September 23, 2010

Whatsupdocyou'redispicablebeepbeepsufferinsuccotashthatsallfolks

The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down (a SLYT 40 years in the making) showing one frame from every Warner Brothers theatrical cartoon made from 1930-1969 (thankfully at a rate of about 3 per second). See the evolution of animation! Porky Pig's successful diet in '37! Michigan J. Frog's memorable single appearance! And illegal alien Speedy Gonzalez replacing American toons in the '60s! (via M.E.)
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:36 PM PST - 80 comments

A man with a new idea is a crank…… until he succeeds.

A chair that can diagnose depression and bipolar disorder and calibrate medication. Solar paint that turns every surface into solar power collection material. A infinitely variable geared transmission that never loses the sweet spot. A tool for microscopes that can detect bacteria quickly and cheaply using flashed light. And a power plant the size of a room that can turn out 10kw power from low grade heat. These five inventions were finalists in the Australian science show The New Inventors. And the winner is... [more inside]
posted by Kerasia at 4:37 PM PST - 42 comments

Global air pollution maps

NASA has some new maps showing air pollution around the world. It shows PM2.5, that is, Particulate Matter less than 2.5 micrometers in size, small enough to get past normal bodily defenses and cause health problems. [more inside]
posted by stbalbach at 4:22 PM PST - 32 comments

Operation Ivy Bells

Operation Ivy Bells was a joint US Navy/NSA effort to tap into a Soviet communications cable deep under water and bring back recordings of military communications traffic. [more inside]
posted by FishBike at 3:56 PM PST - 37 comments

The books are gravy

i wanted to call him up and tell him his notes are funny, but then i realized he DIED A MONTH AGO. bummer. Craig Fehrman traces the post-mortem dispersion of writers' personal libraries: in particular, David Markson's personal library and the way in which his fans are using Facebook to reconstruct the range of Markson's reading.
posted by catlet at 3:26 PM PST - 12 comments

The Great-ish American Novelist

Tao Lin on the cover of The Stranger. The Stranger gives us a parody of the Jonathan Franzen Time Magazine Cover featuring unadjectiveable novelist, Tao Lin. Then Tao Lin profiles himself.
posted by outlandishmarxist at 3:20 PM PST - 62 comments

Everyday Is A Good Day

Walter Breuning reminisces about his life in three centuries. As the oldest man in the world and in celebration of his 114th birthday on September 21, Mr. Breuning agreed to this exclusive interview. Questions were gleaned via the internet from individuals around the world.
posted by gman at 2:28 PM PST - 31 comments

Everything about Science!

Joanne loves science! And science books (yt). via Science Cheerleader. Or maybe vice versa.
posted by xowie at 2:12 PM PST - 4 comments

Well, I dreamed I saw the silver spaceships flying / In the yellow haze of the sun

Well, I dreamed I saw the knights in armor coming / Sayin' something about a queen... [more inside]
posted by ambulance blues at 1:40 PM PST - 46 comments

Science Strikes Again.

The Best American Science Writing has a diverse set of offerings for this year, including five articles already featured here on the blue. Starting off with Benedict Carey - Surgery for Mental Ills Offers Both Hope and Risk (The New York Times) [more inside]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 12:30 PM PST - 10 comments

DC rolled out largest bike share program in US

DC just rolled out largest bike share program in US this week, Washington DC's and the Arlington (VA) County's bikesharing programs joined forces to create Capital Bikeshare with regional service of over 1,100 bikes and 114 stations throughout the area, with plans to include several other nearby Virginia and Maryland counties in the near future. [more inside]
posted by crunchland at 11:37 AM PST - 82 comments

The Library of Dream

This is all rooted in a vision I had, of William S. Burroughs as a CIA agent, and Philip K. Dick as his young henchman, going head-to-head with notorious gangster and pervert Adolf Hitler somewhere in Hamburg to find out where Hitler is shipping all the computers he can get his hands on. - In another world Charles Stross wrote this sprawling work of Alternate History instead of the Merchant Princes books. Fictional books are of course themselves a common them in Alternative History stories, from The Grasshopper Lies Heavy in The Man in the High Castle to Adolf Hitlers pulp novel Lord of the Swastika in The Iron Dream. Stanisław Lem was particularly enamoured with the idea of the fictional book, and wrote two volumes of reviews and introductions for them, lovingly described here by Bruce Sterling.
posted by Artw at 11:18 AM PST - 87 comments

Hip Hipstamatic

Hipstamatic is one of the coolest camera apps for the the iPhone. Photojojo is one of the coolest photography blogs. World's collide: Photojojo's Ultimate Hipstamatic Guide in which pictures are taken with every possible hipstamatic film/lens/flash combination. [more inside]
posted by morganannie at 10:34 AM PST - 50 comments

Get off your asphalt!

"I don't believe we're going to have the ability to build asphalt roads in 50 years."
posted by kinnakeet at 10:26 AM PST - 121 comments

The city, it vibrates.

Ciudad de Mexico. A capital in motion.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 10:03 AM PST - 9 comments

Nostalgia meets (meats) the modern age of gaming

8BITS is a short, very violent film about nostalgia for 8-bit video games. Well, maybe 'about' is a strong word.
posted by Fraxas at 9:28 AM PST - 28 comments

As reports of false memory increase, you realize that you were not, in fact, molested.

In "My Lie" author Meridith Maran reveals her own painful history with recovered memory: she accused her own father of molesting her, and years later learned that her recollections had been false. Interviewed today on NPR,Maran equates her journey through the recovered memory movement to the persistent political lie that President Obama is a Muslim. [more inside]
posted by pianomover at 9:21 AM PST - 67 comments

The Passion of David Bazan

David Bazan was the lead singer for a band called Pedro the Lion, who were big on the Christian rock circuit. A few years ago, Bazan began questioning his faith, and ultimately left Christianity. He has found understanding from his fans.
posted by reenum at 8:41 AM PST - 53 comments

Icarus' Dream Finally a Reality

The dream of Icarus has been one shared by many throughout history. University of Toronto Engineering students made history this week when they successfully flew a human-powered aircraft with flapping wings continuously. The flight of the Snowbird is beautiful to watch. [more inside]
posted by smitt at 8:30 AM PST - 42 comments

28 Days Later

Justin and Stephanie are travelling from Philadelphia to Auckland on the Cap Cleveland, a 220m long container ship. [more inside]
posted by jontyjago at 7:49 AM PST - 17 comments

Chewbacca's Origins: not Lucas' dog

Though George Lucas said Chewbacca was based on his dog, an intrepid fan tracked down a different origin story. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 7:28 AM PST - 34 comments

Sesame Street is brought to you by the letters T and A.

'Sesame Street' Pulls Katy Perry video from show. Sesame Workshop, which produces the long-running PBS children’s show “Sesame Street,” said on Thursday morning that it would not show a music video planned for the coming 41st season of the series that features the pop singer Katy Perry, citing in its decision the outcry of viewers who had seen the suggestive video online. The video features Ms. Perry singing a parody of her song “Hot ‘N Cold” accompanied by the “Sesame Street” character Elmo. Via NYTimes.com
posted by Fizz at 6:22 AM PST - 235 comments

Push pineapples

When pop goes bad: novelty records The excruciatingly catchy novelty song was a hallmark of the 1980s. Is it back? And how do you write one? Dave Simpson talks to the experts [more inside]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 5:41 AM PST - 132 comments

Chili Pepper Time

It's Chili time in NM! This NYTimes story on hot peppers is full of good stuff(if Capsicum and heat are your thing). Some experts argue that we like chilies because they are good for us. They can help lower blood pressure, may have some , antimicrobial effects, and they increase salivation, which is good if you eat a boring diet based on one bland staple crop like corn or rice. The pain of chilies can even kill other pain, a concept supported by recent research. There is evidence that by 6,000 years ago domesticated Capsicums (hot peppers) were being used from the Bahamas to the Andes. [more inside]
posted by Blake at 4:39 AM PST - 38 comments

Continuous Chest Compression CPR

Continuous Chest Compression CPR is a hands-only CPR method that doubles a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. It’s easy and does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, making it more likely bystanders will try to help, and it was developed at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. YT link for the video. The Mayo Clinic Presentation.
posted by nickyskye at 4:22 AM PST - 57 comments

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