July 6, 2012
when lolcatz aren't enough...
meowbify the net: this little app makes the web have more cats. Because there was a need.
30 mm cannons, anti-tank guided missiles, air-to-air missiles and unguided rockets
"The Canadian arm of the aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney closed a six-year U.S. government probe last week by admitting that it helped China produce its first modern attack helicopter ... The prosecution marked 'one of the largest resolutions of export violations with a major defense contractor in the Justice Department's history...'"
Death of a fat email client
The Mozilla Foundation has announced that they're throwing in the towel on their popular email client Thunderbird, citing a dearth of active contributors and the growing popularity of web-based email. Mozilla remains committed to releasing Thunderbird ESR 17 on 20 Nov 2012 which will be supported with stability and security fixes until 3 Dec 2013. They've also announced a plan to provide infrastructure and support for Thunderbird to live on as a community-driven project.
The spin doctor is in
Spin Cycles is a radio series by CBC producer Ira Basen about how those in power can manipulate facts in order to make their case for the rest of us. [more inside]
The law school scam as a cognitive bias
Discover Magazine posted a couple of blog entries about the law school scam as a cognitive bias and why law school tuition isn't more dispersed.
Where the hell is O' Death?
Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart (Side 1): Eye of Fatima I&II She Divines Water Devil Song One of These Days Turquois Jewelry [more inside]
FOR SALE
For sale: one online community, vintage. The Well, one of the oldest online communities, is up for sale again, according to a filing by it's current owner, the much beleagured Salon. A retrospective of the site from a user also says that some users are currently in discussion to buy it back. [more inside]
The Next Microsoft
Conspiracy to Commit 'Conspiracy' Conspiracy.
'You Have a Smart Face': the $120 Million Wire Transfer, the Octopus, the Silencer, and the Corpse in the Alley. An infamous fake trader fakes his own death, gets caught, is released, gets desperate, and is offered entrance into an apparent world of secret government, secret agents, and secret accounts.
Previously.
Previously.
'Lucky for you, I read this thing so you don’t have to.'
'What Exactly Is '50 Shades of Grey (And What Can You Expect From The Movie?)': Fan-fiction is the written word equivalent of taking two naked dolls and mashing them together to make what you think sex looks like when you’re 10 years old. And it’s written at that level. [more inside]
Flesh Tones
PANTONE® Guides are a system of classification of colors represented by an alphanumeric code, allowing accurate recreation in any medium. Humanae is a project from Spanish artist Angelica Dass that applies the alphanumerical classification of the PANTONE® coloring system to human skin tone, communicated through a photographed portraiture series. The exact shade is extracted from a sample of 11x11 pixels from the face of the people portrayed. The ongoing aim is to record and catalog human skin tones through scientific measurement.
For Kristen Bell, every anniversary is the 16th
The 15th anniversary is big metal chickens. The 16th anniversary is sloths, wallabies, and hedgehogs.
"The justice system is invisible, unable to deter or heal."
In July 2007, NPR published a two part series (direct links: 1, 2) about a four year old uninvestigated rape case at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Sparked in part by a 2006 report (pdf) from Amnesty International that included a startling statistic: "One in three Native American women will be raped in her lifetime," NPR's investigation led to the reopening of the case and Congressional hearings. In February 2011, Harper's published an update of sorts: Tiny Little Laws: A Plague of Sexual Violence in Indian Country (Via)
Redneck zombies, sans the whimsy.
Further evidence that the cultural trend of zombie popularity has reached it's peak, or nadir, depending on your preferences. Portland area country singer/songwriter Amanda Richards in 2011 released a concept album whose storyline revolves around the zombie apocalypse, from the perspective of a feminist country singer.
Shit Boston Cops Say
Shit Boston Cops Say: "For at least six years, the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association (BPPA) has published a boldly bigoted official union newsletter, the Pax Centurion. Full of screeds against minorities, women, progressives, gays, Muslims, and even crime victims, its pages have long drawn ire from activists and union members alike. Last week, though, the mostly obscure paper finally broke into the spotlight: Mayor Tom Menino called the Pax 'garbage,' Boston Police Superintendent Ed Davis condemned the rag on Twitter, and several big-brand advertisers yanked their sponsorships." [more inside]
Igor, do you remember the songs we used to sing in the mother country?
Last year, UK beatboxer Beardyman (previously, twice) released an album with the song Vampire Skank. Recently, that track was remixed by UK producer Doorly. The remix was paired with a video, made largely with puppets.
Not exactly ready for glossy Olympic ads. Or anything?
Ignore the torn paper below as I look bored amidst this painful-looking pose, thanks. Joe Klamar, a photographer associated with the news agency AFP who won the 2009 Czech Press Photo group's Photo of the Year for a striking shot of President Obama in Prague, is under fire in certain corners of the web for his photos of U.S. Olympic athletes. [more inside]
"...I can climb walls..."
Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!
3... 2... 1... fontBomb! Detonate your favourite websites in stylish fashion with this experimental bookmarklet by Philippe-Antoine Lehoux. [more inside]
Pull it off suddenly and presto, friend freakouts
Julia Kristeva wrote about the horror of Abjection, when the body that formally was considered a unified whole is disturbing to see/touch when the parts are separated. Or it can be really funny, as can be seen when this gentleman pranks (YT) his friends by making a wig of his own hair. via reddit
Brighten up the landscape with... a gas storage tank
The artistic gas storage tanks of Japan. Some explanation Includes a NSFW image, strangely enough. [more inside]
“[I] am a serving officer in the Iraqi Special Forces,” he said. “We don’t wear underwear.”
Fred Flintstone has it made.
"Dinosaurs welcome us along our highways, and infiltrate the most private domains of our home..." [more inside]
Nice work, if you can get it
Want to be a New York City tour guide? You can't just jump right in and start doing it. First, you'll need to pass the Sightseeing Guide license test, a surprisingly difficult exam meant to ensure that only the best and brightest NYC history nerds can conduct tours. [more inside]
Nowhere is such freedom more crucial than in a science classroom
The Ohio Supreme Court has announced it will hear the appeal of John Freshwater, a Mt. Vernon eighth grade science teacher terminated after being accused of preaching Christian beliefs in class when discussing topics such as evolution and homosexuality. He was also accused of burning the image of a cross on students' arms. [more inside]
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley.
writer/director/actor
Louis C.K. on eating pressure and providing an alternative to The Man - "I ask him to think about what he really needs; when he tells me, I give him a little more. It buys me goodwill with this person; I feel good about what I'm paying them. I like to give people a little more than they want, and I like to ask people for a little less than they're willing to give." [more inside]
We've finished our news, homo sapiens have outgrown their use, all the strangers came today, and it looks as though they're here to stay
"None of us are gods, evil, good, or any other kind of god. We are mortal. If I am cut, I bleed. If you are cut, you bleed. We are all flesh and blood. We are born. We live. We die. The only thing that makes us different is that we are a new kind of human being , One day everyone in the world will be like us. We are Tomorrow People, Hsui Tai, and you are one of us!" [more inside]
Agri-culture
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