Tickling Thicket: the art of Katty Stone and Yvette Molina. [Via BLDGBLOG and Inhabitat]
posted by homunculus at 11:11 PM PST - 2 comments

Guantanamo Bay, or Gitmo as it has often been called, has a long and sordid history of human rights abuses and those that have spent some time there have more than their fair share of stories to tell. But it looks as thought it's all coming to a close as in a major interview with 60 Minutes, Obama has vowed to shut down Guantanamo Bay and rebuild "America's moral stature in the world."
posted by Effigy2000 at 9:02 PM PST - 98 comments

Gold Standard, Way before then, Then, Now, and...
posted by Rafaelloello at 7:38 PM PST - 50 comments

Once Upon a Time - a filmed fairy tale starring baby monkeys lost in frightening trees, a witch, crocodiles, a tiger, a "popotamus" and a lion, and even a "tremendously very bad mammoth." (In French, English subtitles)
posted by madamjujujive at 7:04 PM PST - 12 comments

A well designed Japanese video about food security
posted by oxford blue at 6:50 PM PST - 44 comments

Your favorite rock typefaces.
posted by ardgedee at 6:22 PM PST - 17 comments

Babies born in 1954 have more Carbon-14 in their DNA ; trees have rings with a spike of C14 in that year, and even ringless equatorial trees will show an increase of radiocarbon if they were alive in 1954.

In the mid 1950s the United States, Britain, France and Russia tested not quite a million nuclear weapons. Maybe some part of them is still with you.
posted by plexi at 5:40 PM PST - 65 comments

A hidden room sealed inside the Great Pyramid may hold the explanation for how the pyramids were built. Previously, it was believed that the construction took place from the outside, but evidence points to the building starting on the inside and working out. Do you want to build your own pyramid at home? Well, that's considerably easier.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 4:51 PM PST - 27 comments

A lost Beatles track called Carnival of Light does exist and could be released. Sir Paul McCartney has a master tape of the piece, adding: "The time has come for it to get its moment."
posted by chuckdarwin at 4:35 PM PST - 34 comments

Animatsiya in English is weblog (warning: livejournal) with a narrow focus: tracking the production of Russian animated feature films. Russian animation has a long history with output both abstract and obstructed; from the early influence of the Russian avant-garde and the work of small groups of enthusiasts, through Stalin-era Socialist realism and a style known as Éclair that was marked by the use of extensive rotoscoping, to the 1960's and beyond when surreal and politically charged (and unfortunately, in this case, anti-Semitic) as well as unconventionally structured, emotionally fueled films found release. Fortunately, when Pilot Studio—the Soviet Union's first private animation studio—decided to relegate parts of that history to the dumpsters out back, the people were ready to sift through the mess.
posted by defenestration at 3:49 PM PST - 6 comments

Ian Anderson Advises You on Kitten Care You may think you remember Jethro Tull but the lead singer changed a bit over the years. As well as recently receiving an (honorary) doctorate in English literature and taking up the cause of wild cats, the multi talented Ian would also like to tell you about Indian food.
posted by mygothlaundry at 3:18 PM PST - 39 comments

Is the Multiverse Real? Discover takes a look at theories that our universe is one of many. This blogger adds some interesting commentary. via
posted by Bookhouse at 2:34 PM PST - 35 comments

Want to sell your pain reliever to mothers? Rule #1: Don't make an ad that pisses off the "Mommy Bloggers". Twitter is currently "Motrin Moms" central- but that's not good news for Motrin.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 2:28 PM PST - 119 comments

Duanna Johnson broke the news in June when vidotape of her (alleged) beating by Memphis police was leaked (youtube). According to Johnson, the provocation for the (alleged) assault was asking to be called by name rather than as "faggot" or "he/she." Involved in a lawsuit against the Memphis Police Department, she was murdered on Sunday. Answering a call for donations for funeral expenses, the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition raised $5,300 in four hours. There are nagging questions about the circumstances of the case and the level of coverage this case has received in comparison to Prop. 8 protests. (More coverage: bilerico, feministing, the HRC, questioning transphobia.)
posted by KirkJobSluder at 2:13 PM PST - 52 comments

Pictures and descriptions of sea slugs - an absolutely stunning species of marine life
posted by darsh at 2:06 PM PST - 16 comments

John Prine Live in 1980 on youtube--with interspersed interviews from around his hometown: in his 1951 Ford Custom Club Coupe (Automobile), down by the train tracks (Bruised Orange) on the porch ( How Lucky) and at the Scene of the Crime (The Accident). Previously
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:11 PM PST - 13 comments

Star Trek XI, the trailer. (previously)
posted by CunningLinguist at 11:44 AM PST - 247 comments

The Kneale Tapes (1, 2, 3, 4) documentary about British science fiction screenwriter Nigel Kneale.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 11:30 AM PST - 8 comments

The longer the fish can stay out of the water the less likely a predator will catch it. Flying fish are showing up all over the world.
posted by rageagainsttherobots at 10:50 AM PST - 28 comments

An Introduction to Sine-Wave Speech Play the first sound and you'll probably hear nothing but squeaks and bleeps. Play the second one and then go back to the first. Cool!
posted by TheDonF at 9:29 AM PST - 63 comments

Georges Barbier (nsfw)(1882-1932) Fashion Illustrator extraordinaire whose prints are easily found on the web now has the first posthumous exhibition of his work on show in Venice. Titled: The Birth of Art Deco Despite his prodigious output there is little biographical detail of his life. Some of his designs were exquisite. ( related ).
posted by adamvasco at 9:10 AM PST - 10 comments

Got some old leather articles lying around that have become dated, worn, or too small? Well, happy days are here again for your old leather goods, because here are some ideas on how to make old leather items into new items you can use.
posted by orange swan at 8:37 AM PST - 4 comments

The Tale of the Heike (Heike Monogatari) is a medieval Japanese account of the rise and fall of the Taira clan and has inspired many other works of art. Click on the chapters and scroll down to see Heike illustrations (or start here), see more art or figures inspired by the Heike. Would you rather read?
posted by ersatz at 8:29 AM PST - 10 comments

The fashion world scrambles to stay ahead. Michelle Obama emerges as an American fashion icon. She may appear in Vogue. Can she recover from her election night fashion faux pas? This is history in the making.
posted by twoleftfeet at 7:12 AM PST - 85 comments

Why systems fail - Review of the book: Systemantics; how systems work... and especially how they fail by John Gall. New York, Pocket Books, 1978. {via}
posted by kliuless at 6:33 AM PST - 21 comments