September 10, 2012
"We need to get this SNAFU under control rapidly".
My fellow Oceanians, you know we've always been at war with Eurasia
(Or is it Eastasia?) Either way it's war and we need division to wage it
But now the proles are connecting online bypassing these illusory divisions
Of race, religion and nationality (Sounds grand to me?!) It's a catastrophe!
Rap News (previously) analyzes the ongoing struggle of civil liberties in the Internet Age.
Will it remain the one open frequency where humanity can bypass filters and barriers, or become the greatest spying machine ever imagined?
(Or is it Eastasia?) Either way it's war and we need division to wage it
But now the proles are connecting online bypassing these illusory divisions
Of race, religion and nationality (Sounds grand to me?!) It's a catastrophe!
Rap News (previously) analyzes the ongoing struggle of civil liberties in the Internet Age.
Will it remain the one open frequency where humanity can bypass filters and barriers, or become the greatest spying machine ever imagined?
The London Circuit
Artist Yuri Suzuki has made a map of the London Underground as a functional radio circuit board. [more inside]
1. Evil 2. ??? 3. PROFIT 4. Jail
Vitaly Borker, seller of counterfeit frames and gamer of google rankings, has been sentenced to four years in jail. "Vitaly Borker was an Internet shopper’s worst nightmare," said the US attorney. “Borker operated behind the veil of the Internet and aliases to first defraud his victims and then, if they complained, terrorize them with threats, intimidation and harassment.” Previously.
So I Pardoned an Axe Murderer
In 2004, Gurgen Margaryan (from Armenia) and Ramil Safarov (from Azerbaijan) were in Budapest attending a NATO-sponsored language training. While Margaryan was sleeping, Safarov hacked him to death with an axe. Safarov, who never denied his culpability and stated he only committed the crime because Margaryan was Armenian, was sentenced to life in prison in 2006. [more inside]
The Wreck in Witch's Hole: the sole casualty of Britain's Bermuda Triangle
To a fisherman, all areas of the sea have names, just as a farmer will name his fields or streets have formal and informal names. For instance, there is the Witch's Ground, an area where the fishing is good, but the bottom is very rough and gear can easily be damaged or lost. Or if you're really unlucky, an undersea methane burst might make water less dense, and the sea could swallow your whole trawler. [more inside]
Creeper, no creeping!
Three conventions compared in the great geek sexism debate.
A pong traffic light in Germany
The Last Ride of Billy Clyde?
Billy Gillispie, once a rising star in the USA collegiate basketball coaching ranks, is under pressure, scrutiny, and possible termination from his position as Head Coach at Texas Tech University as allegations of mistreatment arise and a current star player vows to leave the program if BCG returns. The coach is currently on sick leave... Meanwhile, some former players and colleagues defend him... [more inside]
Skeu'd!
Skeu It! "A celebration of arbitrary and gratuitious user interface decisions." Specifically: needless or inappropriate skeumorphism. Best of Skeu It.
Indian cartoonist jailed on sedition charges
Indian cartoonist jailed on sedition charges An Indian cartoonist detained on sedition charges for his satirical drawings highlighting widespread corruption among India’s political elite has been jailed for two weeks, rekindling a fierce debate on freedom of speech in the world’s largest democracy. In India the Enemies of Free Speech Find a "Symbolic" Means to Attack Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi. [more inside]
Tapas
On November 7, more than 60 chefs will converge on Valladolid, Spain to vie for glory in the annual National Tapas Competition. [more inside]
A cat named Room 8
In 1952, a gray male tabby cat appeared at the door of Room 8 at Elysian Heights Elementary School in Echo Park. He stayed throughout the school year, left at summer vacation -- and came back on the first day of class in September. He became the school's cat, and his name was Room 8.
Room 8 was featured in LOOK Magazine and the Weekly Reader, had a children's book written about him, and lived until 1968.
One former student said, "I never liked Room 8 because he sat on my homework."
The Wikipedia entry. Room 8's grave. The Room 8 Memorial Cat Foundation (a no-kill shelter).
Too fit or too fat?
16 year-old Taylor Townsend, currently the top ranked junior American tennis player, was recently bested by Anett Kontaveit in the quarter-finals of the US Open 2012, but won in the doubles tournament. However, she spent most of the week answering interview questions about her weight. [more inside]
People vs. Fido
A bull burned at the stake, a swarm of locusts excommunicated—animal trials were once surprisingly common.
SuperCres
After a long absence, Sifl & Olly have made a triumphant return. After being pulled from MTV in 1999, Liam Lynch's slacker sock puppets have been resurrected to review fake video games (and sing about mother%&*in pie. (Previously.) Liam Lynch took questions at Gawker earlier this afternoon.
Machado de Assis
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (1839-1908) is the greatest of Brazilian writers, an ironist, realist, and fabulist in the leauge of Chekhov, Flaubert, and Borges. [more inside]
Slate celebrates the 20th anniversary of Sneakers
1992 saw the release of this caper movie. John Swansburg and Julia Turner discuss the film's enduring appeal; actor Stephen Tobolowsky fondly recalls his role as Werner Brandes; and Lowen Liu investigates how the movie's "Setec Astronomy" ended up on a black-ops uniform patch and attempts to re-create one of the most memorable scenes. [more inside]
McGill could lose $90 million from PQ decision to scrap tuition increases.
McGill could lose $90 million from PQ decision to scrap tuition increases. The administration is not amused.
The picture letters of Beatrix Potter
In [a series of notes to Noel Moore, the oft-sickly son of her former governess], Potter punctuates her words with small, sweet illustrations: 'I have come a very long way in a puff-puff …' (next to a train), a straightforward, 'Here are some rabbits throwing snow balls,' and, of course, Peter’s debut in a special dispatch from 1893. - Beatrix Potter’s Picture Letters, The Birthplace Of Peter Rabbit [more inside]
Now usually I don't do this but uh....
The Jehovah's Witnesses produced an anti-masturbation video for the hard of hearing. And here it is mashed up with R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)". (SLYT)
Gannet Jacuzzi
"You must live till you die."
The Disappeared. "How a fatwa changed a writer's life." A third-person autobiographical essay, by Salman Rushdie. [more inside]
The Gift That Keeps On Giving
What do you do when you own the IP to a beloved 28-year old family classic widely regarded as one of the finest Christmas movies ever? Why you make a sequel of course. [more inside]
"The question I am raising is why this life goes on--what purpose it serves, and who wants it to continue."
Picture Framing Magazine
Katyn
Newly declassified documents show the United States had full knowledge of the Katyn massacre, the Soviet massacre of 22,000 Polish officers. The Soviets attempted to blame Nazi Germany.
The scars of Katyn remain on Poland, after the Russian State Duma admitted and condemned Stalin's role in Katyn, a delegation of 130 prominent Poles including the President on their way to commemorate the 70th anniversary at the site died in a plane crash.
100
The PJs; or, Nychaland
The Land that Time and Money Forgot New York City’s housing projects are the last of their kind in the country. And they may be on their way to extinction (New York magazine).
"With respect to an equivalence defined by (some feature)"
Brother, can you spare a dime?
The National Bureau of Economic Research has published a new paper analyzing 138 years of economic history in 14 advanced economies, which proves that high levels of private debt cause severe recessions. (Via)
Bonus SLYT:
Money As Debt (1hr)
« Previous day | Next day »