July 28, 2015
Last survivors of the Indianapolis
The Hijacking of Flight 102
About a month ago Motherboard posted about artist Jesse England looking for a lost Mac game that he played in his 7th grade social studies class. He knew it was about terrorism and an aircraft hijacking but not much else besides some images he remembered, which he drew out and shared in hopes someone would recognize it. Fortunately, he found it, and decided to share it with everyone. Let's Play: Research Paper Writer
"I think we only use 10% of our hearts."
Peter Watts: No Brainer.
For decades now, I have been haunted by the grainy, black-and-white x-ray of a human skull. It is alive but empty, with a cavernous fluid-filled space where the brain should be. A thin layer of brain tissue lines that cavity like an amniotic sac. The image hails from a 1980 review article[PDF] in Science: Roger Lewin, the author, reports that the patient in question had “virtually no brain”. But that’s not what scared me; hydrocephalus is nothing new, and it takes more to creep out this ex-biologist than a picture of Ventricles Gone Wild. What scared me was the fact that this virtually brain-free patient had an IQ of 126.[more inside]
Freddy Krueger vs. Spiderman? I'd buy that for a dollar.
Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?
Isobel Varley had her first tattoo when she was 49, then went to become a Guinness Record holder for the most tattooed female pensioner. She died recently. Part of a Guardian photo series of "Aged Rebels"[slightly NSFW]
Well, the ground return is Santa Monica Bay.
If you think finding a short in a light switch or lamp is your idea of fun, imagine having the time of your life with this little repair. You probably won't find much of the stuff you need at the Home Depot.
"Well, here goes something into nothing."
In 2010, nearly fifty years after her death, and more than a hundred years after she became the first person to sing on the radio, the remains of Eugenia Farrar were finally laid to rest. Fittingly, her porcelain memorial urn has her own recording of that first song -- "I Love You Truly" -- etched into its surface using a lathe (similar to the process used for early cylinder recordings).
Laura LaPlaca's thoughtful essay -- musing on the materiality of this final remaining artifact of a historic broadcast that otherwise left little trace -- describes this final resting place as Farrar's "ashen physical remains protected by the materialized solid form of her voice." [more inside]
Penises, though—well, that was a new one.
The Rocket Cat Café in Philadelphia has recently had to apologize for letting a naked guy walk around for an hour with the owner's permission. A misguided promotion for the Philly Naked Bike Ride, the naked man drew attention thanks to Sarah Grey (previously), who has written her side of the story. And if you're interested, there's also a (surprisingly not naughty) limerick.
D'ya get me, bruv?
A new London accent strikingly different from Cockney has emerged in the last few years. Linguists call it "Multicultural London English" (or MLE) and although it has obvious roots in the London black community it's now displacing Cockney to become a universal accent for working class London youth, regardless of race. Change is spreading so fast that London teens often have radically different accents from their own parents. [more inside]
An anthem to the Rabbit
Macy Gray sings about her dear friend, Bob. He comes in all kinds of colors, but he had me at yellow. (SLYT, NSFW)
I'm Getting Really Tired of Living In This Quaint English Village
I'm Getting Really Tired of Living In This Quaint English Village [YouTube] - Original published humor piece performed before a live audience by Mefi's own The Whelk [previously] via MetaFilter Projects. If you want to read the piece along with the performance, here it is as it appears in The Toast.
LAURA LIKES TO POP BUBBLES OH MY GOD
Forcasting rapid growth
Proceedings of the Natural Institute of Science is an open-access scientific journal with a mandate to publish papers from academics and non-academics alike. Boasting a strong peer review process and a high impact factor, it's only partly serious. (Previously)
Ronald Reagan and Reading Proust
"Maybe the story is the difference between the writers on the panels and the writers in the audience. That story is the creation of a celebrity class. That story is the fine line between jealousy and envy: I want everything you have versus I want everything I can have. Or is the story simply vanity?"
Choire Sicha of the Awl reports on (and attempts to schmooze through) the two-day New Yorker literary festival
Do you know what _this_ is?
Sure, Her Story is great and all, but what if you want a classic cheesy FMV murder mystery game, full of scenery chewing and dodgy programming? Then you're in luck! Created by a Tim Follin, a long time video game composer, Contradiction: Spot the Liar! has spawned a bit of a cult following on the video game site Giant Bomb after Giant Bomb East did a Quick Look and was then so engrossed they recorded a supplemental Quick Look and is now continuing their playthrough as a premium feature (paywalled). The actors and producers have noticed the attention and have responded in kind, recording thank you videos and vines. They even (with the help of community members) managed to prank the GBeast podcast. [more inside]
The Worlds Leading Seller of Hugs
Herbalife is an MLM company that its detractors believe is nothing more than a pyramid scheme. But, John Hempton manager of Bronte Capital disagrees. In a long post he sets out why "it is the stock in the portfolio I am most proud to own. It is also the stock about whose long-term prospects I am most bullish."
20,000 words of economic analysis sounds a dry read. But think again, exploring the economics of this one peculiar company is a rabbit hole of fascinating portraits on globalisation, psychology and everyday life around the world.
Happy Birthday to All of Us
Copyright owners of the song "Happy Birthday" have built a stead yearly income of two million dollars a year by giving rights to use the song publicly for about $1500 per use. This copyright claim was fought in court recently, and a "smoking gun" was discovered in the process that places the public use of the song a number of years before the copyrighted work for hire, and as such, argue the plaintiff's lawyers, make the song conclusive in the public domain. Read more here. [more inside]
the spirit is willing, but the flesh is so so tasty
The Rise of the Reducetarian (yup there's a word for that) Like tofurky? Thank a reducetarian. Part-time vegetarians are the ones driving vegan restaurants, vegetarian blogs and meat-free options at restaurants and grocery stores. [more inside]
Managing Unconscious Bias
Facebook's bias training: "There are different forms of unconscious bias that can prevent us from cultivating an inclusive and innovative workplace. In these videos, we discuss four common types of biases: Performance Bias, Performance Attribution Bias, Competence/Likeability Trade-off Bias, and Maternal Bias."
If a thing is designed to kill you, it is, by definition, bad design.
Dear Design Student - In Praise of the AK-47 (NSFW language)
The AK-47 is often cited as a well-designed object. And this case is usually made by pointing out that the AK-47 is easy to use, maintain, take-apart, modify, and manufacture. It’s a model of simplicity. And the original design, introduced in 1948, is still in use, even as the AK family has continued evolving...[more inside]
Pfft! What kind of idiot lets their emotions control them?
'The Numskulls' is a comic strip that started way back in 1962 in the British comic The Beezer that is now published in The Beano. It may seem a bit familiar... what happens when the Numbskulls watch Inside Out?.
Pell Grants for Prisoners
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Monday that the White House will take advantage of a loophole in the 1994 law that banned incarcerated Americans from using Pell Grants to pay for college, "developing experimental sites that will make Pell grants available" to prisoners. [more inside]
“I wanted to run this movie over with my car, repeatedly.”
Come get fisted right in the heart
Your underwhelming UK holiday photographs
Spirit of the Nation. The Guardian has invited readers to submit their uninspiring holiday photos. That is all.
...before he can tell her about his favourite bukowski quote
Feminist writer Anne Thériault of bad-date-tweeting fame posted a series of tweets about the deadly feminist animal in her natural habitat. Less than an hour later, voice actor D.C. Douglas transformed the static text into a David Attenborough-esque documentary narration.
Sauna Mänual ov Finland Män
Sauna Mänual ov Finland Män – 7 Ruuls You Must Knou. Finland Män häv rispekt for thö Sauna. Thö wörld is kold, thö Sauna is worm. Tis is ofishöl Sauna Mänual ov Finland Män. [more inside]
(Figuratively) METAL vs. (Literally) METAL
Not so quiet that I could feel my sanity slipping away
May I be excused?
"Using the Restroom: A Privilege—If You’re a Teacher" (SL Atlantic.com)
"Educators seldom have enough time to do their business. What’s that doing to the state of learning?" [more inside]
"Educators seldom have enough time to do their business. What’s that doing to the state of learning?" [more inside]
Berlin Brandenburg has wrecked careers
How Berlin’s Futuristic Airport Became a $6 Billion Embarrassment. Inside Germany’s profligate (Greek-like!) fiasco called Berlin Brandenburg
On May 7, less than four weeks before the scheduled opening, Loge met with Schwarz for the first time. The airport, Schwarz conceded, would have to open using the army of human fire detectors. “Professor, let me understand this,” Loge said. “You are talking about having 800 people wearing orange vests, sitting on camping stools, holding thermoses filled with coffee, and shouting into their cell phones, ‘Open the fire door’?” Loge refused the airport an operating license. Schwarz stood up and walked out without another word. [more inside]
On May 7, less than four weeks before the scheduled opening, Loge met with Schwarz for the first time. The airport, Schwarz conceded, would have to open using the army of human fire detectors. “Professor, let me understand this,” Loge said. “You are talking about having 800 people wearing orange vests, sitting on camping stools, holding thermoses filled with coffee, and shouting into their cell phones, ‘Open the fire door’?” Loge refused the airport an operating license. Schwarz stood up and walked out without another word. [more inside]
You May Know Me from Such Roles as Terrorist #4
As Sayed and Waleed and the others describe their various demises, it strikes me that the key to making a living in Hollywood if you're Muslim is to be good at dying. If you're a Middle Eastern actor and you can die with charisma, there is no shortage of work for you. Jon Ronson in GQ on the Muslim-American actors who earn virtually their entire livings pretending to hijack planes and slaughter infidels. [Via.]
Absence of Evidence of Absence
In a 2002 paper, history professor Richard Jensen claimed that Irish Americans had perpetuated a Myth of Victimization: "No Irish Need Apply" signs were "extremely rare or nonexistent" in the United States, and "Newspaper ads for men with NINA were exceedingly rare. " High school student Rebecca A. Fried recently debunked that argument in a paper of her own. Their debate continued in the comments of an Irish Central article.
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