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An internationally recognized Kanien'kehaka (Mohwak) intellectual and political advisor, Taiaiake Alfred is well known for his incisive critiques and groundbreaking work in the fields of Indigenous governance and political philosophy. In the past, Taiaiake has served as an advisor on land and governance and cultural restoration issues for many indigenous governments and organizations, and he has authored several important books including Wasáse: Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom and Peace, Power, Righteousness. Currently, Taiaiake serves as a Professor of Indigenous Governance at the University of Victoria. Recorded March 23, 2009 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, University of Victoria Professor of Indigenous Governance; a broad, deep, and beautiful discussion of pathways toward the future for indigenous people, Gerald Taiaiake Alfred talks about the “Resurgence of Traditional Ways of Being: Indigenous Paths of Action and Freedom” [more inside]
posted by infinite intimation at 11:01 PM PST - 15 comments

Extremity is "tri-dimensional collage" by Emilio Gomariz. It's one of his latest works. His animated gifs.
posted by nickyskye at 10:43 PM PST - 5 comments

"Greetings, I'm MAX, the computer. Maybe you've heard of me, I'm superintendant here!" - Welcome to The Thirteenth Floor!
posted by Artw at 9:05 PM PST - 14 comments

Four is a premium alcoholic beverage that features 12% alcohol and a serious (but undisclosed) dose of caffeine. While the original "energy beer" dropped the caffeine from their formula in 2008, Four Loko has become a hit on college campuses. Now, nine students were sent to the hospital after a party at Central Washington University where the "black out in a can" was on hand. The FDA is mulling a general ban.
posted by chrchr at 6:47 PM PST - 144 comments

So You Want to Get a PhD in the Humanities. Also. (Previously)
posted by shivohum at 5:46 PM PST - 90 comments

No mystery left in the world: Researchers say chupacabras are just coyotes and wild dogs with severe mange. [Warning, sad pictures of dead canidae].
posted by 2bucksplus at 4:59 PM PST - 35 comments

Kentucky officials have identified the assailant in the face-stomping of a private citizen shortly before a debate between candidates for the office of Senator in the state of Kentucky. Contrary to initial reports which quickly dismissed the assault as the isolated acts of assorted private citizens, it has now been revealed that the gentleman curb-stomping the head of a MoveOn.org activist prior to the debate between candidates last night was none other than a county-level representative of the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, Mr. Rand Paul.
posted by joe lisboa at 4:20 PM PST - 359 comments

Graham "Grickle" Annable, perpetrator of the previously popular "Space Wolf"* animation, celebrates Halloween with some spooky, kooky, ooky** toons: in '07 it was the zombie-themed "Last Duet on Earth", in '08 "Joy to the Weird", last year we were introduced to "Principal Skeleton" and this year "Performance" (Spoiler: HE'S BACK). [more inside]
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:14 PM PST - 6 comments

Ironman 1997: Sian Welch & Wendy Ingraham crawl for fourth place.
posted by hermitosis at 4:07 PM PST - 24 comments

Where Children Sleep: Children's bedrooms from around the world
posted by goo at 3:30 PM PST - 51 comments

Awesome people being awesome. (SLYT)
posted by morganannie at 3:22 PM PST - 52 comments

Communist Space Babies. Title says it all, really. The tags were pretty easy too.
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 2:47 PM PST - 23 comments

The Barack Whisperer. Robert Draper's in-depth look at Robert Gibbs, senior advisor and press secretary to President Obama, and his sometimes controversial relationship to the media.
posted by availablelight at 2:33 PM PST - 16 comments

Shows like This American Life, All Things Considered, and similar stalwarts of Public Radio in the UK, Australia, and Canada have combined with the explosion of podcastery to inspire hordes of (fantastic) imitators. The result? An irresistable smorgasbord of intellectual content. Bill Mckibben examines the history of the trend, and how it can be maintained. [more inside]
posted by mreleganza at 2:04 PM PST - 36 comments

Mr (Mad) Men. Mad Men + Mr Men = Mr Sterling Gets Angry
posted by crossoverman at 1:32 PM PST - 26 comments

Time Magazine recently profiled Richard Fuller and his Blacksmith Institute in the magazine's series, "Power of One." Fuller, the president of an environmental consulting firm, is also the founder of the Blacksmith Institute, a non profit organization which is dedicated to identifying and cleaning up badly polluted sites in the developing world, especially those sites where children are at risk. Charity Navigator indicates the institute is efficient with its approximately $4 million in revenue, but it has greater ambitions. One project is to build a $500 million public health fund "to fight and eliminate legacy pollution."
posted by bearwife at 1:10 PM PST - 3 comments

Get a grip on this. "It turns out that opposable thumbs aren't critical for getting a good grip. Neither are fingers. Scientists have created a robotic arm that can do everything from serve drinks to draw pictures even though it has no digits. Their robotic hand, which they describe online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a thin rubber sack filled with coffee grains or small glass spheres. When this hand comes in contact with an object, a small pipe sucks air from the sack, causing it to contract and mold to the object's shape. The contraction is small—a mere 1% change in volume–but was enough to grab most objects the researchers tested." Inside the balloon hand. The robotic mitt. Via: Sciencemag.org
posted by Fizz at 12:53 PM PST - 50 comments

Previously on metafilter, a flock of ducks died in a Syncrude tailings pond in Northern Alberta. Last week Syncrude was fined 3 million dollars. Now, another flocks of ducks has landed in another Syncrude tailing pond. Meanwhile, the Council of Canadians is warning that Alberta may be on the road to privatising water rights, something that ducks have previously been using for free. [/tongue in cheek.]
posted by Stagger Lee at 12:00 PM PST - 33 comments

Back in May, Jen (but never Jenn) spent 2 weeks emulating a 1950s Housewife. [Results] [Lessons] Now she's back, this time, with a more husband-centric attempt at 1950s living.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:57 AM PST - 64 comments

Who best to officiate a zombie wedding? Only the newly ordained Bruce Campbell. [more inside]
posted by cottoncandybeard at 10:31 AM PST - 60 comments

'Death' is different than a haunted house, according to Michael Speece. "We don't have a safe word to give you an easy out. If you don't like the experience, tough".
posted by 300two8 at 10:07 AM PST - 134 comments

"The successful genres of a particular period are reflections of the needs and thoughts and social struggles of that time." Daniel Abraham offers some thoughts on the nature of literary genre, including urban fantasy, complete with specific predictions for the future of science fiction.
posted by Zed at 9:29 AM PST - 77 comments

The World's Largest Gummy Worm. Six Things You Could Do With The World's Most Disturbing Halloween Candy Besides Eat It. Shouldn't that be "Gummi" Worm? Hans Riegel Sr. must be spinning in his grave!
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 9:23 AM PST - 33 comments

Nobuhiko Obayashi's House (also called Hausu) has been a cult film legend pretty much since its 1977 release in Japan. As director, Obayashi alchemizes the usual horror trappings (seven pretty young girls, each defined by one personality trait, visit a mysterious aunt who lives in a creepy house in the middle of nowhere) into a glorious, barely coherent, eminently watchable fever dream. The film has been discussed by those in the know for some time, but unless one knew who to ask, or lucked into the right festival, actually seeing the movie outside of the trailer or scenes on Youtube has been a bit of a difficult task. This particular injustice has officially been remedied, in a move for which very few people were calling out, but more might have if they'd known about it: House has been released on region 1 DVD and Blu-Ray by no less an entity than the Criterion Collection, finally taking its rightful place in cinematic history alongside such films as Rashomon, The Seventh Seal, and Olivier's Hamlet. Just in time for that Halloween party! Provided you not only want your guests to be entertained but also thoroughly bewildered and maybe slightly shellshocked.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 8:27 AM PST - 40 comments

Sándor Kégl, master of languages (via mr)
posted by kliuless at 7:28 AM PST - 15 comments

From the venerable MONSTER BRAINS (previously, previously, previously) comes the lost children's classic GODZILLA LIKES TO ROAR
posted by The Whelk at 7:17 AM PST - 19 comments

Wondering why the traffic is so slow? WONDER NO MORE! [Via]
posted by Lord_Pall at 6:33 AM PST - 65 comments

Physicist responds to Troll Physics.
posted by emilyd22222 at 6:13 AM PST - 59 comments

Paul the Psychic Octopus is dead. The English-born octopus shot to fame this summer by successfully predicting the results of World Cup matches.

Tributes are flooding in.
posted by i_cola at 4:52 AM PST - 82 comments

Exact String Matching Algorithms - Source code for Boyer-Moore, Horspool and other string-matching algorithms, along with visualizations of their operation
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:25 AM PST - 15 comments

"I have made a decision. I will no longer debate the issue of homosexuality in the church with anyone." So begins Bishop John Spong's scathing assault on anti-gay Christians: 'I will no longer discuss with them or listen to them tell me how homosexuality is "an abomination to God," about how homosexuality is a "chosen lifestyle," or about how through prayer and "spiritual counseling" homosexual persons can be "cured." Those arguments are no longer worthy of my time or energy.'
posted by rodgerd at 1:22 AM PST - 289 comments

Picking locks for fun and education!
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:49 AM PST - 20 comments