November 3, 2007

TYPE HARD OR GO HOME

Some people care about their keyboards. The Northgate OmniKey (now resurrected) was once legendary. There are those who mourn the passing of the space cadet keyboard and its successors, and those who campaign for its revival. The late, lamented (though not by everyone) Apple Extended Keyboard was finally recreated.

But, for the purist, there is only one true keyboard, the best ever made: the IBM Model M. [more inside]
posted by enn at 11:47 PM PST - 124 comments

Newsfilter

“I will not let my country commit suicide,” says General Pervez Musharraf in an address to the nation, after declaring Martial Law, in Pakistan, yesterday night. Benazir Bhutto, who had earlier returned to the country to a large reception (and whose convoy was later attacked) along with former Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff, have condemned the act.
posted by hadjiboy at 10:53 PM PST - 61 comments

Antioch College

Antioch College has been slowly dying for decades, and last summer the trustees decided to close it at the end of this school year. Or maybe not; they just changed their minds.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 8:55 PM PST - 18 comments

Olive U.

Caltech students spent Friday, Nov. 2, harvesting olives; the 130 olive trees on campus are expected to yield 100-200 gallons. The idea was born last October when biology major Ricky Jones and physics major Dvin Adalian were observed picking the fruit by university president Jean-Lou Chameau--who promised "he would prepare them a home-cooked meal if they could figure out how to turn the olives into olive oil. They met the challenge using blenders, concrete blocks, window screens and a centrifuge." [more inside]
posted by GrammarMoses at 7:24 PM PST - 19 comments

Learning is fun.

Stimulating and enthralling pictures about sex. (NSFW) [more inside]
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 7:20 PM PST - 71 comments

Cruise Elroy: A Pac-Man Linkfest

Is it just not enough to play Pac-Man on the Atari, PC, OS X dashboard, web, and cellphone? Try Pac-Gentleman, the Pac-Man board game, or just get some costumes and do it yourself. [more inside]
posted by churl at 6:33 PM PST - 16 comments

I'm just going around the corner, darling. I'll be back in 14 years.

UK native Karl Bushby has been walking around the world since 1998. No, literally: walking. around. the. world. It hasn't been without its trials, of course (resolution). He isn't expected home until 2012.
posted by desjardins at 3:34 PM PST - 19 comments

Picking Up Girls Made Easy

Picking Up Girls Made Easy followed by Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
posted by spock at 2:39 PM PST - 26 comments

Ron Paul and the Sex Pistols

"Ron Paul and the Sex Pistols!" Never thought I’d hear the words “Ron Paul and the Sex Pistols” in the same phrase.
posted by augustweed at 2:02 PM PST - 63 comments

White Liberal Guilt: The Game

Real Lives is an educational game for students that's meant to teach geography in a fun and interesting manner, but I think it just proves how soul-crushingly difficult it is for a Westerner like me to eek out subsistence living when I'm, say, the fifth child of seven in an impoverished nation somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa. Add this one to the list of socially aware games (previously) that have been popping up here and there these last few years.
posted by Weebot at 1:06 PM PST - 10 comments

Gnome invasion

You wake up in the morning and step outside for a breath of fresh air. Groggy and coffee-less, it takes you a moment to notice that your yard has been invaded by lawn gnomes. Don't be a victim. Conversely, become a part of the problem. Missing a loved one? [more inside]
posted by baphomet at 11:50 AM PST - 17 comments

Redesign human body parts?

The pancreas is a completely crummy organ...... so which parts of the human body could you design better? Interesting article and comments.
posted by Rumple at 11:36 AM PST - 71 comments

Faces of Battle

As Armistice Day approaches an exhibition reveals a hidden side to the horror of World War I. It contains previously unseen images of British servicemen who suffered terrible facial injuries in the conflict. The exhibition also tells the story of one surgeon - Harold Gillies – who through his efforts to help them became known as the father of modern plastic surgery. WARNING: Some of the following images are of a very graphic nature.
posted by infini at 11:01 AM PST - 8 comments

Maker Faire

The Maker Faire in Austin is over but you can see all the blue ribbon winners here. Dont miss stuff like the star wheel, or the life sized mousetrap, artgolf, high-voltage toys, a parking lot trebuchet, and of course robots.
posted by damn dirty ape at 10:09 AM PST - 10 comments

Hitler’s gas chamber

Scent of a Führer - The dictator who smelt it, dealt it. Hitler wanted to control the world. But he couldn't even control his flatulence. (Via)
posted by growabrain at 9:00 AM PST - 56 comments

Harriet Klausner, Amazon reviewer #1

Harriet Klausner, 55, is Amazon's #1 book reviewer, with almost 15,000 book reviews in the past 8 years or slightly over 5 per day. Her coveted position in the highly competitive world of Amazon review rankings has earned her accolades from Time Magazine, a write-up in Wired Magazine, and more than a little snarky skepticism from other reviewers. If you like her taste in books, she keeps an archive of reviews.
posted by stbalbach at 8:56 AM PST - 47 comments

Tragic Guitar Romantics

The Exploding Hearts. The Exploding Hearts were a punk rock / power pop band from Portland, Oregon. The Hearts were generating enormous buzz: their debut album was getting over-the-top rave reviews and the band were regionally famous for their energetic live shows. Sadly, however, three of the band's four members died in a car accident in 2003 on their way home after a gig in San Francisco, thus putting a sudden tragic end to a very promising career. The band drew their influence from early British punk bands like The Undertones, Buzzcocks, The Jam, The Only Ones and Nick Lowe. [more inside]
posted by psmealey at 7:58 AM PST - 20 comments

pet hyenas

The Hyena Men, seen a couple of years ago and now updated: Pieter Hugo's gallery of photographs of people with hyenas and baboons as pets in Abuja, Nigeria.Text. [more inside]
posted by nickyskye at 7:26 AM PST - 12 comments

"Ladies and Gentlemen: The Teeny Little Super Guy."

You can't tell a hero by his size
I'm just a Teeny Little Super Guy!
Oh yeah!"

Writer for Roger Ramjet, Dirk Niblick, and voice of the Glitch.
Jim Thurman, one Teeny Little Super Guy I miss.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:37 AM PST - 23 comments

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