Displaying post 1 to 50 of 58
The end of Moore’s influence came when, years later, she tried to block the publication of a book by E. B. White. Watching Moore stand in the way of “Stuart Little,” White’s editor, Ursula Nordstrom, remembered, was like watching a horse fall down, its spindly legs crumpling beneath its great weight.
posted to MetaFilter by Horace Rumpole
at 5:04 PM on July 14, 2008
(30 comments)
Slangin' Liquor in the Hood
From the site:
A look into the everyday dealings of a 34 year old liquor store owner and his crew in the "hood." Gangs, trailer parks, alcoholics, methheads, crack heads (yeah they still exist)....I read somewhere that this profession makes the top 5 regularly among the most dangerous jobs. But me, I ain't scurred.
posted to MetaFilter by The ____ of Justice
at 8:48 PM on June 18, 2008
(21 comments)
So, about 9 months ago I started working on this compilation... Until yesterday, however, I hadn't seen a tracklist from the mysterious 10-cd set called the VrootzBox, so this is not a derivative work, however similar it may be...I should mention that not all of these songs are songs that he covered or copped licks from. Most of the music he has made mention to, though a few of the songs were recorded after his formative years and one or two he never would have heard. But they are presented to give an illustration of the styles he drew from (such as gamelan, which he grew up playing in his neighbor's back yard).
Wrath of the Grapevine: The Roots of John Faheyvia FaheyGuitarPlayers
posted to MetaFilter by y2karl
at 12:33 PM on June 1, 2008
(12 comments)
Among industrialized nations,
Japan has a pretty low rate of violent crime, a relatively high number of police, and a virtually non-existent acquittal rate. Yet, somehow
the Yakuza persists.
posted to MetaFilter by absalom
at 4:45 PM on May 12, 2008
(58 comments)
Ways of Seeing, the BBC documentary written and hosted by novelist and art critic
John Berger, is back up on YouTube. (scroll down for direct links to all four half-hour episodes) "I actually find it rather disturbing that -- despite our claims to be a culture that's increasing freedom of choice all the time -- we haven't come up with anything quite as astute, subversive or beautiful as Ways of Seeing since. Not on the BBC, and not even -- especially not -- on the internet. Download it while you still can."
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 2:06 PM on April 30, 2008
(32 comments)
The other day I happened to come upon a music video that is just so grooving, so human and so
real, that, well, it
moved me, darling.
Just check it out. After watching the clip, I learned that these guys are mostly disabled by polio (that's why several of them are in those rather unusual wheelchairs) and that they were living on the grounds of the Kinshasa zoo, which is where the clip was filmed. Then I learned that last year they were seeking to bring
a lawsuit against the UN. Then I found
some other clips. And now I am a
major fan of
Staff Benda Bilili.
posted to MetaFilter by flapjax at midnite
at 3:30 AM on April 26, 2008
(47 comments)
There must've been hundreds of times over the years that I've tapped out a rhythm on a pan full of water while doing the dishes, the pitch woozily shifting as the h2o sloshes about. At those times I've almost always thought, hey, I should put this on a track sometime. Of course, I never did, until the first MeFi Music Challenge, with its "water" theme. Along with the big metal bowl full of troubled waters, you'll hear jawharp, talking drum, bombo drum, bell, shaker and vocal.
[Lyrics and more inside]
posted to MeFi Music by flapjax at midnite
at 4:11 AM on July 5, 2007
(10 comments)
Scientific American to stop reporting science, more creationism.
There's no easy way to admit this. For years, helpful letter writers told us to stick to science. They pointed out that science and politics don't mix. They said we should be more balanced in our presentation of such issues as creationism, missile defense and global warming...But spring is in the air, and all of nature is turning over a new leaf, so there's no better time to say: you were right, and we were wrong.
posted to MetaFilter by mr.curmudgeon
at 6:58 PM on March 25, 2005
(208 comments)
WithoutWalls
"This video, filmed in April 1994, records the final public words of the genius behind such films as Brimstone and Treacle, Pennies from Heaven, and Dreamchild. It's the last record of a man facing--with dignity, intelligence, and surprisingly good humor--death from cancer. Recorded as a television special by Britain's Channel Four, the documentary can be unsettling. Potter's inflamed hands can barely hold his ever-present cigarette (which he refers to as a "little tube of delight"), and he alternately sips champagne and swigs liquid morphine from an antique hip flask. But for those who have enjoyed Potter's wildly creative work--or those simply interested in the creative process itself--it's a fascinatingly funny glimpse into the mind of a master." (amazon)
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 7:18 PM on March 27, 2008
(17 comments)
Iwase Yoshiyuki
"In the late 1920s, young Yoshiyuki received an early Kodak camera as a gift. Since the main livelihood of the town came from the sea, he gravitated there, and soon found a passion for "the simple, even primitive beauty" of
ama – girls and women who harvested seaweed, turban shells and abalone from beneath the coastal waters." "By the late 1960s, they had disappeared. This body of work stands as the final, most comprehensive visual document of the life and work of these divers."
[NSFW]
posted to MetaFilter by tellurian
at 10:45 PM on March 27, 2008
(48 comments)
I'm trying to decide between two different paths right now, and I think I might benefit from some advice.
posted to Ask Metafilter by prefpara
at 1:29 PM on March 2, 2008
(4 comments)
Uncle Dirty
is a fascinating photo essay about a photographer's strange uncle who has lived 86 years obsessed with bodybuilding, penises, and thongs. Not safe for work, but not too crazy, the photos really humanize someone you'd probably cross the street to avoid in real life. (via
mjj/
blort)
posted to MetaFilter by mathowie
at 11:13 AM on March 8, 2008
(130 comments)
"The most brutal, ugly, degenerate, vicious form of expression it has been my displeasure to hear," Frank Sinatra wrote of rock 'n' roll during the time of Elvis Presley. But Frank wasn't stupid... he knew his relevance was fading and if you can't beat 'em, you have to join 'em. So in
1960, Elvis Presley was welcomed home from his two year
military tour by the
Frank Sinatra Timex Show "Welcome Home Elvis" special. Later Sinatra said,
"I'm just a singer. Elvis was the embodiment of the whole American culture."
posted to MetaFilter by miss lynnster
at 9:43 PM on February 26, 2008
(17 comments)
A primer on the global derivatives market, the City of London, and the credit crunch:
"In 2003 the total size of the world economy was $49,000,000,000,000. The total size of the derivatives being traded was $85,000,000,000,000. In other words, derivatives today are worth far, far more than the total economic activity of the planet. More than $1,000,000,000,000 of derivatives are bought and sold every day. Every single thing that can be traded through derivatives, is."
posted to MetaFilter by anotherpanacea
at 1:44 PM on January 2, 2008
(30 comments)
In response to
this thread: A little GreaseMonkey script to pop-out all the flash players (that use playlists) into new tabs/windows.
Enjoy!
posted to MetaTalk by potch
at 7:56 AM on December 3, 2007
(11 comments)
Attention most ladies and certain gentlemen: Do you think your man has been cheating on you? Well, there are
several ways to check up on him. But budding rap star
Riskay has
her own special method (warning: pretty much NSFW, and autoplay of a really wonderful song in the last link).
posted to MetaFilter by Kibbutz
at 10:06 PM on November 16, 2007
(35 comments)
Ninjatune podcasts
including Coldcut and Big Dada podcasts, a Ninjacast which delves into the record crates of various ninja artists, and of course a Solid Steel podcast with 60-odd mixes available.
posted to MetaFilter by nthdegx
at 3:13 AM on November 10, 2007
(16 comments)
Soapy Smith was "the king of the frontier confidence men." Born Jefferson R. Smith, he gained the nickname "Soapy" after running a successful scam that the Denver newspapers dubbed
"The Prize Package Soap Sell Swindle." He ran criminal enterprises in Colorado and Alaska until his death at the hands of vigilantes in 1898. Every year his descendants hold a
wake in his honor. His story has inspired several
books and movies. The
Soapy Smith Preservation Trust maintains an extensive archive of his life and times.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 1:04 AM on October 16, 2007
(20 comments)
I Am Emily X
is "the true-life diary of a frontline
Planned Parenthood worker and activist", created in response to the
40 Days for Life Campaign. "*For their safety and protection, Emily X represents a small handful of Planned Parenthood workers and activists, who may or may not be named Emily."
posted to MetaFilter by mewithoutyou
at 7:27 PM on October 12, 2007
(13 comments)
" . . . every second was the narrow gate, through which the Messiah could enter."
There is a lot we do not know about September 27, 1940. On that day,
Walter Benjamin found out that he needed a visa to cross the border from France into Spain. By September 28, he was dead. Was it a suicide?
Was he murdered by Stalin? He carried trunks with his last works.
What was in them? These questions will never be answered, but Benjamin is not lost to us. He told us about
the culture of print and photograph. He probed
the metaphysics of hashish. Through
fashion,
feuilleton, and
flânerie, he traced the lineaments of the modern city. His task, as he saw it, was one of
reading and
critique, the
illumination of modernity.
posted to MetaFilter by nasreddin
at 11:01 AM on September 4, 2007
(17 comments)
One day someone will write a post worthy of
The Wire. In the mean time, here's an
article about and an
interview with Felicia Pearson. Apparently there are a similarities between her and "
Snoop", her character on the show.
posted to MetaFilter by Alex404
at 8:11 PM on July 29, 2007
(78 comments)
Burroughs
A 1983 documentary by Howard Brookner on William S. Burroughs.
89 mins, G-vid, a bit more inside...
posted to MetaFilter by carsonb
at 4:47 PM on July 10, 2007
(13 comments)
