October 12, 2010

Logical literacy is essential to mathematical fluency.

Logical literacy is an awareness and understanding of the metalanguage in which propositions, conjectures, lemmas and theorems are written.
posted by jjray at 5:50 PM PST - 44 comments

My So-Called Face

Russian cosplayer demonstrates the artistry behind her Jared Leto look.
posted by hermitosis at 5:18 PM PST - 59 comments

"Do you hear that, Marcus? Do you hear it?" I yell. "You know what that is? That's Hollywood, baby. Hollywood's calling. You gonna answer the call?"

"I will never forget the first time I paid a player." Former sports agent Josh Luchs confesses to paying 30 college football players early in his career.
posted by availablelight at 5:07 PM PST - 51 comments

Roman de la Rose Digital Library

The Roman de la Rose Digital Library intends "to create an online library of all manuscripts containing the Roman de la Rose poem." The site currently offers illustrations, transcriptions, and bibliographical data for over one hundred manuscripts. One of the most influential poems of the Middle Ages, the Roman de la Rose was authored in part by Guillaume de Lorris, in part by Jean de Meun (who stepped in four decades later to finish it). Depending on which author is at work, the poem offers very different takes on its allegory of courtly love. The Roman de la Rose soon crossed the Channel as The Romaunt of the Rose, which may or may not be a translation by Geoffrey Chaucer. Notably, the poem's attitude to women spawned what came to be known as the "Quarrel of the Rose," led by Christine de Pizan (in French). In its long afterlife, the poem's influence has been felt everywhere from tapestry to pre-Raphaelite painting to allegorical gardens.
posted by thomas j wise at 5:00 PM PST - 5 comments

Canada’s Boswell?

Rae Fleming's new book about the Canadian broadcaster, Peter Gzowski (who died in 2002, of emphysema) should appeal to many Canadians, fans of ‘This Country in the Morning,’ and ‘Morningside,’ among his many Boswellian ventures. He sometimes brought his personal issues of smoking (up to 80 a day) and his drinking to the table (so to speak), and ‘covered’ them as the journalist he was. Fleming brings news of a son w. another woman, the telling of which raises questions about biography (and biographers).
posted by JL Sadstone at 4:07 PM PST - 9 comments

War Light

WarLight is a turn-based strategy game similar to the board game Risk. [more inside]
posted by mudpuppie at 3:12 PM PST - 21 comments

rebellion and music on the west coast of Canada

Bloodied but Unbowed "... chronicles, for the first time anywhere, the late 1970's/early 1980's Vancouver punk rock scene. The documentary tells a tale of rebellion and music — a fiercely independent scene created from nothing." The full documentary can be seen here.
posted by squeak at 3:10 PM PST - 31 comments

Cake book, fake book or sexy warrior pages?

This is the magazine that shut down 70,000 blogs... Back in July we discussed the feds shutting off 70,000+ blogs for links to Al-Qaeda... The link? A magazine for the would-be Al-Qaedian, INSPIRE. It's a pdf, but it is a sexy pdf. [more inside]
posted by artof.mulata at 2:52 PM PST - 28 comments

Walking the Rope at 4074 Metres

SKYLINER: A short documentary about highlining in the French Alps.
posted by gman at 2:41 PM PST - 10 comments

" Orcs are mammals and therefore do not spawn."

Got a question about old-school Dungeons and Dragons? Perhaps you should consult this database of questions and answers from Dragon Magazine's "Sage Advice" column.
posted by Pope Guilty at 2:35 PM PST - 144 comments

The fine art of surfacing

Live coverage of the rescue operation of the 33 Chilean miners who have been stranded underground for the last 68 days. NASA are helping in more ways than one but it isn't over yet.
posted by Elizabeth the Thirteenth at 2:17 PM PST - 191 comments

You are a chord

10 things you didn't know about sound. Among them: "You are a chord." A TED talk by Julian Treasure and responses by him to some of the opinions about his talk.
posted by nickyskye at 2:13 PM PST - 38 comments

Girl Hitler, Yoko Ono and an Honorary Jewish Mother walk into a bar...

Writing a work of fiction? Want to know if the female character in it is a strong one? There's a flowchart for that. (more info) Though you'll want to go through the flowchart at least twice if you want any hope of passing The Bechdel Test (bonus link)
posted by 256 at 2:11 PM PST - 109 comments

Are You Sure? The Video Footage Says Otherwise.

Software, and Instant Real-Time 1-Click Commissar Removal: In the old days, photographic purges were laborious and time-consuming. Modern software has of course made this process much faster, and now this important task can be applied to video, and in real-time. Of course, if you don't want to actually remove someone or something, but instead simply want to turn ordinary men into Heroes of the Revolution and vixens into forgettable faces in the crowd, well, that too is an option.
posted by darth_tedious at 1:25 PM PST - 18 comments

Judge Ends Don't Ask Don't Tell

A federal judge has issued a worldwide injunction on the enforcement of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, "ending the military's 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops." [more inside]
posted by John Cohen at 1:23 PM PST - 194 comments

Chokeville.

Chokeville. [more inside]
posted by togdon at 1:08 PM PST - 20 comments

Traffic Jam 101

The Imperial Stars promote their new single "Traffic Jam 101" with a traffic jam on 101.
posted by Chinese Jet Pilot at 1:03 PM PST - 40 comments

Colorfully magnified

A few small things, seen up close.
posted by nomadicink at 12:30 PM PST - 34 comments

Computer defeats women's shogi champion

Four different shogi-playing software programs combined forces to "aggressively pursue" and defeat female champion Ichiyo Shimizu in 86 moves. (previously)
posted by Joe Beese at 12:21 PM PST - 25 comments

There's Always Steady Work for the Steady Worker

Don't Make Excuses - Make Good! Between World Wars I and II, the U.S. economy was booming - workers had choices and employers competed for their time. How to motivate and gain loyalty from a labor force that knew it could walk out the door and find more work soon? Charles Mather, head of a family printing business in Chicago, offered employers a solution: the first motivational posters for the private workplace market. Printed between 1923 and 1929, Mather's "Work Incentive Posters" used strong imagery and short, clear messaging to encourage workplace values like teamwork, punctuality, safety, and loyalty. Today, some of his 350 designs can be seen in traveling exhibitions and poster galleries, and Antiques Road Show - or you can soak up some motivation from his modern-day successors at Successories - or generate your own. [more inside]
posted by Miko at 12:16 PM PST - 25 comments

the creative internet circa fall 2010

The world (internet) is full of interesting (creative) things... a slideshow created by Google. [via]
posted by AceRock at 11:58 AM PST - 11 comments

First of all, gay sexuality is not a threat.

Gays vs. Straights. OkCupid does the math.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 11:18 AM PST - 146 comments

That's a Wrap

Today, The New York Times' Idea of the Day Blog announced that is is officially out of ideas.
posted by Scoop at 11:04 AM PST - 25 comments

Gosh!

Fox orders Napoleon Dynamite toon series. The original cast has signed on to voice the animations.
posted by morganannie at 10:24 AM PST - 70 comments

From France, With Love

Veuve Clicquot- oldest drinkable fizzy grape juice? A missing shipment of some fine French vino, that Luis XVI sent over to the Tsar of the Russias, may have been located, and are currently being confirmed by the home vintners.
posted by LD Feral at 10:14 AM PST - 23 comments

The Art of Beautiful Strength

The Bar-Barians. The Calisthenics Kingz (and their Kiwi First Lady). Hannibal & Barilla. [more inside]
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 10:02 AM PST - 2 comments

Things that are hard about not moving to Bolivia

I am thirty three years old and have not once seriously considered moving to Bolivia. [more inside]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:38 AM PST - 144 comments

Englishmen's homes are still castles, with prices to match

Depressing million-dollar London property. Even in the economic crisis, £635,000 doesn't get you much inside the M25: you can take your pick of a worker's cottage near a football stadium, an Australian backpacker-style apartment near Earl's Court, a 2-bedroom house right near the ring road or various other similarly dispiriting residences.
posted by acb at 9:16 AM PST - 52 comments

swissair

Evolution of the Swissair logo and Swissair posters. Many more logos and posters at the Swissair fan site. (logos/posters are direct links to frames at the fan site)
posted by Combustible Edison Lighthouse at 9:13 AM PST - 6 comments

FB > GOOG ?

How Facebook Can Become Bigger In Five Years Than Google Is Today [more inside]
posted by gwint at 9:06 AM PST - 91 comments

"A city becomes a world when one loves one of its inhabitants."

Stuck in an office this morning? Trudging through the downtown? Trapped in traffic? Time to reimagine your city. [more inside]
posted by Hardcore Poser at 9:00 AM PST - 8 comments

You must unlearn what you have learned.

Just in time for the 30th anniversary of the movie's release, The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back chronicles the complete tale—from pre-release to blockbuster success — of what’s become the fan favorite of the Star Wars series. Vanity Fair presents an excerpt from the book: rarely seen photographs from the Empire Strikes Back set, annotated with behind-the-scenes details. They also have interviews with the book’s author, J. W. Rinzler, and the man behind Boba Fett’s mask, actor Jeremy Bulloch." On a lighter note, how about a Wampa Throw Rug, new from the folks at ThinkGeek?
posted by zarq at 8:49 AM PST - 35 comments

It just keeps going and going...

Eight miles of Minecraft highway, displayed in a hypnotic four minute time-lapse. It took 22 hours to build and 27 minutes to traverse in game time. [via]
posted by quin at 8:33 AM PST - 276 comments

Putting the Spring in Springfield

A very detailed map of the Simpson's hometown, with refrences to every business in every episode
posted by wheelieman at 8:22 AM PST - 31 comments

The Power Couple

The wife of Justice Clarence Thomas is a Tea Party activist. Together, they’re the right’s new power couple. 'It’s like a Hollywood movie. One spouse goes off to work at the Supreme Court, that most august of institutions, where formality and discretion reign. The other puts on her power suit—and occasionally, a foam Lady Liberty crown—and enters the raucous, chaotic world of Tea Party politics and Fox News pontificating.''A lawyer, former staffer for the Republican congressman Dick Armey, and a former director at the Heritage Foundation, she speaks of herself as a bridge between the Republican establishment and the crowds rallying out of anger and frustration.' [more inside]
posted by VikingSword at 8:17 AM PST - 40 comments

The only way to get better at it is to keep doing it...

Game designer Raphael "Raph" Koster (Wiki) has republished his essay "The Fundamentals of Game Design." Koster was the lead designer for the progenitorial (and, in its time, wildly successful) MMORPG Ultima Online.
posted by griphus at 7:55 AM PST - 3 comments

I mean, it's gotta end sometime, right?

"Eschatology" is, generally speaking, the study of the end of the world, but when most people in the US hear the term, they generally think of Christian eschatology.

Specifically, they tend to think of the barrels of ink and that one movie (previously) which have been devoted to the subject over the past couple of decades. Neither seems to have contributed to a wider understanding of the actual theology involved. [more inside]
posted by valkyryn at 6:45 AM PST - 94 comments

You have nothing to gain but free time.

Workers of the world, relax. via
posted by DU at 6:18 AM PST - 24 comments

This Is Heavy!

Never-before-seen footage of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly in Back To The Future Before Michael J. Fox could take the part of Marty McFly, producers cast Eric Stoltz and filmed for five weeks. The producers eventually decided to go with Fox, fired Stoltz, and locked the footage away in the vault. Now, twenty-five years later, we finally get to see the "other" Back to the Future.
posted by Servo5678 at 6:05 AM PST - 66 comments

Coming Out in the Sciences

"We realized we'd never seen a Coming Out Day feature dedicated to the experiences of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered persons in the sciences and engineering." Science journalist Steve Silberman interviews Neena Schwartz, and gathers personal stories from Eric Patridge (President of Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Tomlinson Holman (inventor of the THX Sound System), and others. [more inside]
posted by magstheaxe at 5:51 AM PST - 6 comments

The Boombox Project

Photographer Lyle Owerko's "The Boombox Project" is a visual timeline of the era of the boombox. [more inside]
posted by soundofsuburbia at 5:17 AM PST - 16 comments

Making the impossible possible

Chances are you've seen videos here in the blue of Norwegian Eskil Ronningsbakken performing acts of extreme balance. As a follow up, I offer numerous additional stills of Eskil in his quest to create art from balance. His official web site has more images, and he also has a Facebook page, from which I took this quote: "The vulnerable human being balancing between life and death is something I, among many others, consider art. The most important message that I signal with my actions is that ANYTHING is possible!" [more inside]
posted by bwg at 3:00 AM PST - 8 comments

Gallifreya

Back in the 80s when Doctor Who was mired in a creative and ratings slump, the programme's creator Sydney Newman was asked how to revive it. His answer - regenerate the Doctor as a woman. [more inside]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:54 AM PST - 102 comments

He wore his fluffy white coat again. I think he looks nice in it.

"Kavus has got into an irritating habit of holding up his middle finger at you when you speak to him." In 2005, the Alphabet Business Concern announced that Cardiacs, its cult-favorite prog-punk outfit, would maintain an online diary chronicling the band's daily goings-on. The result is a surreal, hilarous interplay between the band's personalities — childish, whiny Tim Smith, pandering narcissist Kavus Torabi, contemplative Jim Smith, and the seemingly perpetually drunk Bob "Babba" Leith. [more inside]
posted by Rory Marinich at 12:28 AM PST - 7 comments

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