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New friendly fire coverup: Army shreds files on dead soldiers. "Hours after Salon revealed evidence that two Americans were killed by a U.S. tank, not enemy fire, military officials destroyed papers on the men."
posted by homunculus at 11:58 PM PST - 46 comments

Minnesota's recount of the Senate race between incumbent Norm Coleman (R) and challenger Al Franken (D) began yesterday. Some results are already being reported. One unintended consequence of the recount is the exposure of a shocking write-in challenger: Lizard People.
posted by nathan_teske at 11:02 PM PST - 70 comments

A 4-star rated book on CSS: The Art & Science of CSS is a FREE DOWNLOAD for 14 days from the folks at Sitepoint. Reader reviews give it 4 stars at Amazon. 208 pages. [more inside]
posted by spock at 9:16 PM PST - 33 comments

KVETCH : Am I venting or not?
posted by boo_radley at 7:21 PM PST - 31 comments

I do not want to spend too much time beating a dead war-horse, but your average D&D game consists of a group of white players acting out how their white characters encounter and destroy orcs and goblins, who are, as a race evil, uncivilized, and dark-skinned. To quote Steve Sumner’s essay again, “Unless played very carefully, Dungeons & Dragons could easily become a proxy race war, with your group filling the shoes of the noble white power crusaders seeking to extinguish any orc war bands or goblin villages they happened across.” I would argue with Sumner’s use of the phrase “could become,” and say that unless played very carefully, D&D usually becomes a proxy race war. Any adventurer knows that if you see an orc, you kill it. You don’t talk to it, you don’t ask what it’s doing there - you kill it, since it’s life is worth less than the treasure it carries and the experience points you’ll get from the kill. If filmed, your average D&D campaign would look something like Birth of a Nation set in Greyhawk.

- Race in Dungeons & Dragons by Chris van Dyke, a powerpoint talk given at Nerd Nite. Via Ta-Nehisi Coates' blog where there's a smart discussion going on about the essay.
posted by Kattullus at 7:18 PM PST - 195 comments

Believed to be extincted, the pygmy tarsier has recently resurfaced in a rain forest in Indonesia. More pictures here and video here.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 6:35 PM PST - 22 comments

If plastics, or pesticides, or antidespressants have got you down, you can still make art with it, drink it or cook with it. It's been a strange week for semen. [more inside]
posted by cjorgensen at 6:25 PM PST - 23 comments

In 1939, King George VI commissioned the Ministry of Information to produce three posters designed to reassure and prepare the British nation for an inevitable war. The posters were designed not so much to deliver any specific instruction, but rather to suggest an attitude - from King to country - towards the unknown. Stiff upper lip, old boy. KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. [more inside]
posted by 6am at 5:42 PM PST - 38 comments

What would you do with eternity and a bunch of rocks? [more inside]
posted by Tobu at 5:38 PM PST - 31 comments

The conservative (post-election) Crack-Up. In the wake of their recent defeats, many American conservatives have formed a circular firing squad, with some arguing that the GOP needs a little less GOD, while others say it's just a matter of returning to their roots. At this point, it looks like the party is headed for civil war and electoral disaster. Democrats and liberals may be enjoying the show these days, but what does the future hold for the GOP? (Previously.) [more inside]
posted by you just lost the game at 3:58 PM PST - 103 comments

Power To The Poster
posted by sciurus at 3:41 PM PST - 13 comments

APIC is dedicated to promoting the collection, preservation and study of materials relating to political campaigns and the U.S. presidency. While this site's appearance may not be, some people's collections and knowledge are impressive. [more inside]
posted by gman at 3:12 PM PST - 3 comments

"A frail old man lost in space and time. They give him this name because they don't know who he is. He seems not to remember where he has come from; he is suspicious and capable of sudden malignance; he seems to have some undefined energy; he is searching for something as well as fleeing from something. He has a 'machine' which enables them to travel together through time, through space, and through matter." The Genesis of Doctor Who.
posted by Knappster at 2:15 PM PST - 49 comments

Dallas Mavericks owner, celebrity dancer, Dairy Queen manager, and bloviating billionaire Mark Cuban has been accused of insider trading. In its complaint, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused Cuban of selling his entire stake in Momma.com (since renamed) to avoid a $750,000 loss in 2004. But not even the government has a gag big enough to cover Cuban's mouth. On his blog, Cuban says the SEC is picking on him and presented an excerpt of a deposition of Mamma.com's CEO. And Cuban would like you to believe that he's being politically persecuted for his support of the 9/11 conspiracy film, "Loose Change." Cuban's Magnolia Pictures, which redacted Redacted, was said to be interested in a distribution deal.
posted by up in the old hotel at 12:40 PM PST - 42 comments

The Faroe (Fær Øer) pilot whales slaughter (warning, crude pictures). The Faroe Islands (prev) were nominated in year 2007 by National Geographic as one of the most appealing tourism location in the world. The inhabitans have traditionally hunted pilot whales and other cetaceans for their own sustainment, but according also to their own national statistics (PDF) , the whale hunting business is no longer a significant factor. Some ongoing online petition is trying to put a final end to this practice.
posted by elpapacito at 12:10 PM PST - 37 comments

"The way all of these objects interact and just miss each other in the same environment, it's kind of building a machine out of organic movements." A timesculpture is part music video, part performance art, part kinetic sculpture, and part innovative use of computer and video technology. Its first application? Advertising, of course. [more inside]
posted by [user was fined for this post] at 12:03 PM PST - 28 comments

Overfishing - a global disaster: A Seafood Snob Ponders the Future of Fish while time runs out for Japan's dangerous obsession with the bluefin.
Blue Ocean Institute’s seafood program helps consumers discover the connection between a healthy ocean, fishing, and seafood. Here is a Guide to Good Fish guides., and some political recommendations.
posted by adamvasco at 11:28 AM PST - 14 comments

Culture Of Fear. An interesting look at the security concerns National Football League players harbour in the wake of the death of Sean Taylor, who was robbed and shot within his own home. Previously. [more inside]
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:14 AM PST - 4 comments

Claudia Castillo's new bronchus is the result of stem-cell research. The first hollow tube body part is transplanted with no rejection issues. A lab in Italy stripped the donor trachea of living tissue leaving a collagen matrix. Claudia's stem cells were grown in a Bristol lab, (all 6 million of them) to flesh it out, so to speak. Epithelial cells from her nose & lungs formed the lining. But...... [more inside]
posted by Wilder at 10:35 AM PST - 37 comments

The (Mostly) True Story of Helvetica and the New York City Subway. Why is Helvetica used now, and when did the changeover occur? To answer those questions this essay explores several important histories: of the New York City subway system, transportation signage in the 1960s, Unimark International and, of course, Helvetica.
posted by Combustible Edison Lighthouse at 10:27 AM PST - 16 comments

Poladroid is a free app for your mac that lets you drag an image onto the polaroid camera in the corner of your screen. it then spits out a polaroid image that develops on your desktop. there's a flickr group for these shots already. [more inside]
posted by krautland at 10:18 AM PST - 39 comments

You may have heard of John Ziegler. A former right-wing talk radio host turned right-wing documentarian, he was once the subject of a well-known David Foster Wallace essay about conservative talk radio. Ziegler later gained some notoriety by slamming Wallace heartlessly after the author committed suicide, calling him an overrated writer and criticizing the press for its coverage of his death. Now, Ziegler has once again made waves by going nuclear in an interview with pollster-watcher Nate Silver over the legitimacy of a commissioned Zogby poll. Silver questions the value of the poll, which contains leading questions, and which Ziegler plans on using in his upcoming documentary to "numerically prove" that Obama supporters are grossly misinformed idiots. [more inside]
posted by billysumday at 9:54 AM PST - 71 comments

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park, "are planning to stage a Broadway musical based on the lives and (many) loves of typical members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints." They - "along with Robert Lopez, the co-writer of 'Avenue Q' - have finally settled on a script and are workshopping their new production aptly titled, 'Mormon Musical.'" They've had fun with Mormons before: South Park episode: All About the Mormons? Full episode [21:37]. Clip [08:40]
posted by ericb at 9:53 AM PST - 45 comments

The bacon-and-fried-egg scarf. The Bad Clam. First Prize. Some tasty dreams, but mostly nightmares, are made of the abominations and inspired works found by the bloggers of Craftastrophe. [via MoFi]
posted by not_on_display at 9:38 AM PST - 16 comments

Justice for Audio. Opposing the destruction of great music.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 9:30 AM PST - 23 comments

Neil Gaiman celebrates 20 years since the first publication of Sandman. Yes it’s that old. Io9 lists five ways in which Sandman changed the comics world.
posted by Artw at 8:58 AM PST - 66 comments

RadioWallah - "Fabulous transistor radios from the fifties." A few more.
posted by Wolfdog at 8:51 AM PST - 11 comments

There are times when you are asked startlingly obvious questions - here is the all-purpose response.
posted by Happy Dave at 8:02 AM PST - 38 comments

NYC Rooftop Beekeeper - At 6:30 in the morning I met David Graves of Berkshire Berries outside a lower Manhattan building whose rooftop plays host to one of the 15 beehives he keeps on roofs around New York City... At Zina Saunder's blog filled with her portrait work. [previously]
posted by jim in austin at 7:28 AM PST - 12 comments

20 photos from the Civil War via listverse
posted by lobstah at 7:20 AM PST - 16 comments

One last goodbye for the memories. Theodore Fulton Stevens has lost his Alaska Senate seat.
posted by daHIFI at 6:14 AM PST - 75 comments

The invisible hand of the Free Market guides insurance payments to hospitals "Call it the best-kept secret in Massachusetts medicine: Health insurance companies pay a handful of hospitals far more for the same work even when there is no evidence that the higher-priced care produces healthier patients. In fact, sometimes the opposite is true: Massachusetts General Hospital, for example, earns 15 percent more than Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for treating heart-failure patients even though government figures show that Beth Israel has for years reported lower patient death rates."
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:46 AM PST - 29 comments

British media goes mental when someone leaks a list of British National Party online. The list is here as news outlets are wary of quoting directly. Given that membership of the BNP is forbidden for those in the Police force amongst other organisations, it's interesting reading. Their leader is interviewed on this morning's Five Live breakfast (about 2hrs in) on the matter, pointing out that as a party standing for election they are as legitimate as any other.
posted by mippy at 3:31 AM PST - 152 comments

YouTubeFilter: The Monty Python Channel: "No more of those crap quality videos you've been posting. We're giving you the real thing - HQ videos delivered straight from our vault." l a feast of vids 70 Signs of Intelligent Life at YouTube ( Smart Video Collections) l Book TV on YouTube l Computer History Museum on YT l 100 Awesome Youtube Vids for Librarians l Top 5 Most Inspirational Videos on YouTube l Top 10 Amazing Animal Videos l Top 10 YouTube Hacks l a couple of good YT member collections: TEDTalksDirector's YT vids and Basic Computer HowTo by Help Me Rick on YT l Amazing YouTube Video Tools Collection l Is YouTube the Next Google?
posted by nickyskye at 1:22 AM PST - 23 comments