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For the Love of Elephants *starts with a short ad* Shot on location in Kenya, For the Love of Elephants closely observes the process by which an orphaned elephant named Sities survives the first days of recovery after arriving at an elephant rehabilitation centre near Nairobi, Kenya. previously [more inside]
posted by KokuRyu at 11:05 PM PST - 5 comments

There are lots of great films in the public domain and many of them are online. OpenFlix has 600, including a bunch of Chaplin, sci-fi and horror B-movies, film noir and HD versions of The Kid, M and Night of the Living Dead. Drelb has 400, including Buster Keaton's The General and Steamboat Bill Jr., episodes of Bonanza and Dragnet and Three Stooges shorts. Crazeclassics has over a 100, including The Third Man, Roger Corman's The Little Shop of Horrors, Bringing Up Baby and To Kill a Mockingbird. Ampopfilms has 80, including His Girl Friday, Reefer Madness, Destination Moon and the 1954 animated version of Animal Farm. Gravitas Ventures has 35, notably Vampyr, Death Rides a Horse and Borderline.
posted by Kattullus at 10:03 PM PST - 19 comments

SLYT: Awesome Silent Monks singing the Halleluia chorus! Did this really not make it here yet? Totally awesome, but delete with prejudice if it's lame or a double. If not, Happy Holidays to everyone!
posted by trip and a half at 9:17 PM PST - 25 comments

Howjsay.com is a unique online speaking dictionary that offers clear pronunciations of English words, phrases, slang terms, technical terms, brand names, proper names, profanity, and many foreign words, including common variations and alternatives. Astoundingly, the sound files are not computer-generated -- every single one of the site's 138,152 entries are enunciated in the dignified tones of British academic and polyglot Tim Bowyer, who has steadily expanded its glossary over the years using logs of unsuccessful searches and direct user suggestions. The site is part of Bowyer's Fonetiks.org family of language sites, and is also available as a browser extension and as a mobile app for iPhone/iPod and Blackberry.
posted by Rhaomi at 8:30 PM PST - 27 comments

High Society Mini-site to accompany an exhibition at the Wellcome Collection on the history and culture of mind-altering drugs. Includes image galleries, essays and a quiz.
posted by Abiezer at 8:08 PM PST - 2 comments

The Guardian Review literary quiz. It may be a little easier than the venerable quiz down the page. And if it isn't, it still looks like fun.
posted by goofyfoot at 7:55 PM PST - 13 comments

Jarvis Popovich takes requests and "gives credit to the asker." He doesn't know how to play guitar and is willing to prove it! He has a facebook fan page and one of those twitter accounts. I give you: Songs Butchered Beautifully. (Over 100 songs and counting.)
posted by cjorgensen at 7:49 PM PST - 17 comments

Bill Sienkiewicz's David Lynch's Frank Herbert's DUNE.
posted by Artw at 5:17 PM PST - 44 comments

Do you like Superheroes? Do you like dinosaurs? Yeah? Well, today is your lucky day, captain! Check out Superhero Dinosaurs!
posted by SkylitDrawl at 4:08 PM PST - 16 comments

Pat Robertson calls for the legalization of marijuana.
posted by gman at 4:03 PM PST - 82 comments

Uncanny Valley Clown Baby. Also, fun alternate uses of 3-D beard visualization tool, Hige-Chen.
posted by hermitosis at 4:03 PM PST - 20 comments

Having trouble explaining to non-technical folks why net neutrality is important, or wondering about it yourself? This simple and appealing single serving site is a 2-minute primer on the idea, and should help!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:59 PM PST - 29 comments

Philosophical Sweep: to understand the fiction of David Foster Wallace, it helps to have a little Wittgenstein.
posted by Lutoslawski at 3:41 PM PST - 29 comments

In keeping with the holiday spirit, a story of a teenage boy doing right by somebody else, just because he can.
posted by COD at 2:40 PM PST - 32 comments

YouTube has a fair number of recordings of well-played classic arcade games. Dig Dug, Mr Do!, Mr Do's Castle, Do! Run Run, Lady Bug Part 2, Bagman, Super Bagman, Q*bert, Venture, Zoo Keeper, Moon Cresta, Scramble, Make Trax, Phoenix, Rastan. click through for more [more inside]
posted by JHarris at 1:44 PM PST - 35 comments

A Beijing graphics design house makes with the stylish and creepy in a Neil Gaiman adaptation of his tongue-in-cheek mini-story, "Nicholas Was."
posted by Kitteh at 1:32 PM PST - 9 comments

Meet the Ethical Placebo: "A provocative new study called 'Placebos Without Deception,' published on PLoS One today, threatens to make humble sugar pills something they’ve rarely had a chance to be in the history of medicine: a respectable, ethically sound treatment for disease that has been vetted in controlled trials." [Via]
posted by homunculus at 1:09 PM PST - 76 comments

A few days ago, Los Angeles Times food critic, S. Irene Virbila, was photographed and kicked out of Jordan Kahn's new Beverly Hills restaurant, Red Medicine. [more inside]
posted by PBR at 12:30 PM PST - 85 comments

List of Libre Games. Open Game Systems. Compendium of Free Role Playing Games. Free RPGs at 1000 Monkeys, 1000 Typewriters. Tired of role-playing game books the size and price of textbooks? You've got a lot of alternatives. [more inside]
posted by Zed at 12:23 PM PST - 18 comments

Kasio Kristmas (2 3 4 5) Traditional Christmas Songs played on a casio keyboard by a man in a conehead mask.
posted by The Whelk at 11:33 AM PST - 10 comments

Connecticut was once the home of the national bell business, with more than 30 bell foundries based in East Hampton alone. Now a lone survivor, Bevin Brothers Manufacturing, is thriving there, manufacturing everything from cow bells with college logos for the football season to traditional sleigh and dinner bells. (Lifted from girlhacker)
posted by growabrain at 11:26 AM PST - 6 comments

Japanese woodblock print images | wonderful vintage commercial graphics | the Folk Museum Kawachinagano | old books | ceramics and laquerware from The Digital Archive Project of Osaka which has an interesting online museum to explore with some excellent art and illustrations. [more inside]
posted by nickyskye at 9:58 AM PST - 5 comments

ESPN baseball writer Jayson Stark presents his Strange But True hitting feats of 2010. Only in baseball's...umm...unique scoring system could someone get caught stealing 3B, and then safely steal 3B on the next pitch. Warning: both links contain auto playing video with ads at the top.
posted by dry white toast at 9:44 AM PST - 25 comments

Do you sometime^s feel underdressed at parties and or other would-be swanky deals? Do you want people to come up and tell you "This is a really volcanic ensemble you're wearing, it's really marvelous"! If so, just in time for the great annual suits and ties, black-tie, tuxedo festivities and the mythical 'Masquerade Ball' (Perfect Shoes. Perfect Waistcoat. Perfect Gloves. Perfect Mask. Don’t be shy, and don't forget to shake your tail.); the ultimate custom attire for the ultimate romantic look on new years eve, (or any other high-fashion affair) this genderless outfit is perfect for anybody; guaranteed to accentuate fluid curves, sharpen up your style, yet also bring forth that natural sharp angular profile, assured to put natural beautiful shiny skin-plates on display. Begin assembling today, if you want to assemble in time! That is all (oh yeah, brush your tongue-jaws before you go out, all of them).
posted by infinite intimation at 9:40 AM PST - 11 comments

In late 1999 Kevin Rowland, vocalist and mastermind behind Dexys Midnight Runners released an album called My Beauty. It had been a bewilderingly long time since his last LP – eleven years. Everything about My Beauty, however, was equally bewildering. [more inside]
posted by mintcake! at 8:39 AM PST - 47 comments

The snowpocalypse has hit Britain, again, and you've still not bought a snow shovel. Naturally, all the shops have sold out and have no idea when they'll get more. Let the Internet help you by sending you a reminder for next year...
posted by mr_silver at 8:39 AM PST - 58 comments

From Castletown, it's the quiz of the year! It's back and as hard as ever!
posted by biffa at 7:08 AM PST - 95 comments

Mary, Joseph and the shepherds are all gathered around the baby Jesus in his manger, as loudspeakers emit the occasional animal sound for extra, rustic effect. But this is Catalonia, and no crib is complete without one additional figure. He is known in Catalan as the caganer.

posted by empath at 7:03 AM PST - 42 comments

Maturl Remrit: A Dwarf Fortress Tale. [more inside]
posted by griphus at 6:48 AM PST - 31 comments

109 Cats in sweaters. You're welcome.
posted by shiu mai baby at 6:46 AM PST - 79 comments

Bianca is a 24-year-old software writer and escort from Toronto, Ontario. She was born in Hamilton, Ontario and lived in Dublin, Ireland for many years. She likes cash, properly compiled HTML and four star or higher hotels. She dislikes claims of latex allergies. [more inside]
posted by clearly at 6:11 AM PST - 67 comments

A previously unknown kind of human—the Denisovans—likely roamed Asia for thousands of years, probably interbreeding occasionally with humans like you and me, according to a new genetic study. More.
posted by twoleftfeet at 5:05 AM PST - 30 comments

THE HOMEMADE XMAS VIDEO by Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones from 1986 (1, 2, 3, 4)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 5:05 AM PST - 3 comments

Puppies vs spring door stops.
posted by bwg at 3:20 AM PST - 25 comments

"Snowball Cam has no visible moving parts but [is] able to roll across most terrains, even up hill." A new generation of spycams - very mobile spycams - have been prowling the northern arctic islands of Norway for an upcoming BBC TV program on polar bears. Bilzzard Cam has two electric motors that propel it across the snow - on skis - at speeds up to 40 mph. When threatened by the bears, it releases the onboard decoy device - the Snowball Cam - seen in action here.
posted by woodblock100 at 1:43 AM PST - 34 comments

A new working paper entitled "The Effects of Same-Sex Marriage Laws on Public Health and Welfare" by economists Hugo Mialon, Andrew Francis and Handie Peng at Emory University finds that same-sex marriage bans reduced tolerance for gays and increased the MSM syphilis rate, perhaps by making monogamy less common. The authors also find that same-sex marriage bans tended to reduce tolerance for cohabiting sex, as well as reduced abortion and teen pregnancy, although these effects on teen pregnancy appeared to be very short-lived. They ultimately find no consistent evidence that same-sex marriage bans had any effect on marriage or divorce. A link to the paper can be found here, and a link to their legal appendix here. [more inside]
posted by scunning at 12:13 AM PST - 38 comments