April 6, 2012
Better late than never...
Secret uses of Uranus
From one of Stanley Kubrick's notebooks comes a list of potential titles for the 1964 movie that was eventually named, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Interestingly, that particular title doesn't feature on this page.
Practical Tips from 4 Years of Traveling The World
The Dying of the Light
Thomas Kinkade, the "Painter of Light" and one of the most popular artists in America, died suddenly Friday at his Los Gatos home. He was 54. [more inside]
Packing wisdom from frequent jet setters.
Alone Together
Sherry Turkle believes that as we expect more from technology, we expect less from each other. (SLTedTalk)
A Tiny Slice of New York City
So that's what a seiche is.
The recent magnitude 7.4 Oaxaca, Mexico earthquake caused quite the ruckus 2,000 miles away in Devil's Hole, Death Valley. Video (The real good stuff starts around the 2:15 mark. Read about it here.). Another view of the seiche from Scientific America (Read about it here).
Kill Inveterate Gambler Ping: Macau and "The God of Gamblers"
The files of the God of Gamblers case can be read as a string of accidents, good and bad: Siu’s run at the baccarat table; Wong’s luck to be assigned an assassin with a conscience; Adelson’s misfortune that reporters noticed an obscure murder plot involving his casino. But the tale, viewed another way, depends as little on luck as a casino does. It is, rather, about the fierce collision of self-interests. If Las Vegas is a burlesque of America—the “ethos of our time run amok,” as Hal Rothman, the historian, put it—then Macau is a caricature of China’s boom, its opportunities and rackets, its erratic sorting of winners and losers.Evan Osnos on a real-life "God of Gamblers" and the rise of Macau, The New Yorker
Of Tartans and Kilts
Today is National Tartan Day, and in New York city it's Tartan Week! A celebration of Scottish heritage, Tartan Day is held on April 6 to commemorate the Declaration of Arbroath, a declaration of Scottish independence submitted to Pope John XXII in 1320. [more inside]
BBQ Sauce Reviews
"One of the most brazen moves in the chess world since the Najdorf Sicilian Defense"
Just hours after winning a second consecutive national championship, a legendary college coach decamps to a Division I program with a brighter future- and takes her entire team with her. A college chess coach makes a move that even the most cutthroat men's basketball coach would envy. [more inside]
One great step. The first gene linked to autism.
The etiology of Autism remains a mystery. However, three research teams have for the first time linked a gene to certain forms of autism. This is a great step in the search of what causes this disease.
The Real Deal.
Food Ingredients Most Prone to Fraudulent Economically Motivated Adulteration. The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) highlights new research published in the April edition of Journal of Food Science. It examines 'the first known public database' - created by the USP - 'compiling reports on food fraud and economically motivated adulteration in food highlight the most fraud-prone ingredients in the food supply'. [more inside]
NEW ENGLAND BOILED DINNER
From the How To Be A Retronaut archives: U.S SENATE DINING MENU, Thursday August 27th, 1964
Polyphasic Sleep Rants
Whoever claims to be on a perpetual polyphasic schedule must be either suffering from a sleep disorder, or be a liar, a mutant, or a person with a mulishly stubborn iron-will that lets him plod through the daily torture of sleep deprivationPolyphasic Sleep: Facts and Myths | Polyphasic Sleep: 5 Years Later!
(SLYT) A rap song in 15/8 time.
15/8. Some fun with a non-standard time signatures. 5/4. And Pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows.
A dreamer of dreams that is no longer
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, creator of the 911, head of Porsche Cars, has died. A sportscar most people can only ever dream of driving, yet even master it's full potential... Its cousin model the 935 won the LeMans in 1976. A marvel of engineering, built with a mid-rear engine, no other car debatably seems as gracious in elegance and as robust in power. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche creator of the 911, will certainly have touched many in awe, inspiration and confidence with his brilliant conception.
"If you want real police brutaity, wait until I tell you what they served me for lunch!"
It ran for 8 seasons, from 1975 to 1982. Took home three Emmys out of 32 nominations. The Captain's badge (#233451) is on display at the Smithsonian Museum. Dennis Farina, who worked as a Chicago policeman before turning to acting, reportedly once called it the most realistic cop show ever seen on television. But unlike other cop shows, there were no car chases or shootouts, and the show rarely left the precinct. Out of the 170 episodes of Barney Miller that were produced, 68 from the first four seasons can be seen in their entirety on Crackle's YouTube channel*. Take a seat, have a brownie and check out some classic television. [more inside]
John Kiriakou
An ex-CIA officer John Kiriakou has been indicted under the Espionage Act for disclosing classified information to journalists. [more inside]
cccrrrrrraaaaaaaaasssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!
Slow Motion Car Crash: Jonathan Schipper’s art installation uses hydraulics to crash a VW Golf into a wall at 7mm per hour over the course of a four weeks. [more inside]
The Etymological Evolution of Dude, from Dandy Man to Anyone
"Dude" is a term with quite a history, possibly starting in the mid 19th century with Erastus Brooks, an editor of the New York Express (NYT excerpt, link to full PDF). In writing, "the "dude" craze began in New York City in 1883," apparently starting with the poem The True Origin and History of "The Dude", published on 14 January 1883, in the New York World. As the "vapid fops" traveled west, dude ranches sprang up, catering to city slickers. Some eight decades after the term proliferated in New York City, "dude" was applied to any male in African American vernacular. In 1969, dude was defined as nice guy, a regular sort of person [YT short clip] in Easy Rider, then claimed by surfers, as represented by Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982. Four years later, everyone loves Ferris Bueller, "he's a righteous dude." Baseketball turns the one word into a conversation in 1998, the same year El Duderino claims the term as a personal title. By 2011, the word, in some circles, has come around to the beginning, with Dude-itors, laid-back editors, the opposite of the "tightly wound, hyper-neurotic editor of yesteryear." [more inside]
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town.
Monster's Den Chronicles
Monster's Den Chronicles is a turn-based Flash dungeon-crawler RPG with combat mechanics reminiscent of turn-based strategy game stalwart Disciples II. [more inside]
More pigs! More potions!
Just in time for Flash Fun Friday, they came out with a sequel to Pigs Can Fly (previously): Pigs Will Fly! Enjoy!
Attica On The Beach
There is a small jail on Santa Catalina Island. And apparently, it pays to be sent there, when you're a pro golfer....
A snack of classical mechanics
What is the Dzhanibekov effect? Known as the Tennis Racket theorem in English and documented by Vladimir Dzhanibekov in 1985 space, it is the result of unstable rotation about a principle axis.
Say It With Safty Pins
The SAFETY PIN REVIEW is a new, weekly literary magazine featuring fiction of less than 30 words, with a major D.I.Y. twist: in addition to being published online, each story is hand-painted onto a cloth back patch, which is attached (via safety pins) to one of our operatives—a collective network of authors, punks, thieves and anarchists—who wear it everywhere they go for a week. [more inside]
Share the road.
The driver of the LANTA bus, identified as Richard Gubish, Jr., saw the crash in his rear view mirror and also saw the driver attempting to get away. Mr. Gubish took immediate and decisive action... [YT] [more inside]
Mosh Pits
STOP GOING IN THE BEDROOM
Cityscape, Searchlights and Time lapse: Oh My! (SLYT)
Timelapse Intersection Articulée à Montréal In October, 2011, the Contemporary Museum of Monteral presented "Intersection Articulée", an interactive installation from Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. It was composed of 18 projectors of 10k watts each, visible from ~9 miles (15km) away. Here's some time lapse video results, with music.
« Previous day | Next day »