October 12, 2014
Dunham Coach Motor Car Company
Dumbing of Age
As a college student, cartoonist and then-Christian fundamentalist David Willis wrote a newspaper funny called Roomies!, which inadvertently documented the beginning of his departure from his faith. Roomies! segued abruptly into a sci-fi drama after two years, which then branched into two new comics — one about domestic married life, and one about employees at a toy store.
In 2010, however, Willis began writing a new strip set in Indiana University, the same setting as his original Roomies! With Dumbing of Age, Willis takes advantage of the decade-and-a-half he spent developing his characters and refining his craft — but just as importantly, he brings to this new strip the perspective and wisdom of his own experiences with faith. It is an explicitly autobiographical comic, at the heart of which is the relationship between homeschooled Christian Joyce Brown and her best friend, Dorothy Keener, who is ambitious, studious, and unabashedly atheist. It is marvelously well-made, and even if you are not usually a fan of webcomics (I'm decidedly not), Dumbing of Age is worth your giving a look.
In 2010, however, Willis began writing a new strip set in Indiana University, the same setting as his original Roomies! With Dumbing of Age, Willis takes advantage of the decade-and-a-half he spent developing his characters and refining his craft — but just as importantly, he brings to this new strip the perspective and wisdom of his own experiences with faith. It is an explicitly autobiographical comic, at the heart of which is the relationship between homeschooled Christian Joyce Brown and her best friend, Dorothy Keener, who is ambitious, studious, and unabashedly atheist. It is marvelously well-made, and even if you are not usually a fan of webcomics (I'm decidedly not), Dumbing of Age is worth your giving a look.
Tiger moms and helicopter parents: The economics of parenting style
The return to pushing children hard consists of the increased likelihood that they will do well later in life. How important this is to parents depends crucially on the degree of economic inequality, and in particular on the return to education. In an economy where education and effort are highly rewarded and where people with little education struggle, parents will be highly motivated to push their children hard. Thus, we expect economic inequality to be associated with intensive (authoritarian and authoritative) parenting styles. In contrast, in an economy where there is little inequality and artists and school dropouts earn only slightly less than doctors and engineers, parents can afford a more relaxed attitude, and permissive parenting should be more prevalent. [study here]
Si no fuera por el Almirante, que quería más el tributo
The Relación of Fray Ramón Pané famously records what one Hieronymite friar learned about the religious beliefs and healing practices of the Taíno between 1494 and 1496 (bilingual PDF with another translation and more introductory material), supposedly at the request of Christopher Columbus. Research published in 2006 on a "Lost document [that] reveals Columbus as a tyrant of the Caribbean" indicates that Pané was also a key witness in the trial of Columbus, partially responsible for sending Columbus home in chains, as depicted on the Columbus Doors of the U. S. Capitol building (detail).
from Baudrillard, you know, "inventor of the Matrix"
Understanding Jean Baudrillard with Pumpkin Spice Lattes "Back in the day you were stuck with what was seasonal – you ate tomatoes and watermelon when it was summer, and when old man winter rolled in, you were stuck with nature’s shit bag – like potatoes and kale – a vegetable god intended you to hate and smite you with."
The only reason to not work Oktoberfest: being pregnant or a broken leg
"You Hockey Puck!"
Don Rickles roasts Jerry Lewis (and gets slapped in the face by Milton Berle) A few other roasts: Sammy Davis Jr. Ronald Reagan Barry Goldwater Red Foxx Jonathan Winters roasts Johnny Carson Jackie Gleason Jimmy Stewart [more inside]
The True Story of a Fake Name on Some Scientific Papers
"I asked Ciccotti what they meant. When he explained it to me, I thought that Stronzo Bestiale would have been the perfect co-author for a refused publication. So I decided to submit my papers again, simply by changing the title and adding the name of that author. And the researches were published."
With a few other examples of of the intentional overlapping of scientific publications and foreign profanity, including one relevant to every American worker who gets a FICA deduction on their paycheck. May be NSFW in Italy.
Afrofuturism: The New Wave
A New Wave of Black Filmmaking: Experimental and Black Speculative Indie Films "A brief survey of the contemporary Black independent film scene yields a long and ever-growing list of experimental and Black speculative (including horror, Afrofuturism, sci-fi, fantasy, fan fiction) short cinema, film trailers, music videos and other projects. (/The Atlanta Black Star) [more inside]
Tuesday's Child
Five year old Iris Grace has taken up painting. Iris is autistic, and her parents introduced her to painting as a means to help with her speech therapy. She has attracted attention worldwide and her paintings have sold quite well. Iris in action. Originals, prints, and calendars can be purchased here. Iris has a constant companion, her name is Thula. The homepage of irisgracepainting.com.
Duncan Campbell's Secret Society - BBC Documentary Series - 1987
This is Duncan Campbell's BBC documentary series Secret Society which shows the never broadcast episode on secret groups, committees and societies that operate silently within British government. The first episode about secret cabinet committees features author Peter Hennessy, Clive Ponting and MP Clement Freud amongst others. It also contains the infamous Zircon spy satellite epsode. [Warning - Vimeo - alternative links for four of these are at Archive.org.] [more inside]
How to Destroy a Public-School System
How to Destroy a Public-School System — In Philadelphia, education reformers got everything they wanted. Look where the city’s schools are now. [more inside]
Concerts from Pavement, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, The Frogs and Sebadoh
Full Pavement concert from the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain tour in Frankfurt, March 6th 1994. The audio comes from the soundboard and two people shot the whole thing on camera, one to the side of the stage and the other from the back of the room. Here's the set list and a little bit more info. The same production company, now defunct, has a few other concerts up on YouTube: Sonic Youth in 2004, Yo La Tengo in 2000, The Frogs in 1988, and a whole host of Sebadoh clips, including a whole concert from 1996.
Why don’t we all just play.
A Property Rights Dispute at a Playground in San Francisco “It’s 6:55 and the homies are playing. They [the permit guys] are waiting for the field at 7. It’s about to go down.” An interesting standoff between neighborhood kids with an ad hoc system for everyone to use the playground, and a team of folks in Dropbox jerseys who have obtained a permit for exclusive use of the space.
Current record: 2:02:57
What Will It Take to Run a 2-Hour Marathon? (Warning: data viz, annoying design)
Es ist eine kleine Welt, nachdem alle
Tiny Planet is the newest short video by German photographer Jonas Ginter. His webpage [translation] [previously] shows how he can use off-the-shelf hardware, some 3d printing, and a clever use of timelapse to capture these wonderfully disproportioned short films.
Zomething different
There are a million ways to slight a rival's manhood, but to suggest that he enjoys Zima is one of the worst. Zima was the precursor to Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breeze, Mike's Hard Lemonade and the entire genre of alcopops. And now, you too can make Zima, even though it's gone now.
Trash Can Challenge
Ukrainian activists and radicals have devised a challenge of their own, throwing politicians in dumpsters to protest Ukraine’s rampant corruption.
A trip or three back in time, with LSD and mescaline in the 1950s
Dr. Sidney Cohen talks to an unnamed housewife who volunteers to take LSD at Veteran's Administration Hospital circa 1954*, "Schizophrenia Psychosis Induced by LSD25" circa 1955**, and Mescaline (peyote) experiment with Humphry Osmond testing on Christopher Mayhew*** in 1955. [more inside]
My Africa Is...
My Africa Is Lagos: WeCyclers. The Floating School. Avante Garde Fashion Photography. Dakar: Le Journal Rappe. Malika Surf Camp. Sunu Street Project. Diaspora: Sonic Diaspora. Os Kuduristas. Technologie Democracy. (via)
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