December 10
"She bought Jumper: Griffin's Story - one of the worst reviewed games ever in Xbox 360 history. The day Modern Warfare 2 was released, she spent all her time on Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. American Idol? She put the microphone in front of a speaker and played songs into it to ace the performances that much faster."
The story of Kristen and her gamerscore addiction.
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posted by jbickers at 7:27 AM - 56 comments If you have kids, you almost certainly have at least one of the
'I Spy' books, or something from the
'Can You See What I See?' series on your home bookshelf. Created by artist/photographer Walter Wick, the books have page after page of images filled with astonishing amounts of detail, including any number of objects for the kids to find.
Wick's website has
dozens of pages taking us behind the scenes, showing us how many of these wonderful photos were created, many involving the construction of
incredibly detailed models that are used for just a single shot. The
Impossible Columns is perhaps my favourite.
posted by woodblock100 at 6:34 AM - 16 comments Sex sells PEZ. A visual survey of the "PEZgirl," as used in PEZ advertising. Slightly NSFW, as one image at the bottom of the page shows bare breasts. That's right, PEZ ran topless advertisements.
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posted by OmieWise at 5:21 AM - 21 comments
Have you ever wondered why you can't get what you want, but, if you try sometimes, etc.? Mark Hicken, a British Colombian lawyer,
is a great source of information on the state(s) of Canadian liquor regulations. Sure, a little localised and dry, but that's the terroir, man. Also, he does point out
some inanities that have a relatively universal appeal.
posted by converge at 2:13 AM - 20 comments December 9
ASCII art of 12 April 1888. A map of Michigan's dry counties. "We found this part troublesome enough to set, and if any printer thinks it a simple job, he may try it for two or three days."
posted by jjray at 9:45 PM - 27 comments
"Men working on the river would move in time to the beat of the music. It was everywhere: on the street, in the church. In the tonks and barrelhouses where people went to be together. Like the beating of a big heart. It gave everyone a good feeling." The Cradle is Rocking is a delightful 12-minute film that, though somewhat damaged (Folkstreams has found what may be the only surviving print), is highly recommended viewing for anyone interested in American roots music: in this case, New Orleans jazz. The film's thoughtful and affable narrator is trumpeter
George "Kid Sheik" Cola, who can be heard along with Captain John Handy serving up some fine old-school Dixieland jazz
here and
here.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:08 PM - 10 comments
Harmonic Visualization Bob Jones is finally making more musics. Here are some of his latest work. Make sure to look at the Harmonic Visualization before (and durning) listening to the piece. It really allows for a richer experience.
posted by Olive Oil at 5:06 PM - 9 comments
The public's
opinion of the field of climatology has been shaken by the
leaked CRU emails. While it's
arguable that the messages show any
wrongdoing,
many pundits have now reached the conclusion that global warming is a hoax, coverup and conspiracy, years in the making with millions of faked datapoints. Sarah Palin has written an
editorial saying Obama should boycott the Copenhagen
COP15 summit.
posted by mccarty.tim at 1:07 PM - 234 comments Piracy of PC games is nothing new, and has been
discussed previously. Due to the high levels of PC game piracy, some development companies have
decreased (or eliminated) PC game development, shifting support to console development. But piracy isn't limited to PCs, as
modchips and other hacks have allowed users to play pirated and
homebrewed games. In the continuing struggle for control,
Microsoft banned as many as 1 million modded systems from Xbox Live, resulting in a surge of
people reselling Xbox 360s that have been banned from online play (and
modders finding a fix for the ban). Some developers have adopted another tactic - increased development of
downloadable content (DLC), which has been seen as
both good and bad by gamers. John Riccitiello, the head of Electronic Arts, seems to have embraced DLC as a marketing option, in noting that "
[people] can steal the disc, but they can't steal the DLC."
posted by filthy light thief at 12:51 PM - 71 comments Help: I want to say something to someone • I am worried about my penis size • I am not funny • I am addicted to the internet • I'm involved in a long distance relationship • I'm racist • I'm not familiar with Alessandro Moreschi • I am being followed by a dog.
posted by ocherdraco at 11:59 AM - 45 comments
I had this concept--after a strange dream, while scoping out the
I Dreamed I Saw st. Augustine tab in my just-in-case-it-disappears downloaded
dylanchords, of ...
St. Augustine as a slow moody slide in Open D ala Blind Texas Marlin. But then I got to wondering whether someone might have a chord dictionary online where a few variations on a first position
B Minor in Open D might be found. Voila! Achtung, Baby! Behold
Brian's huge chordlist collection. Oh, man, he's got your standard and open tunings on guitar plus mandolin, uke, banjos, bouzouki, pipa and lute. A living room guitarist's must have, no doubt, although a few more open tunings for pipa would have been nice...
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posted by y2karl at 11:50 AM - 6 comments "Gripped by war, poverty and plague, the villagers of Oberammergau, in Bavaria, southern Germany vowed to put on a 'passion play' every ten years…
That was back in 1633. They survived, and performed the first Oberammergau Passion Play in 1634. Ever since, their descendants have carried out that pledge.
For the past four centuries the tradition has continued, every ten years. Only villagers have been allowed to take part. And that is what will
happen yet again in 2010."
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posted by vacapinta at 6:53 AM - 25 comments December 8
Tavi Williams, Style Rookie. Tavi is a (self-described) "Tiny
13 year old dork that sits inside all day wearing awkward jackets and pretty hats. Scatters black petals on Rei Kawakubo's doorsteps and serenades her in rap. I have no where near 4 million readers. Rather cynical and cute as a drained rat. In a sewer. Farting. And spitting out guts."
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posted by skwt at 4:23 PM - 78 comments
Henry Miller had always loved art. He first began painting after seeing some Turner prints in a Brooklyn department-store window. There was only one minor drawback: he couldn’t draw. But his best friend, Emil Schnellock, could, and Miller became his disciple. It wasn’t long before he realized that what he lacked in draftsmanship, he made up for in color and composition sense. (previously)
posted by Joe Beese at 1:41 PM - 9 comments
The Color Of The Year 2010: Turquoise Pantone has announced their selection for Color of the Year for 2010, and the winner is Turquoise. Turqouise, according to the color mavens,
"evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.” Real turquoise (the mineral) was treasured in antiquity for "natural protection against the powers of darkness" and derives its name from the custom of the Turks to wear one in their turbans to ward off the "evil eye". In case you weren't paying attention this time last year,
the Color of the Year for 2009 has been "Mimosa".
posted by briank at 1:14 PM - 53 comments
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