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Long before Robert Johnson ever went down to the crossroads, violinist & composer Niccolo Paganini was rumored to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for musical ability. Evidence against this theory: Paganini's 5th Caprice actually prevented the devil from stealing The Karate Kid's soul (the devil settled for stealing Ralph Macchio's career instead). Evidence in favor of this theory: When played on acoustic guitar, the virtuosity in his 24th Caprice really seems supernaturally inspired. For my money, however, the perfect storm of ominous music & stringed instruments comes together in this version of Carmina Burana (mp3 direct download), arranged for solo banjo.
posted by jonson at 11:49 PM PST - 35 comments

Program Yourself (Youtube link. Quicktime version) is one in a series of a music videos by Pete Moraites. Other movies in the series include Twitterpation (QT), Ragnarok-n-Roll (QT), and Linetwine (QT).
posted by aubilenon at 10:35 PM PST - 6 comments

Keith Olbermann receives phoney anthrax letter. "The New York Post may have just impeded an FBI investigation into terroristic threats." Why send anthrax to the media? (real or otherwise)
posted by augustweed at 10:27 PM PST - 52 comments

A rich man was not content just to have sex with his own daughter so he asked her to marry him and she said yes and so it goes.
posted by xmutex at 9:30 PM PST - 125 comments

Behold, the Terranaut. No, it's not another bloody truck, but rather a land vehicle for pilots not normally comfortable with such terrain. I, for one, welcome our...
posted by pompomtom at 8:58 PM PST - 12 comments

R.I.P Tokyo Rose Iva Toguri D'Aquino, who served seven years in federal prison for treason after taking part in Japanese propagande broadcasts during WWII, died yesterday at the age of 90. She had been originally cleared by the Justice Dept of any wrongdoing, howevera media frenzy led by the likes of Walter Winchell reopened her case, and she was convicted on very shoddy evidence and perjured testimony. Years later, it was relieved that she had actually been a part of a plot with US POWs to hinder the propaganda effort. (previously)
posted by kayjay at 8:37 PM PST - 20 comments

"Then my photography started to shift; everything had to be very clean and Republican, straight and perfect... Everything is staged and controlled... It's the complete opposite of war photography."
War photographer Christopher Morris's new exhibit and book: "My America".
posted by matteo at 6:42 PM PST - 20 comments

ChildStarFilter: 'Screech' sex tape. The Coreys reunited in reality TV. From Family Matters to porn spatters (NSFW). CSI: Partidge Family. Hogwarts heartbreak?
posted by Kickstart70 at 6:34 PM PST - 34 comments

Got a case of the Mondays? One error too many? For all your vicarious violence and/or Neo-luddite needs: Smash some stuff. Now one might say it's just a bunch of idiot kids smashing stuff...and, well, yeah.
posted by Smedleyman at 6:02 PM PST - 11 comments

Cats + Hamlet = Cat Head Theater. A short by Tim Maloney, author of pretty weird videos.
posted by darkripper at 5:14 PM PST - 11 comments

Did you ever wonder what a Block 1 Apollo guidance computer looked like? Was grandpa a gunner in the Imperial German Air Force ? Maybe he sold a pioneer some laxatives? Perhaps you're just interested in a high tech Japanese Cameras? Find images of these items and more! at The Smithsonian Air and Space eMuseum
posted by Megafly at 4:56 PM PST - 5 comments

Audi released its new super-sportscar, the R8, at the Paris Autoshow today. With cars like the R8 and the Bugatti Veyron at the top end and the Toyota, Volkswagen or Lexus, there's lots of neat stuff going on in the automotive world...just not from GM, Ford or Chrysler. Maybe it's just me, but pumping out crap like this may be part of the reason. Just guessing.
posted by tgrundke at 4:48 PM PST - 63 comments

Taliah Lempert paints bicycles. If you were really in love, you would have your bicycle's portrait done.
posted by R. Mutt at 4:40 PM PST - 9 comments

Snakes on Film — at last, a definitive resource for moving-picture snake identification and serpentine fact-checking! Care of our very own mcwetboy! [via mefi projects]
posted by cortex at 4:37 PM PST - 9 comments

Play Pac-Man against real live crickets for science and fun.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 1:47 PM PST - 10 comments

The world of folk music is often a rather dour place, as folkies try hard to fully express the miseries of a life pre-myspace. In the 1980s, however, the Kipper Family, of St-Just-near-Trunch, Norfolk, bucked this trend. With such classics as "Arrest These Merry Gentlemen", "Wild Mounting Time" and "We're Norfolk and Good", Sid and Henry Kipper managed to cheer up many a maudlin English folk club. Although Henry was retired, Sid Kipper still performs solo and has recently started doing podcasts for Channel4 (reg req to download).
posted by criticalbill at 1:13 PM PST - 9 comments

Little Superstar. YouTube, but also Bollywood. So it's got an international appeal. Via: First Rule.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 12:55 PM PST - 20 comments

"We are losing much of the history of the twentieth century because the copyright industries are more litigious than ever." A cogent "primer for reporters [and others] who find themselves lost in the copyright jungle" in the age of Google and the DMCA.
posted by OmieWise at 12:46 PM PST - 40 comments

Baby Toupee - because parents care about prematernal hair loss.
posted by triv at 11:39 AM PST - 20 comments

Scientists discover a region of the brain responsible for feelings of 'self' and 'other'. If electrically stimulated, it causes the perception of an alien being-- a shadow person, standing just behind you, mimicking your every move. This could explain strange feelings of being watched, or of strange presences, or ghosts.
posted by empath at 11:23 AM PST - 75 comments

Not your ordinary mud volcano. This erruption might be manmade and it is quickly engulfing a large swath of Eastern Java. The putrid gas and mud have been flowing since May, and recent attempts to control the flow have led to demonstrations serious enough for the govenrment to issue "shoot-on-sight" orders. The flow could last for another hundred years.
posted by imposster at 11:18 AM PST - 17 comments

Feeling sick and thinking of buying over-the-counter cold medicine like Sudafed or Claritin-D? Be prepared to wait in line at the pharmacy counter, show a photo ID, and sign a log book. The nationwide restriction of medication containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine begins this weekend. Why? Those 2 ingredients are used to make meth.. (NPR audio piece).
posted by jaimev at 10:20 AM PST - 136 comments

The Sony Reader is finally available for purchase. Those of us who cared enough to be annoyed by the over-hyped non-event that was the 'E-book revolution' have been waiting with baited breath for consumer level products featuring electronic paper. The Sony Reader isn't the only kid on the block though. At more then $800 versus the Reader's $350, the iRex iLiad can recieve Wifi, has a touch sensitive screen for note taking and marginalia, and is built around the linux kernal, allowing some pretty amazing hacks, making the whole thing rather irresistable. Many of us having been waiting to sell ourselves to the dark god of Electronic Paper + Project Gutenberg. This time seems to have arrived.
posted by Alex404 at 8:42 AM PST - 106 comments

The clear sky clock (this one is for Boston) provides a graphical representation of seven factors that affect the clarity of stargazing: cloud cover, transparency, seeing, darkness, wind, humidity, and temperature. Once you've figured out where and when to go stargazing (probably somewhere rural) make a custom map for your location so you know what you're seeing.
posted by nekton at 8:34 AM PST - 7 comments

Marmaduke explained. Syndicated cartoon broken down on a daily basis. In 500 words or less. (related)
posted by thatweirdguy2 at 8:22 AM PST - 41 comments

Remembering a forgotten hero on the anniversary of his death. Early in the morning of June 17, 1972, security guard Frank Wills called police after someone repeatedly taped the latch on a door at the apartment complex where he worked. That act changed politics forever; one reporter said “It was one of the most important phone calls ever made in American History.” Mr. Wills did not benefit from the circus that followed, however. After two arrests for shoplifting he died penniless on September 27, 2000.
posted by TedW at 8:02 AM PST - 62 comments

MySpace has started a voter registration drive. MySpace has a ton of users, so this could be huge. Could this get young Americans to vote? I'm going to guess no, but you never know.
posted by chunking express at 7:46 AM PST - 29 comments

My name is Jack and I live in the back of the Greta Garbo Home for Wayward Boys and Girls: A movie, a producer, a hotel, and a song.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:22 AM PST - 6 comments

The UN reports “ Up to a million cluster bomblets discharged by Israel in its conflict with Hezbollah remain unexploded in southern Lebanon." "What's shocking" (Read down) and quote "I would say completely immoral is that 90 percent of the cluster bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict when we knew there would be a resolution, when we knew there would be an end. Most of them are from America." who may ban future sales. Some people are campaigning. A brief history (Scroll down). Bravo Belgium. An unexpected link between books and bombs. Last discussion.
posted by adamvasco at 6:59 AM PST - 156 comments

It's down to the wire for Project Runway: Tonight the final four designers' climactic collections are judged at New York's fashion week. Re-live the season by rating the runway. Enjoy resident guru Tim Gunn's podcasts, particularly his anti-Vincent and -Angela rants in the "couture" and "tiny dog" challenges. The best episode recaps are at FourFour. For backstage gossip, it's Project Rungay. For fashion fiends, here's an illustration-rich look at the history behind Laura's winning '20s dress and a deconstruction of just what's wrong with Vincent.
posted by Tuffy at 3:32 AM PST - 73 comments

Shakespeare's Sonnet 116: read firmly by Eleanor, skimmed through somewhat hurriedly by Megan, recited from memory by the cowboy hatted Bill, and delivered with a vaguely cockney accent by Will. There are others, as well.
posted by Iridic at 12:02 AM PST - 10 comments