April 19, 2007
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
Thou shalt not make a one-link YouTube post. Unless, you know, it's something good.
Iranian Supreme Court Acquits Murderers Because They Killed the "Morally Corrupt"
Iranian Supreme Court Acquits Murderers Because They Killed the "Morally Corrupt" "Iran's Islamic penal code...says murder charges can be dropped if the accused can prove the killing was done because the victim was morally corrupt. ... This is true even if the killer mistakenly identified the victim as corrupt. ... examples of moral corruption that do permit bloodshed, including armed banditry, adultery by a wife and insults to the Prophet Muhammad."
"We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians, that's all."
Introduced to Western culture by the Beatles in their single Norwegian Wood, the sitar has featured prominently in North Indian classical music for centuries. Princeton-based computer scientist Ajay Kapur updates the instrument with his ESitar, an audio and video controller that uses gesture input (PDF) and machine learning algorithms to facilitate joining the computer with Ajay in his sitar performance. Undergraduate engineering students at the University of Pennsylvania work from the other direction, building RAVI-bot, an award-winning, self-playing robotic sitar (YouTube) programmed to generate music from classical Raga scales and melodies all on its own. For those in the Philadelphia area, be sure to check out a live performance of RAVI-bot at the local Klein Art Gallery.
Funky Furniture
The Obselisk. The bastard child of a Mensa quiz and rattan furniture. Getting apart is probably ok, but I don't want to put it back together - particularly after drinky-poo's. But certainly a talking point - particularly at $9,890 . Via
When it comes to farting, Richard prefers the "tilting to one side" method.
People In Newspaper Ads Who Look Like They're
Farting. From The West Virginia Surf Report, a blog and webzine with a little bit of everything to tickle your funny bone, or offend you, depending on your point of view. Other features include Black Box Stew: Who would you like to see go down in the next big air disaster?, Rules Of Thumb, and Fast Food Ads Vs. Reality, with lots more in the Archives and the Best Of page.
Death in Miniature
Frances Glessner Lee (previously discussed here) was a pioneer in forensic studies who built reproductions of crime scenes in dollhouses. Photographs of the dioramas, courtesy of Corinne May Botz.[More Inside] [viaATNY]
Youtube-- SolidarityTV1985
A tale of the Polish resistance, radio astronomers, and the nearly 25 year-old ZX Spectrum computer (youtube; some links open with nice music)(via, previously)
Gil! Scott! Heron!
Democrats Tell President War Is Lost
"This is the message I took to the President" US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said today in response to reporters questions about his meeting with President Bush. "I believe myself that this war is lost and that the surge is not accomplishing anything, as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday."
Fuck you. That's my name. You know why, mister? Because you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight, I drove an $80,000 BMW. That's my name.
Move over, crazy-pilotless-drone-guy. Alec Baldwin busts out the brass balls on his 11-year old daughter.
What's it all mean?
Click here for nothing When you're online doing nothing, and there's nothing to see, nothing to read, and nothing to buy, you might as well settle for nothing.
Tappity: Mobile Homepage
Tappity is a free guide to mobile-friendly sites. From your browser, you can search for or add sites, and rate sites in the database. You can also set up a homepage of favorite links. This is displayed when you navigate to Tappity from your mobile. It's a seemingly simple idea that's been making my train commute fly by.
You Oughta Know (all about awesome covers)
The always-excellent (and MeFi fave) Jonathan Coulton, inspired by Alanis Morissette's cover of My Humps from a few weeks ago, has done a marvelously droll cover of You Oughta Know.
I have no recollection of remembering that recollection
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is in the middle of his testimony before Congress on firing of eight US Attorneys. The questioning has gotten heated at times, and TPM Muckraker has many highlights from the testimony. DailyKos has been giddily blogging live, and there are many sites carrying the live video feed.
Conservative blogs have been mysteriously quiet about this.
Photos of animals posed as humans
Harry Whittier Frees — "These unusual photographs of real animals were made possible only by patient, unfailing kindness on the part of the photographer at all times."
Your favorite kookoo-bunny chantoosy sucks
”Björk's album covers have always been visual feasts, reflecting the spirit of the music inside while helping to maintain Björk's status as a brilliant artist.” Artwork released for Björk’s upcoming album, Volta, was widely assumed to be the new cover. Thus, the official cover that’s been revealed has divided, dismayed, amused, or delighted fans and critics all over the place in the past couple of weeks. Pitchfork interviews Björk herself on the album-cover and more, and she talks about the making of Volta here: Part I, Part II (YouTube).
Kaysone Phomvihane
He fought battles on the Plain of Jars, hid his rebel faction in caves for nine years to escape U.S bombs and now has a huge museum in Vientiane. Laos' Kaysone Phomvihane is not the most well documented 20th century communist leader. And not everybody is happy about him of course. But if you want to judge him for yourself go to Laos and visit those caves or visit his humble residence and have a look at his tennis shoes.
Studies in lego miniature.
Although there is something appealing about large models in the Lego world, such as a 3,000+ piece Star Destroyer, there is a bonsai-like appeal to mini- and micro- scene creations, such as Chris Deck's approach to modelling the same Star Destroyer in just seventeen pieces. Through clever and unorthodox thinking, a menacing 5 story tall AT-AT can be produced in in a mere 41 pieces.
Thrival of the Fitting
Alan Rayner Making the case for Inclusionality.
Tunnels of Love
Massive tunnels for peace. Russia is considering building a tunnel under the Bering Strait that would include pipelines, high-speed rails, and a highway, though earlier plans have not gotten far, at least for the last ten millennia. Another large tunnel project under consideration that hopes to encourage mutual understanding is the Red-Dead Canal, which would irrigate the deserts of Jordan and Israel, generate electricity, and refill the Dead Sea using water flowing from the Red Sea to the lowest point on Earth.
More carbs than you can shake a spoon at
Take this cooked with this and mix it with these and these and this, top it off these?!?, smother it in this and you have this: كشري. Pronounced kusharī, you can also find it spelled kushary, koushari, koushary, koshari, or koshary. However you spell it, it is one of Egypt's most popular dishes. Throughout Cairo you can find restaurants devoted this this humble, cheap (a filling bowl costs 3LE, around 50 cents), usually vegetarian dish. Of course, if you're not in Cairo you can always make your own.
Digging in the Back Yard
Metal By Numbers
People will live for *50 years!*
In the year 1900, Ladies Home Journal writer John Elfreth Watkins Jr wrote an article entitled What May Happen In The Next 100 Years". This is apparently what the most learned, conservative men of the "greatest institutions of science and learning" had to say about the coming hundred years.
In the hot seat?
"Fortunately nobody was using the toilets when the fire broke out and there were no injuries," a company spokesman said.
"The fire would have been just under your buttocks." The flaming toilets of Japan! Of course, if these kinds of problems with new-fangled techno-toilets continue, people might be advised to go back to the traditional Japanese toilet. In which case, this refresher course in How to Use Japanese Style Toilet Bowel [sic] might come in handy. Happy squatting!
confessions of an economic hitman
if you've not heard of the book "confessions of an economic hitman", then these few videos are gonna put your chins on the floor. it is disturbing how much the guy looks like george the second.
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