November 21, 2012

The Ten Least Powerful People In Comics

The Ten Least Influential People in Comics [more inside]
posted by MartinWisse at 11:42 PM PST - 90 comments

The ++ operator is now illegal

What does proper authorization to access a computer system mean? Robert Graham of Errata Security writes about the recent conviction of Andrew Auernheimer (aka weev) for “hacking” AT&T. Two years ago, weev discovered a bug in AT&T's website that exposed the email addresses of customers with iPads. According to weev, the flaw was reported as per responsible disclosure practices by first informing AT&T before bringing it public. However the FBI investigated and arrested him under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). On 20th November 2012, he was found guilty of identity fraud and conspiracy to access a computer without authorization.
posted by destrius at 10:00 PM PST - 115 comments

Go Team Parasite!

As if ticks weren't awful/awesome enough already, the Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) has been shown to transmit an allergy to meat in humans. [more inside]
posted by wormwood23 at 8:10 PM PST - 34 comments

I didn’t dream up the helicopter. My memory is Jerry said a helicopter.

It may be the most notorious Thanksgiving promotion of all time. It is the 40th best television episode of all time. It's available in (semi-)entirety on HULU. And the classic TV blog offers an oral history. Happy thanksgiving, and, as God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 5:59 PM PST - 106 comments

To ensure the effective protection of the right to life of all persons under their jurisdiction...

The UN has condemned extrajudicial killing on the basis of gender identity. [more inside]
posted by jiawen at 5:35 PM PST - 37 comments

This world, alas, is far from perfect.

Things I Learned as a Field Biologist #65: "Collecting the fecal matter of your study subject is an art form, and not nearly as simple as one might think. In a perfect world, you would look through your binoculars into the canopy and see the prized excrement emerge freshly from the posterior of the exact animal you’re hoping to sample. This ample and cohesive bolus will fall magically, directly, to the ground at your feet, making for easy and immediate retrieval…"
posted by ChuraChura at 5:29 PM PST - 27 comments

just got an extremely troubling call from the manufacturer. not good

A Note From Our Founder.
"Friends—When I started this company, it was with one goal in mind: To market a high-quality, fun, innovative novelty T-shirt that combined the face of late night titan Jay Leno with the iconic imagery of similarly-first-named Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara.
We went live with a soft-launch of our product late last night (November 19th), a T-Shirt we dubbed the Che Leno.
The response was overwhelmingly one of negativity and confusion." [more inside]
posted by Atom Eyes at 5:12 PM PST - 94 comments

As he whispers in my ear: "Tonight you will die as a Hitchcock starlet"

Before The Pleasure Garden (Alfred Hitchcock's directorial debut) was released in 1925, Hitchcock's worked on a numerous silent films as both an assistant director and an art director. Now recently recovered and restored footage from one of his oldest, long-lost films, 1924's The White Shadow, has been released online, and you can watch it now at Film Preservation. (Via io9). Running time: About 43 minutes.
posted by Mezentian at 4:58 PM PST - 3 comments

Accept - Osaka, 1985

With their brutal, simple riffs and aggressive, fast tempos, Accept were one of the top metal bands of the early '80s, and a major influence on the development of thrash. Led by the unique vocal stylings of screeching banshee Udo Dirkschneider, the band forged an instantly recognizable sound and was notorious as one of the decade's fiercest live acts. - AllMusic
posted by Egg Shen at 4:42 PM PST - 29 comments

Snakes on the [Great] Plains

The state of Illinois is facing a $95 billion (and rising) unfunded pension liability. Governor Pat Quinn, in a bold attempt to get Illinoisians excited about pension reform, has unveiled a new mascot: Squeezy the Pension Python [YouTube]
posted by obscurator at 4:13 PM PST - 46 comments

I have tested Love Jet on 10,000 women

Meet the most famous inventor you’ve never heard of – whose greatest invention may be himself.
posted by juv3nal at 2:16 PM PST - 11 comments

Juilliard Releases Banned Repertoire List

Juilliard Releases Banned Repertoire List. "The vocal repertoire ban extends to the entire Bel Canto literature, all 24 Italian Songs and Arias, half of Schubert’s vocal output, and any Mozart aria containing a trill."
posted by ariel_caliban at 2:01 PM PST - 69 comments

Teleportation at the speed of download

Instant Google Street View. Type something (slowly) and teleport around the world.
posted by Sparx at 1:58 PM PST - 50 comments

The 78 Project

The 78 Project With just one microphone, one authentic 1930′s PRESTO direct-to-disc recorder, and one blank lacquer disk, musicians are given the opportunity to make a recording anywhere they choose. Random example: Joe Henry and Lisa Hannigan - Red River Valley
posted by swordfishtrombones at 1:56 PM PST - 6 comments

Male Models: The Female of the Species

Casey Legler is 6'2" has a neck tattoo, dark partially shaved hair, and a successful career as a male model. Which makes her fairly unique.
posted by bitdamaged at 1:35 PM PST - 32 comments

Holiday Etiquette

The perfect guide to holiday etiquette
posted by MechEng at 1:33 PM PST - 20 comments

Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are snub fighters going to be against that?

What would combat in space really be like?
posted by Chrysostom at 12:55 PM PST - 122 comments

Big generative jockey

Just when you thought it was safe to open a book... it's the Literary Review's annual Bad Sex Award! (Previously) This year's nominees include works by Tom Wolfe, Ben Masters, Nicola Barker, Paul Mason, Nancy Huston, Craig Raine, Nicholas Coleridge, and Sam Mills. Not on the list? J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy--despite "a couple of queasy moments," in the words of TLR senior editor Jonathan Beckman--and E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey, since the award "is not intended to cover pornographic or expressly erotic literature." Snippets from the nominated books can be found at the Guardian link.
posted by Cash4Lead at 12:34 PM PST - 33 comments

Music is a rebellious bird.

Zic Zazou (French homepage) is a group of nine musicians who often play music using objects and toy instruments. Here is a delightful video of them performing the Habanera from Carmen in a workshop, with the workshop. [more inside]
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:07 PM PST - 5 comments

Goodbye, Yankees

Who to root for now? As a result of FOX/News Corp. going into business with the New York Yankees through by acquiring a 49% stake in the Yankees's regional sports network, Craig Robinson disavows his Yankees fandom, and goes in search of a new baseball team to which to swear his allegiance and passion.
posted by dry white toast at 11:36 AM PST - 93 comments

Lookit them spoons rattle!

Old chap playing the spoons to Faithless. Pity there's no tipjar :-(
posted by ironjelly at 11:29 AM PST - 12 comments

Early English Laws

Early English Laws is a project to publish online and in print new editions and translations of all English legal codes, edicts, and treatises produced up to the time of Magna Carta 1215. [more inside]
posted by jedicus at 10:56 AM PST - 7 comments

If a reader ends up confused, it’s not their failure as a reader but yours as a writer.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has named the 2012 winners of their science journalism award. The winning text, radio and TV segments -- which cover subjects ranging from bat ecology to nuclear power post-Fukushima -- are all free access. [more inside]
posted by metaBugs at 10:55 AM PST - 2 comments

Project Right Side

During his tenure as George W. Bush's campaign manager and later as chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), Ken Mehlman helped push an anti-gay agenda which eventually led to legislation that banned same-sex marriage in 21 states. He came out of the closet in 2010. Since then, he's openly supported gay marriage. Now, his newest endeavor, Project Right Side, is trying to attract conservatives to the fight for marriage equality. He discusses the non-profit's goals in a WSJ editorial: Making the Same-Sex Case. [more inside]
posted by zarq at 10:49 AM PST - 58 comments

Grinnell College's Jack Taylor scores All-NCAA record 138 points

Yes, he only shot 48% from the floor, but last night, Jack Taylor, a sophomore guard from Div. III Grinnell College in Iowa, set a new men's NCAA basketball scoring record (on any level) by dropping in 138 points in Grinnell's 179-104 win over Faith Baptist Bible. This is the "insane" boxscore. You know a player has a big game when an opposing player (Faith Baptist Bible's David Larson) scores 70 points and becomes a footnote. So how'd he do it? [more inside]
posted by spock at 9:50 AM PST - 64 comments

When you dream, do you fly?

Hungarian photographer David Nemcsik has created a series called the "Levitation Project" where he invites his friends to answer the question "where were you in your last dream?" and then attempts to recreate the surrealism of experience by having them float in midair at the location. [via] [more inside]
posted by quin at 9:23 AM PST - 16 comments

Two great tastes that taste great together

Adventure Time - Bacon Pancakes New York (YT) Original audio here.
posted by joedan at 8:40 AM PST - 32 comments

I think I mentioned we also saw an actual knife fight in this same alley! With big giant meat cleavers!

Davesecretary of TIME FOR SOME STORIES fame (previously) decided to spend a year in a smallish Chinese city to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He slowly realizes that he's not having a very good time.
posted by The Whelk at 8:32 AM PST - 87 comments

World's Most Dangerous Ride (SLYT)

World's Most Dangerous Ride (SLYT) One mistake and it's a free fall to your death. Motology's Adam Riemann rides one of the scariest Himalayan trails you'll ever see.
posted by JujuB at 8:10 AM PST - 66 comments

Strunk & White & Pinker

Steven Pinker is apparently writing a science/academic writing style guide of sorts based on insights from psychology. Here is an hour-plus long video of Pinker discussing the book at MIT.
posted by AceRock at 7:49 AM PST - 19 comments

There is no higher education bubble

It's the splashing, not the popping. What if American student debt is just too profitable and secure to admit any systemic reform? An interesting and gloomy argument against the higher education bubble theory. [more inside]
posted by doctornemo at 7:25 AM PST - 159 comments

Honorary Degree Rescission Scoreboard

News today is Lance Armstrong can no longer claim an honorary doctorate from Tufts University. Other recent notable rescissions: UMass rescinded Robert Mugabe's, and University of Bedfordshire rescinded Jimmy Savile's. Nortwestern U also rescinded an offer of an honorary degree to Rev. Jeremiah Wright. In the win column, two universities were pressured to rescind offers of doctorates, but decided to proceed and award degrees: Duke University to Susan Komen's Nancy Brinker, and CUNY to playwright Tony Kushner.
posted by surplus at 6:41 AM PST - 36 comments

I am the gravestone and the photograph

I am Hazara Close to 1,000 Hazaras have been killed in targeted attacks and shootings in [Quetta] the capital of Pakistan’s largest province [Baluchistan]. The indifference towards the atrocities has forced this shrinking community to take escape routes and gamble between life at the promised land and death at the ocean. Dawn, Pakistan's largest English-language daily, puts together an essay accompanied by short videos (subtitled in English).
posted by bardophile at 6:28 AM PST - 8 comments

Malfunction Guaranteed

Randobot [Flash] is a "reimagined" take on the Rockman/Mega Man Saga: the player must guide a defective automaton through a fortified compound, while collecting energy cores and dodging enemies. As the machine was rushed out of development, software patches will have to be transmitted wirelessly to the unit at critical points of the enemy base. In spite of any and all modifications performed, there will still be a chance of the drone failing to perform the most rudimentary tasks.
posted by Smart Dalek at 4:47 AM PST - 25 comments

Basset hounds. Running.

Bassethoundsrunning tumblr is most definitely the most hilarious animal tumblr ever. So glad I found this again!
posted by thylacinthine at 2:47 AM PST - 33 comments

THR & The Blacklist

After 65 Years The Hollywood Reporter addresses its role in the hollywood blacklist, including an apology from W.R. Wilkerson III, son of THR founder Billy Wilkerson whose "A Vote For Joe Stalin" editorial named writers such as Dalton Trumbo, Lester Cole, Howard Koch and John Howard Lawson as communist sympathisers.
posted by Artw at 12:36 AM PST - 8 comments

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