May 30, 2012

An Introduction to Cryptography

Journey into Cryptography is a multipart video introduction to the subject for beginners, created by Brit Cruise and hosted by Khan Academy. There are several interactive tools to help explain some key concepts. Also, a recent lecture entitled "Principles of Security" was given by noted Javascript curmudgeon Douglas Crockford, focusing on security and the web, with a detour into Volapük.
posted by gwint at 9:40 PM PST - 11 comments

The Great Taliban Jailbreak

"It took years to lock them up. Hundreds of enemy fighters captured during some of the fiercest combat of the war. But then, one night last spring, as American troops surged into Taliban territory, all of those prisoners, all of that progress, disappeared. Prof. Luke Mogelson ventures down the rabbit hole to find them."
posted by vidur at 9:26 PM PST - 33 comments

Ween: 1984-2012

In a Rolling Stone article published yesterday, Aaron Freeman, co-founder of the cult rock band Ween, declared he was "retiring Gene Ween. ... For me, it's a closed book." Today, Freeman posted on his Facebook page: "I've decided to end my musical relationship with Ween." [more inside]
posted by kjh at 9:07 PM PST - 59 comments

Not allowed to have a small heart

Tourette does not shorten life, limit mobility, or impair cognitive or emotional function ... While the genesis of TS is neurological, its most important symptom is semantic, the ongoing need to attach meaning to what are quite literally empty gestures.
Greg Downey talks about Tourette's Syndrome and Robert Lemelson’s documentary The Bird Dancer. [more inside]
posted by nangar at 8:29 PM PST - 4 comments

Living on Minimum Wage

How many hours per week does a person have to work in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment at minimum wage? Following a report (PDF) by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a rather striking infographic has been making the rounds (NYT) on the web. The bottom line: nowhere in the USA is it possible to afford a two-bedroom apartment on forty hours per week of minimum wage work.
posted by Scientist at 7:25 PM PST - 192 comments

Julian Cope's "Album of the Month"

Julian Cope's "Album of the Month" series brims with personal, passionate, and often mind-expanding writing about records like James Brown's The Payback, Nico's The Marble Index, and a bunch of stuff you've never heard of. (previously) [more inside]
posted by Trurl at 6:24 PM PST - 25 comments

This perpetual motion machine she made today is a joke! It just keeps going faster and faster!

As they become more readily available to consumers, LEDs will undoubtedly replace CFLs as the primary light source for residential and commercial, inside and out, due to their dramatic efficiency gains. In an unexpected turn of events, however, MIT researchers have developed an LED with 230 percent efficiency. Previously [more inside]
posted by CynicalKnight at 6:00 PM PST - 70 comments

Re: Docket No. FDA-2010-P-0149

FDA Rules Corn Syrup Can't Change Its Name To Corn Sugar [more inside]
posted by TangerineGurl at 5:21 PM PST - 100 comments

what the hell is being a lawyer for?

Lawrence Lessig, erstwhile Free Culture advocate now given to fighting corruption on a larger scale, delivers a commencement address. "There is no one in the criminal justice system who believes that system works well. There is no one in housing law who believes this is what law was meant to be. In contracts, you read about disputes involving tens, maybe a hundred dollars. The disputes of ordinary people. These disputes are not for the courts any more. Or if they are, they are for courts that are an embarrassment to the ideals of justice from our tradition. The law of real people doesn’t work, even if the law of corporations does."
posted by the mad poster! at 4:48 PM PST - 24 comments

Snow White's Scary Adventures - A Retrospective

Snow White's Scary Adventures - A Retrospective [via mefi projects] The author can't post it here for obvious reasons, but I can. I think. Now to wipe these tears from my eyes...
Tomorrow, May 31st, will be the last day of operation for the ride Snow White's Scary Adventures at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. The ride has played a significant role in my family's life for the past decade (my son is autistic, and has ridden the ride more than 3,400 times), and I wrote a retrospective about the history of the ride. This is a subject that is too close for me to post on the Blue, but Matthowie and Jessamyn both suggested that I post about it here. The linked blog post itself contains links to a four part series about my son, and also a link in the footnotes to the single best reference site on the web for the ride in all its permutations. I know it's just a silly old fairy tale dark ride, and not on many people's "must-see" list when they come to Disney World, but I hope my article can help at least a few people understand why it really is an important piece of history.
posted by COD at 4:37 PM PST - 32 comments

Juxtaposition - Two New Short Films

Gymnast: In Motion — The elegant movements and athletic prowess of five twirling trampolinists are captured in photographer Steve Harries’ new short film. Performing up to 7.5 meters in the air—shot from a tall camera tower beneath a rig suspending the set, mirrors and lights from the ceiling—bodies were broken up into fragmented forms and motions by a bank of six mirrors. Contrast that with No Church in the Wild, the Jay Z & Kanye West collaboration filmed by Romain Gavras. A message of hope to anyone who feels society needs to change direction, or a furious extended urban battle scene?
posted by netbros at 3:40 PM PST - 9 comments

Kicking off UEFA Euro 2012

With just over one week to the UEFA Euro 2012 kickoff, a BBC Panorama special Stadiums of Hate uncovers widespread, systemic racism and far-right violence amongst sects of Polish and Ukranian Football fans.
posted by whyareyouatriangle at 3:31 PM PST - 44 comments

Chagas Disease: Poverty, Immigration, and the ‘New HIV/AIDS’

What if a deadly epidemic was burgeoning and almost nobody noticed? In the latest issue of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, a distinguished group of virologists, epidemiologists and infectious-disease specialists say that’s not a hypothetical question. They argue that Chagas disease, a parasitic infection transmitted by blood-sucking insects, has become so widespread and serious — while remaining largely unrecognized — that it deserves to be considered a public health emergency. [more inside]
posted by Blasdelb at 3:26 PM PST - 31 comments

Linear Programming Will Save Us From the Invisible Hand

As part of Crooked Timber's Seminar on Francis Spufford's work of speculative fiction "Red Plenty." Cosma Shalizi has posted "7800 words about optimal planning for a socialist economy and its intersection with computational complexity theory."
posted by JPD at 2:24 PM PST - 24 comments

#uhoh

Sometimes politicians say something stupid on Twitter, and then delete the tweet. Politwoops re-publishes those tweets.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:00 PM PST - 38 comments

Cage does Cage

Nicolas Cage performs John Cage's 4'33"
posted by elgilito at 12:52 PM PST - 64 comments

In a world where gummy is the law, one bison said no....

The story of a wrestling bison in a world of crazed gummy bears was a story destined for a sequel. Burrito Bison Revenge has arrived.
posted by mikoroshi at 12:50 PM PST - 10 comments

How Markets Crowd Out Morals: A Forum On The Corrupting Effects Of Markets

How Markets Crowd Out Morals: A Forum On The Corrupting Effects Of Markets [more inside]
posted by jhandey at 12:16 PM PST - 31 comments

What happens when your "comprehensive" map... isn't?

Yesterday, Pop Chart Lab announced a new print, meant to be "the most comprehensive mapping of the breweries of the USA ever compiled." However, this epic infographic featured many notable omissions. In response to tweets, emails, and comments, the company stopped the presses and worked overnight to make corrections.
posted by kyleg at 12:12 PM PST - 41 comments

These Colors Don't Run

Beach-faring designers take note: Fashion Factory has created a line of official Pantone swimwear for men.
posted by hermitosis at 11:26 AM PST - 35 comments

Formula 1/2

After a two year process, the Sauber F1 Team have successfully sliced one of their cars in half. The result allows for a detailed look inside the technical workings of a modern F1 car.
posted by kfkcam at 10:34 AM PST - 56 comments

I Am Science

I Am Science: Unconventional Paths to Life in Science (5-min Vimeo), via Brain Pickings. [more inside]
posted by philipy at 9:45 AM PST - 6 comments

“Sometimes I wonder if it’s something that I’m doing: did I do something wrong?”

Venus Williams, learning to live with a chronic illness. [NYTimes.com] "Singing replaced swinging; karaoke became her way to cope. Williams said this Monday, in a quiet moment at the French Open, inside a windowless room beneath the courts. Since doctors told her she had Sjögren’s syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disease, last year at the United States Open, everything has changed. Williams says she wakes up each morning unsure of how she will feel."
posted by Fizz at 9:06 AM PST - 31 comments

Hilarity Abounds

Comedy Bang! Bang! (posted about previously as Comedy Deathray the Podcast) has come to IFC as a TV show (watch full episode with Amy Poehler here). You'll never look at Jon Hamm the same way again. [more inside]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:25 AM PST - 51 comments

Eric Wynalda’s carefully crafted “eff you” to American soccer

Eric Wynalda, US Soccer Hall of Fame striker, and Fox Soccer Commentator, has been an outspoken opponent of many of the current practices of Major League Soccer (MLS) - all the while coveting an MLS coaching position. He has been described as one of the most polarizing figures in US soccer and and a " frickin twitter train wreck” by the owner of the Portland Timbers. Tonight the train wreck pays a visit to Portland. [more inside]
posted by incandissonance at 7:43 AM PST - 44 comments

Shapes of CSS

A large selection geometric shapes, all created with just one HTML element & CSS. An interesting take on geometry. Includes Space Invader. [more inside]
posted by Deathalicious at 7:28 AM PST - 31 comments

Measuring the Universe

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich has put together the fantastic short video Measuring the Universe which briefly describes the different techniques used to allow us to calculate the vast distances to stellar objects in space. [via]
posted by quin at 7:05 AM PST - 11 comments

“Outrageous facts,” “evil villains” and “sympathetic clients.”

Louisiana monks go to court to sell their caskets. “The number one thing you should do as a public interest litigator is to get monks as your clients in every single case.”
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 4:48 AM PST - 91 comments

"IT WAS ALL DREAM," thought Cobb as he woke up in the shower.

"The question of whether or not Cobb's top falls doesn't really matter." Kyle Johnson, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, gives a detailed, multi-layered analysis of Inception as part of Authors@Google talks. Very insightful and interesting, even if you think he's dead wrong.
posted by litleozy at 2:38 AM PST - 85 comments

A great reckoning in a small room

On the 30th May, 1593, playwright Christopher Marlowe was stabbed in a Deptford tavern. Except, it wasn't a tavern, and all present were known liars. His writing style was very similar to that of early William Shakespeare, whose name first appeared in print very shortly afterwards. [more inside]
posted by iotic at 2:24 AM PST - 217 comments

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