July 10, 2010
Lather, rinse... revolt!
Forget Shorter Showers. Why personal change does not equal political change.
Face, meet Type.
Forget Chuck Norris. Steven Seagal just 1-up'd!
Steven Seagal speaks out against Oil Companies [SLYT]...in 1994, from the movie "On Deadly Ground", as Forrest Taft, a specialist dealing with oil drilling-related fires.
What is the utterance?
Flub and Utter: Jordan Scott discusses the role that stuttering plays in his poetry. (Flash) Read more of Scott's work.
The History Chef
The History Chef! is a fun blog that explores the intersection of food and history. There are short entries on historical figures and topics like Thomas Jefferson's Chef and The Embalmed Beef Scandal. Of course there are recipes: Thomas Jefferson Macaroni and Cheese, George Washington Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Andrew Jackson Cheddar Cheese Bread. [more inside]
Gardening for the Urban Dweller
Urban gardening and agriculture are becoming increasingly important as our world becomes more urbanized. Urban Gardening Help is for those environmentally conscious urban dwellers who want to use hydroponics and other tools to create a green corner devoted to nature in their own home. Urban Gardens looks for innovative and eco-friendly designs, trends, and ideas for the stylish urban home. See, for example, tiny herb gardens, where succulent cuttings come in small packages. Urban Garden Casual works with the constraints of limited-space, light, and micro-climates created from the shadows of neighboring buildings by using unconventional ideas like the garden pouch.
the gold at the end of your rainbow
Unicorn Booty features gay-friendly North American businesses who buy a day to be featured with their own custom YouTube video, social media presence, and the opportunity for readers to win or obtain their products at a discount. 10% of their profits go to a different LGBTQ organisation per quarter. Past businesses featured include travel companies, cycling clothing, and grooming products dedicated to gay people.
The History of Nikola Tesla
The History of Nikola Tesla - A Short Story. In celebration of the 154th anniversary of Nikola Tesla's birth. [Via]
or: How we learned to stop worrying and love the gyroscope
The Turn by William Langewiesche tells the story of pilots' fight against their innate sense of balance, which due to Newtonian physics, may insist a graveyard spiral is level, or vice versa. wikipedia has more, but essentially SLAtlantic.
So can we finally drop all those cheap jokes about Italian soldiers?
He was considered a shoo in for an equestrian medal in in the ’36 Olympics but went to war instead. He led the last cavalry charge against artillery and tanks of the British army. Known as Commandante Diavolo, he waged guerrilla warfare in Eritrea alongside his beautiful and heavily armed lover Khadija, daughter of an Ethiopian Muslim chieftain. He served as a diplomat for thirty years and more than once saved lives during military coups. He retired to Ireland (for the horses, of course) where he rode and hunted fox well into his nineties.
Please pause for a moment for the passing of Amedeo Guillat, the most decorated soldier of the Italian army. [more inside]
Inside the Real Doll factory
A photographic essay, a glimpse inside the Real Doll factory. Video interview with Matt McMullen (6m) , Real Doll creator. Guys And Dolls (46m), a BBC documentary about Real Dolls and their owners. (All links pretty much NSFW) [more inside]
The Sketchbook Project
It's like a concert tour but with sketchbooks. Get a sketchbook, fill it based on a theme (you can pick one or have one assigned randomly) by a certain date, then let it go on tour and eventually be a barcoded, checkout-able book in the Brooklyn Art Library that you can track. I love this idea.
Football in Africa
Jessica Hilltout has been traveling around Africa taking pictures of matches as they are played in the continent's small villages, its players, goals, boots and balls. It is especially striking to compare that last collection to all the official World Cup balls. You can see slightly larger versions of some of Hilltout's pictures here and here.
real estate mogul has full on double rainbow reading twilight
Real-Estate Tycoon Deconstructs 'Twilight' "Barrack describes a lonely evening on a yacht in Turkey after a cancelled business meeting. In the yacht, Mr. Barrack writes, he came upon a book on which 'were written the words that strike terror in the hearts of every macho, red-blooded male... TWILIGHT'. He goes on..."
A new look at an old show called The New Show
"Eggs? Yeah, we fix 'em. Well, are they broken all the way or are they just cracked? OK, well that's good, just bring 'em right in..." The year: 1984. The sketch: "Roy's Food Repair". The stars: John Candy, Valri Bromfield, Dave Thomas, Carrie Fisher, and Paul Simon. The show: a short-lived NBC comedy variety program produced by Lorne Michaels called The New Show. [more inside]
Finally
The World Cup Final is almost here, only 24 hours and 30 minutes away: Sunday Night, 19:30 GMT [more inside]
France denies citizenship to man who failed to assimilate into French society
A Moroccan man whose wife wears a veil has been denied citizenship on the basis that he has failed to assimilate into French society. [more inside]
I Will Survive
Which loads faster?
A Whole World of Mine Crafts
Minecraft (previously discussed here) is a building game being developed by Notch. The developer (singular - it's mostly a one man show) has been busy since the last time the game was posted.
Before, the focus was mainly creative, cooperative building. The recent direction the game has taken is a sprawling, single player survival game, where the player must harvest resources to build defenses against a hostile world. [more inside]
Brainy Pop
The Amygdaloids (beware automatic mp3) mix neuroscience and rock and roll, and they're pretty sharp.
Let's dance forró!
Forró is popular dance music from northeastern Brazil. Forró em Vinil is a blog with out of catalog forró gems for download. But wait, is this legal? [more inside]
Three Minute Philosophy
At three minutes per philosopher, you can finally spare the time to learn what Descartes, Hume, Aristotle, Locke, Galileo, Pythagoras, Aquinas, and Kant had to say. Or at least you can be entertained learning what Cracked.com contributor S. Peter Davis thinks you should know about them. (MLYT & NSFW (language))
Deep Throat
The depravity of Major League Eating. "Every Fourth of July, Nathan's Famous, the frankfurter chain, hosts a hot-dog eating contest in Coney Island, N.Y. Tragically, this year's contest was marred. Six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi was hauled away by police after storming the stage. He had been barred from the contest for refusing to sign a contract with Major League Eating. Contracts? Major League Eating? Is this some kind of joke? Nope. It's worse. It's a joke that has turned serious."
Perspective Matters
Perspective Matters. The exact same moment in history (the arrival of Union troops in Fredericksburg VA in 1862), as described by a white woman resident of the area, and a black slave. It would be an understatement to say they had diverging viewpoints.
Edison invented Hollywood
Lights, camera ... Edison! Thomas Edison & Co. made the first movie ever shown in public - Blacksmith Scene - a film about drinking on the job. They also had many other cinematic firsts: The first sound film, the first romance (The Kiss), the first blockbuster (The Great Train Robbery), and the first splatter film (The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots). [Previously]
Just don't throw the cat at a castle.
Sequels of 2 popular flash games for your Saturday clicking pleasure: In Crush that Castle 2 you take the role of the siege master and destroy the castles on the islands of Crushtania with your trebuchet. Not in the mood for medieval warfare? Then follow Sushi Cat on its Honeymoon and achieve full belly. [more inside]
Rock your Golgi body.
(Late) Friday Flash Fun: CellCraft. Build and improve a cell, learn how real cells work, and save the Platypus species!
After the break, it's UK 1997 vs UK 2009
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