November 22, 2015
Fun with n-grams and the internet's other discussion site
You may have heard about n-grams, which identify particular strings of text in a large corpus (an n=3 n-gram could be "plate of beans"). You probably have played with Google Ngram search which lets you look through millions of books to see the first use of the phrase, or when it was most popular (though be warned, recent research shows some limitations, such as the false popularity of a certain expletive in the 1700s). The newest is the Reddit ngram search by 538, which lets you chart the rise and fall of things progressive and regressive. I await more insights in the discussion...
Unicorn on a Roll
Heavenly Nostrils by Dana Simpson.
It all started when Phoebe skipped a rock across a pond and accidentally hit a unicorn in the face. Improbably, this led to Phoebe being granted one wish, and using it to make the unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, her obligational best friend. [more inside]
How to Feed an Army
Feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of feeding your holiday guests? Maybe you should refresh yourself on "How to Feed an Army" (1901). Perhaps a history lesson on feeding the troops would inspire you? (Break out your P38.) Ever wonder about the nutritional content of combat rations? Can sailors bring ship-grown lettuce to the table? [more inside]
Good job, internet.
In preparation for police raids tonight in Brussels, Belgian authorities asked journalists not to tweet using #brusselslockdown. The response has been a hundred thousand photos of cats.
Rolling in the Turkey...
As we enter Thanksgiving week in one of the most politically-charged environments in recent memory, Saturday Night Live reminds us to steer the dinner-table conversation toward something that everybody can agree upon -- Adele's new album is pretty great.
Leave no ball behind.
"Once upon a time, in a tiny home, lived three ball brothers: Biita, Biisuke, and Biigoro. The three lived happily together but one day.... What?! Two of the brothers were taken!"
And so begins Biisuke Ball's Big Adventure, where one little ball braves a Rube Goldberg machine and larger-than-life enemies to rescue his ball brothers and bring them home. (Turn on closed captioning for subtitles in English.) [SLYT]
And so begins Biisuke Ball's Big Adventure, where one little ball braves a Rube Goldberg machine and larger-than-life enemies to rescue his ball brothers and bring them home. (Turn on closed captioning for subtitles in English.) [SLYT]
Kaizo Trap - full of dead ends
Kaizo Trap is an animated story about love, determination, and overcoming nearly impossible obstacles. Mostly that last thing. It pays tribute to ultra-difficult platformers like Kaizo Mario World and the speedrunners they inspire to achieve impressive results through brutal trial and error, as well as tool-assisted speedruns that make the impossible look easy. The title "Kaizo Trap" refers to a particular trope within these unfairly difficult games. Note: the first link has a photosensitivity warning and maybe more cartoon violence than you might expect. [more inside]
"Lately, the Sea of Polls is deeper than ever before, and darker."
Politics and the New Machine, Jill Lepore, New Yorker-"What the turn from polls to data science means for democracy." [more inside]
It spent all its money on whiskey and beer
Remember the prototype lunar rover that was believed to be scrapped but was recovered by a junkyard owner? It just failed to sell at auction, and could be yours if you have an amount of money more than $30000 burning a hole in your pocket.
Adventures with Mari the Shiba Inu
Ms. Mari has been called a total jerk, but the Shiba Inu is also a good sport in costumes and scenarios, as seen in inosemarine's numerous YouTube videos. Some popular picks: an unhelpful cooking assistant in 邪魔されクッキング | rejected affections in 柴犬の拒む瞬間６連パチュー 6 running fire that a dog refuses and more in 柴犬の拒む瞬間５連パチューー ５ running fire that a dog refuses | Mari keeps her person attentive with water in 浪人させない犬.
"A more civilized age" indeed.
The knighthood of Star Wars is neither Galactic nor an Order. "In the Star Wars films, the Jedi Order and their Galactic Republic are an undemocratic, ineffective government maintained by a combination of religious awe and martial force. Nobody elected their Council - they noisily resent any outside input at all - yet each member of their entire order is a roving diplomat plenipotentiary, general, judge, and executioner. Their members are spirited away as toddlers, promised that they are chosen by a higher, ineffable power, and trained to act without emotion while training them in personal combat and the ability to telepathically manipulate "the weak-minded". They are trusted despite the fact that this power can corrupt - not only in the traditional way, but in a metaphysical one, transforming these unemotional, unaccountable warlord-judges into monstrous super-powered spree killers. "
Tweeting from a protest subjects you to enrollment in a police database
Your Social Media Posts Are Fueling the Future of Police Surveillance - Any posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other location-tagged social media uploaded in [an] area will appear on a display at police headquarters. An uploaded Vine from one block away could show someone running away, and give the cops a starting point for their investigation. How long until that hypothetical situation is a reality? “We’re 100 percent there,” says Lee Guthman, head of business development at Geofeedia, a location-based social media monitoring site.
Sibelius 3
Sibelius: Symphony No. 3 [YouTube]. There is no imagery and no drama—except that of the musical events themselves—for you to lose yourself in. This is like Haydn. You can't do anything with it except listen to it.
Greek New Testament Papyrus: $99 + shipping and handling. Buy it now!
I think they use Dire Straits, Sade and the Batman soundtrack.
Start your day with a video and some ridiculous numbers: The Slow Mo Guys spin a CD at 23,000 RPM and film it at 170,000 FPS.
Robots that are Shitty
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