December 11, 2007

To Infinity and Beyond

Visual in jokes from Pixar Animation.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:43 PM PST - 39 comments

Do Not Resuscitate

Do Not Resuscitate. "For families facing the impending death of a loved one, few topics trigger more anguish than the Do Not Resuscitate order... There is little ambiguity in a DNR order: Emergency medical staff must withhold CPR and other life-reviving treatments if the patient's heart or breathing stops, allowing death." But, DNR orders aren't always cut-and-dried. There are many situations that complicate the medical professional's decision to comply. Related: Some people have opted to get a "D.N.R." tattoo, but others have wondered if it will hold up in court as a legal directive. [First link Via].
posted by amyms at 9:47 PM PST - 55 comments

You'll put your eye out!

Jean Shepherd was one of the greatest storytellers ever to be heard on radio. The Jean Shepherd Project collects recordings of these historic broadcasts, converts them to mp3 files and makes them available to be revisited by his longtime fans and by those who wish to discover what great American storytelling is all about. [more inside]
posted by carsonb at 8:05 PM PST - 26 comments

"turn to page 69 of any book and read it. If you like that page, buy the book."

The Page 69 Test --inspired by Marshall McLuhan's suggestion to readers for choosing a novel, a new blog, inviting authors to describe what's on page 69. One says: Not the best, but not the worst. If my pages were presidents, I’d put page 69 somewhere in the James K. Polk range.
posted by amberglow at 7:17 PM PST - 28 comments

Life Is Short

Passage -- a small game about a big subject.
posted by empath at 6:57 PM PST - 24 comments

The Unsung Joe: Where bit--part actors go when they die

The Unsung Joe: Where bit-part actors go when they die. Biographies of the most obscure micro-stars of 1940s and '50s cinema, all remarkably well-researched and richly illustrated.
posted by jack_mo at 5:51 PM PST - 28 comments

Burnt Face Man

The Gay Adventures of Burnt Face Man.
posted by C17H19NO3 at 5:44 PM PST - 14 comments

To Snitch or Not To Snitch: That Is The Question

Stop Snitchin' may be the hidden link between hip hop and the 1980s alternative rock group, House of Freaks. According to the New York Post, journalist Ethan Brown has accomplished "making the Stop Snitching movement seem reasonable" in his new book Snitch: Informants, Cooperators, and the Corruption of Justice. Brown argues that harsh mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses have created a "cottage industry of cooperators" and informants who fabricate evidence, because Provision 5K1.1 of federal sentencing guidelines gives leniency in exchange for "substantial assistance to authorities." According to Brown, two of these criminal cooperators included Ray Dandridge and Ricky Gray, the perpetrators of the Richmond spree murders that ended the life of Brian Harvey of House of Freaks, his wife, and his two children. On the other hand, Mark Kleiman argues that the Stop Snitchin' movement has driven homicide clearance rates so low that, in some cities, "you have a better than even chance of literally getting away with murder." [more inside]
posted by jonp72 at 5:16 PM PST - 63 comments

Beyond Belief: Enlightenment 2.0.

Beyond Belief: Enlightment 2.0. Video of the five sessions of the 2007 Beyond Belief conference on science and religion has been posted at The Science Network's website. Each Google Video runs about four hours. (This year's speakers; this year's agenda; previously.)
posted by Prospero at 4:38 PM PST - 16 comments

Is adoption the best option?

After outrage was sparked by a Dutch couple who abandoned their Korean adopted daughter in Hong Kong (and they wouldn't be the first couple to consider returning an adopted child like a shelter puppy) some may start to wonder whether adoption is an unmitigated good. Foreign adoptions are especially prone to accusations of child buying, and some adoptees are mad as hell at the racism inherent in the adoption trade. Even domestic adoption is criticized by some for being traumatic to both mothers and their children.
posted by InnocentBystander at 2:24 PM PST - 139 comments

The Life and Adventures of Zamba

"It will no doubt be deemed a strange circumstance that an African negro should attempt to write a book, and that he should presume to offer his production to the enlightened people of Great Britain."

The Life and Adventures of Zamba, an African Negro King; and His Experience of Slavery in South Carolina. Written by Himself.
posted by borkingchikapa at 1:28 PM PST - 16 comments

The Megacity

"The really disturbing thing about Lagos’s pickers and venders is that their lives have essentially nothing to do with ours. They scavenge an existence beyond the margins of macroeconomics. They are, in the harsh terms of globalization, superfluous." The Megacity, George Packer in Lagos.
posted by afu at 1:09 PM PST - 25 comments

popculture advertising ephemera

From about 1875 to the 1940s, cigarette cards spurred tobacco sales. Sets offer a glimpse into the popculture of the times, spanning newsmakers, cinema celebrities, and sports stars; cute illustrated subjects, like "frisky" and children with rosy cheeks; handy info like air raid precautions, first aid, and amusing tricks; and neat stuff like famous escapes, exotic races, and figures of speech. Browse more fun sets of vintage images.
posted by madamjujujive at 12:25 PM PST - 21 comments

1954–2007

Building a mandolin from start to finish. A beautiful documentary in three parts on the work of the late great Portland luthier John Sullivan.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 12:14 PM PST - 9 comments

Merry Christmas, Mayor Daley

Last week, the Chicago Reader laid off four of its best journalists: John Conroy (previously), Harold Henderson, Tori Marlan, and Steve Bogira. The cuts almost certainly mark the beginning of the end of the paper's role in Chicago as an investigative force and a corruption watchdog. The New York Times responds with a salute to Conroy and a defense of muckraking's relevance. [more inside]
posted by Iridic at 12:02 PM PST - 25 comments

Probably not quite a fiasco!

Atlanta's Theat(er|re) community is unloading on a local Christmas show. [more inside]
posted by bovious at 10:21 AM PST - 32 comments

Bonnie and Clyde my ass...

"This story would be nothing without the photos" [more inside]
posted by butterstick at 10:14 AM PST - 84 comments

Old Clothes

Puzzled about what to get the history buff, throwback or Luddite on your holiday shopping list? Explore the sutler's wares in the world of historic reproduction clothing! Strut your eighteenth-century style with Jas. Townsend & Son, or dress for the Lewis & Clark expedition with Smoke & Fire. USHist.com provides the finest in Mexican War and Cavalry/Indian War apparel, as well as fashion to end all wars in theWWI collection. Don't forget the ladies (and weak-minded gents) left at home - Blockade Runner offers fine Civil War civvies. [more inside]
posted by Miko at 9:20 AM PST - 22 comments

Giant, Angry, Moving Mountains

Maverick's, (previously: 1, 2, 3) the legendary birthplace of big-wave surfing, saw one of its biggest, scariest days ever one week ago today. While I sat at a desk, the pros and the stone crazy were cheating death, not once, but twice on fog-shrouded, moving mountains. All in a day's work.
posted by whahappen?! at 8:58 AM PST - 29 comments

The Golden Dreydl

The Golden Dreydl (streaming audio): a wonderfully... different arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. [more inside]
posted by halogen at 8:01 AM PST - 4 comments

Led Zeppelin live - December 10, 2007

Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know.
The piper's calling you to join him.
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know,
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind...
Led Zeppelin live - December 10, 2007
posted by Pastabagel at 7:27 AM PST - 90 comments

This post has been innovisioneered by trained professionals.

Worst Word Mashup Trademark Filings. From the guy who brought you the FARK NSFW shenanigans and the Dreamcast 2 foofaraw. Innovisioneering? Really?
posted by Rock Steady at 7:20 AM PST - 15 comments

Best-Designed Sites on the Web by Popular Vote

CommandShift3 is like Hot or Not. Except, instead of clicking on hot babes, you click on hot websites. It's actually a pretty nice way to check out good design on the web. [more inside]
posted by MattS at 7:14 AM PST - 16 comments

I Got Stoned and Missed It

Shel Silverstein, songwriter. "A Boy Named Sue," as performed by Johnny Cash; "One's on the Way," performed by Loretta Lynn; "The Unicorn Song" performed by the Irish Rovers. (All YouTube links) [more inside]
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:53 AM PST - 29 comments

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a flying puppet!

Carl Rankin builds awesome RC planes out of straws, plastic wrap, tape, and foam take-out boxes. (via)
posted by MrMoonPie at 5:19 AM PST - 12 comments

The Bible According to Google Earth

The Bible According to Google Earth A new artwork imagines four scenes from the Bible as if captured by Google Earth
posted by alexanderj at 5:12 AM PST - 35 comments

大家要節約用水喔!

Food Photoblog of the No Shower Family. Representing Tainan, Taiwan on the food blogging map!!
posted by rxrfrx at 4:00 AM PST - 20 comments

Eight Bars of Soul

Proceeding Otis by two years and 364 days, Sam Cooke was shot and killed on this day in 1964. Much controversy still surrounds his death, but his legacy is untouchable and influence sweeping. From gospel to pop, he did it all. You Send Me, Ain't That Good News, Cupid, Chain Gang, and Bring it on Home to Me were some of his biggest hits and (along with Ray's work) the early foundations of soul; but it was one song, inspired by a white boy's passion, that gave a posthumous voice to a broken nation. Today and forever, Sam Cooke is yours, he'll never grow old.
posted by Roman Graves at 2:59 AM PST - 31 comments

Experimental Philosophy

The New New Philosophy. "Philosophers are increasingly eager to go out into the world and conduct experiments. But will their results settle any arguments?" [Via Mind Hacks]
posted by homunculus at 12:04 AM PST - 69 comments

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