed yesterday on NPR about the use of torture in Iraq: NPR: And these harsh interrogation methods had been used by the Soviets and the Chinese to get people to say things that weren't true? Kleinman:That's true. And it's not just harsh physically, but I think the element that was more persuasive was their ability to induce what is known as debility, depression and dread through emotional and psychological techniques that profoundly altered somebody's ability to answer questions truthfully even if they wanted to. It truly undermined their ability to recall, so therefore it would call into question its efficacy in an intelligence-based interrogation. [link] . [more inside]
posted by mecran01 at 10:55 AM PST - 121 comments

They're still ready to believe you

The year is 1991. When a Gozer exhibit loaded with artifacts provided by the Shandors opens at the history museum in New York, it's not long before paranormal forces escape and sweep through the city. When the supernatural strikes back, who ya gonna call? Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson reunite for the upcoming Ghostbusters: The Video Game. The opening cinematic that kicks off the story has been released at GameTrailers, while the development teams working on the game discuss the project's origin and direction in a series of blog articles at IGN. [more inside]
posted by Servo5678 at 9:18 AM PST - 65 comments

We Are the Image Makers

WATIM [We Are the Image Makers] is an online publication that promotes Australian artists, illustrators, designers and photographers. Issue 19 is out this month. There have been more than 150 artist contributors in their four years online. [some art nsfw]
posted by netbros at 9:00 AM PST - 3 comments

Hi-yo, Silver

the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains.... This will take you back. SLYT And also your introduction to youtube's version of HULU. [more inside]
posted by HuronBob at 6:48 AM PST - 39 comments

Toxic Sonic Zombie Massacre -- The Game!

The world is ending in a zombie apocalypse, and even Paris is unscathed. Battle your way around classic Parisian neighborhoods, monuments, and bars as Toxic Sonic, a real-life french rock/punk band. Happy flash friday!
posted by taumeson at 6:45 AM PST - 20 comments

Recording the Dukes of the Stratosphear's 25 o'clock

Andy Partridge (ex-XTC frontman) and producer John Leckie (Stone Roses/Radiohead) discuss the making of The Dukes of the Stratosphear 25 o'clock EP, getting sacked by Mary Margaret O'Hara, Roy Harper kissing a sheep and recording Syd Barrett in Abbey Road in 1975 (parts I and II). [more inside]
posted by johnny novak at 5:56 AM PST - 24 comments

The Altmann DIY Turntable

The Altmann Do-It-Yourself Turntable:

"After the success I had with my homebrew tonearm, I decided to build a turntable that is able to fathom the sonic delicacies that the tonearm is able to produce ... Depending on your local price for wood, and your ability to find some surplus parts, total cost can be as low as $50."
posted by jim in austin at 5:20 AM PST - 28 comments

David Attenborough's The Life of Birds (and other shows)

The entirety of David Attenborough's wonderful nature series The Life of Birds is available on the new YouTube TV Shows section, which is its Hulu-clone. The old PBS Life of Birds website is also worth a visit.
posted by Kattullus at 4:43 AM PST - 33 comments

It's friday night

Who's going out in Cardiff tonight? Most everyone knows all about Hogarth and his work on Gin lane and women under the influence of good old British beer (leading to the passing of the Gin Act). Well, it would seem that nothing much changes, at least in Cardiff (unless, of course, the medical adviser gets his way).
posted by ciderwoman at 4:17 AM PST - 30 comments

George Lucas ruined my life

"Hi, I'm Mrs Han Solo and I'm an alcoholic" - Carrie Fisher roasts George Lucas (SLYT) (Previously)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:31 AM PST - 53 comments

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