July 9, 2010
Queer Science
Less than two weeks after a controversial paper came to light advocating the pre-natal treatment of some female fetuses with a hormone to make their behavior more stereotypically female (previously discussed here) comes news of actual animal research on causing the opposite inclination. By knocking out the fucose mutarotase gene, scientists in South Korea have apparently created "Lesbian mice" who prefer other female mice and who resist the attempts of male mice to mate with them. Article abstract, and coverage by The Telegraph.
Eighteen Terabytes of Afghanistan
"I have just got my hands on something wonderful and precious. It is five computer drives containing the unedited rushes of everything shot by the BBC in Afghanistan over the last thirty years." [more inside]
Lost and Gone Forever
Lost Films, a project of the German Federal Cultural Foundation, is a wiki aimed at identifying the over 3500 films declared orphaned or lost in their archives. Other archivists and the public can go to the Identify section and look at surviving photographs, film fragments, and documents, as well as comment and upload any materials of your own, just in case you had promo materials for some unidentified 1915 German war buddy comedy just lying around. (Via Slate).
I might be wrong...I thought I saw a light coming on
There have been worse oil spills in history. The Lakeview Gusher followed by the Gulf War Oil Spill are the two worst in history. Another is the Ixtoc I Oil Spill which was also in the gulf. This gives us a good frame of reference for what to expect right? We will cap this thing by the end of next month right? Or is the government lying to us about what's going on in the gulf of mexico? Is Mat Simmons crazy? He believes that oil is covering 40% of the gulf beneath the surface. Does this man know what he's talking about. [more inside]
A trip through the vault at KEXP
Nothing compares with the experience of wandering through the archives of a college radio station, reading the stickers pasted on the old LPs and seeing first-hand how DJs viewed canonical records when they first came out. The KEXP blog puts those stickers online in Review Revue. Read contemporary reactions to: Paul Simon, Graceland. Peter Broggs, Cease the War. LL Cool J, Bigger and Deffer. Nirvana, Sliver 7". Lou Reed, New York. Tin Machine s/t. Sonic Youth, Goo. The Stone Roses s/t.
ROM with a view
By combining speedruns with the large-scale world maps from the VGMaps, these "zoomed out" videos of classic NES games provide a unique perspective on the game world (best viewed in 1080p). Metroid - Mega Man 2 - Contra - Super Mario Bros 3 - Zelda
Wheeeeeee!
MLYT:This is advertising--but it is advertising that made me laugh at the end of a horrible week. So, I give you the elevator, the shopping carts and my favorite, the slide. Enjoy.
Mesmerizing
LSD and psychotherapy in 1958
Cary in the Sky with Diamonds. "Before Timothy Leary and the Beatles, LSD was largely unknown and unregulated. But in the 1950s, as many as 100 Hollywood luminaries—Cary Grant and Esther Williams among them—began taking the drug as part of psychotherapy. With LSD research beginning a comeback, the authors recount how two Beverly Hills doctors promoted a new 'wonder drug,' at $100 a session, profoundly altering the lives of their glamorous patients." [Via]
You're gonna go up the street 12 pixels, hang a left, then straight 44 pixels to 77th street...
8bit Cities: Amsterdam - Austin - Berlin - Detroit - London - New York - Paris - San Francisco - Seattle - Washington, D.C.
Antoine Dufour & Tommy Gauthier
Tommy Gauthier and Antoine Dufour are a very talented guitar/fiddle duo (usually) who draw influence from nuevo tango, folky bluegrass, metal, and some other harder to classify places.
An example of Hollywood accounting
Survey Says . . .
A recent survey indicates that Americans are split on whether Supreme Court Justices should be elected, and a majority favor expanding constitutional protection of rights, incuding gender equality. The survey, based on recent interviews of 1000 Americans, was just presented at the Aspen Ideas Festival by Mark Penn , CEO, and Don Baer, Chairman, of Penn Schoen Berland, the market research and consulting firm that conducted the survey. The margin of error is 3.1% overall.
Adjusting the Bar to Hire Outsiders
Chinese Outsourcer Seeks U.S. Workers With IQ of 125 and Up. "A Chinese IT outsourcing company that has started hiring new U.S. computer science graduates to work in Shanghai requires prospective job candidates to demonstrate an IQ of 125 or above on a test it administers to sort out job applicants. In doing so, Bleum Inc. is following a hiring practice it applies to college recruits in China. But a new Chinese college graduate must score an IQ of 140 on the company's test. An IQ test is the first screen for any U.S. or Chinese applicant."
This pie's so good it is a crime.
On April Fool's Day, MC Chris made a song about Twin Peaks. Here is a fan made video for the song
Well, You Can't Expect the Rich to Eat Themselves
There's been plenty of politically partisan debate about who or what ultimately caused the real estate crash that triggered the recent US financial crisis. One popular view blames "the Democrats and their efforts to expand homeownership to people who, in some cases, may not have been quite ready for it." But contrary to this view, new data strongly suggests that throughout the real estate collapse, the rich have actually been defaulting on mortgages for strategic reasons at much higher rates than the huddled masses. [more inside]
Darth Vadar won't always be there when you cross the road.
Any of us who lived as kids in the UK in the 1970s will remember two things: being yelled at by adults, and being subjected to the Green Cross Code ads in which celebrity adults told us how to cross the road safely. So if getting yelled at by famous people while you are jaywalking is your idea of a good time, regale in commands from footballer Kevin Keegan, rocker Alvin Stardust, boxer Joe Bugner, Elvis impersonator Les Gray, the bumbling Dad's Army, and even the real Darth Vadar.
All you need is Conan on the side and you're set for some serious cruising
Law enforcement and autism are a volatile mix, and not an uncommon one.
Is Sitting While Autistic a Crime? Newsweek explores what happens when police encounter autistic individuals. This law enforcement training video attempts to reduce those risks. (autoplays, 21 min - short YouTube preview here).
Women and Suicide by Self-Immolation in Afghanistan
I don't even drive!
In the mid 80s Honda produced a series of commercials for its popular scooter series by employing a motley collection of (mostly musical) celebrities. DEVO - Grace Jones (with Adam Ant) - Miles Davis - Loud Reed (or his music anyway) - Jim McMahon - Sandra Bernhardt
Tastes like Fred Astaire!
A user on food blog TheKitchn asks "Why do frog legs jump and dance when salted?" The answer? Unused ATP in the muscle cells. [more inside]
Circle Jerk
"This post touched me in places I've never been touched" Over at Salon, Laura Miller talks about those little belches of beatification -- Book Blurbs. The Guardian is running a contest where you (Yes, YOU!) can try to out praise all comers by blurbing The DaVinci Code. [more inside]
The Toronto 18
The Toronto 18. "The [Toronto] Star was the first to break the news, just over four years ago, that an al-Qaeda inspired homegrown terror cell had been busted in Toronto. ... Numerous publication bans have kept the full story from the public. Now, with the case over, we can present the complete narrative of the Toronto 18: Who they are, how they met, what they did." This is a great example of how to present long-form journalism online.
Watermelons, watermelons, and more watermelons!
How to choose a watermelon? Do you go by shape, colour, or spotting? Thump or not? Red or yellow? Seeded or seedless? Square? Grilled? Champion watermelons. App for your iPhone?
Are you still confused, watch this instructional video?
Calm, cool, dignified = Comic Sans?
As the City of Cleveland reacts badly to the end result of a long, drawn out process, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert takes matters into his own hands, flipping out on the his team's website, penning his screed in everyone's favorite font. [more inside]
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