October 16, 2012
My playground has been digitized!
It was pretty grand when The Roller Coaster Capital of the World, Cedar Point (previously / previously) , started offering HD quality perspective videos of their coasters for those of us far away from home.
Recently, Google Street View has mapped the entire amusement park for our enjoyment!
That voice....
Lake Street Dive ("DIVE not DRIVE!") is a band from Brooklyn, NY. Maybe you've already heard of them but in case you haven't, they do infectious covers and some originals too. They'll also do an impromptu web cast in someone's basement if their outdoor gig gets rained out.
Ultimate Drumming Technique
Objectivism + Scientology = Neo-Tech
Of all the spinoffs that came as a result of Ayn Rand and Objectivism, Neo-Tech has to be the strangest. [more inside]
howtonotgiveafuck.com
Rubber Rooms Are Still Open, Just Different
Thought the "rubber rooms" where New York City teachers were sent to wait for disciplinary hearings were closed? Not so much. [more inside]
Commissions and Fees
Mad Men season five in review (audio) - As the latest season is released on DVD the Nerdist Writers Panel talks to creator Matthew Weiner, showrunners Andre and Maria Jacquemetton, and writer Erin Levy about the show.
Hold the Line. (War Isn't Always On Time.)"
Based on Robert Kennedy's book Thirteen Days, with a stunning cast and a riveting screenplay, broadcast a scant 12 years after the event...
The Missiles of October. [more inside]
Rita Hayworth is Stayin' Alive
What do you mean you've never been to Alpha Centauri? Oh, for heavens sake mankind, it's only four light years away, you know.
A planet with about the same mass as Earth has been discovered in orbit around Alpha Centauri B, a star in the Alpha Centauri triple star system - the solar system's closest neighbor, a mere 4.3 light years away. Alpha Centauri B is very similar to the Sun, and this marks the first planet with a mass similar to Earth ever found around a Sun-like star. However, the planet is orbiting at a distance of about six million kilometers, much closer than Mercury is to the Sun in the Solar System, so temperatures above 400 degrees Celsius may make vacationing there unpalatable even for the most dedicated beach-goer. However, lead paper author Xavier Dumusque called it "a major step towards the detection of a twin Earth in the immediate vicinity of the Sun."
Provirophages and transpovirons as the diverse mobilome of giant viruses
Provirophages and transpovirons as the diverse mobilome of giant viruses
Abstract: A distinct class of infectious agents, the virophages1 that infect giant viruses of the Mimiviridae family, has been recently described. Here we report the simultaneous discovery of a giant virus of Acanthamoeba polyphaga (Lentille virus) that contains an integrated genome2 of a virophage (Sputnik 2), and a member of a previously unknown class of mobile genetic elements3, the transpovirons4. The transpovirons are linear DNA elements of ∼7 kb [kilobases]5 that encompass six to eight protein-coding genes, two of which are homologous6 to virophage genes. Fluorescence7 in situ hybridization8 showed that the free form of the transpoviron replicates within the giant virus factory and accumulates in high copy numbers inside giant virus particles, Sputnik 2 particles, and amoeba cytoplasm. Analysis of deep-sequencing data showed that the virophage and the transpoviron can integrate9 in nearly any place in the chromosome of the giant virus host and that, although less frequently, the transpoviron can also be linked to the virophage chromosome. In addition, integrated fragments of transpoviron DNA were detected in several giant virus and Sputnik genomes. Analysis of 19 Mimivirus strains revealed three distinct transpovirons associated with three subgroups of Mimiviruses. The virophage, the transpoviron, and the previously identified self-splicing introns10 and inteins11 constitute the complex, interconnected mobilome12 of the giant viruses and are likely to substantially contribute to interviral gene transfer.[Full Text PDF] and two explanations in English [more inside]
It's Time For Another Woman Moderator for the U.S. Presidential Debate!
Ever since the first televised general election presidential debate was held on September 26, 1960, between U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy, the Democratic nominee, and Vice President Richard Nixon, the Republican nominee the vast majority of moderators have been men. "Why haven’t women moderated a presidential debate in the past 20 years, especially when women vote more than men?"* [more inside]
Simply the worst
In the first 11 matches of the 2010 season they scored 2 goals and conceded 227. Madron FC is the worst football team in Britain.
Yo dawg I heard you liked pumpkin so I put pumpkin in everything you eat
Felix Salmon on why pumpkin is the new bacon. The weird thing about pumpkin’s rise to baconlike ubiquity is that pumpkin, on its own, is not a very appetizing food at all. A dense and stringy fruit, it needs the accompaniment of a lot of sugar and spices before it becomes particularly palatable. [more inside]
To drive people to the polls
Who is voting against MN's same sex marrage ban being enshrined in the MN constitution? Michael Brodkorb: Broadkorb, a former top strategist for the Minnesota Republican party before losing his job because of an affair with Senate Majority leader Amy Koch says he plans on voting against the amendment even though he helped craft it. The gag order in his case claiming wrongful termination was recently removed allowing him to "clear the air". perhaps the biggest charge that he lays so far is the amendments where strictly a ploy to drive voter turnout:
“The belief was, the United States senate race was not going to be close, and that Republicans needed and social conservatives needed a reason to get to the polls in November,
Blue Liquid
Last week, a male Facebook user wrote to Bodyform (a manufacturer of feminine hygiene products) to complain that its advertisements were not consistent with the realities of menstruation. Quickly thereafter, his post went viral, and today, the company responded.
Verizon: Can you track me now?
Verizon draws fire for monitoring app usage, browsing habits: Verizon Wireless has begun selling information about its customers' geographical locations, app usage, and Web browsing activities. The company this month began offering reports to marketers showing what Verizon subscribers are doing on their phones and other mobile devices, including what iOS and Android apps are in use in which locations. Verizon says it may link the data to third-party databases with information about customers' gender, age, and even details such as "sports enthusiast, frequent diner or pet owner." [more inside]
Very very trippy ISS videos
Framestacking ISS Video. This is seriously cool, produced by running International Space Station videos though framestacking software, successively adding the images to produce trails of light. View full screen and smoke it if you got it.
Self-described as Classical MTV
Flipping through public access or PBS channels one might have seen Classic Arts Showcase with it's familiar ARTS bug. The 24-hour non-commercial free-to-air satellite channel broadcasts a repeated 8-hour mix of about 150 video clips weekly a mix of various classic arts including animation, architectural art, ballet, chamber, choral music, dance, folk art, museum art, musical theater, opera, orchestral, recital, solo instrumental, solo vocal, and theatrical play, as well as classic film and archival documentaries. The channel has no VJs and only silent interstitials encouraging the viewer to “...go out and feast from the buffet of arts available in your community.” [more inside]
Mountain of Dinosaurs
"Mountain of Dinosaurs" (1967) A Russian cartoon, directed by Rasa Strautmane. WARNING: things don't end well for the Dinosaurs. [via]
Michael Asher (1943–2012)
"Michael devoted his work to exploring the limits of the galleries and schools and museums that give context and space for art, poking at all sorts of barriers and shibboleths with a humor that was sometimes sly, and sometimes hilarious. He removed walls and doors and windows from galleries and museum spaces, letting in daylight and air, letting out preconceptions."
Pioneering conceptual artist Michael Asher dies at 69 [more inside]
Defend your cereal
Ayn Bran - The Objectebreakfast. (SLFunnyOrDie)
On Benghazi
Our leaders -- of both parties -- have systematically infantilized Americans to believe that perfect security is attainable. This is one reason the White House reacts so defensively to any intimation that its conduct of the war on al-Qaeda is less than perfect. It’s one reason Republicans cynically argue that the administration is incompetent in its prosecution of the war, and in its mission to keep U.S. personnel alive. So long as both parties react so small-mindedly and opportunistically to the terrorist threat, we won’t be able to have a rational, adult conversation about the best ways to wage this war. - Jeffrey Goldberg, Benghazi Attack Brings Infantilizing Response
I'm a Dungeon Master! I deserve this promotion!
Can playing Dungeons & Dragons make you a more confident and successful person? The PBS Idea Channel posits that playing pen-and-paper role-playing games helps to develop valuable life skills such as problem solving, people management, and abstract thinking.
Jackie Guthrie Dies
Jackie Guthrie, wife of Arlo Guthrie, passed away at her home on October 14th. Arlo and Jackie were married in 1969 after meeting at the Troubadour in Hollywood where she worked as a cashier. They had recently celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary, she leaves behind 5 children and 10 grandchildren.
Arlo's recent posts on his facebook page are very personal and touching.
Endeavour
Time-lapse video of space shuttle Endeavour's journey through Los Angeles from the Los Angeles Times.
Rule 63 Ascendant
Photographer Senen Llanos likes profiles and costumes, so why not combine them both with The Faces Of New York Comic Con 2012 Part 2. (via)
Dog hero without a snout
Do not fold, bend, spindle, or mutilate
Schools in Missouri, Maryland, and other states are using fingerprint scans and RFID chips to track students as a means to speed up service in the cafeteria and to track student whereabouts in and around school. [more inside]
The Rain on Our Parade
A Letter to My Allies on the Left by Rebecca Solnit
Movies are a mass of objects moving across a large surface.
New world vs old world cooking
Sara White, Canadian blogger who recently moved to Rome, shares some thoughts about old world food cultures versus the American approach to cooking. One of the most interesting things to me about her post is the discussion about how having no limitations (many Americans can just waltz into a large supermarket and get almost anything from almost anywhere) can negatively impact culinary creativity.
Gary McKinnon will not be extradited from the UK to the USA
British computer hacker Gary McKinnon will not be extradited to the US, Home Secretary Theresa May has announced. [bbc]. She stated that "a decision to extradite would be incompatible with Mr McKinnon's human rights." on grounds of his mental illness(es) and propensity for suicidal thoughts. On a broader level she has also indicated that a forum bar will be available in future extraditions to the USA, meaning a court will be able to consider whether it would be more appropriate for a trial to be held in the UK. [more inside]
"how unprofessional can it really be?"
Alfred Eisenstaedt, LIFE magazine photographer and photojournalist, most famous for his photo of a sailor and nurse kissing in Times Square (Previously), had a habit of taking self-portraits with his subjects.
Professor Grumpy's Historical Manifesto
Put another way, the historian is the ‘Internal Affairs guy’. This is a well-known figure in popular TV ‘cop shows’ and rarely a ‘good guy’. He or she is there to suppose that the hero has lied or done something wrong and that the villains might have been wronged or be telling the truth. The character rarely turns out to be as unsettling as that but it works as an analogy. For me, the historian is not there to provide comforting truths but to question them. The historian must always be prepared to wonder whether the ‘heroes’ of history are not, in fact, the villains, [more inside]
The Barmaid's Arms
The operation was called Operation Barmaid, and it was so called because the Conqueror was fitted with two pincer-like cutting devices like arms out of the front of the submarine, and the idea was that it would sneak up behind a submarine or trawler that was using the towed-array sonar, and cut through the cable and bring the thing back.
(SLDaily Telegraph) [more inside]
Shared (bullshit) Sacrifice
"When global warming was recast as "climate change," that was Frank Luntz. When the estate tax became a "death tax," that was Frank Luntz. When the Affordable Health Care for America Act was held up as "a government takeover," that was Frank Luntz, too." How A Top GOP Strategist Is Helping Hockey Owners Craft Their Lockout Propaganda [more inside]
American businessman dumps 100 tonnes of iron sulphate into ocean off coast of Haida Gwaii.
A controversial American businessman dumped around 100 tonnes of iron sulphate into the Pacific Ocean as part of a geoengineering scheme off the west coast of Canada in July, a Guardian investigation can reveal.
200 nautical miles west of Haida Gwaii. No way that can screw up. [more inside]
200 nautical miles west of Haida Gwaii. No way that can screw up. [more inside]
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