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Nearly losing sanity in a 28-hour Marvel Marathon.
posted by mysticreferee at 9:04 PM PST - 68 comments

"My father felt that the U.S.S.R. treated him better than America. He was happy here."
posted by the hot hot side of randy at 7:19 PM PST - 24 comments

Health insurance companies are illegally charging for birth control, according to studies conducted by the National Women's Law Center. [more inside]
posted by ourt at 4:53 PM PST - 53 comments

Every April for the past several years, Fantasy Cafe has published a series of guest posts for Women in Science Fiction & Fantasy Month. This year, the article that generated the most discussion was "'I am ... ?': Representation of Mature Women in Fantasy" by Mieneke from A Fantastical Librarian, who asked, "So where are the older women in fantasy? Mature women who are the hero of their own story?" The many other guest posts this year offered an interesting range of questions, observations, and reflections--often by well-known names in the field. [more inside]
posted by Monsieur Caution at 4:24 PM PST - 22 comments

Pick-up Line Do's & Don'ts! Order Food At A Restaurant! What In The World?! NYC & LA! [more inside]
posted by the man of twists and turns at 3:03 PM PST - 24 comments

“Parts & Recreation” by Jeff Greenwald

“What makes people devote hours to the frustrating task of gluing together pieces so small you have to pick them up with tweezers? And does this obsessive hobby even matter anymore? To find out, a devotee of the art dives into Revell’s world of plastic models.”

posted by ob1quixote at 2:50 PM PST - 46 comments

After a years-long court battle with major record labels, Grooveshark, one of the earliest online music streaming services, announced its abrupt shut down with a brief statement on the site's homepage. The fast rise and inevitable fall of Grooveshark.
posted by scribbler at 2:48 PM PST - 45 comments

Alexander Aksinin Was a Ukranian graphic artist who died in a plane crash in 1985 aged 36.
He also worked in Colour
(Via the wonderful time sink butdoesitfloat)
posted by adamvasco at 12:53 PM PST - 5 comments

"In four short weeks, the sure-thing election about nothing has turned into an election about everything; a historic campaign that could spell the end of the 44-year Progressive Conservative political dynasty, or see them snatch another stunning victory from the jaws of defeat." Alberta goes to the polls May 5 in their 29th general election. It has turned out to be a far more interesting campaign than many thought at the outset. [more inside]
posted by nubs at 12:36 PM PST - 221 comments

UBC research shows that chemotherapy can lead to excessive mind wandering and an inability to concentrate. Dubbed ‘chemo-brain,’ the negative cognitive effects of the cancer treatment have long been suspected, but the UBC study is the first to explain why patients have difficulty paying attention. Previously on AskMe [more inside]
posted by nevercalm at 12:22 PM PST - 13 comments

The Onion Is Not a Joke [The Atlantic] How a fake newspaper is turning into a real media empire.
posted by Fizz at 12:08 PM PST - 16 comments

Brian Carpenter is a master of dark Americana. Hailing from Boston, his style is fluid, mostly referencing early 20th Century American jazz and other folk/roots music. His first band that caught attention, Beat Circus worked in a self-described "American Gothic" style, releasing three albums with three different themes. But this is not his sole musical endeavor. [more inside]
posted by aloiv2 at 11:04 AM PST - 3 comments

I Was An Administrator At A Fading DC Brothel
posted by The Whelk at 9:50 AM PST - 35 comments

On April 29 the World Health organization declared North and South America to be free of rubella after the last reported endemic case in Argentina in 2009. The New York Times discusses the history of rubella eradication in the Americas and the case of Gene Tierney, an actress who caught the disease while performing a show in 1943.
posted by lharmon at 8:56 AM PST - 15 comments

Life as a suicide hotline responder. Imgur gallery. Surprisingly, read the comments. [more inside]
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 7:13 AM PST - 24 comments

... and linked an innocent man to a 20-year-old murder case. Analysis by the EFF of the case of Michael Usry, a New Orleans filmmaker whose father's DNA profile in a non-profit DNA database, which he had been assured would remain private, dragged him into a grisly unsolved murder case. [more inside]
posted by daisyk at 1:49 AM PST - 40 comments

Shit People say to Women [film] Directors. Tumblr - Exactly as described. The first part of their About page states: SHIT PEOPLE SAY TO WOMEN DIRECTORS is an anonymous open blog for any female-identifying individual to submit personal accounts of absurd, offensive, threatening, or downright fucked-up “shit” people have said to you while working in the film business. [more inside]
posted by Faintdreams at 12:34 AM PST - 28 comments