August 27, 2010
Dhan dhan dhan dhan!
The dhol has traditionally been played by men at Punjabi weddings and sufi shrines. Rani Taj, the first professional British-Kashmiri female dholi, trained by the Dhol Blasters and Azaad dhol, plays the dhol at public events.
90 Days
She agreed to be filmed for 90 days. A woman with AIDS is filmed briefly, every day, for 90 days, and the changes she undergoes are dramatic. The very end may make you weep, but perhaps not for the reasons you expect...
[Link is a single video hosted on Vimeo.]
Rave On
Unforgiven
Tony Washington, an NFL prospect, has a black mark on his record. At the age of 16, he was convicted of incest for sleeping with his then 15 year old sister, and forced to register as a sex offender. Washington feels this is the reason he is being ostracized by the NFL.
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to turn on, tune in and drop out
What if Lovecraft had Lived into the 1960′s? - recording from a 1978 WorldCon panel featuring Fritz Leiber, and S.T. Joshi. Bonus files: A reading by Donald R. Burleson of his story The Last Supper, and a reading of Fungi from Yuggoth. (via)
Your other North!
What language obliges us to think about. The NYTimes has a fascinating article on how language affects thought, from the gender-specificity of many European languages to the pure geographic directions of Guugu Yimithirr.
The Benign Violation Theory of humor from HuRL
The "Benign Violation Theory" posits that for something to be funny, three conditions must be met. First, there must be a violation of the norm. Second, the violation must be perceived to be benign. Last, both these perceptions must occur simultaneously. [more inside]
Tryouts
Facebook Chooses to Pass
Facebook, and initially Reddit, have refused to run an ad campaign for the marijuana-legalizing Prop 19 in CA, to much controversy from users. However, Reddit has decided to run the ads for free, since their owner Conde Naste has gone on the record saying they oppose profiting from "this issue" (while they have run ads opposed to prop-19, and controversial organizations like this one for an anti-gay right wing organization). Facebook has said they will consider running an ad which does not include a hemp leaf.
Mama, just killed a man
"In 1500 the first Bohemian Land Ordinance was completed, and within it was an article that forbade anyone from hunting with a firearm. However, only twenty-four years after the 1500 constitution firearms had apparently been involved in so much social violence that a specific firearms Ordinance was promulgated in 1524. Ultimately, the handgun had shifted from a rural nuisance, to a violent, social problem." Between Menace and Utility: Handguns in Early Sixteenth-Century Bohemia [PDF]. (From Bad Behaviour in Medieval and Early Modern Europe)
Revisiting King Tutankhamun's Tomb
Ten thousand tourists have tramped above the spot where the latest find has just been made. Other archeologists, looking for the needle entrance to the royal tomb of Tutankhamen in the limestone haystack of el Qorn, came within a few feet of where, after sixteen years of labor, the late Lord Carnarvon and Mr. Howard Carter found their reward. National Geographic republished the photos (flash gallery) and the text of the 1923 account of the opening of the tomb of King Tutankhamun. [more inside]
Turns out the plane isn't crashing...
Crew on a British Airways flight from London to Hong Kong accidentally trigger a message to the cabin that "This is an emergency. We may shortly need to make an emergency landing on water." The pilot then had to get on the PA and calm everyone's nerves. This probably caused even more panic than the famous message on BA Flight 9 in 1982, when the caption announced "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them under control. I trust you are not in too much distress."
World's largest solar power plant
The world's largest solar power plant will probably be cleared for construction in California. At 1GW it is the size of a nuclear power plant and nearly doubles the US installed base of commercial-scale solar power. It will take 6-years, $6-billion and 7,000-acres. Proposed site (on Google maps). It will use parabolic trough's (video). It is being built by a German company (construction video / operation animation). There are many other CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) projects.
Luke Powell's photographs of Afghanistan
Photographer Luke Powell captures the beauty and dignity of Afghanistan from the cities in the news to remote villages reachable only on horseback. He photographed the country extensively throughout the 1970s as a tourist and again from 2000 – 2003 in the employ of the United Nations to document minefields, mine victims, and demining efforts. Glimpses: Boys in the Bazaar l Koochie Tents (nomadic pastoralists). [more inside]
China's Got Talent
"Pianist Liu Wei sits quietly to compose himself before plunging into the music. Then he takes off a sock. The 23-year-old, whose arms were amputated after a childhood accident, plays the piano with his toes."
Now will you say something about my new hat?
"A Collection of the Best Marriage Cartoons by the Foremost Comic Artists" from 1955. Part Two. The good old days, when you could beat your husband and bash your wife. Selected for the web by a 2010 cartoonist who's better than that.
You're trying to be cool...
Earlier this week, the Mounties arrested Khurram Sher along with two other Ottawa men and charged them with terrorism related offences. This is where it gets complicated… [more inside]
Before there was Beck, there was Coughlin
"Many of his speeches were rambling, disorganized, repetitious, and as time went by, they became increasingly full of bigoted rhetoric. But as a champion of the poor, a foe of big business, and a critic of federal indifference in the face of widespread economic distress, he spoke to the hopes and fears of lower-middle class Americans throughout the country." His popularity rivaled that of the President, and he used his pulpit to not only attack Washington's progressive agenda, but America's enemies as well, who he blamed for being anti-family and making divorce too easy.
[more inside]
Why You Got Fat
Why You Got Fat An insightful 3 minute look into how fat is stored and utilized by your body. [more inside]
Do good, buy cheap.
If only IKEA furniture could be assembled this quickly. The Swedish furniture chain's catalog has surpassed the Bible as the most published print in the world (previously), but did you know that all of your furniture purchases are actually charitable? [more inside]
Chicago is the place
Sounds from Tomorrow's World: Sun Ra and the Chicago Years, 1946-1961 is an exhibition drawn from the collections of the University of Chicago's Chicago Jazz Archive.
How many sips
Unwise: Hungover Owls. (SLTumblr)
Ötzi's Funeral
A new study mapping the locations of artifacts around Ötzi the Iceman's final resting place suggests he was transported there for a ceremonial burial, and did not die alone as previously suggested. Via.
The President's Economic Team
A detailed exposition of the roles of the White House economic team. This isn't a discussion of Obama's team per se, but rather an explanation of the mechanics and relationships of the various economic advisers to the President.
Three-day weekend? Write a three-day novel.
Labor Day Weekend is coming up. You could have a barbecue. Or you could write a novel. Previous winners of the International 3-Day Novel Contest, which has been running since 1977.
Pleased as Punch
May of 1662. Thence to see an Italian puppet play that is within the rayles there, which is very pretty, the best that ever I saw..
The story changes a bit over the ages and is still definitely not PC.
Amongst the puppets is a hangman, a policeman and a crocodile.
Some videos; some galleries 1; 2; and a hall of fame. (First introduced to Metafilter by thomas j wise).
Amongst the puppets is a hangman, a policeman and a crocodile.
Some videos; some galleries 1; 2; and a hall of fame. (First introduced to Metafilter by thomas j wise).
Zero Views
Zero Views: The best of the worst of YouTube.
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