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Uncle Patrick’s Advice to Children -- a collection of rules to live by. Some highlights: Wear the condom. No, for the love of Pete, not the mint-flavored one. Jesus, that thing burns. and Here’s a helpful tip for job interviews: try not to stab your future boss in the arm with a freshly sharpened pencil. If you must stab someone with a pencil, have the common sense to dull the point to a state where you can be sure it won’t easily break the skin. (via boingboing)
posted by amberglow at 9:34 PM PST - 23 comments

Sowing One's Wild Oats And Postponing Last Straws: Some things never change the world over and the gist of this amusing language lesson (be sure to listen to the sountrack too) seems familiar and even easy to guess. However, different cultures allow for different rates of growing up - and out of things. Regarding the sowing of wild oats, is the West really the most lenient and generous, in terms of age-limits? What part does religion play? In other words, what's the maximum you can get away with nowadays? At a pinch, I'd say Southern European Catholic countries will extend a woman's visa till she's 35 and a man's till he's 40 but certain *cough* other cultures seem to be even more favourable towards eternal adolescence.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 5:53 PM PST - 18 comments

A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization.
posted by hama7 at 3:53 PM PST - 8 comments

Under eights give their opinions on classic rock - Bob Dylan (and others) get compared to Busted.
posted by Orange Goblin at 2:09 PM PST - 30 comments

The Hajj: an excellent photographic journal of Islam's annual pilgrimage.
posted by moonbird at 2:03 PM PST - 8 comments

The Campaign Desk If you are a political news junkie, try this: Critique and analysis of 2004 campaign coverage from Columbia Journalism Review It is good. It is solid.It is intelligent.
posted by Postroad at 12:55 PM PST - 8 comments

Women's Early Art. Art, music and poetry from Europe and Asia, and American quilts.
posted by homunculus at 11:34 AM PST - 1 comment

Severed hands and feet, yarmulkes blown off of heads, sides of human torso dripping blood like beef in a butcher shop -- and a cell phone. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has never allowed footage like this to be seen before, but now they have decided to publicize it on their website to push for the construction of the new security fence, the existence of which is an outrage to many Palestianians. Truth as propaganda. [Caution: WMP, and the most graphically violent images I've seen since the infamous photo of Vietnamese kids running from napalm, and the execution of Daniel Pearl.]
posted by digaman at 11:17 AM PST - 82 comments

Photo London. Images of London life over the years.
posted by plep at 10:03 AM PST - 3 comments

Farewell, Whole Earth magazine? A lament at worldchanging.com: "... spawn of the amazing Whole Earth Catalogs, source of the WELL, first to mention in print the Gaia Hypothesis, the Internet, Virtual Reality, the Singularity and Burning Man (or at least so the legend goes), the place where folks like Stewart Brand, Kevin Kelly and Howard Rheingold found their voices, and where a whole generation of young commune-kid geeks like myself learned to dream weird... " [via Smart Mobs]
posted by Slagman at 9:41 AM PST - 10 comments

I always knew that Star Wars was real. But I always thought the Death Star was a little bigger. Sometimes the Internet makes me laugh.
posted by bargle at 12:59 AM PST - 16 comments

Media for Democracy -- a non-partisan citizens' initiative to monitor mainstream news coverage of the 2004 elections and advocate fair, democratic and issue-oriented standards of reporting. The project links voters with more than 100 independent media reform groups in a targeted campaign to prevent the types of media mistakes -- such as early, erroneous and politically biased projections -- that plagued the 2000 election. Brought to you by Mediachannel.org, who recently called primary coverage "Electotainment."
posted by amberglow at 9:24 PM PST - 2 comments

The next American Idol, William Hung...
posted by Macboy at 6:45 PM PST - 21 comments

Former Davenetics publisher and CSPAN fanatic Dave Pell is now blogging at Electablog. After a couple years of earnest "soapbox 'n rants" style of political blogging, it's nice to see political-themed sites with a sense of humor and humility popping up (like wonkette as well, mentioned last week).
posted by mathowie at 4:46 PM PST - 3 comments

Confessions of a Car Salesman Edmunds.com sent one of their writers to work at two car dealerships for a month or so at each to find out just how the stereotypically sleazoids learn to be so slick and annoying yet ultimately successful--at least most of you have bought a new car at least once, right? (Lengthy, not necessarily breathless prose can be shortcircuited if you skip to the lessons learned page.)
posted by billsaysthis at 4:19 PM PST - 28 comments

"If you don't do as I tell you, I'll personally take you out in the woods and shoot you." A top federal security official at the Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport angrily threatened to "shoot" baggage screeners and financially ruin their families if they did not do their jobs to his satisfaction, airport employees have told the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general.

All jokes about bombs, guns and killing will be taken seriously?
posted by busbyism at 1:44 PM PST - 23 comments

Georgia considers banning 'evolution' OUTSTANDING! Nice work guys. Meet the new south, same as the old south?
posted by asparagus_berlin at 12:20 PM PST - 87 comments

CBS adds secret performer for Super Bowl halftime show. "[A]bout 2,500 youngsters from area schools will pour onto the field to create a festival concert atmosphere..." Let me guess... Michael freakin' Jackson?
posted by johnnydark at 12:14 PM PST - 59 comments

Four Corners - A Literary Excursion Across America "There is no experience that compares to being on all fours in four states at once while waving ones behind toward a blinking camera. Even Columbus would have appreciated this." Good reading here.
posted by WolfDaddy at 11:34 AM PST - 1 comment

US elections: the world-wide vote.
"In November 2004, U.S. citizens will elect their new President. The outcome of these elections directly influences the lives of citizens around the world. Theworldvotes.org seeks to apply new technologies to provide citizens around the world with a voice in matters that affects us all. Ensure that your voice is heard by registering electronically and add momentum to a worldwide drive to establish global democracy."
Noble sentiments, but isn't this an admission of submission to the empire? A surrender of sovereignty? A call for a new Caracalla's edict? Is this a good idea both for the US and the "rest of the world"?
posted by talos at 11:13 AM PST - 29 comments

Attack of the Seven Teen Girls from Petaluma! Well, maybe not that title, but the story of teenage girls spending two years to convince developers to build a multiplex in their hometown would have made a great '80s teen flick. Armed with binders of business plans and black-and-white skirt suits, they succeeded, and broke ground Thursday. All because they were sick of asking Mom for rides.
posted by marzenie99 at 11:01 AM PST - 13 comments

Why yes, I would like to rip my Lancaster County Prison CD. Viking Components invents a whole new form of spam, courtesy of Amazon's Guides feature. [more]
posted by staggernation at 10:34 AM PST - 9 comments

The Museum of Fred. Online gallery of art collected from thrift stores.
posted by plep at 9:52 AM PST - 2 comments

Sworn virgins. "A sworn virgin is called such because she swears—takes a vow under the law of the Kanun—to become a man. From the day she takes this vow (which is sometimes at a very early age), she becomes a man: she dresses like one, acts like one, walks like one, works like one, talks like one, and her family and community treat her as one. She is referred to as he. He will never marry and will remain celibate all of his life." If you find this stuff intriguing, by all means read Alice Munro's great short story "The Albanian Virgin" (from Open Secrets, 1994); you might also want to check out A Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology, and Folk Culture, where there's much more cultural weirdness, and Edith Durham's classic High Albania (online here), from which I first learned of these mannish gals. Oh, and there's a movie!
posted by languagehat at 9:47 AM PST - 15 comments

Forget the Super Bowl. In Philadelphia all eyes are on the Wing Bowl, where 20,000 (often) drunk (mostly) men filed into the Wachovia Center beginning shortly after dawn this morning, a workday, to ogle thong-clad Wingettes and cheer on the eaters. This year's winner: Sonya Thomas, a 105 lb. woman, who knocked off 2-1 favorite and four-peat reigning champ El Wingador by gobbling 167 buffalo wings in 34 minutes. The event is huge. Miss Thomas is not.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 9:16 AM PST - 16 comments

The Mischke Broadcast — T.D. Mischke, or more affectionately known as Tommy among his regular callers is a radio personality like none other. Found on KSTP 1500 in the Twin Cities from 10pm to midnight, he keeps the evening hour uniquely his own. [RealAudio ahead] He sung an interview to Gordon Lightfoot tune, breaks out into rap about kidneys in India and pretends to be a long lost golfing buddy. He gained noteriety in broadcasting by showing up to work only to have two hours of dead air. Who makes you believe in great radio?
posted by pedantic at 9:11 AM PST - 10 comments

Splat the Nazi [Edutainment gone awry?]
posted by shoepal at 9:03 AM PST - 6 comments

Click and drag the red block, avoiding all the blue blocks as long as you can.
posted by Orange Goblin at 8:46 AM PST - 24 comments

kenya (note: flash)
posted by donth at 7:29 AM PST - 11 comments

It has been said that reality is all about perspective -- a camera is a pinhole view of the world that frequently filters out much of the story. With that in mind, check out this video of the familiar "I have a scream" speech by Dean. I'm no Dean supporter, but from down in the trenches it doesn't look nearly as bad as it played on TV. Obviously the video you've seen on the news has the best part and the audience noise turned down, but from this vantage point, the speech almost seems appropriate for the crowd and the moment (but was still a lapse in judgement to forget cameras were rolling). I hope this isn't too subtle of a point -- forget all the politics involved -- this is a fascinating look at a familiar scene that was looped for the past week, but from an entirely different perspective and a different story emerges. [via Vidiot]
posted by mathowie at 7:08 AM PST - 51 comments

In Defense of Ikea and Starbucks. "[If] you're so desperate for your own soixante-huit moment that you can sit there with a straight face and tell me that you're being oppressed by flat-packable pine furniture with goofy pseudo-Scandinavian names, I'd advise you to spend a few days working with child slaves in the Sudan, or something." MeFite adamgreenfield pleads for "a little sense of scale."
posted by Vidiot at 6:33 AM PST - 83 comments

Three Blind Phreaks, See How They Scam ... The Badirs pulled off Mamet-worthy phone cons, employing cell phones, Braille-display computers, ace code-writing skills, and an uncanny ability to impersonate anyone from corporate suits to sex-starved females. On the phone, the brothers morph into verbal 007s, intimidating men, seducing women, and wheedling classified information from steely-voiced security personnel [...] An intense cat-and-mouse game developed: the Badirs on one side, with fraud investigator David Osmo and prosecutor Doron Porat on the other [...] his car's GPS system and email were repeatedly hacked. "There was a message waiting for him with his password in it," says Ramy, sounding quite pleased. "After that, he changed his password every hour before giving up on email altogether and using a typewriter."
posted by Blue Stone at 6:11 AM PST - 7 comments

Dont forget to duck! ..... (link to wmv movie file)
posted by MintSauce at 3:30 AM PST - 8 comments

Garth Marenghi is a sculptor of nightmares, is the only person you'll ever meet who has written more books than he has read. Now you can see the return of his Cult '80s TV show. If you only get to see one TV series from the UK this year, and if you dare, then vist the Dark Place.
posted by seanyboy at 2:09 AM PST - 17 comments

Sid Laverents has been making witty and humorous films since 1966. In 2000, Multiple Sidosity was the first, amateur-made film selected to be placed in The Library of Congress's National Film Registry. His latest, The Sid Saga, is also his autobiography and at the age of 95 remains busy, self-distributing his work. (via Low Culture)
posted by the biscuit man at 10:45 PM PST - 4 comments

In case you've been wondering about Europe's nascent GPS system, the Economist has an update.
posted by kliuless at 9:11 PM PST - 2 comments

Pixar Dumps Disney: "It is impossible to know how bad this is for Disney." On the other hand: Disney can begin creating sequels to all of Pixar's films, something it could not do under its current arrangement and is almost certain to exploit. On the third hand: One film executive suggested that Mr. Jobs could now be considered a candidate to run Disney if indeed Mr. Eisner ever left.
posted by alms at 8:42 PM PST - 25 comments

Strange performances, communication, odd colors and hooligan monkeys. It is the year of the monkey
posted by hypnorich at 8:06 PM PST - 6 comments

Hasta Mudra: a research project in movement and myth. "The content within this website is derived of excerpts from an ongoing research project on hasta mudra as they are utilized in Bharata Natyam classical dance of India. The literal translation of the Sanskrit hasta mudra is hand (hasta) symbol (mudra), though hasta mudra can be interpreted in English as hand gestures or sign language." [Flash.]
posted by homunculus at 4:06 PM PST - 1 comment

Old Time Candy - ready to say goodbye to your New Year's Resolution diet? Old time candy will sell you gift boxes based on decade! We looked for the nostalgic sweet stuff before, but here is another good collection.
posted by plinth at 4:05 PM PST - 4 comments

A.J. Liebling; H.L.Mencken; E.B.White: Are The Great American Prose Stylists Long Dead And Gone? Perhaps it helps to have two initials. In any case, Gore Vidal apart, I'm afraid sheer opinionated and passionate prose, backed up by knowledge of the world, unorthodox views and uplifting prose that is simultaneously workmanlike and deliciously readable is a thing of the past in American journalism. Sameness; political correctness and sensitivity have all had their deleterious, neutering effect. Are there any exceptions?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:20 PM PST - 36 comments

Single life is fine till about 30, then normal people marry. Neil Steinberg fires a trollish, yet illuminating salvo across the marriage gap.
posted by 4easypayments at 2:46 PM PST - 77 comments

Hama-Net: Plentiful Electronic Photo Library on Odagahama Japan, and Neighbouring Seashores.
posted by hama7 at 2:23 PM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Whale explodes in Taiwan city "A 60-ton sperm whale exploded on a busy street, showering nearby cars and shops with blood and organs and stopping traffic for hours." More Pictures linked here. More exploding whales - 1, 2, 3.
posted by y6y6y6 at 1:44 PM PST - 29 comments

Pakistan Bans Anti-al-Qaida Operations. Where does the United States go from here?
posted by the fire you left me at 12:55 PM PST - 15 comments

Adult search engine, Booble.com has received a cease and desist order from Google on the grounds of trademark infringement. Read Google's letter and Booble's response. all links are work safe.
posted by paulrockNJ at 12:06 PM PST - 22 comments

Janet Frame , New Zealand writer, is dead at 79. More information about her life, here, and obituary notice here. Nominated for the Nobel Prize for Fiction last year, I had hoped she might yet win. RIP.
posted by jokeefe at 11:46 AM PST - 5 comments

Punk rock is dead.
posted by cachilders at 11:13 AM PST - 38 comments

License plates of the world. Because you never know when your familiarity with Mongolian tags may come in handy. (via the ultimate insult)
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:49 AM PST - 11 comments

The Beneficiaries of Saddam's Oil Vouchers: The List of 270 (This is the first xlation I could find). The following report from MEMRI's Baghdad office is a translation of an article which appeared in the Iraqi daily Al-Mada, which obtained lists of 270 companies, organizations, and individuals awarded allocations (vouchers) of crude oil by Saddam Hussein's regime. The beneficiaries reside in 50 countries: 16 Arab, 17 European, 9 Asian, and the rest from sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Only a portion of the 270 recipients are listed and identified.
posted by kablam at 10:01 AM PST - 17 comments

Business Card Menger Sponge Project
The primary goal of the Business Card Menger Sponge Project is to build a depth 3 approximation to Menger's Sponge ... out of 66,048 business cards . This can be done by building 8000 business card cubes out of 6 cards each, linking them together and using the additional cards to panel the 18,048 exterior faces of the sponge.

With all the troubles in our world today, the confusion of the Presidential primaries, terrorism, you name it, it is good someone can find a project that gets people involved and serves, after its completion, as a greatly beneficial offering for mankind.
posted by RubberHen at 9:52 AM PST - 4 comments

Visible Traces: Rare Books and Special Collections from the National Library of China. Rare books, maps and other texts, viewable online in this exhibition at askasia.org.
posted by plep at 9:51 AM PST - 5 comments

Reference nuts, here's a great product for you. Good stuff for the wall of your study.
posted by tetsuo at 9:41 AM PST - 8 comments

The Matrix is REAL
posted by Plunge at 9:20 AM PST - 21 comments

Michael, aged 25, was abducted by Lord's Resistance Army rebels in northern Uganda. His captors beat him on the head with rifle-butts when he was no longer able to carry their loot and left him for dead. Government soldiers found him a week later. "Termites had started eating me alive," he recalls. Michael's is one of many personal testimonies published in When the sun sets, we start to worry..., a book launched Thursday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in conjunction with its Integrated Regional Information Networks. Using personal accounts and powerful black-and-white photographs, When the sun sets, we start to worry... aims to draw attention to the plight of more than a million Ugandan men, women and children whose present existence encompasses a degree of misery and horror seldom seen elsewhere.
posted by mookieproof at 9:17 AM PST - 2 comments

Richard Perle ...terrorist supporter or clueless dupe?
posted by soyjoy at 8:55 AM PST - 8 comments

Save the Hubble! I know, I know, it's an internet petition... but it's to save the Hubble Telescope! That's worth a minute out of your day.
posted by Hugh2d2 at 6:00 AM PST - 10 comments

xplanet is a powerful and free app that lets you display an earth view on your desktop, with highly configurable degrees of realism. available for multple os's, you can even configure it to periodically download recent (within 3 hours) cloud cover maps, as well as your local weather forecast, satellite paths, recent earthquake or volcanic activity. be sure to check out the gallery.
posted by crunchland at 3:09 AM PST - 27 comments

A place where light rain makes the news. An Arab country where, according to the CIA World Factbook, 50% of the population is actually of South Asian descent. And a place that could really use a better flash intro.
posted by namespan at 9:24 PM PST - 8 comments

Cryptographever -- a secret message discoverer. Just type or paste in text from anywhere and the hidden messages are revealed...When I pasted in all of today's posts, it gave me: BUY NOW SHARE, but yesterday's reveals JOHN DREAMS. hmmmm....
posted by amberglow at 8:35 PM PST - 32 comments

Are you tired of being alone and your friends and family thinking that you are gay or just can't get a girlfriend.  If so, then I am the woman you are looking for.
Oh... me, me, me, me, and me too. And then there's the nun.
posted by travis at 7:58 PM PST - 26 comments

Has Howard Dean Sold Out?
One of the most prominent themes of the Dean's insurgency campaign, was the call to "Throw the Bums Out!" Dean, in most speeches talks about his rivals as "Washington and Party Insiders", and he draws contrast with himself. One of his battle cries has been to get rid of the "special interests" and "take back America" for the people.

Why then, has Dean fired his campaign manager Joe Trippi, who is often credited with the candidate's fast rise and strong organization, and replaced him with Roy Neel, former adviser in the Al Gore 2000 presidential campaign, and former chief lobbyist for the U.S. Telecom Association? (A nice combo of a "Washington Insider" and a "Special Interest," if there is one)

Howard, what happened to "taking America back" from the Special Interests?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 6:49 PM PST - 104 comments

The DOD Wargames Abrupt Climate Change: Turning inward, the U.S. effectively seeks to build a fortress around itself to preserve resources. Borders are strengthened to hold back starving immigrants from Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean islands—waves of boat people pose especially grim problems...As the planet's carrying capacity shrinks, an ancient pattern reemerges: the eruption of desperate, all-out wars over food, water, and energy supplies. Wars over resources were the norm until about three centuries ago. When such conflicts broke out, 25% of a population's adult males usually died. As abrupt climate change hits home, warfare may again come to define human life.
posted by alms at 6:20 PM PST - 22 comments

Scientists at JILA have announced the creation of a new form of matter known as fermionic condensate the sixth known form of matter -- after gases, solids, liquids, plasma and Bose-Einstein condensate, created in 1995 also by JILA which won the Nobel Prize in 2001. Scientists believe fermionic condensate is one step closer to an everyday, usable superconductor. Abstract (full text subscription only).
posted by stbalbach at 5:08 PM PST - 15 comments

CyberTracker is a program that allows users with GPS-linked handheld computers to record, collect and analyze observations in the field, thereby improving scientists' ability to monitor changes in an ecosystem and turning traditional tracking into a modern scientific profession. [Via World Changing.]
posted by homunculus at 3:25 PM PST - 2 comments

Whirly Ball looks like a ton of fun. It's Jai Alai meets basketball meets bumper cars. What a great sport for those of us who are athletically challenged!
posted by Fantt at 3:04 PM PST - 20 comments

Snakes. An animated film based on a woodcut by M.C. Escher. Slow to load, beautiful to watch (and listen to).
posted by jonah at 1:18 PM PST - 16 comments

"Circuit bending is the electronic art of the implementation of the creative audio short-circuit. This renegade path of electrons represents a catalytic force capable of exploding new experimental musical forms forward at a velocity previously unknown. Anyone at all can do it; no prior knowledge of electronics is needed." - Reed Ghazala. More proselytizing from Ghazala, and a LiveJournal for up-to-the-minute advice, feedback and opinions.
posted by jon_kill at 12:04 PM PST - 19 comments

Rebellion brewing in Saudi city The tiny city of Sakaka in the remote al-Jouf province that borders Iraq may seem an unlikely setting for the beginning of a revolution against the ruling al-Saud family. But one does not have to spend too long here to realise that this is what is happening.
posted by Postroad at 11:23 AM PST - 44 comments

Is SCO, the most hated company in tech attempting to improve it's image by offering a bounty for the creator of MyDoom virus? Now being considered the fastest growing virus ever. Can companies with a similarly low public perception *cough* win favor by similar good deeds?
posted by omidius at 10:24 AM PST - 35 comments

Bon air! Nuit d`fête! More than likely, if you're of a certain age (I won't pretend to know the exact one) and live in the U.S., you know the theme song in English, at least. It's Green Acres, which came out on DVD on Jan. 13, and will hit TV Land this spring, after years of being hard to find and in bad condition when you could find it. Its reputation has been bolstered over time by praise from, among others, Matt Groening (see No. 50), who has reportedly called it one of the primary inspirations for "The Simpsons." Have you rented any old TV shows on DVD, ones you can't necessarily catch on cable or syndication, and reconsidered your opinion of them? Do shows that seemed modern at the time now seem backdated, or vice versa, or more influential than you might have guessed?
posted by raysmj at 9:11 AM PST - 45 comments

Infinite Illusions: Juggling Supplies, Unicycles, Yo-Yos and Tops.
posted by hama7 at 9:06 AM PST - 8 comments

CBGB Photographic History. Includes one of the coolest Ramones photos I've ever seen. (One or two of the thumbnails are probably NSFW, but they're small, so unless you're really paranoid, I wouldn't be too concerned about it). (via things magazine)
posted by Ufez Jones at 9:04 AM PST - 12 comments

Yer OUT!!! Minor league pitcher in Cleveland Indians organization admits that appearing in gay porn was perhaps not the best idea.
posted by psmealey at 8:52 AM PST - 82 comments

I, for one, welcome our new telepathic parrot overlords. "The bird, a captive African grey called N'kisi, has a vocabulary of 950 words, and shows signs of a sense of humour." This may be old news to some, since USA Today wrote about the parrot a few years back. You can also check out the project's site which features Real Audio of N'kisi talking, in which I can only assume he is plotting to overthrow humanity.
posted by patgas at 8:50 AM PST - 30 comments

The Hutton Inquiry has concluded its investigation. It unanimously vindicates the British Government, castigates the BBC for lying and criticising the Government's honour, and mildly criticises some aspects of the Intelligence services and Dr. David Kelly himself.
An accessible PDF to HTML version of the Hutton website - The Guardian's Hutton site - The BBC's Hutton site - Google News UK.
posted by Blue Stone at 7:25 AM PST - 57 comments

The Drift Table lets you float gently over the British landscape from the comfort of your living room. Other projects from the Equator research group include a tablecloth that glows and a key table that responds to your mood. Hi-tech knick-knacks, or a glimpse of the subtle way we'll interact with the domestic environment of the future?
posted by jack_mo at 7:14 AM PST - 8 comments

It's an interesting week in British politics (and not just because of Hutton). On Tuesday evening, British MP (and noted blogger) Tom Watson raised the subject of RFID tags in a House of Commons debate (text here) - as a result of being alerted to the threat to civil liberties by fellow bloggers. Indeed, he even talked about his website in the chamber. Can blogs continue to affect British democracy? Quite possibly...
posted by ascullion at 6:59 AM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Presidential Market 2004 is an online game in which players buy and sell "shares" of the major 2004 presidential candidates. If you finish on Election Day with one of the two highest-valued portfolios — by executing savvy trades throughout the primaries and general election campaign — you'll win a trip to the inauguration next January.
posted by Brilliantcrank at 6:59 AM PST - 4 comments

Harmonia Macrocosmica. A digitised book of seventeenth-century astronomy.
posted by plep at 6:37 AM PST - 4 comments

Worst. Toy. Ever.
posted by PenDevil at 4:14 AM PST - 30 comments

GEODE (Geo-Data Explorer) is a free service offered by the U.S. Geological Survey.
It allows the user to retrieve, display, and manipulate multiple types of information, such as satellite images, geologic maps, graphics, live camera feed, three-dimensional images, and spreadsheet data.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 3:11 AM PST - 1 comment

The Lucky W Amulet Archive : "A folkloric resource that contains hundreds of interlinked pages describing and illustrating amulets, talismans, lucky charms, and good luck pieces from around the world and all eras".
posted by taz at 1:58 AM PST - 10 comments

Why won't Ron Jeremy say 'penis' on the air? This and many more important questions are pondered at the Ridiculous Infomercial Review. If you click in the next 20 minutes, you'll receive Matthew Lesko's wardrobe, absolutely free!!
posted by PrinceValium at 11:43 PM PST - 6 comments

Old Brands Never Die; They're Just Waiting For Someone To Wake Them Up: With the Nostalgia and Retro boom playing off the increasing number of niche markets made possible by the Web, it's time to start desperately plugging those favourite, time-honoured brands which "they" unforgivably stopped making, leaving their loyal fans in the lurch. What would you bring back, given half a chance? (I'll weigh in with Sobranie Black Russian cigarettes; the original Volkswagen Beetle; the Oldsmobile or, definitely, the Olympia manual Monica typewriter.)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:26 PM PST - 19 comments

WikiTravel: the Free Travel Guide [via Larry Lessig's weblog]
posted by turbodog at 10:41 PM PST - 1 comment

What they left behind: "Craig Williams, a curator at the New York State Museum, drove four hours to visit Willard Psychiatric Center in the spring of 1995. The complex, located 65 miles southwest of Syracuse, was about to shut down after more than 100 years ... a staffer suggested he check out the attic of an abandoned building, and that's when he found 400 suitcases covered by decades of dust and pigeon droppings"
posted by ryanshepard at 7:56 PM PST - 27 comments

Rep. Kirk (R), states, that Washington now must fuse counterterrorism and counternarcotics into an inseparable mission. It seemed almost inevitable, but could this indicate use of broad (possibly unconstitutional) anti-terrorism legislation for prosecuting drug users? With Britain downgrading marijuana, and much of the Western world softening on drug use, it seems that the United States won't give up. In fact, they even have Wal-Mart in on the action.
posted by geoff. at 7:24 PM PST - 58 comments

New Hampshire Crosstabs: Primary voter characteristics cross-tabulated with their candidate choice. Dean runs strong with PhDs while Kerry gets the high-school-only crowd. Veterans vote just about the same as everyone else. And, surprise surprise, there don't seem to be any African Americans or Asians voting in New Hampshire.
posted by alms at 5:33 PM PST - 30 comments

Stickernation - found sticker art from around the world.
posted by dobbs at 3:39 PM PST - 5 comments

AL FRANKEN KNOCKS DOWN DEAN HECKLER Defending free speech by tackling a heckler? "I got down low and took his legs out," said Franken afterwards. "I'm neutral in this race but I'm for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down." Wacky. [via the delightful and always dependable NY Post!]
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 1:58 PM PST - 45 comments

Filthy rich, but don't feel like buying your 5-year old a real Porsche just yet? Perhaps one of these will suffice for now. Vroooooomm...
posted by Witty at 1:57 PM PST - 8 comments

Columbia's Final Minutes A fascinating (if horrifying) account of the shuttle's destruction.
posted by jpoulos at 1:07 PM PST - 12 comments

A security analysis of the Pentagon's experimental Internet voting system, SERVE, says it's too vulnerable to be used. An incident in Canada last year highlights the risks. But the Pentagon is standing behind the system, and seven states have signed on. [Via Black Box Notes.]
posted by homunculus at 12:34 PM PST - 14 comments

The popular radio show, This American Life, has an upcoming series devoted to Jerry Springer's previous life in politics. Along with the radio piece, an entire website has been launched to try and convince Springer to re-enter politics and "revitalize the Democratic Party." Is Springer the new Arnold of the left?
posted by mathowie at 10:56 AM PST - 25 comments

Little Brother! Seven free mp3's from a very exciting hip hop group out of North Carolina. ?uestlove from The Roots says he's jealous of just how good they sound. I know that some of you will appreciate this.
posted by Slimemonster at 10:27 AM PST - 22 comments

Greatest online game ever. (flash, and turn the sound up). I know it's not friday, but I'm hungover and cold so it feels like friday. And this game doth so rule.
posted by ciderwoman at 8:46 AM PST - 34 comments

Dioforamerica. [via this place]
posted by anathema at 8:25 AM PST - 22 comments

76th Annual Academy Award Nominations
posted by ColdChef at 8:04 AM PST - 75 comments

The BBC is buying up search terms for 'Hutton Inquiry' and 'Hutton Report' through Google's Adwords service. I see this almost as the online journalistic equivalent of a government sexing up dossiers, and a first for any news organisation, according to the Guardian. Regardless of your (or Hutton's) opinion of the BBC's role in the Kelly affair, I don't see how they can possibly justify trying to control where people get their news from, especially as Hutton is almost certain to find the corporation (well, Andrew Gilligan anyway) to be a contributing factor in Kelly's suicide.
posted by cbrody at 7:16 AM PST - 13 comments

The Panopticon Singularity is an insightful rant by author Charles Stross that highlights just how close our society is to a data- and information-driven singularity. And it doesn't look like that's a good thing. Written for the recently discontinued Whole Earth Review, it is now available for all to peruse.
posted by LukeyBoy at 7:03 AM PST - 15 comments

Byzantine Medieval Hypertexts. The idea of hypertext in the Middle Ages. Nice pictures, too.
posted by plep at 6:33 AM PST - 3 comments

Mary Cheney: "The next time you walk into a gay public place, be prepared for a chorus calling you everything from a quisling and a betrayer to a selfish, fiendish, nasty example of a human being." Michelangelo Signorile's open letter to the VP's gay daughter.
posted by archimago at 6:23 AM PST - 78 comments

Howard Dean seems to be on record as stating that citizens should be required to use a government-issued ID before they can log on to the Internet. He also seems to say that PC manufacturers should be required to add card-readers to all of their PC products to facilitate this. Read for yourself and draw your own conclusions.
posted by DWRoelands at 6:11 AM PST - 38 comments

Letters to the Editor, By Jack O'Neil, Sewickley
posted by filchyboy at 10:34 PM PST - 4 comments

A woman gets a stun gun and a knife past security at LaGuardia and actually alerts authorities after she discovers them in her purse. Anybody feel safer yet? Anybody?
posted by FormlessOne at 5:32 PM PST - 35 comments

The Bird Man of Telegraph Hill: a beautiful story of a formerly homeless man, a flock of wild parrots in San Fransisco, and how their relationship transformed them both. "You see them and you have to love them..."
posted by moonbird at 4:55 PM PST - 16 comments

Gluebalize Magazine: net art
posted by hama7 at 4:36 PM PST - 2 comments

In sum, the invasion of Iraq failed to meet the test for a humanitarian intervention. Most important, the killing in Iraq at the time was not of the exceptional nature that would justify such intervention. In addition, intervention was not the last reasonable option to stop Iraqi atrocities. Intervention was not motivated primarily by humanitarian concerns. It was not conducted in a way that maximized compliance with international humanitarian law. It was not approved by the Security Council. And while at the time it was launched it was reasonable to believe that the Iraqi people would be better off, it was not designed or carried out with the needs of Iraqis foremost in mind. War in Iraq: Not a Humanitarian Intervention
Human Rights Watch finds the post fact rationale for the invasion wanting. It comes from their World Report 2004 - Human Rights and Armed Conflict, where other essays therefrom include: Losing The Peace In Afghanistan, Sidelined: Human Rights In Post-War Iraq and "Glad to be Deceived": the International Community and Chechnya, to name but a few.
posted by y2karl at 3:24 PM PST - 80 comments

Heinz Meanz Beanz: Is America ready for a sassy, intelligent, outspoken, wilful, foul-mouthed, irreverent, garrulous, domineering, flamboyant, freethinking and utterly charming First Lady?* Portugal certainly is - as Teresa Heinz Kerry, born Teresa Simoes Ferreira, is Portuguese and it would be nice to have a secret agent such a close ally in the White House. But there's also a lot of hate about. Do most American voters really take candidates' wives, husbands or partners into account? *Heh. The "utterly charming" was added at the last minute when I realized that all these adjectives could apply to Hilary Clinton.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:56 PM PST - 57 comments

The Buying of the President. A look at the special interests who are bankrolling Bush and his Democratic rivals.
posted by homunculus at 12:09 PM PST - 11 comments

Ikea Walkthrough: Now you are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. A skeleton, probably the remains of a luckless consumer, lies here. Beside the skeleton is a rusty SKARPT high-quality steel knife with hard plastic handle and a shopping cart. Search the body. Take the IKEA GIFT CARD (still has $43 on it). Take and eat the SWEDISH FISH for sustenance. Now go: S, E, D, D, E, SW, W, SW, D, W, U, S
posted by turbodog at 11:15 AM PST - 60 comments

Live From Davos: Frank talk and subtle spin as heads of state take Q&A from corporate honchos, in a session heavy on talk of terror: John Ashcroft shares the stage with Prince Turki al Faisal al Saud, Pervez Musharraf touts his vision of "enlightened moderation," the handsome young King of Jordan keeps his finger on the roadmap, and embattled Ecuadoran president Lucio Gutierrez takes a break from the tear gas to reassure skeptical capital markets. CSPAN for foreign filmgoers. (RealPlayer and Windows Media)
posted by hairyeyeball at 11:14 AM PST - 6 comments

MikeRoweSoft Settles with Microsoft for an XBox
Mike Rowe had a website named after himself that was alot like the mega-corp.
MS wanted to give him $10 to change the domain, he wanted $10k. They settled on a trip to Redmond, some traffic redirection and an XBox.

Followup to this thread.
posted by fenriq at 10:57 AM PST - 19 comments

Breakdancers receive blessing from the Pope. A story about the papacy that isn't frustrating, just for a change. It doesn't say it in the article, but I like to think that His Holiness learned to do the Worm.
posted by Mayor Curley at 10:44 AM PST - 11 comments

Cutting up the King: This seems sacrilegious, even if the tapes are deteriorating. They're planning to cut up some of Elvis Presley's original master tapes from Sun Studio and sell them as collectibles. I suppose one could email the publicity contact if this bothered them. The snipping starts tomorrow.
posted by bendybendy at 10:25 AM PST - 8 comments

A rant about a ranter who gets another 15 minutes starting on CNBC tonight. He was fired from Monday Night Football and his HBO show was finally canceled after the big-word, obscure reference shtick got tired. Much has been made of his post-9/11 ideological conversion, but there's a case to be made he's just showing true colors dating back to his SNL days. At least back then, this ranter says, he was willing to take on any authority figure, without fear or favor. But now he seems to be a lapdog of the power structure, a "Lenny Bruce in reverse." I still admit to a bit of warm feeling for the guy, maybe because it's still a little flattering to understand his references in this dumb-o-centric age. But he scares me a little, now.
posted by Slagman at 9:18 AM PST - 74 comments

Photobucket.com A free place to dump pictures you want to hotlink from sites like eBay, Craigslist, or even your personal site. There is a 100MB limit, but even that isn't absolute. This seems like a too good to be true service, how long can something like this last?
posted by jonah at 7:55 AM PST - 22 comments

Folklore.org "is a web site devoted to collective historical storytelling. It captures and presents sets of related stories that describe interesting events from multiple perspectives, allowing groups of people to recount their shared history in the form of interlinked anecdotes." [via Daring Fireball]
posted by kirkaracha at 7:48 AM PST - 2 comments

Ye olde text puzzle.Some Nordic prince who really likes his mum.(via coolios)
posted by johnny7 at 7:16 AM PST - 6 comments

POWER RANGERS: Did the Bush Administration create a new American empire—or weaken the old one? The left's favorite blogger, Talking Points Memo's Joshua Michah Marshall has been published in this week's New Yorker.
posted by jpoulos at 6:57 AM PST - 29 comments

Hanga Gallery: Side Gallery of Woodblock Prints. Actor, bijin-ga, landscape and wildlife prints, categorised by artist, with informative articles (for example, the articles on Toshi Yoshida and Yoshijiro Urushibara).
posted by plep at 6:32 AM PST - 4 comments

Furl is an elegant application that acts as your web filing cabinet. Store, rate and categorize web clippings with the click of a bookmarklet. Once collected, search, share or publish your links via email or RSS. (via Inter-Alia.)
posted by ajr at 5:51 AM PST - 12 comments

Ping Pong Ball Avalanche Home Page.
posted by srboisvert at 4:54 AM PST - 6 comments

Bill Gates to receive honorary Knighthood. Apparently for his contribution to enterprise in the UK and charity work. He will not be able to use the title "Sir" but will be entitled to put the letters KBE after his name
posted by MintSauce at 3:38 AM PST - 29 comments

After the lunch hour, we'll help you relax a bit. Mood lit, time of day sensitive programming comes to your favorite local newspaper web portal. Will something like this fly? Has it been done before? Is this being done elsewhere now?
posted by crasspastor at 3:01 AM PST - 16 comments

Grand Theft Avocado [NYT, reg. req.] "When the Super Bowl comes, there is going to be thievery," Mr. Luce said. "People want guacamole." At a dollar a pound and up, avocado theft is a growing worldwide problem. Do you know where your dip came from?
posted by Jos Bleau at 7:23 PM PST - 30 comments

Stress epidemic strikes American forces in Iraq Up to one in five of the American military personnel in Iraq will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, say senior forces' medical staff dealing with the psychiatric fallout of the war. This revelation follows the disclosure last month that more than 600 US servicemen and women have been evacuated from the country for psychiatric reasons since the conflict started last March.
posted by Postroad at 4:30 PM PST - 24 comments

Raiding the 20th Century. On January 18 XFM Radio broadcast a DJ set by Strictly Kev (working under the pseudo-open moniker DJ Food) called Raiding the 20th Century - A History of the Cut Up. The set is completely comprised of music from the later half of, you guess it, the 20th century and makes for a very entertaining and nostalgic listen. File location details inside. [via VirtualTurntable.biz]
posted by botono9 at 12:08 PM PST - 18 comments

Jeff's Robots - five decades of toy and model robots
posted by anastasiav at 11:30 AM PST - 2 comments

I'mNotSorry.net is a website where women can share their positive experiences with abortion.
posted by homunculus at 11:16 AM PST - 106 comments

Crankbunny: "digital movie database flash.." [more]
posted by hama7 at 10:49 AM PST - 2 comments

Live and let dye?! Hair dyeing causes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, especially in cases of repetitive dyeing over years, especially with darker colors.

This might sound trivial, until the names of some potential victims are mentioned. Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis, Joey Ramone, Louis Malle, Charles Lindbergh, King Hussein of Jordan, Paul Tsongas, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, William Casey, Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Steve Reeves, and Mr. T. (Shaddup, foo! I'm in remission!) Not that any of them would ever dye their hair, of course.
posted by insomnia_lj at 4:13 AM PST - 19 comments

Think you're well travelled? Make a map of all the countries you have been to. Here's my non-impressive offering.
posted by Orange Goblin at 1:29 AM PST - 53 comments

Centauromachies, Amazonomachies, Gigantomachies and Gorgo.
posted by y2karl at 12:21 AM PST - 13 comments

Will New Hampshire Be A Gigantic Yawn? Or a YEAAARGH? Dave Barry is sleeping now. Mark Steyn, despite his annoying hubris, is clearly worried. They both live in New Hampshire, but... just how important was Howard Dean's exuberance? (Fwiw, for a Latin living overseas, it looks like a load of hype. What was so outrageous? Isn't America the home of rah-rah-rah?)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:07 PM PST - 57 comments

What if the Mad Cow wasn't a 'downer'?
posted by soyjoy at 10:13 PM PST - 17 comments

New poll: Bush sinking, Kerry surging Overall, 52 percent of those polled by NEWSWEEK say they would not like to see Bush serve a second term, compared to 44 percent who want to see him win again...
posted by Slagman at 8:22 PM PST - 64 comments

The World Social Forum, the grassroots answer to the World Economic Forum, just ended in Mumbai, India. Speakers included Nobel laureates Shirin Ebadi and Joseph Stiglitz (who got the most applause), and the always provocative writer Arundhati Roy. [More Inside.]
posted by homunculus at 10:52 AM PST - 9 comments

An interesting documentary I stumbled across about international banking's rise to power through history. It features poor quality video with not-quite-synced audio, yet it kept me riveted. Part two goes on to explain how the country will never be able to escape debt under the current monetary system.
posted by timb at 9:59 AM PST - 28 comments

Whatever happened to Howard Dean?

"He was assassinated by Bill and Hillary with the assistance of Chris Lehane, the political hit man who first worked for Kerry and now backs Clark.
Desperate to keep control of the Democratic Party, the Clintons used their negative researchers and detectives to the ultimate and generated a story-a-day savaging Dean. The Vermont governor, not ready for prime time, cooperated by being thin-skinned, surly and combative. "

caveat: I'm not trolling, but as a democrat I find this interesting. Ok, nauseating.
posted by mecran01 at 9:05 AM PST - 100 comments

Faux News cites a Heritage Foundation report that asserts the poor in America are doing just fine because many of them live in their own homes and have cars. However, I know poor homeowners who have to deal with rampant crime, high property taxes (to subsidize the suburbs,) bank redlining, lousy schools and crumbling infrastructure. Also, car ownership is a necessity for most people in most places- not a luxury as would be suggested. Rather than citing the statistics of DVD-player ownership, I'd prefer to know more about real quality-of-life issues, such as how many of these people have health insurance. What do you think?
posted by drstrangelove at 8:00 AM PST - 72 comments

Morgan Spurlock sets about to document what happens when he switches to an all-McDonald's diet for thirty days. Very scary stuff, indeed.
"It was really crazy - my body basically fell apart over the course of 30 days."
posted by moonbird at 7:14 AM PST - 6 comments

Do Most People Even Know What They're Eating? Pork is served as veal; tilapia as red snapper and who knows what goes into sausages and other processed meat and fish products? You don't have to be an observant Jew or Muslim to be worried. How many years have those chicken pieces been frozen? How much pork and beef have been added to them? As food is increasingly disguised (fish fingers, chicken nuggets, beefburgers) to hide its origins, feeding on hypocritical popular revulsion with animals' existence, death - and carcasses! - aren't consumers setting themselves up for an ever greater measure of food fraud? That is, if they still care. (And no, it's not just an American phenomenon.) [Via The Daily Gullet. ]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:04 PM PST - 49 comments

The Making of a Sex Slave (NY Times; reg. req) The next time you seek comfort in the arms of a working girl, ask yourself if she's lying down with you because she likes the money or sex, of if she's doing it because she's been kidnapped, beaten, raped, taken to a foreign country where she doesn't speak the language, and told that the corrupt local police will murder a member of her family if she tries to escape. Prostitution might be victimless crime, but the horrors described here certainly aren't; the problem is, how's a john with a conscience going to tell the difference? A (much) longer report, terrifying in its thoroughness, on a topic lightly touched on here.
posted by hhc5 at 6:33 PM PST - 46 comments

More Mars Express images. The German space agency (DLR) has the biggest and fastest loading set of Mars Express images I've seen so far. Among them is one which apparently was not part of the press kit (it hasn't been in any MEX-related report), and is not on the official ESA site: This one. It shows the Spirit rover landing site in Gusev crater -- and the area is covered with a green substance. Olivine or salt, perhaps. It should be highly interesting to get spectral readings. [Note: These images are, to my knowledge, near true color like all other MEX/HRSC photos.]
posted by Eloquence at 5:36 PM PST - 14 comments

Friday Quicktime fluff. For all my good buddies from the "Trucker Fags in Denial" thread, below. This is why God gave us butts.
posted by jfuller at 5:29 PM PST - 13 comments

Amazon accepts political contributions? Amazon.com takes the friction out of grass-roots contributions to presidential candidates. 1-Click® payments are the easiest way to make small contributions--from $5 to $200.
posted by mrgrimm at 5:09 PM PST - 3 comments

With all the matchmaking services around it was only a matter of time for presidentmatch.com to show up.
posted by john at 5:06 PM PST - 18 comments

Helmut Newton Killed in Crash Photographer Helmut Newton lost control of his Cadillac while leaving the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood and crashed into a wall across the street. (more inside)
posted by matteo at 4:36 PM PST - 11 comments

Revolution by Design: The Soviet Poster
Amazing examples of graphic design from the masters of propaganda. For those of you feeling a little revolutionary this weekend!
posted by hypnorich at 2:12 PM PST - 6 comments

CrewPix photos shot by film, tv and commercial crew members.
posted by turbodog at 2:11 PM PST - 1 comment

Climb the Plantation. [flash]
posted by hama7 at 1:54 PM PST - 6 comments

Wonkette. Like Gawker, but for Washington, DC.
posted by brownpau at 1:20 PM PST - 6 comments

Head US WMD Hunter Gives Up After stepping down, Mr Kay told Reuters news agency that he did not believe there were any large stockpiles of such weapons in existence in Iraq. Mr Kay is being succeeded by former UN weapons inspector Charles Duelfer. Earlier this month, Mr Duelfer said he believed the chances of finding chemical or biological weapons in Iraq now were close to nil, the BBC's Jon Leyne in Washington reports. Woo-hoo? mrmanley? Time for that Right-wing apology!
posted by Perigee at 1:14 PM PST - 60 comments

Andre 3000, Meet Schroeder. Well, it's not flash, but it's good for a Friday... Charlie Brown meets OutKast.
posted by djspicerack at 1:13 PM PST - 32 comments

You may be familiar with the story, reported here, about the southern California watch maker who supplied wrist watches for Mars scientists to get to work on time. You may not have seen these time applications that make the time story equally as compelling for the rest of us. What is interesting from a graphics standpoint is the different qualities expressed with these versions, as a table of exact times for specific locations (this site has a lot of great detail about the mission), or as an approximate time with shadows projected on the Mars map (for Mac OS X). Any other Mars time graphics that you know about?
posted by xtian at 12:05 PM PST - 5 comments

The Aerial Reconnaissance Archive is a new online archive of World War II reconnaissance photos, which will eventually include 5 million photos. The BBC has some background information, including an interview with a former Photographic Reconnaissance Unit pilot.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:51 AM PST - 3 comments

His mission: To eat three meals a day for 30 days at McDonald's and document the impact on his health. "It was really crazy - my body basically fell apart". Spurlock charted his journey from fit to flab in a tongue-in-cheek documentary which he has taken to the Sundance Film Festival.
posted by stbalbach at 10:00 AM PST - 62 comments

Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo) dead at age 76.
posted by machaus at 9:57 AM PST - 34 comments

The Real Story of the Kelly Family. Two sisters of the Kelly family depicted in the ABC show, "Married to the Kellys", comment on the show, and how it compares to the real family. Sorta cute and interesting to see how art imitates life and life imitates the art imitating life.
posted by riffola at 9:53 AM PST - 3 comments

I know that we can't have a pony, but Don and Janet Burleson think that they'd make great guide animals. An informal poll done by the Discovery Channel found that 27% of people would actually prefer a guide horse over a dog, and there seem to be a couple of success stories out there. My first thought after I stopped laughing was clean-up... Of course not everyone thinks it's funny.
posted by togdon at 9:52 AM PST - 6 comments

[Warning: AppleFilter] Apple provides customized RSS feeds from iTunes store.
posted by anathema at 9:45 AM PST - 2 comments

Popdork [ indie rock satire and hipster humor ]
posted by shoepal at 9:41 AM PST - 5 comments

Most Sense-Assaulting Flash Game Ever
posted by Orange Goblin at 8:28 AM PST - 17 comments

TRASHLOG — or — arresting and acute observation of ordinary offal.
posted by pedantic at 8:09 AM PST - 5 comments

Tinygrow and 6+=1, by Shinichiro Sato.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:59 AM PST - 7 comments

My Yahoo's rss aggregator (beta) might be just the ticket for getting regular folks consuming blogs in a big way. Or RSS could remain the provence of the geeks. Thoughts? Is this the beginning of RSS for the people?
posted by christina at 7:59 AM PST - 5 comments

Even better than flash Friday?
European Mars Express probe confirms water ice on Mars
posted by magullo at 7:50 AM PST - 12 comments

Gender bias? Priority problems? The drab wallpaper of the book world? These may be the least of problems for a new NYTBR editor. Times executive editor Bill Keller wants far worse. Keller plans to favor non-fiction and potboilers over literary fiction. Sayeth Keller, "I love that Chip championed first novels. But why take up 800 words when a paragraph will do?"
posted by ed at 7:48 AM PST - 4 comments

Burns Night. 'Robert Burns: poet and balladeer, Scotland's favourite son and champion of the common people. Each year on January 25, the great man's presumed birthday, Scots everywhere take time out to honour a national icon. Whether it's a full-blown Burns Supper or a quiet night of reading poetry, Burns Night is a night for all Scots.'
More on the Robert Burns Tribute site.
posted by plep at 6:26 AM PST - 3 comments

African-American == Black? Several high-school students at a predominantly white (well, predominantly NOT black) Nebraska high school were disciplined for a campaign to get 16-year-old student Trevor Richards awarded the school's annual "Distinguished African-American Student" award. Richards is from South Africa, now lives in America (not sure if he's a citizen, the CNN story isn't clear), but here's the catch: he's white.
posted by Bluecoat93 at 5:49 AM PST - 111 comments

"They get unfairly maligned simply because of their past association with me," said Dick Cheney in a Fox Radio interview. No, I think it's the graft and corruption but that's just my opinion. WSJ reports that Halliburton Employees Take took $6M in kickbacks in awarding Iraq contracts. In every {war|conflict|police action} I'm sure there's been some amount of war profiteering, but this really takes the falafel. There was so much controversy surrounding this war that this finding brings into question the whole Bush-Cheney-Halliburton Old Boy Network. Check out all Halliburton news at Topix.net.
posted by cpfeifer at 5:43 AM PST - 7 comments

Google (kinda) Offers Social Networking called Orkut
Acording to this CNET artice, Orkut is the outgrowth of a personal project by Google Engineers Orkut Buyukkokten. He created "Orkut.com in the past several months by working on it about one day a week--an amount that Google asks all of its engineers to devote to personal projects". And oh, by the way:

"Membership to orkut is by invitation only.
If you have a friend who's a member of orkut, have them invite you to join."
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 1:01 AM PST - 32 comments

A Requiem for Mr. Rogers got me thinking about the TV shows that spoke to me as a child. Captain Kangaroo was there and Mr. Dressup was always great. But for me, no one surpassed The Friendly Giant and "Look up. Look way up!" still makes me feel warm and safe. I did not have PBS available as a child but my sons did and for them Mr. Rogers was a favorite as was TVO's Today's Special with Jeff Hyslop's manikin who came to life each night. Who spoke to you via TV as a child? Parents, who is speaking to your children on TV these days?
posted by arse_hat at 12:55 AM PST - 25 comments

Lunch. [Quicktime, resizes screen, possibly NSFW, via MonkeyFilter.]
posted by homunculus at 12:23 AM PST - 9 comments

Delicate. Abstract. Phallic. Gorgeously designed. Four pages of "rare and valuable" Isaac Asimov book covers. Some are truly beautiful. From West Virginia University's brand-new home for an Asimov geek's recently donated collection. [via the ever-useful ResearchBuzz]
posted by mediareport at 8:29 PM PST - 17 comments

Trucker Fags in Denial (Probably NSFW)-You can only read these comix in reverse, but it's still strange, interesting, creepy stuff.
posted by ColdChef at 8:07 PM PST - 35 comments

Thoughts on organizations, markets and the long term. CSFB gathers a number of luminaries in academia and business (Bonabeau, Bingham, DePodesta, Enriquez, Harrington, McGahan, Schrag, Strogatz) to discuss informational diversity, viewing markets as complex adaptive systems, global climate change over millenia, and the imapact of genome science among other ideas.
via JoHo
posted by gen at 6:17 PM PST - 5 comments

Janklow Gets 100 Days for Manslaughter
A career of willful and flagrant disregard for traffic laws and other people's safety that ended in the death of a motorcyclist.
Must be nice to be pals with the president. Although I'm sure that had nothing to do with his slap-on-the-wrist sentence. I was just saying that it must be nice to be pals with the president.
posted by fenriq at 3:35 PM PST - 39 comments

Found Typography
... and if you liked that, please also try Hundreds of Thousands, both from Itchy Robot
posted by anastasiav at 3:34 PM PST - 10 comments

Lightspeed is a fun little shareware game that I stumbled across today. It's one of those "bounce stuff off mirrors to light up stuff" puzzle games, but with nice graphics, and additional features like a level editor and such. Warning: windows only download, shareware fee to unlock many levels and features.
posted by majcher at 3:18 PM PST - 5 comments

Colour photographs of Russia , pre-World War I. Very beautiful. Lots of churches, gardens, and people. via /dev/null.
posted by Jimbob at 3:00 PM PST - 9 comments

Squalor Survivors Is your house messy?
posted by konolia at 2:31 PM PST - 29 comments

Remarks by the President to a Press Pool. THE PRESIDENT: I'm ordering ribs. David, do you need a rib? Q: But Mr. President -- THE PRESIDENT: Stretch, thank you, this is not a press conference. So instead of asking questions, answer mine: Are you going to buy some food?
posted by tweebiscuit at 2:29 PM PST - 58 comments

Dean Goes Nuts Don't get me wrong! I am actually a Howard Dean supporter and will be voting for him when, and if, the time comes. I just think that January 19, 2004 was a magical day in politics and Howard Dean should be immortalized on the internet. I'm just doing my part to make sure that happens.
posted by psmealey at 1:51 PM PST - 80 comments

Effectiveness of 'sleeping on it' scientifically confirmed. You are now permanently excused for coming into work late.
posted by badstone at 1:42 PM PST - 2 comments

What do John Kerry and George Bush have in common? Skull and Bones!
posted by mcsweetie at 12:26 PM PST - 6 comments

you think it's been a cold winter in the north east this year?
"For those of us living around the edge of the N. Atlantic Ocean, we may be planning for climate scenarios of global warming that are opposite to what might actually occur."
posted by specialk420 at 10:29 AM PST - 49 comments

Political and social commentary from the human potential left. I really can't describe this, but it isn't your father's poli-sci website.
posted by Wulfgar! at 7:50 AM PST - 9 comments

Republican Dirty Tricks "From the spring of 2002 until at least April 2003, members of the GOP committee staff exploited a computer glitch that allowed them to access restricted Democratic communications without a password. Trolling through hundreds of memos, they were able to read talking points and accounts of private meetings discussing which judicial nominees Democrats would fight -- and with what tactics. The office of Senate Sergeant-at-Arms William Pickle has already launched an investigation into how excerpts from 15 Democratic memos showed up in the pages of the conservative-leaning newspapers and were posted to a website last November." They just can't get Nixon out of their system, huh?
posted by owillis at 6:39 AM PST - 124 comments

Twiddlestix
posted by Orange Goblin at 6:08 AM PST - 8 comments

Emergent computation: Plants seem to do it! Does that mean we do three? [more here :]
posted by kliuless at 8:15 PM PST - 7 comments

The Creatures are two years old today. Andy Bell's surreal and fun website has pumped out little monster pictures once a day for two years straight. Let's take a break from serious stuff and just say thanks to a guy who gives his hard work away for free. (Including some crazy screensavers)
posted by clango at 8:15 PM PST - 8 comments

The real reason we're going back to the Moon? "Researchers and space enthusiasts see helium 3 as the perfect fuel source: extremely potent, nonpolluting, with virtually no radioactive by-product. Proponents claim it’s the fuel of the 21st century. The trouble is, hardly any of it is found on Earth. But there is plenty of it on the moon."
posted by kablam at 7:03 PM PST - 35 comments

US and Big Sugar challenge WHO Obesity Plan William Steiger, of the US Department of Health and Human Services sent a 28-page letter to the World Health Organization on January 5th. On behalf of the Bush Administration, he writes "rigorous scientific studies do not clearly show that marketing fast foods or high calorie foods to consumers increases their risk of becoming obese. Nor do scientific studies definitively link particular foods, such as soft drinks or juices, or foods high in fat or sugar, to a higher risk of obesity." Attacking the science, protecting the status quo, it's a familiar tactic.

The WHO's efforts to combat worldwide obesity, and the reactions of US Sugar and Food Manufacturers were already discussed here last year. Now that the plan is outlined, after 3 years of work, it recommends "advising people to limit sugar and refined foods, restricting junk food marketing, improving food labeling and raising prices on unhealthy foods". The US, however, is demanding strong changes before it signs off.
posted by kokogiak at 5:14 PM PST - 61 comments

How to convert LPs to CDs. Many audiophiles will mock the software they suggest using as well as the hardware pictured, but this is aimed for the everyday people that don't have a laser turntable or ProTools. All in all, a decent introductory guide.
posted by starscream at 4:23 PM PST - 28 comments

Three Laws Safe! They'll do your laundry, walk the dog and wash your car. But not until July. (via Ars Technica)
posted by bonehead at 3:52 PM PST - 25 comments

Don't Miss Bobby Gillespie's Fantasy Festival On Saturday And Sunday! It's on BBC's rather good Radio 6. Just a heads-up to admirers of Primal Scream's constantly astonishing vocalist and producer - and, yes, the Rolling Stones are in. Strangely out are other Great Scots like Ivor Cutler and Roddy Frame, to mention only other undisputed geniuses. As a bonus, here's The Scotsman's very intelligent list of the 100 Best Scottish Albums. And don't mention Postcard Records! Ah, the "Sound of Young Scotland"... some dead; some turning 40. What and who are the new Scottish talents? *sigh*
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:23 PM PST - 15 comments

50's Women and Their World
:: via blort and Madamjjj ::
posted by anastasiav at 3:18 PM PST - 25 comments

Freedom of press in Canada? Not for much longer it seems. What affect will this have on journalism in the land of the beaver?
posted by Mossy at 3:15 PM PST - 18 comments

Steamboat Museum.
posted by hama7 at 2:52 PM PST - 3 comments

...According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following are among the occupations with the largest projected job growth from 2000 to 2010: combined food-preparation and serving, including fast food; customer-service representative; registered nurse; retail salesperson; computer-support specialist; cashier, except gaming; office clerk; security guard; computer-software engineer, applications; waiter; general or operations manager; truck driver, heavy and tractor-trailer; nursing aide, orderly, or attendant; janitor or cleaner, except maid or housekeeping cleaner; postsecondary teacher; teacher assistant; home health aide; laborer or freight, stock, and material mover, hand; computer-software engineer, systems software; landscaping or groundskeeping.     Are We Still a Middle-Class Nation? comes from The State Of The Union section in The Atlantic. Compare and contrast A Poor Cousin Of The Middle Class
posted by y2karl at 2:45 PM PST - 19 comments

Templates that you can use to make custom cards, envelopes, and boxes , requires only minor paper folding skill to make one of a kind gift holders/presenters. I like the take out box and the trapezoid box for some reason.
posted by jonah at 1:46 PM PST - 12 comments

Learning to Juggle Causes Changes in the Brain. In a possible twist for the "nature vs. nurture" debate, this study proves "what was not thought possible -- that new stimuli can alter the brain's structure." The head researcher from the University of Regensburg in Germany says "Our results challenge our view of the human central nervous system. Human brains probably must be viewed as dynamic, changing with development and normal learning."
posted by soyjoy at 1:35 PM PST - 11 comments

Aviation Explorer "Your online source for aviation information and media...aviation web resources for pilots and flight enthusiasts." I'm neither a pilot nor a flight enthusiast, but still found this site interesting (especially the accidents section, which reminded me of this previous thread on cockpit voice recorders).
posted by jdroth at 1:19 PM PST - 5 comments

Buying prostitutes. Nicholas Kristof (of the NY Times; reg. req.) bought the freedom of two young Cambodian prostitutes in order to return them to their villages... but it wasn't as simple as you might think. It's easy to be cynical (yes, he's using it as grist for columns; yes, it's a drop in the bucket), but isn't it better than doing nothing? Anyway, it's a fascinatingly messy story. (He discusses why he picked these particular girls, and addresses some of the moral issues, here—scroll down to January 20.)
posted by languagehat at 12:20 PM PST - 22 comments

Blue Ridge Music Trails. An invaluable resource for fans of old-time country, bluegrass, gospel and folk music in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Includes places and events like the Friday night Flatfoot Jamboree at the Floyd Country Store and the Saturday-night show at the Carter Family Fold .
posted by gottabefunky at 11:26 AM PST - 9 comments

RIAA sues... (again): The RIAA has just issued a new lawsuit against 532 more "illegal filesharers" only this time, they're also using the "john doe" approach meaning that they dont have to have ascertain your name by strongarming ISPs, but by suing your IP address, they let the judicial system take care of that little detail.
posted by sixtwenty3dc at 10:30 AM PST - 39 comments

The benefits of Globalisation are not for the likes of you, consumer. CD-Wow used to source its CDs worldwide, and offer them for sale to UK consumers at very competitive rates. Now, after being threatened by the Music Corporations, it has been forced to source the music it sells to UK customers, solely from within Europe, adding a hefty two GB pounds to the price of a CD. Another wonder of copyright law.
posted by Blue Stone at 6:45 AM PST - 14 comments

Devices like these or these may be able to detect lying better than a polygraph and less intrusively. If this technology really really worked and everyone had access to it, say, in their cell phones, would life be any different? How would it change anything, if at all? Sex? Politics? Hip-hop?
posted by ewkpates at 5:24 AM PST - 36 comments

Nintendo announces two screen handheld console. More details expected at May's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). It's due for release at Christmas, around the same time as Sony's PSP.
posted by MintSauce at 3:58 AM PST - 23 comments

CIA: U.S.S ‘Liberty’ Hit Was Unintentional New documents released by the State Department relating to the period of the 1967 Six Day War include CIA memos that say Israel did not know it was striking an American vessel when it attacked the U.S.S Liberty off the coast of the Gaza Strip on June 8, 1967, killing 34 American sailors and injuring 172. The memos say the attack was carried out “by mistake, representing gross negligence.”
posted by Postroad at 3:58 AM PST - 33 comments

Hit the penguin!
posted by Orange Goblin at 2:10 AM PST - 48 comments

Steroid use by football players? Huh?? Why is Bush wasting time talking about pro athletes in the State of the Union address? Oh, yeah, so the cameras will have to zoom in this guy. They're goooood, these guys.
posted by jamsterdam at 9:35 PM PST - 67 comments

"Anung un Rama, loose the Dragon, for this is the ending of days. You were born into this world for this purpose only. Deliver the world into Chaos. Wake your devil heart. Set upon your brow that crown of fire, for your coming of age is the death knell of man."
posted by Hildago at 9:34 PM PST - 10 comments

Campaigns track voters' personal data. Ever wonder why you get mail and calls from particular political groups, and not others? Turns out the political parties are developing far richer datasets on individuals than the government is. Aristotle International, Inc. (mentioned in the article) is the giant in the field, but there's much smaller ones all over the place (Weave, for instance, helps with environmental activism, and Local Victory is an example on the right). On the one hand, with limited resources, campaigns would say they must do this. On the other hand (as the article points out) it may partially explain why fewer and fewer seem to participate in the electoral process.
posted by MidasMulligan at 8:25 PM PST - 22 comments

A Short, Illustrated History Of The First Toasters
Suitable for those with short attention sp--- Huh?
posted by armoured-ant at 7:43 PM PST - 9 comments

Why do people have to fight? [Quicktime] [Via Milk and Cookies.]
posted by homunculus at 6:23 PM PST - 14 comments

Environmentalism as Religion. An interesting speech by Michael Chrichton, in which he discusses the 'religion' of environmentalism reminded me of an article in Harper's entitled A Gospel According to the Earth by Jack Hitt. Both writers agree that Environmentalism is, or is becoming, a new religion, but their views of what this means are as divergent as possible. Chrichton sees a world where fantasy has replaced reality to the detriment of mankind, while Hitt sees a dramatic and growing movement that imbues environmentalism with a new spirituality and connection with God, as a foil of Creationism and Intelligent design.
posted by cell divide at 4:17 PM PST - 32 comments

Hate Bush? Love to Shop? Putting affiliate programs to good use, this site takes the standard affiliate commissions and donates it toward groups working to replace Bush in 2004. To stay within F.E.C. guidelines, none of the money will go directly to our candidate.  Rather, the money will be sent to democratic/progressive/liberal groups such as moveon.org. Quite a range of online stores represented, too.
posted by amberglow at 3:39 PM PST - 9 comments

Implications of a 4-Star Command in Iraq. In an small press release, it was recently announced that Iraq *may* be getting a 4-star general, but *not* to replace the current 3-star military commander of that nation. So what difference does a single star make? "...In other words, the Defense Department is putting forward the idea of another regional command because it anticipates the possibility of intensifying combat operations throughout the region. The war in Iraq might be coming under control, but from the standpoint of the Defense Department, the end of the Iraq campaign is the preface to follow-on campaigns."
posted by kablam at 3:03 PM PST - 14 comments

The Spook Who Sat By The Door, a movie pitched and marketed as blaxploitation, was a low budget political science fiction thriller about black revolution in urban black America based upon the novel written by Sam Greenlee. It was withdrawn two weeks after its release in 1973, ostensibly at the behest of the FBI. Some remember it fondly, while others revile it in recollection. Thirty-one years later, it has been released on DVD. Sam Greenlee's an interesting man--another book of his, Baghdad Blues, is evidently an autobiographical novel based upon his first hand experience of the 1958 Baath coup in Iraq. Side notes: Researching this post led me to the intriguing Chicken Bones. And here is Elvis Mitchell's take on The Marginalization of Black Action Films.
posted by y2karl at 2:39 PM PST - 6 comments

Why digital cameras = better photographers. Digital cameras don't only eliminate the cost and hassle of film processing, they should help do away with bad holiday snaps and see us all become better photographers.
posted by riffola at 1:30 PM PST - 39 comments

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Total Body Workout (MP3 clips). You'd think the classic Arnie cover was entertaining enough.
posted by boost ventilator at 1:29 PM PST - 6 comments

MusicPlasma
Search for music visually.
posted by fenriq at 1:10 PM PST - 19 comments

Fourteen killer whales were spotted about 90 miles off the coast of Texas on January 18 (Video/stills included). This is one for the record books: There are "only 9 reliable records of collected sightings before 1990. Another 14 have been collected since then," said University of Texas Marine expert Tony Amos. Larger stills from the video are available here.
posted by eclectica at 10:13 AM PST - 11 comments

No future for you...
John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten to appear on a reality TV show. What's next? Cruse ships promoting themselves using songs about junkies?
posted by jpburns at 9:19 AM PST - 30 comments

"You could get a journalist cheaper than a good call girl, for a couple hundred dollars a month" (PDF, 112k) "The Covert News Network", on Project MOCKINGBIRD - "Watergate muckraker Carl Bernstein uncovered a list of over 400 reporters and a coterie of publishers and media moguls who had basically been rubber-stamping CIA propaganda since the 1950s." Alex Constantine on Mockingbird. "Investigators digging into MOCKINGBIRD have been flabbergasted to discover FOIA documents in which agents boast (in CIA office memos) of  pride in having placed "important assets" inside every major news publication in the country. " ( from Geoff Metcalf on Mockingbird). Cheryl Seal on Mockingbird, with additional links. Enjoy the election!
posted by troutfishing at 7:42 AM PST - 21 comments

Palestinian-Israeli expedition scales Antarctic peak. The "Breaking The Ice" team of four Palestinians and four Israelis, having not shied away from picking the obvious metaphor for the title of their adventure, reached the summit of a previously unclimbed and unnamed mountain last friday, and named it "The Mountain of Israeli-Palestinian Friendship". Apparently, the mountain didn't collapse under the weight of all this symbolism. There was blogging, too.
posted by liam at 6:37 AM PST - 12 comments

George W Bush and the real state of the Union. Today the President gives his annual address. As the election battle begins, how does his first term add up? It's all been said before but it's good (?) to see it all nicely put together.
posted by acrobat at 6:32 AM PST - 81 comments

Miss the original SimCity? Play online for free!
posted by monju_bosatsu at 6:26 AM PST - 6 comments

What should you do if you love the president too much? Just calm down.
posted by biffa at 5:11 AM PST - 5 comments

Exit polls are back from the dead. After a total failure in both the 2000 and 2002, exit polls return to the national election scene, with the Iowa caucus exit poll results (PDF). But can the new team overcome the strong distrust of the previous organization?
posted by calwatch at 9:44 PM PST - 7 comments

Cheney outlines Bush's vision of the war on terrorism in a January 14th speech, likening it to the Cold War in both scope and duration. Does this represent a change in tenor for the 2004 campaign and a move away from Reagan-esque sunny optimism that defined the 2000 run?
posted by bbrown at 9:01 PM PST - 30 comments

onehitwondercentral.com I just discovered a song that I haven't heard in twenty years over there: pac-man fever, by Buckner and Garcia. What long-lost tune do you need to remember?
posted by ashbury at 8:01 PM PST - 28 comments

What makes for a great champagne chair? Design Within Reach sponsored a holiday contest to design a chair constructed from the cork and wire cages of champagne bottle. Judges had a difficult time deciding from the 400 entries that poured in. (via Buzz.)
posted by madamjujujive at 7:27 PM PST - 7 comments

John Kerry suprises Howard Dean, the pundits, and much of the nation with what looks like a solid win in Iowa after being counted out of the race. Perhaps its time to take a second look at Kerry.
posted by specialk420 at 6:34 PM PST - 146 comments

Is It Politically Incorrect To Decry The Eating And Killing Of Civet Cats? Is Western consciousness of hypocrisy (due to the enormous number of animals we kill for food) preventing us from criticizing countries, like China, where practically all animals are eaten? Is sentimentality and the protection of animals we regard as cute better than having no qualms at all? I'm sure that the ratio of animals killed-per-capita is higher in the West than in China. Is there any moral difference? Probably not. Why, then, is it so shocking?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:22 PM PST - 24 comments

Put MLK on the $20 Bill. Conservatives have clamored to put Ronald Reagan on the dime or the $10 bill. One outfit wants to name something after Reagan in each of the US's counties. Why not put one of "the greatest moral leaders of the 20th century" on one of our most commonly used pieces of currency instead? (Better to have King on the $20 than Andrew Jackson, whose unconstitutional Indian Removal policy created the "Trail of Tears.")
posted by Vidiot at 5:56 PM PST - 59 comments

Need to get something off your chest? Group hug!
posted by Tlogmer at 4:43 PM PST - 2 comments

Johnny Hart stirs up more controversy, this time among the Asian community. Back in November it was the Muslims. How does he manage to stay on the comics page? At what point is a mainstream comic no longer acceptable to the mainstream?
posted by tommasz at 3:20 PM PST - 31 comments

Fish & Veggie: Healthy Dietary Life In Japanese Style.
posted by hama7 at 2:20 PM PST - 2 comments

Voices from the Days of Slavery. A collection of audio recordings made between 1932 and 1975 of African Americans known to have once been slaves. Hear Isom Moseley describe how he used to make soap, and express his opinion of the "white folks" who owned and ran the plantation where he was held. Wallace Quarterman describes his experience as a freed man in Georgia, and recounts the violent atmosphere of the Reconstruction South. Aunt Phoebe Boyd describes the demands of agricultural work. Even more narratives are available as transcripts from the companion exhibit, Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 (linked to previously on Metafilter here), though some of these were unfortunately edited selectively.
posted by profwhat at 2:07 PM PST - 15 comments

Rongorongo! Say it twice -- don't it feel nice? Most people think of the enigmatic maoi when they think of Easter Island but an equally vexing mystery is found in twenty-six wooden objects which contain pictographic symbols comprising...what? A language? A mnemomic system for recording stories now long forgotten? A resource for modern primitives' tribal tatoos? We could ask, but the authors are long-gone -- the victims of hard times -- leaving only a few tablets and a bunch of carved stone to puzzle over.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 2:04 PM PST - 5 comments

DSC - Deep Spring College is a prestigious all-male (currently) college almost nobody has heard of. It consists of only 26 students and was founded by Lucien Lucius Nunn in 1917. The average SAT score is 1500. There is no tuition; instead the students physically work for their education. It is located on an isolated ranch in Deep Springs Valley and the only way there is a two hour greyhound bus ride that stops at the Cottontail Ranch Brothel, followed by a one hour ride on the college's own transportation. Anyone interested in attending?
posted by Hypharse at 1:51 PM PST - 22 comments

Antic Cyber Graphics software and the pre-history of Autodesk 3d Studio and Discreet 3ds Max.
posted by crumbly at 1:10 PM PST - 1 comment

"In Memory of Martin Luther King" [Flash.] The words are excerpted from King's 1967 speech, "Why I am Opposed to the War in Vietnam."
posted by homunculus at 12:40 PM PST - 10 comments

CNN reports that Google is developing email ad service. As if I don't get enough spam in my inbox! Google, please don't turn evil... please.
posted by crankydoodle at 12:27 PM PST - 11 comments

Invitation? What Invitation? Howard Dean says Jimmy Carter asked him to church in Georgia. Carter doesn't think so. Why is Dean so worried about his lead in the last days of the Iowa Caucuse that he needs to lie?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 11:49 AM PST - 61 comments

The George Bush Conspiracy Generator ...is long overdue, and will make the lives of certain Mefi'ers just a little easier. Still, I think it needs some work. It's nowhere near as clever as an old favorite, Web Economy Bullshit Generator, the output of which I've actually inserted in proposals.
posted by mojohand at 11:28 AM PST - 11 comments

If you're a fan of the works of J. Michael Straczynski (especially Babylon 5, and let me take this moment to give massive props to The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5, the second website I ever visited (after searching Yahoo! for "Babylon 5")), then you probably already know that he has long been an advocate of online communication as a means of both promotion of his work and communication with the fans of said work. JMSnews.com has an archive of all his postings going back eleven and a half years, a neat accomplishment by ephemeral Internet standards, and it's fascinating reading that gives you a nice portrait of a guy with a story to tell, and his journey to get it told. If you're a geek for "the business" that is Hollywood, this is for you.
posted by WolfDaddy at 11:06 AM PST - 12 comments

America has had periods of single-party dominance before. It happened under FDR's New Deal, in the Republican 1920s and in the early 19th-century "Era of Good Feeling." But if President Bush is re-elected, we will be close to a tipping point of fundamental change in the political system itself. The United States could become a nation in which the dominant party rules for a prolonged period, marginalizes a token opposition and is extremely difficult to dislodge because democracy itself is rigged. This would be unprecedented in U.S. history.
     In past single-party eras, the majority party earned its preeminence with broad popular support. Today the electorate remains closely divided, and actually prefers more Democratic policy positions than Republican ones. Yet the drift toward an engineered one-party Republican state has aroused little press scrutiny or widespread popular protest.    America as a One-Party State
posted by y2karl at 10:15 AM PST - 42 comments

The Dark Art Of Interrogation Excellent article on the ongoing science of interrogation in the post 9/11 United States. For further reading, please consider the following seminal manuals by the CIA: The Kubark Manual [1963], and the Human Resource Exploitation Training Manual [1983 - otherwise known as the Honduras Manual]
posted by patrickje at 10:12 AM PST - 6 comments

BBC looks at cover versions.
posted by boost ventilator at 9:52 AM PST - 1 comment

"...Red 5 standing by..." Kate Horn documents her love and creation of the X-Wing Toyota Tercel. Note the license plate people, she's out on the road, armed with blasters and quiet possibly, the Force.
posted by Brilliantcrank at 9:11 AM PST - 22 comments

NASA is not altering Mars colours It's much less exciting than a conspiracy theory, admittedly.
posted by Mwongozi at 7:39 AM PST - 11 comments

Fantastic Plastic "A celebration of science, engineering, daring and imagination, what follows is a chronicle of Man's highest aspirations as expressed through his flying machines, both real and imagined."
posted by anastasiav at 6:41 AM PST - 5 comments

The ESP Game.
posted by nthdegx at 6:16 AM PST - 22 comments

China Avant-Garde is a wonderful site for exploring Chinese post Cultural Revolution art, with excellent accompanying texts. Browse the featured artists and see an Exhibition from a Private Collection. Also, Inside Out: New Chinese Art is a beautiful site focusing on this recent "explosion of diverse work that is simultaneously exhilarating and bewildering", and you will find more great examples at Chinese Contemporary (click on the artist's name for information and all thumbnails for that artist), plus marvelous Chinese avant-garde posters at Rene Wanner's poster pages and Who's Who in Chinese Posters, and at the Hochschule der Kuenste, Berlin (view works here).
posted by taz at 5:22 AM PST - 2 comments

Hollywood? Old. Bollywood? That's soooo 2003. Make room for Nollywood, Nigeria's own film industry which is growing by leaps and bounds every year, and is currently worth about $45 million dollars. About 400 Nollywood films are produced every year many on a budget of around $15000 and are distributed almost entirely by VHS and VCD. The stories are very much simplistic and pulpy (check out 419 Stalk Exchange. Yes, 419 as in the email scam) but are much preferred by local residents and emigre's than the usual arthouse fair one often thinks of when talking about African cinema. Now if you'll excuse me there's a bucket of popcorn and a copy of GSM Connection waiting for me in the living room.
posted by PenDevil at 4:44 AM PST - 13 comments

An AP story says that generic drugs are cheaper than half price brand name drugs from Canada. What the FDA doesn't say is that most of the time, you can't get generics. The FDA acknowledges that there is a 20 year lag time due to patents. So, if you want an old drug, fine, but most of the time, I suggest, foreign drugs are still cheaper, if you can get them from a reputable source that hasn't been bullied yet.
posted by ajpresto at 3:37 AM PST - 12 comments

Hunting and gathering in your own backyard: "Alistair Bland was a student at the University of California at Santa Barbara last year when he decided to spend 10 weeks as an urban hunter-gatherer. He foraged for food in that city and survived on what he could kill or find growing outside . . ." (Real Audio required). Bland reported on the project in more detail in the Daily Gullet.
posted by ryanshepard at 7:39 PM PST - 9 comments

When does politics become treason? Lincoln did it...almost. Why shouldn't GW Bush follow suit ? The Neocon Case for Imprisoning and Executing Congressional War Opponents.: ' "Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged" - that's what President Abraham Lincoln said during the War Between the States. ' Right then. Where's the noose? Step this way, my traitorous friends. I'll flip ya' for first in line.
posted by troutfishing at 6:21 PM PST - 49 comments

Are You A Metrosexual? Don't worry if, despite scholars in Michigan voting it one of 2003's most over-used and useless words, you don't know what it is - you might still be! (For men only, unfortunately. What would the female equivalent be?)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 2:15 PM PST - 64 comments

Beyond the Fall. The former Soviet block in transition 1989-1999. Outstanding photojournalism.
posted by normy at 12:45 PM PST - 4 comments

It looks like NASA may be altering the colors of the Mars Spirit rover photos.
posted by mrbula at 11:37 AM PST - 36 comments

500+ The U.S. military death toll in Iraq surpassed 500 this weekend, roughly matching the number of U.S. military personnel who died in the first four years of the U.S. military engagement in Vietnam.
posted by the fire you left me at 9:54 AM PST - 48 comments

In the spirit of Sunday morning (and the Martin Luther King holiday weekend), I bring to you the news of a musical release of historical proportions. Dust to Digital has compiled Goodbye, Babylon an exhaustively annotated, beautifully packaged collection of American gospel music from the turn of the century up until 1960. Some performers are recognizable names in sacred and secular music. Others practice lesser known styles like Sacred Harp singing. Non-religionists, don't feel left out, this music is enjoyable strictly on it's musical and historical import, since along with blues, traditional country and Tin Pan Alley, gospel music both white and black is one of the main foundations of modern American music. Judging by the raves it's been recieving, this (admittedly expensive, but worth every penny) box set is destined for a place next to the Anthology Of American Folk Music in the collection of any serious student of American music.
posted by jonmc at 9:24 AM PST - 15 comments

Microsoft to crush MikeRoweSoft - a high school student's part-time web design site. Throw away the key, boys.
posted by Resonance at 6:33 AM PST - 29 comments

Wal-Mart Locks Its Workers In. And not without serious consequences. One worker had a heart attack, another had an asthma attack and an assistant manager wouldn't let him out immediately, another had his ankle smashed by heavy machinery and had no way of getting to a hospital. It's not the first time the world's largest private employer has stiffed its 1.2 million workers out of millions of dollars. What price unfettered industrialization?
posted by ed at 10:30 PM PST - 79 comments

Sidewalk Chalk Drawings.
posted by srboisvert at 7:04 PM PST - 8 comments

"First Wives Club" author Olivia Goldsmith dies. How? Plastic surgery.
posted by adrober at 6:04 PM PST - 20 comments

"Loved Like a Milkshake" is an 18-track tribute album to the beloved outsider musician Wesley Willis. It's a joy-ride. It really whips the camel's ass with a belt.
posted by starkeffect at 5:33 PM PST - 17 comments

Welcome to the Fiji Museum.
posted by hama7 at 5:27 PM PST - 3 comments

Making the Mind. "The general outlines of how genes build the brain are finally becoming clear, and we are also starting to see how, in forming the brain, genes make room for the environment’s essential role. While vast amounts of work remain to be done, it is becoming equally clear that understanding the coordination of nature and nurture will require letting go of some long-held beliefs."
posted by homunculus at 5:26 PM PST - 16 comments

I love Karl Rove -- an "erotomaniacal diary” : Few things get my Blubblenumpkin's whities tighter than the texture of a musty Vellux blanket on his bare tushie while he's gripping a Gideon bible in one paw, and a moist lump of mushed-up vending machine Nutter Butters in the other. Especially if the TV is wired for basic cable so I can tweezer-tend his lower back tufts to the background dulcet tones of Lou Dobbs. Ahhhh…heaven. created by Kat Kinsman (more about her and the Secret Service here
posted by amberglow at 5:01 PM PST - 5 comments

Books I Did Not Read This Year: For novelty or perhaps for gleeful one-downmanship, Kieran at Crooked Timber shares a list of books he did not read in 2003. Literary guilt is hardly new, but some argue our neuroses about unread books grows as our distractions multiply. Of course, this attitude (besides bordering on criticism of the glib, "pop lite" type) usually comes part and parcel with the common complaint that paper culture is dead. And one could easily make a distinction between neurotic englit-geek Guilt and the casual reader's mere missed opportunity. Without rehashing either of those discussions, what are the (presumably) best books (or any pieces of art) you didn't consume in 2003?
posted by ifjuly at 1:04 PM PST - 45 comments

State of the Union scorecard. The president will deliver his State of the Union address on Monday night. Tompaine.com makes it easy to keep score at home. (via TPM)
posted by jpoulos at 12:02 PM PST - 7 comments

Iraq Coalition Casualties Count
posted by anastasiav at 10:48 AM PST - 36 comments

Next Best Thing to Being There. A Quicktime Mars Rover Simulation.
posted by kozad at 9:17 AM PST - 8 comments

Israeli ambassador to Sweeden vandalises artwork. This is front page stuff in my part of the world and I truly hope, but doubt, that he will find himself out of work tomorrow. The question is: what was he thinking? Was it intentional? Could he have chosen to interpret the upsetting work of art in another less disturbing way?
posted by FidelDonson at 8:02 AM PST - 90 comments

Nightline: Baghdad blogger, Salam Pax, gives Ted Koeppel an interview and a tour of Baghdad.
posted by yonderboy at 11:46 PM PST - 6 comments

Hello Gattaca : "The federal government is planning to overhaul its employee drug testing program to include scrutiny of workers' hair, saliva and sweat, a shift that could spur more businesses to revise screening for millions of their own workers."
posted by troutfishing at 9:41 PM PST - 31 comments

Just How Influential Is America? Mark Rice-Oxley, writing in the Christian Science Monitor, argues that, 2000 years from now, Disney will probably be more remembered than Plato. Really? [More inside. Via Arts & Letters Daily.]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:57 PM PST - 33 comments

On the fast track to the Supremes --In a recess appointment, Bush put Mississippi Judge Charles Pickering on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans today. The American Life League is thrilled, but NARAL not so much.
posted by amberglow at 4:37 PM PST - 32 comments

Click-clocks.
posted by pedantic at 3:05 PM PST - 3 comments

ass-hat: noun, a thoughtless or stupid person.
cliterati: collective noun, feminist or woman-oriented writers or opinion-leaders.
flexitarian: noun, a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat.
freegan: noun, person who eats only what they can get for free.

Some winners from the American Dialect Society's 2003 Words of the Year.
posted by y2karl at 2:38 PM PST - 30 comments

You got my Slashdot in your MetaFilter! The Fox News York Times! A gun-free NRA! Indy Free Republic Media! Megnuttke!
posted by mathowie at 2:10 PM PST - 49 comments

Viacom's CBS today rejected a request from liberal group MoveOn to air a 30-second anti-President Bush ad, saying the spot violated the network's policy against running issue advocacy advertising. This, despite running anti-drug and anti-smoking ads. So, is it only issues about which they disagree?
posted by dejah420 at 1:19 PM PST - 57 comments

So how cold is it on New Hampshire's Mount Washington, where hurricane force winds blow 104 days out of the year? Really freaking cold. The Observatory's website is a great resource for weather-geeks, and the interns have their own blog.
posted by PrinceValium at 1:12 PM PST - 4 comments

"The end of an era in deep space exploration draws to a close. The era of the total militarization of space dawns," says the blog of Bruce Garrett, a software engineer for the Space Telescope Science Institute (home of the Hubble). Although I haven't been able to corroborate it at a news source yet, Garrett reports that the word came today from NASA director Sean O'Keefe that servicing missions to Hubble are over.

The President made his announcement on Wednesday, and NASA announced their reorganization in order to fall in line with Bush's plan today. Interestingly, this "reorganization" including support to only manned missions began over a year ago, but O'Keefe still testified to the US Senate in May 2003 that the Hubble would be serviced next in November 2004. Wonder what changed.

We marveled at The Best of Hubble in December 2003. Might be the Last, as well.
posted by pineapple at 1:01 PM PST - 19 comments

Bob Mould blogs! Temporary location though, as he says he'll move the boblog to his site soon.
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:58 PM PST - 18 comments

Which is the best type of writer to cover a nine person campaign that lasts two years? A novelist of course. Only a novelist can come up with the sort of obvious truths that reporters can't or aren't allowed to write. Like, "I've met Sharpton before and I can say with full confidence the man is a liar, an opportunist, and a swine." The other candidates on Gore's endorsement, "Fuck fat fucking Al shit fucking Gore." Or Kucinich's campaign, "Just before I go to sleep I ask myself, Why not love your fellow man, why not peace on earth? ... And the answer occurs to me immediately—because the other guy wants to rape your women and kill your children." Stephen Elliott, four time novelist and card shark, is on the campaign.
posted by raaka at 12:03 PM PST - 5 comments

I’m 40, a truck drive and over 250 pounds but I’m proud to say I’m using The Peace Rug®.
posted by archimago at 11:55 AM PST - 25 comments

The lamest press releases of the 2004 campaign.
posted by boost ventilator at 11:08 AM PST - 10 comments

Techies Left Behind James Pace Jr. used to work as a steamfitter in a General Electric plant in Bridgeport. That was back in the early '70s, when the grapevine was alive with warnings: These jobs are going overseas. Go back to school. There's no future here. Pace left the plant, enrolled in computer school, studied information technology and never looked back. That is, not until 23 years later, on the day he was told his $100,000-a-year job as an IT (information technology) consultant had been sent to India
posted by Postroad at 9:18 AM PST - 79 comments

Shibori is an amazing Japanese textile dying technique--a very sophisticated form of tie-dye, where nubby, lumpy, bizarre things like this are transformed after dying into this fish or these flowers (scroll for detail) or these starbursts. Specifically this odd thing became this (detail). You can find excellent photos and descriptions of the process here, here(scroll down and hold mouse over photo), and here. There is also information at the World Shibori Network . This photo shows partially dyed fabric and here is a video of the preparation for dying. Shibori is very labor intensive (carpal tunnel syndrome-city) and was a one time subject to a sumptuary tax and one form was outlawed by an emperor for being too extravagant. There are many different knots and ties for different patterns--browse here, here(gallery1-7), and here. Shibori can be used to make some striking and detailed images. Diverse examples of shibori --iris, layered squares, waves, kimonos, large bridge banner, subtle black and white winter scene, , a nifty “aerial view” of earth as a tidal pool with hot air balloons (detail of anemones). Don't miss the stunning work of Hiroko Harada (English/Japanese). I especially like Rain In the Forest, There Are Ripples On the Cloth, Seasonal Changes, and this large installation. You can browse more here, but the Japanese page has more.
posted by lobakgo at 8:50 AM PST - 18 comments

Rahula leads the way. An engaging Flash-based comic strip to illustrate the tenets of Buddhism to young souls.
posted by SandeepKrishnamurthy at 8:04 AM PST - 5 comments

Maybe you've seen the Electric Arc of Death video. OK, so maybe it's just capable of death if you get too close. But, if you work in the power industry like I do, I was amazed to see this rather impressive video of a switchyard problem. Electric arcs involving switchgear for transmission lines are nothing new, and this link provides an excellent analysis of why this arc is occuring. Make sure you turn the volume up for an extra charge of excitement.
posted by insulglass at 5:12 AM PST - 22 comments

Dazzling, full-color shots of people long since dead, landscapes long since paved, and an empire long since overthrown.
A pre-WW I process for creating color image projections meets Photoshop®
posted by magullo at 2:45 AM PST - 27 comments

Just what you wanted, break dancing Japanese geezers
Still photos, live action and animation melted into a music video (streaming Quicktime) by Neo, a duo made up of Londoners Jake Knight and Ryoko Tanaka. More clips on their site. (via Jeansnow.net)
posted by planetkyoto at 1:27 AM PST - 20 comments

Minor Washington state quake. It's been a while since I've experienced and earthquake, so when tonight's little one hit my hometown (a mere 3.2) I was a little shocked (and a little excited). I was also really impressed with the seemingly instantaneous response by the USGS and the University of Washington's GeoPhysics Dept. on their websites classifying it.

In the olden-days (eg- pre-Internet) I'd have to wait for the early morning news to find out any information about it, but through the miracle of HTTP I have all the info I want mere seconds after the event. In fact, less than 15 minutes after the quake the USGS site had over 260 responses on their website about the quake from people who felt it and left comments on their site.

I wonder if there are other sites that help classify and/or disseminate information about other naturally occurring phenomenon (hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.)... anyone, anyone?
posted by crankydoodle at 1:07 AM PST - 9 comments

People in China are searching for justice on sites like Sina.com, as in this recent case of a poor woman who was run over by a BMW. At the same time, the authorities continue to try to tighten their grip on the web and on dissidents. Meanwhile, the official People's Daily temporarily admitted on its website the "violent crackdown" on pro-democracy students in Tiananmen Square 15 years ago, but this appears to have been a case of careless internet plagiarism.
posted by homunculus at 12:04 AM PST - 3 comments

The Tao of Podunk celebrates the vast diversity of the American urban experience, from big cities to, well, Pudunks (be sure to check out the Podunk extras, such as claims to fame and imaginary places).
posted by moonbird at 7:31 PM PST - 2 comments

Robotic Scientist - Scientists created a closed, automated system to conduct simple labor intensive scientific experiments in molecular genetics. The robot creates hypothesis and tests them. Supposedly it works more efficiently (picks less expensive experiments, and fewer of them) then its human counterparts (graduate students in biology and comp sci.). More detailed article in Nature here (institutional access / subscription required). I for one, welcome our new robot overlords.
posted by nads at 7:15 PM PST - 5 comments

Back to the archive, one tape at a time. A new old episode of previously missing Doctor Who has turned up. It's episode two of The Dalek Master Plan which means we've now got three of the twelve parts that make up that story. Nine to go... (a clip with lots of Daleks in can be seen here).
posted by feelinglistless at 4:03 PM PST - 11 comments

Dream Dollars "Discover the mystery of Nadiria, the Lost Colony of Antarctica. Nadiria flourished as a utopian colony deep inside the Antarctican ice shelf for over thirty years until its mysterious disappearance in 1899. Here are the beautiful reproductions of its unusual currency, Dream-Dollars, studied by scholars and dream researchers for almost a century. Long unavailable, these exotic notes will amaze, astound, and fascinate all those interested in the strange and the beautiful."
posted by anastasiav at 3:19 PM PST - 11 comments

Anyone in the mood for a celebration!? Today is Personal Firewall Day! Who's bringing drinks?
posted by bhayes82 at 2:27 PM PST - 36 comments

Oak Island is one of the greatest treasure hunting mysteries of the last 400 years. The Money Pit as it is called, has stirred up a bevy of questions including how this simple pit has alluded treasure hunters and scientists to this day. Some believe that it might be the location of the Holy Grail, stashed by the Templar Knights. Other's believe that it might be the resting place of Sir Francis Bacon's original plays acreditted to William Shakespear. The most common belief is that The pirate Captain Kidd hid his huge stash of gold deep within the pit which accounts for all of the unusual traps. Regardless of the wild speculation there has been evidence to suggest that there is deffinately something in the pit. But not all agree....
posted by Benway at 1:59 PM PST - 16 comments

A collection of absurdly interesting stories. (Note to the gun-shy: not in Comic Sans.) via the always excellent JerryKindall.com
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 12:59 PM PST - 6 comments

Complaint to nic.cx results in goatse.cx being suspended. Obligatory online petition is started. Screams and sobbing are heard on a regular basis on Slashdot. Links are SFW, but any investigation further may not be. This is truly a dark time for the internet.
posted by angry modem at 11:50 AM PST - 70 comments

State Library of Tasmania, Heritage Collection Image Library.
posted by hama7 at 11:30 AM PST - 3 comments

Generic Rap Song by Princeton student. An excellent undergrad piece that lampoons the current state of rap music. Includes a satirical rap song (complete with downloadable MP3, streaming audio, downloadable DivX video, and streaming RealVideo) and an analysis of each verse. Even an essay that compares the satire in the piece with some 200 year-old satire ("A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift). Amazing, accurate, and funny as all get out.
posted by timbley at 11:19 AM PST - 52 comments

Tibet Visual History Online. A project of the Pitt Rivers Museum.
posted by plep at 11:15 AM PST - 7 comments

An imaginary record collection. Okay, so I hit the flea market last Thursday in the freezing cold and came upon this dope soundtrack collection - Melinda, Sweetback's Badass Song, The Marketts Play Batman, Mannix, More Mission Impossbile, etc.., when I came upon this box of... fake records!!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 10:53 AM PST - 22 comments

El Niño is Spanish. Like all things spanish, it is dangerous.
posted by jmgorman at 9:31 AM PST - 32 comments

How to be an Internet Woo-woo. From fake moon landings and mystery lights to Roswell Rods and Grey Aliens, the Woo-woo Credo gives you the lowdown on being an effective conspiracy theory monger.
posted by brownpau at 9:03 AM PST - 11 comments

Journey to the center of the Earth. No, really.
posted by cedar at 8:39 AM PST - 16 comments

Top 10 impossible inventions that allegedly work. Includes such conspiracy-nut favorites as a system for sending power wirelessly, an anti-gravity device, the cloudbuster and an electronic telepathy device. [Snagged from Disinformation.]
posted by boost ventilator at 7:44 AM PST - 17 comments

While CD sales in the UK continue their upward march (nearly 8% this year) and UK music retailers show healthy profits, the Record Companies are gearing up to sue their British customers (ala The RIAA). Not all record companies, however, are taking the big stick approach: - Warp Records - (home of Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada and Chris Morris) steps up to the plate with high-quality music downloads, unencumbered by DRM. Go figure.
posted by Blue Stone at 6:09 AM PST - 10 comments

We believe that we invent symbols. The truth is that they invent us; we are their creatures, shaped by their hard, defining edges. When soldiers take their oath they are given a coin, an asimi stamped with the profile of the Autarch. Their acceptance of that coin is their acceptance of the special duties and burdens of military life--they are soldiers from that moment, though they may know nothing of the management of arms. I did not know that then, but it is a profound mistake to believe that we must know of such things to be influenced by them, and in fact to believe so is to believe in the most debased and superstitious kind of magic. The would-be sorcerer alone has faith in the efficacy of pure knowledge; rational people know that things act of themselves or not at all.

Gene Wolfe      -     Now step within Father Inire's mirrors....
posted by y2karl at 12:49 AM PST - 25 comments

In the evening, gunfire emanates with the relentlessness of frog "ribbits'' around a summer pond, sometimes sporadic and at other times overwhelming. But in the daytime, it's intermittent at most -- a few pops here and there. Five times a day, the Islamic call to prayer is broadcast through loudspeakers from each mosque in the city. The chant echoes and ricochets through Baghdad's declining alleys and architecture. One experiences a palpably hypnotic engagement with Middle Eastern spiritual life, like living in a movie with this chant as its score. Sean Penn returns to Iraq... and writes about it.
posted by squirrel at 11:17 PM PST - 29 comments

Trusting The Redcoats: How many independent-minded Americans actually rely on the BBC (specially the World Service) for accurate coverage of American politics? Not to mention The Guardian. Is it a strictly an elitist, liberal/left-wing phenomenon? What does it mean? What does it say about better-informed liberal newspapers and media of the U.S.? If so, why aren't like-minded Europeans just as cosmopolitan and, say, pay the same attention to news sources like The New York Times, NPR and others, rather than stolidly sticking to their own national staples?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 9:52 PM PST - 71 comments

Microsoft's IE team is calling for input into the future of their browser. Over lunch with Robert Scoble they communicated that they're working hard on security patches. So where do you come in?

"The team is looking to work with community members to improve Internet Explorer. That means blogs. That means taking harsh feedback. That means having a dialog about the future that's frank and as open as possible."

With an opportunity like this we should forgo mere whining and name calling, and participate.
posted by will at 9:40 PM PST - 46 comments

Top Ten Drug Stories of 2003. Ten of the more egregrious examples of why the "War on Drugs" is a very bad idea poorly implemented.
posted by five fresh fish at 7:32 PM PST - 20 comments

Creative Class War: How the GOP's anti-elitism could ruin America's economy. This is an interesting and troubling article by Richard Florida on the possible flight of the American "Creative Class." [Via WorldChanging.]
posted by homunculus at 7:18 PM PST - 69 comments

ISeeJesus.com Possible scenario: A church has suffered years of ever lowering attendance. A church elder contracts IseeJesus.com. The following Sunday a righteous and long time congregant notices a pattern of a familiar face in the swirls of dirt and mineralisation on the side of the church...Word spreads and each Sunday sees more people in the pews and more money in the collection plate.
posted by tippiedog at 6:10 PM PST - 9 comments

One of Brigham Young University's basketball players has tattoos. Or does he?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:23 PM PST - 28 comments

Behind the scenes of National Geographic's first all-digital shoot.
posted by starscream at 4:09 PM PST - 20 comments

Gamegeezers A new forum for the mature gamer. As the site says "... the new community for the "not so young" gamer. The reason we're setting this forum up is to provide a home for the great many of us gamers out there who are old enough to remember the beginning of this phenomenon known as gaming and are still going to be at it for the rest of our days. You will find no whiney teenage flamers here. Just a good wholesome community of GameGeezers who wouldn't admit to knowing what "l33t" meant if their life depended on it. "
posted by snowgoon at 3:56 PM PST - 9 comments

The Bible, in IRC logs
posted by Orange Goblin at 2:47 PM PST - 21 comments

Pictures of the tin-foil apartment - a New Year's Eve prank taken to the nth degree...
posted by skechada at 12:59 PM PST - 27 comments

Graham Roumieu is one twisted puppy. His illustrations highlight the absurdities of modern life and should give us all something to chuckle about.
posted by elwoodwiles at 12:24 PM PST - 6 comments

Do Mole People- subway tunnel dwellers- exist? Mole People by Jennifer Toth says yes, and the Straight Dope agrees, while others aren't so certain. On the other hand, Some have decided to make a movie about it. [link via Neil Gaiman]
posted by drezdn at 11:38 AM PST - 14 comments

Not Fooling Anybody What happens when your local Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, or Planet Hollywood goes out of business and is taken over by a lesser-known or less-well-funded business? Bad storefront conversions that's what. :: via Satan's Laundromat ::
posted by anastasiav at 11:29 AM PST - 36 comments

George Lakoff tells how conservatives use language to dominate politics "Why do conservatives appear to be so much better at framing? - Because they've put billions of dollars into it. Over the last 30 years their think tanks have made a heavy investment in ideas and in language. In 1970, [Supreme Court Justice] Lewis Powell wrote a fateful memo to the National Chamber of Commerce....He outlined the whole thing in 1970. They set up the Heritage Foundation in 1973" "So if you go on Fox News....and the question is, 'Are you in favor of the President’s tax relief program or are you against it?' -- it doesn't matter what you say. If you say, 'I’m against tax relief,' you're still evoking that framing. you're still in their frame..."

"George Lakoff, a professor of linguistics and cognitive science at the University of California Berkeley, is a specialist in the technique of "framing," a communication tool that creates a "frame" for a message that defines the terms of the debate." (Interview with Lakoff )
posted by troutfishing at 10:35 AM PST - 75 comments

Child Molestation? Marcus Dixon, an 18-year-old Black high school honor student was recently convicted of child molestation, has been permanently expelled from high school, and is now serving 15 years in the George state prison for having consensual sex with a 15-year-old White girl. Even though he was acquitted of all forcible rape charges, the child molestation charge still earned him the long sentence. Racism? Mandatory minimums strike again?
posted by Bluecoat93 at 10:15 AM PST - 59 comments

Machinery found at Spirit landing site!
posted by Irontom at 10:05 AM PST - 37 comments

Noodling: Catching monster catfish with your bare hands. Personally, I'd rather go fishing with a pole. But, I still find this technique fascinating.
posted by studentbaker at 9:29 AM PST - 14 comments

Nobel Prize Winners Hate School. Not that it takes a genius to figure out that 'school is a lot like prison but worse' (George Bernard Shaw) or that it "smothers every truly scientific impulse" (Einstein)....
posted by limitedpie at 6:29 AM PST - 49 comments

Your tax dollars at work. The Republican congress and the FCC, who evidently have nothing better to do, want to waste time banning the word fuck from all radio and broadcast television.
posted by johnnydark at 5:06 AM PST - 38 comments

New Jersey became the fifth state to recognize same-sex partnerships. The law extends health insurance, inheritance and hospital visitation rights to same-sex couples. Marriage is still illegal, but it's a success for NJ in 2003. I've lived here all my life and this is the first time the toll booth state has left me genuinely impressed and feelin proud.
posted by Modem Ovary at 4:07 AM PST - 12 comments

A collection of absurdly funny stories. Try Cell Phone, Girl Talk, and A Rose by Any Name.
posted by gregb1007 at 12:18 AM PST - 28 comments

For the gamer who has everything. Character skins (and more) for Unreal Tournament designed by (and based on) former pornstar Asia Carrera. NSFW.
posted by jpoulos at 8:17 PM PST - 35 comments

Marilyn is Wrong! Because your life doesn't contain enough nitpicking.
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:29 PM PST - 25 comments

Man Wants Church Donation Back
A man, in the midst of a serious bout of depression, gives away almost his entire life savings, $126,000, to a local church. He later realizes that this was not the smartest thing to do. He asks the church for the money back. The church, not surprisingly, says they've already spent it and so he can't have it back.
What's next?
Bust out the lawyers!
posted by fenriq at 4:59 PM PST - 20 comments

Psst...wanna buy a record label? The Beastie Boys' defunct Grand Royal record label (former home of Luscious Jackson, Atari Teenage Riot, Ben Lee, Sean Lennon, Bis, Buffalo Daughter and Money Mark) is on the auction block. The successful bidder walks away with various master recordings, license agreements, recording agreements and miscellaneous contracts.
posted by boost ventilator at 12:52 PM PST - 19 comments

What they didn't teach me about Israel's 1948 war in religious school.
posted by Tlogmer at 12:49 PM PST - 93 comments

Clearly, kids trapped inside Pick-A-Toy machines is only the lastest example of weirdness As a recent Wisconsinite, I've noticed everyone from The Simpsons to The West Wing gets in a few easy swipes at the cheese state. But this is a nice (and new) collection of historical weirdness in Wisconsin. From images of Cow Chip Tossing to a Female Band Playing to Cows, this state clearly has some issues.
posted by rev- at 12:48 PM PST - 7 comments

Why Gollum shouldn't win an Oscar. Many Lord of the Rings fans think Andy Serkis should be nominated for an Academy Award for his work in the films, but as Roger Ebert writes, the actor shouldn't benefit because animators kept Gollum from falling into the Uncanny Valley.
posted by tranquileye at 12:23 PM PST - 33 comments

Bread. History of the victual.
posted by the fire you left me at 12:22 PM PST - 2 comments

Spalding Gray, the witty and engaging actor and writer, has been reported missing.
posted by moonbird at 11:27 AM PST - 24 comments

The Genocidal Moon

"There will be a purge on God’s orders, and evil will be eliminated like shadows," the Unification Church leader Rev. Sun Myong Moon, the owner and primary funder of money-losing right-wing Washington Times, said last week. (The comments were posted online by Rev. Moon’s webmaster and picked up by blogger John Gorenfeld.) "Gays will be eliminated, the 3 Israels will unite. If not then they will be burned. We do not know what kind of world God will bring but this is what happens. It will be greater than the communist purge but at God’s orders."

How should the media be responding to this call for genocide? Have any major media outlets been covering this story? Why not?
posted by nofundy at 11:25 AM PST - 26 comments

From the creators of the OpenDirectory Project comes their new effort: a classifying news crawler : Topix.net. They've got some cool text processing that allows them to classify each story in terms of content and geographic location. Very cool ideas in agreggation!
posted by cpfeifer at 10:41 AM PST - 3 comments

Ballonmoleküle is a great primer on how to make shapes (be they molecular models or wiener dogs) out of balloons. Be sure to check out the gallery for some cool photos of balloon molecules and a comment from Francis Crick.
posted by anastasiav at 10:16 AM PST - 1 comment

"The Media vs. Howard Dean." Salon (subscription or Flash ad viewing required) observes that the media have been doing everything in their power to attach negative labels to US presidential candidate Howard Dean. Will the adage that "there's no such thing as bad publicity" prevail? Meanwhile, the Internet is increasing in relevance as a news source, according to a recent survey. Which websites do you peruse for political coverage, if any?
posted by Eloquence at 10:03 AM PST - 67 comments

What are the real causes of terrorism?
Tired of the "they hate our freedoms" spiel? What are the real causes of terrorism? and are we addressing them or in fact exacerbating them? "... the variable that came up most frequently was not poverty or human-rights abuses, but perceived humiliation. Humiliation emerged at every level of the terrorist groups I studied — leaders and followers."
posted by specialk420 at 10:03 AM PST - 45 comments

What's worse? A Chickenhead Chicken McNugget or the Cream of Condom soup from McCormick & Schmick's?
posted by bivouac at 9:50 AM PST - 10 comments

What's the newest political row in Iran about? The refusal by Iran's Guardian Council to approve hundreds of reformist candidates in the parliamentary elections on 20 February has provoked a political crisis.
posted by hoder at 8:58 AM PST - 5 comments

Embryo Images. A tutorial on mammalian embryology, using images of mouse and human embryos. Check out the eye.
posted by plep at 8:56 AM PST - 4 comments

Hack your car. AutoXRAY scans internal vehicle computers and gives detailed diagnostics and real-time graphing output.
posted by stbalbach at 10:11 PM PST - 11 comments

David LaChapelle : New York magazine calls him "the Fellini of photography". Most others just remember the wacky picture of Lil Kim literally covered in Louis Vutton, Britney's coming out party or for that slimy (in a good way!) Christina Aguilera video.
posted by owillis at 9:26 PM PST - 12 comments

EBookWeb: DEN is for digital epistolary novel. Case in point: Intimacies, from GreatAmericanNovel.com. Others?
posted by hairyeyeball at 8:27 PM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

The White House wants to decide what, and when, the public would be told about an outbreak of mad cow disease, an anthrax release, a nuclear plant accident or any other crisis. Instead of the federal agencies responsible for public health, safety and the environment, the bad news would be in the hands of this guy, whose Harvard Center for Risk Analysis famously "proved" that talking on cell phones while driving is no safety concern, and that there was "very little risk that American cattle will contract mad cow disease or that the disease would ever pose a public health problem for people."
posted by soyjoy at 7:36 PM PST - 38 comments

Spiritual Cockroaches the life and work of K. Ungeheuer

Ungeheuer wrote short stories. Very short stories. Some are no more than a couple of sentences. The longest of them barely fills a half dozen pages. Ungeheuer explained his penchant for short short fiction in an interview with Jared Green in 1970:

"There's something enigmatic about the economy of these short pieces. Something about the lack of context that forces the reader to fill in the larger picture. I don't care about plotting a story, characterization or setting. I'm looking for a feeling, an instant in time. An uncomfortable floating instant, with no sense of anything that may have come to pass before it."

posted by tenseone at 6:39 PM PST - 18 comments

Cyborgs in Canada? When you first meet Steve Mann, it seems as if you've interrupted him appraising diamonds or doing some sort of specialized welding. Because the first thing you notice is the plastic frame that comes around his right ear and holds a lens over his right eye.
posted by edmcbride at 2:18 PM PST - 19 comments

A cyclone has essentially flattened the tiny Pacific island nation of Niue. Although only one of the island's 1200 inhabitants has died, the infrastructure is so battered that the government may simply call it quits, ceding control to New Zealand. Although suffering from sharp population declines over the years, Niue had been one of the most technologically advanced microstates, being the first country to install free Wi-Fi accessible to all of its residents and visitors. And they control the top-level domain .nu - or do they? The recent natural disaster may highlight the fact that the story of the .nu domain is one of economic and legal exploitation. And if Niue folds, can you run a website from a domain attributed to a deleted country? A fascinating sidebar to this fascinating story. (Via /.)
posted by PrinceValium at 1:57 PM PST - 6 comments

A new brand of incest. "You're 40, happily married - and then you meet your long-lost brother and fall passionately in love. This isn't fiction; in the age of the sperm donor, it's a growing reality: 50% of reunions between siblings, or parents and offspring, separated at birth result in obsessive emotions. Last month, a former police officer was convicted of incest with his half-sister - but should we criminalise a bond hardwired into our psychology?"
posted by Hildegarde at 1:53 PM PST - 51 comments

Compressed Art: Perfume as Art, or Commerce masquerading as Art? This site's main feature is an intriguing olfactory seven deadly sins, put together by artist Nobi Shioya, where each sin is associated with a specific perfumer, all of whom, one comes to realize, work for the same company, one of the big three international perfumes & flavours concerns. In a similar vein: the latest 'scent' issue of Visionaire (warning flash/pop-ups).
posted by misteraitch at 1:16 PM PST - 1 comment

The Bush family's history in the Middle East. "Between now and the November election, it's crucial that Americans come to understand how four generations of the current president's family have embroiled the United States in the Middle East through CIA connections, arms shipments, rogue banks, inherited war policies and personal financial links." So writes former Republican analyst Kevin Phillips, author of the new book American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush.
posted by homunculus at 12:51 PM PST - 24 comments

WeeklyDV is a site that has been around for some time now, but one which I don't think has received enough attention. There is a new theme every week and if you have a digital video camera, some editing software, and a couple hours of free time, you too can participate.
posted by sean17 at 12:48 PM PST - 3 comments

Bounding the Global War on Terrorism

Of particular concern, has been the conflation of al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's Iraq as a single, undifferentiated threat. This was a strategic error of the first order because it ignored critical differences between the two in character, threat level and susceptibility to U.S. deterrence and military action. The result has been an unnecessary preventive war a against a deterred Iraq that has created a new front in the Middle East for Islamic terrorism and diverted attention and resources away from securing the American homeland against further assault from an undeterrable al-Qaeda. The war against Iraq was not integral to the Global War On Terrorism but rather a detour from it.
Full text: HTML or PDF See also War College Study Calls Iraq a 'Detour'
posted by y2karl at 9:52 AM PST - 74 comments

Ask A Linguist is designed to be a place where anyone interested in language or linguistics can ask a question and get the response of a panel of professional linguists. Be sure to browse their archived questions (with answers, of course).
posted by anastasiav at 9:35 AM PST - 10 comments

Cities claim taking photos of speeding cars is done for safety, while others have shown it's just for $$$. They say cameras never lie, but when there is money on the line, who knows? Declan McCullagh rounds up a slew of articles about inaccurate speed cameras on roadways around the world.
posted by mathowie at 9:13 AM PST - 14 comments

Abandoned Bicycles of New York. Most seem to have been abandoned after thieves stripped unlocked components. Because of modern strong steel U-locks, many abandoned bikes aren't going anywhere soon. After reviewing these photos, you may want to review your bike-locking technique.
posted by profwhat at 8:28 AM PST - 19 comments

15th Century Manuscript Illumination. Page through a chronicle of the world, the fates of illustrious men and women, a journey through Hell and Paradise and a Book of Hours.
posted by plep at 8:21 AM PST - 4 comments

Kazumi Namiki uses a slit camera to capture panoramic pictures onto a whole roll of film. He uses his slit camera to take photographs of Japanese railway trains; lots and lots of trains. [via boingboing]
posted by carter at 8:13 AM PST - 9 comments

Seven Deadly Sentiments - Psychology Today explores seven "guilt-provoking, squirm-inducing, I'm-such-a-lousy-person thoughts... At worst, they remind us that we're not quite as nice as we'd like to believe we are. And at best, they may be able to help us understand the deeper reasons behind our wicked thoughts--and forgive ourselves our own trespasses." A long, but interesting read.
posted by Irontom at 8:00 AM PST - 10 comments

Don't blame me, I voted for Vermin Supreme! While the D.C. Primary hasn't attracted the same level of attention as the Iowa Caucus, one candidate continues to fight for what is right. Mr. Supreme understands the REAL threat facing our great nation -- poor dental hygeine.
posted by ph00dz at 7:53 AM PST - 4 comments

A massive archive of Commodore 64 game covers. An extensive archive of C64 magazine Zapp64 covers, features, reviews and editorials. SLAY radio (C64 remixes - very cheesy).
posted by nthdegx at 6:56 AM PST - 6 comments

$1,000 Segway competitor, the Rad2Go Q, on show at CES.
posted by MintSauce at 5:24 AM PST - 22 comments

Does our culture actively discourage ethical behavior? The alarmingly high rate of cheating in schools, discussed by David Callahan, seems to imply that cheating is not an aberration in our culture but more like a norm. [More Inside]
posted by gregb1007 at 11:24 PM PST - 48 comments

Could This Be The Renaissance Of The Three-Martini Lunch? Do business and alcohol mix? Do business and pleasure? Must we be all be utterly sober when we do deals? Or work? Is a little lubrication slowly replacing mineral water and political correctness? Surely it's not only writers who gain from the odd whisky and soda or gin and tonic? Have you ever done any worthwhile work while under the influence? Please feel free to choose your drug of choice. Tobacco, amphetamines and benzodiazepines included. [Via eGullet's recent thread, started by Beans.]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 9:28 PM PST - 32 comments

The Decline of Fashion Photography; An argument in pictures. Inspired by Karen Lehrman's photo-essay about the poor state of contemporary fashion photography, I went looking for vintage goodness. Louise Dahl-Wolfe and Irving Penn are two of the photographers she mentions, but it would be a shame to miss (to name a few) Frances Pellegrini's, Erwin Blumenfeld's, and Herman Landshoff's contributions to the genre.
posted by tcaleb at 6:42 PM PST - 14 comments

Neato Next Generation Truck Stops IANAT (I am not a trucker), so I had no idea trucks could just plug into truck stops complete with air conditioning, power, internet, satellite TV, etc. And the bonus is that these facilities are environmentally friendly since the truck doesn't have to be left running all night.
posted by mhh5 at 6:14 PM PST - 9 comments

Do it yourself art projects – a how-to manual (by Yoko Ono, Bruce Nauman, Gilbert & George, Nam June Paik, Matthew Barney and more). I can't wait to try and turn my washing machine into a pinhole camera, to create a photo "in the time it takes to bake a cake". (warning: Quicktime)
posted by hypnorich at 5:09 PM PST - 5 comments

KariwanZ fetish gallery - fashion, fetish, rubber, and tribal art collide. Do the MeFi meetups need a facelift? (mildly nsfw)
posted by madamjujujive at 4:40 PM PST - 3 comments

My Cat Annie is a website with several quick adorable videos (in Flash format) of the owner's cat doing ridiculous cat tricks.
posted by jonson at 1:24 PM PST - 24 comments

That U.S. intelligence agencies confuse terrorists with children on passenger jets is a reminder that data collection is easy, but data analysis is hard. That must be why the six-year-old daughter of one of Boing Boing's co-founders is on the CAPPS list as a security risk. All this is also a reminder that we need privacy safeguards for these data mining programs.
posted by homunculus at 12:43 PM PST - 34 comments

Big Books Not exactly made for curling up in bed, big books are an interesting twist in publishing. From Bhutan to Antartica and Sumo to Boxing, these are more likely to be the size of your coffee table than to be on it. They probably cost rather more, too.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:34 AM PST - 7 comments

The Internet is now basically banned and controlled for all but the elite in Cuba. In Iran, an unelected body has eliminated hundreds of reformist candidates from the general elections. That's what stiffling of dissent looks like. Stare it in the face, and ask your politicians and NGOs and friends to raise their voices against it as loud as they did against the war in Iraq. Promote freedom for people just like you around the world in a nonviolent way. (And I'm not talking about writing Bush to ask for Regime Change)
posted by swerdloff at 10:19 AM PST - 19 comments

Saddest auction ever: "You are bidding on my collection of fast food restaurant condiments that I have collected over the past year at my job."
posted by 40 Watt at 9:19 AM PST - 27 comments

RipDigital converts your entire CD collection to 224kbs MP3s for about a $1 per CD. Send them your CD library and they'll ship your library back, organized by artist and album with enhanced song information, as either 50 converted CDs per DVD and for $99 more on a portable hard drive. If only they offered the same service for cassettes. [via jkottke & waxpancake]
posted by riffola at 9:16 AM PST - 47 comments

Dentokogei. A site 'devoted to showcasing the work of the shokunin, or artisans, still working and carrying on the traditions of handcraft production in Japan. '
posted by plep at 7:51 AM PST - 2 comments

Another take on blogs Emily Nussbaum dissects online journaling in the NY Times Magazine today, offering yet another mainstream media perspective on blogging. Did anyone ask for another?
posted by docjohn at 6:39 AM PST - 18 comments

Government haven for Nuclear Winter (nytimes reg) Photos of the West German government's secret sanctuary/hidey hole built during the sixties and early seventies. The article talks about the cold, oppressive feel of the accommodations, but it's pretty cool looking in a Danish Modern or Clockwork Orange sort of way. Better than the cheap motel look that Washington had planned.
posted by bendybendy at 6:09 AM PST - 4 comments

Pop-science writing by Karl Kruszelnicki, scientist and broadcaster. Includes fun with kissing, bad breath, biscuit dunking, broccoli, Botox, uses of cow parts, maggots in wounds and the IgNobel prize-winning bellybutton lint research.
posted by iffley at 3:34 AM PST - 5 comments

How to Lose Your Job in Talk Radio Why did this happen? Why only a couple of months after my company picked up the option on my contract for another year in the fifth-largest city in the United States, did it suddenly decide to relegate me to radio Outer Darkness? The answer lies hidden in the oil-and-water incompatibility of these two seemingly disconnected phrases: “Criticizing Bush” and “Clear Channel.”
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 1:30 AM PST - 54 comments

Marijuana Buzz Linked to 'Runner's High.' How do I begin to pose one suitable question? Will we see tapped-out stoners jogging roadside in Phish-logo sweats and Nikes? Will the DEA outlaw running? Will states enact "medical running" legislation? Will the ONDCP be forced to release new "Now go tell your teammates you were caught getting high from running; they'll understand" ads?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 9:56 PM PST - 31 comments

Mathematik and Dynamical Systems. Mathematical visual effects and games, mostly javascript-based.
posted by donth at 7:53 PM PST - 5 comments

AsimovLite. Three cringe-worthy Isaac Asimov short stories. Also: Asimov's "Lecherous Limericks", quotables and links to related essays.
posted by nthdegx at 6:55 PM PST - 5 comments

"Crash Different" Well, I think this editor probably isn't going to continue using a Macintosh if he can help it. A decent spoof video, actually, on the "Think Different" / "Switch" campaigns. [via MemeStreams]
posted by djspicerack at 5:21 PM PST - 43 comments

TheSafetyNet.Org • A collective of men who are working to stop date-rape and sexual abuse. "When a person is raped, it’s trust that’s used as the weapon...We’ve decided that it’s time to reclaim that trust, reclaim that responsibility. Men Rape. Men abuse. And men can stop it."
posted by dhoyt at 5:13 PM PST - 2 comments

VP would back ban on gay marriage Best guess: Bush won't try for an amendment so as not to lose potential votes for his party. But this does say something about the man next in line--if not already first--for the presidency.
posted by Postroad at 5:02 PM PST - 34 comments

Affirmative Action Texas Style: Part 2

[A]fter consultation with each of the Texas A&M University System Regents, I have decided that, effective immediately, Texas A&M will no longer award points for legacy in the admissions review process.

posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 1:47 PM PST - 34 comments

Second Iranian underground music awards participants: They can't publish their records or play in public because of the Islamic government's fear of Rock music. There are hundreds of underground Rock bands in Iran right now. Christian Science Monitor has the story of one of them.
posted by hoder at 12:00 PM PST - 2 comments

Odd Nerdrum. [Via Giornale Nuovo.]
posted by homunculus at 11:36 AM PST - 5 comments

New report says Bush planned Iraq War before 9/11 Jan. 10 — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill charges in a new book that President Bush entered office in January 2001 intent on invading Iraq and was in search of a way to go about it.
posted by wsg at 10:52 AM PST - 101 comments

The Vos Pas is an apartment that it's owner has lit entirely with LEDs. More here.
posted by ukamikanasi at 9:24 AM PST - 18 comments

"Kids were standing on chairs and dancing in the aisles the minute the police backs were turned. The building was dark with only the spotlights on...Satin jacketed packs of teens slugged, beat and robbed 15...Over my dead body will there be another rock show in the Boston Arena." ....from the 29 chapter History of Boston R&R at Dirty Water - The Boston Rock & Roll Museum.
posted by madamjujujive at 9:03 AM PST - 11 comments

Two galleries of future-primitive/outsider art. "...An innovative vision of art: simple, non-academic, emotional, on a human scale."
posted by moonbird at 8:40 AM PST - 3 comments

Guerrilla art appeared at Magnuson Park's Kite Hill in Seattle again. This time, a war message, it seems.
posted by yonderboy at 8:14 AM PST - 4 comments

Pink Tank
posted by Orange Goblin at 5:05 PM PST - 14 comments

Rickshaw Rally! From the same people who brought you "Dispel the Darkness".
posted by mr_roboto at 4:23 PM PST - 10 comments

BigToe, the Biggest Motorcycle Ever
Built by a Swedish engineer, this monster bike has six foot tractor tires (though he probably calls them tyres, eh?) and a 5.3 liter V12 Jaguar engine powering it!
posted by fenriq at 4:16 PM PST - 20 comments

24:39 NASA is running their Spirit Martian explorer program on Martian solar time. With the project day running 39 minutes longer than a real day, engineers found they faced difficulties adjusting to this virtual timezone. Their solution was nearly as old as timekeeping itself.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 3:28 PM PST - 12 comments

A lot more than five lists of Five Things.
posted by xmutex at 3:23 PM PST - 12 comments

Boombastic Radio While I sit here at work listening to it, I realize other people would appreciate this site. They play all sorts of good music 24/7, with no commercials. Last few artists I've heard: Marvin Gaye, Barrington Levy, Roland Kirk, King Kooba, Black Star and on and on and on. Yeah, just another free online radio station, but I know some of you will appreciate it a lot.
posted by Slimemonster at 3:01 PM PST - 10 comments

Hey! A thirteen year-old kid gets suspended for three days for using a DOS command to send a one-word message to all 80 computers on his school's network. Even more charming is that the computer teacher of his school apparently doesn't know much about the computicatin' machines.
posted by Ufez Jones at 2:13 PM PST - 71 comments

My other favorite blue and yellow web site. Yay! Mister Pants really is back one year later, just like he said he would be.
posted by badstone at 1:48 PM PST - 6 comments

Sony to Introduce HI-MD Walkman For the people who were unsatisfied with Apple's iPod mini, this might provide an alternative. Sony is going to release a HI-MD Walkman, that uses a 1 gigabyte minidisc. As minidisc.org points out, it will also allow transferring data from the minidisc to a computer, and not just the other way around.
posted by synecdoche at 1:24 PM PST - 24 comments

More on the Texas Miracle

It was called the “Texas Miracle,” and you may remember it because President Bush wanted everyone to know about it during his presidential campaign. It was about an approach to education that was showing amazing results, particularly in Houston, where dropout rates plunged and test scores soared. Houston School Superintendent Rod Paige was given credit for the school success, by making principals and administrators accountable for how well their students did. Once he was elected president, Mr. Bush named Paige as secretary of education. And Houston became the model for the president’s “No Child Left Behind” education reform act.

After yesterday's fund raising and self congratulatory orgy in Knoxville TN it seems appropriate that the record be examined more closely. No child left behind indeed.
posted by nofundy at 12:44 PM PST - 28 comments

Your weekend's entertainment. Alcohol Enemas, with notes about vodka-laced tampons and other oddities.
posted by johnnydark at 11:41 AM PST - 13 comments

Clinton believes Iraq had weapons of mass destruction: Portugal PM Ok. The Dems and the GOP. But what did Ralph Nader say about WMD?
posted by Postroad at 10:41 AM PST - 53 comments

How To Deconstruct Almost Anything. An engineer visits the world of postmodern literary criticism.
posted by weston at 9:34 AM PST - 56 comments

Florida Art Gallery: 'Lowbrow Psycho Mod Pop Underground Artwork'.
posted by hama7 at 9:24 AM PST - 3 comments

looney tunes games [note: flash]
posted by crunchland at 8:46 AM PST - 1 comment

To the moon, Alice! (And then, on to Mars) Time will tell whether this declaration will lead to an actual rebirth of NASA and realignment of goals for the agency. But I for one am absolutely thrilled that Bush is planning to give NASA a long-overdue new mission and goal. Avoiding the obvious pro/con debate of doing this (or the cost), I think it's absolutely vital to the national psyche for the United States to have a long-range goal that it can focus positive energy upon. This could be the first real "Challenge to the Union" that I think should become an annual event to replace the State of the Union.
posted by tgrundke at 6:35 AM PST - 84 comments

PV Comics has hundreds of pages of free comics from a dozen talented artists. Friday reading fun!
posted by Stuart_R at 6:20 AM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Exhibit A: An unattributed article on Google Bombing posted last month on the Web site of Glenn Beck, a radio talk show guy. Exhibit B: An article on Google Bombing from 2001 on Uber.nu, attributed to Adam Mathes. Compare and contrast. It's possible Beck purchased the article for reprint, but the lack of attribution, either to Mathes or So New Media, suggests against it. Assuming plagiarism, two questions: 1. After a decade of the existence of the Web, how is it that people still don't get the concept that content plagiarized from the Web is easily discoverable, particularly when posted on the Web? 2. Honestly, now, is it really that hard to rewrite? Unrelated article on the Glenn Beck site: The Death of Shame. (via Oliver Willis)
posted by jscalzi at 4:50 AM PST - 43 comments

American icon no longer American?
posted by magullo at 3:59 AM PST - 10 comments

Close-up images of comet Wild 2 were taken by the Stardust spacecraft on Jan. 2, and NASA released 2 of them this week. The spacecraft flew within 149 miles of the comet, 242 million miles from Earth. Stardust has been overshadowed by the Mars Exploration Rover, but I find it just as impressive, if not even more so. Now I'm looking forward to the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, which will reach Saturn on July 1.
posted by homunculus at 9:16 PM PST - 8 comments

Forget iPods and mini iPods. This guy is going large and wants to build an mp3 player into his new bed. I'm sure you're saying this has been done before. Well, not quite. This is a bed that looks like Luke Skywalker's landspeeder decked out in tan suede. '70s junk meets 2004's latest technology. But can we point him to a solution to his mp3 playing problems?
posted by tapeguy at 8:31 PM PST - 9 comments

Marginalia and Other Crimes: I’ve always had an intense hatred for people that deface books, and if they're my books, the intensity is doubled. But imagine the atrocities the average librarian faces every day... Witness this display of damaged and defiled books from the Cambridge University library, with attached sarcastic commentary. The horror! Not for the squeamish.
posted by chrisgregory at 8:21 PM PST - 48 comments

Final Fatality: the direct-to-video movie title generator. Now all you need is Chuck Norris or the guy from Beastmaster and a DV camera! And, Ka-Ching! Watch the money roll in!
posted by turbanhead at 7:47 PM PST - 1 comment

Buy this art! or just spend a lot of time looking.
posted by hypnorich at 6:41 PM PST - 4 comments

Eleventh hour stories: a project to gather true tales of war from the past 100 years from civilians, soldiers and veterans: " The telling and the receiving of these stories are activities that say: 'This must stop here and now.'"
posted by moonbird at 3:28 PM PST - 8 comments

I.M.F. Report Says U.S. Deficits Threaten World Economy
With its rising budget deficit and ballooning trade imbalance, the United States is running up a foreign debt of such record-breaking proportions that it threatens the financial stability of the global economy, according to a report released Wednesday by the International Monetary Fund. Prepared by a team of I.M.F. economists, the report sounded a loud alarm about the shaky fiscal foundation of the United States, questioning the wisdom of the Bush administration's tax cuts and warning that large budget deficits pose "significant risks" not just for the United States but for the rest of the world. The report warns that the United States' net financial obligations to the rest of the world could be equal to 40 percent of its total economy within a few years--"an unprecedented level of external debt for a large industrial country," according to the fund, that could play havoc with the value of the dollar and international exchange rates.
From The Brookings Institute: Sustained Budget Deficits: Longer-Run U.S. Economic Performance and the Risk of Financial and Fiscal Disarray (Full Report PDF)
posted by y2karl at 11:20 AM PST - 58 comments

What busking could teach the music industry An intelligent essay on how the music industry should adapt to the new digital realities, drawn from the author's experiences as a street (well, subway) musician. No one who could learn from it will read it, of course.
posted by mojohand at 11:02 AM PST - 41 comments

The Gulag. An online exhibition from the Open Society Archives.
posted by plep at 10:13 AM PST - 7 comments

City on Fire - a fairly long article on the effects of a large (300 kt) nuclear detonation. Gives new insight into the potential dangers of nuclear proliferation.
posted by Irontom at 9:44 AM PST - 28 comments

Rebetika, Music of the Greek Underground • "It originated in the hashish dens of Pireaus and Thessaloniki with the forced immigration of 2 million Greek refugees from Asia Minor." Audio samples here, more backstory, photos and a curious site supporting "Rebetiko Dechiotification and Bouzouki Detetrachordization".
posted by dhoyt at 7:43 AM PST - 13 comments

Googlearchy: How a few heavily-linked sites dominate politics on the Web. [pdf file] Political communities exhibit winner-take-all properties. Surprising?
posted by SandeepKrishnamurthy at 7:25 AM PST - 3 comments

Photoshop BS - Photoshop CS blocks you from using, opening, or pasting certain images. Namely, this image.
posted by y6y6y6 at 7:23 AM PST - 133 comments

Electronic Gaming Monthly published this. It's a photoshopped picture of a group of Russian soldiers holding the game Socom 2. Trouble is the picture should have looked like this, Russian soldiers holding up pictures of soldiers who died in Chechnya. Whatever you think of that war this is in pretty poor taste (added to the fact it's an advert for a shoot 'em up), but thankfully there is now an online petition to get them to take it down.
posted by ciderwoman at 4:40 AM PST - 39 comments

On the night of April 27th, 1805, US Marine Lt. Presley O'Bannon led a ragtag army of Greek, Arab and Berber mercenaries in a desperate charge into the teeth of the fortifications of Derna, Tripoli (now Libya). The defenders inexplicably turned and ran, leaving behind loaded cannons which, turned around, secured victory for the US in its first land battle in the old world.

In recognition of his bravery, Lt. O'Bannon was given a sword by Hamet Karamanli. William Eaton (no, the other William Eaton ) had led O'Bannon, six other US Marines, and the five hundred odd mercenaries across six hundred miles of North African desert in order to replace the usurping Pasha of Tripoli, Yusef, with the rightful heir, his pro-American older brother Hamet.

Shortly after the battle, Yusef reached a peace with Col. Tobias Lear, the American Consul to Tripoli, and hostilities between the US and Tripoli ceased. Eaton, O'Bannon, and Hamet Karamanli, along with the Marines and most of the Greeks, departed aboard American warships, leaving the Muslim mercenaries behind in Derna. Unpaid.
posted by hob at 11:48 PM PST - 11 comments

The folks at Gaussboys sell these great Neodymium magnets that are many times more powerful than your ordinary magnet. Cylinder #3 works great for the fridge; I hear Disk #20 is good enough for hanging up your bike.
posted by MarkO at 10:48 PM PST - 35 comments

instant karma [note: flash, nsfw]
posted by crunchland at 8:58 PM PST - 11 comments

The FBI has been given increased surveillance powers without court oversight under the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, which was signed into law on the day Saddam was captured. The law was recently used to have hotels and airlines in Las Vegas turn over guest and passenger names and information for the holiday period.
posted by homunculus at 8:55 PM PST - 35 comments

indieWIRE's Top 20 Undistributed Films and Film Threat's 10 Best/Worst Unseen Films of last year.
posted by boost ventilator at 8:24 PM PST - 24 comments

www.helpjohngetdivorced.com "I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't pissed off at my future ex-wife, however, I am not bitter about our divorce. Quite the contrary I would like to move on with my life, but she is not allowing this."
posted by wuakeen at 6:59 PM PST - 8 comments

Talking trash to Dig Dug (4.5 MB .mov file), and other oddities. Short films promoting Out of Our Heads, a Columbus area improv group.
posted by CrunchyFrog at 6:51 PM PST - 9 comments

Are you tired of two-party politics? Cheer up. You can be a Beer Drinker or a Nazi [possibly NSFW] or a Fascist. Join the Pot Party or even the anarchosocialist Birthday Party.
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 1:00 PM PST - 23 comments

Walt Whitman! [Courtesy of My Robot Friend.]
posted by monju_bosatsu at 11:11 AM PST - 16 comments

Iraq's Arsenal Was Only On Paper
posted by FormlessOne at 10:38 AM PST - 51 comments

Why Did Attorney General Ashcroft Remove Himself From The Valerie Plame Wilson Leak Investigation? If there is a witness willing to testify against one -- or both -- of the leakers in exchange for immunity, what then? It seems likely that Fitzgerald will move very quickly to find out if there is indeed a case to be made against the leakers. To bolster his case, he may call Novak and others to the grand jury or, as noted above, subpoena Novak's (and others') phone records over the relevant period. Even Ashcroft himself could in theory be called to the grand jury. If this case does not make headlines in 90 to 120 days, it will be quite surprising. There has been too much high level action and Comey, a presidential appointee, knows that politically it would be better for Bush & Company to have the matter flushed out within the next few months, than to have it arise just before the November election. Needless to say, this could be an interesting year for the White House, with more than reelection to worry about.
posted by y2karl at 10:37 AM PST - 8 comments

Laura's Girls Jenna and Barbara have not campaigned or reined in their adolescent rebellions. They have not appeared engaged in any of the pressing issues their generation will inherit, nor shown empathy for the struggles facing their mother and their father, the president of the United States. They have not treated with respect their Secret Service details, those highly trained men and women who literally would take a bullet for them. They don't show their faces at the White House often. So far, they have shown little inclination to embrace the life of public service modeled by their parents, uncle and grandparents. They are girls born rich, blessed with intelligence, good looks, trust funds, loving parents, boundless opportunities, freedom from many of life's daily vexing challenges. Yet they persist in seeing themselves as victims of daddy's job. In this attitude, they have been subtly encouraged by their mother.
posted by amberglow at 10:24 AM PST - 77 comments

PowerLabs : Science in action! Explosions, sparks and EM mayhem. Hours of fun. (Days of fun for those on 56k dial-up).
posted by swordfishtrombones at 10:23 AM PST - 2 comments

Watergate: The Scandal That Brought Down Richard Nixon , at watergate.info. Extensive.
posted by plep at 9:42 AM PST - 10 comments

Etch-a-Sketch
posted by oissubke at 9:39 AM PST - 3 comments

Rumors of rape fan anti-American flames "They are raping our women!" - This is the eternal tribalistic cry and lament, often all too true but also often used as a baseless or exaggerated claim for war propaganda, to incite to hatred of a "barbaric" enemy who commits unspeakable acts ( see The "Rape of Kuwait"). The history of Rape in Warfare is long and may be instinctually driven, at least in part. Now, mass rumors spreading through Turkey - which seem to have inspired a recent indigenous Turkish terrorist car bombing - allege mass rapes of Iraqi women by American troops. "There are more than 4000 rape events on the record" claimed the Turkish journal Yeni Safak, on October 22, "citing" (though the purported supporting citation contains nothing about such atrocities) internet sex therapist Dr. Susan Block's piece on the metaphorical "Rape of Iraq"[ Warning : preceding link is NSFW ! Here's the work-safe CounterPunch version]. Having more or less invented modern PR and propaganda techniques (see Ed. Bernays, Ivy Lee) - handy during both war and peace - Americans are now on the receiving end of Propaganda's use of the shameless lie. (identification of "mystery meat" links inside)
posted by troutfishing at 9:22 AM PST - 13 comments

The United States of America bans urination. "The U.S. Transport Security Administration are now requiring that passengers on flights to the U.S. are not to congregate in groups in any areas of the aircraft, especially around the lavatories..." When did America become one big Onion article? More importantly, why does the American public let their government *do* this kind of thing? And what are you doing to make things better? You know - other than complaining about it in your weblog.
posted by kristin at 9:13 AM PST - 47 comments

Why I hate Personal Weblogs While the Introduction to this psuedo-research paper is a bit rough and profane, I couldn't help but agree with much of the content, although I generally don't hate personal weblogs. I particularly enjoyed Chapter 2 - Why Do They Do It, as well as the the final snippet which asserts: I, in an effort to separate the wheat from the chaff of weblog authors, propose that all weblog authors create a Statement of Audience once per month (or, every two weeks if possible) to facilitate understanding of their place in the universe and the importance of their writings.
posted by jonah at 8:30 AM PST - 40 comments

Two Zombies Later... "Strange and unusual music from the Exotica Mailing List". Featuring Br. Cleve & His Lush Orchestra playing "Shaken Not Stirred", not to mention the mad stylings of Scotch & Soda covering Herb Albert's lovely "Lonely Bull" — with a tuba and optigan. I'd think "college radio" if it weren't so damn good. And I would probably not post it if the kind folks at Comfort Stand records hadn't been so kind as to have served up the entire two CD collection via lo-fi MP3s — a definite find. : ) [Via GoodExperience]
posted by silusGROK at 8:16 AM PST - 10 comments

We landed on Mars. The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has captured its first color image of Mars. It is the highest resolution picture ever taken of another planet. Fascinating.
posted by mad at 7:58 AM PST - 27 comments

Hillary Inserts Foot In Mouth Bubba supporters like us should say something.
posted by turbanhead at 7:51 AM PST - 63 comments

Lunarama is a user-edited listing of late-night and 24-hour establishments listed by city. Anyone fancy adding a few? It'd be nice to have a resource like this when visiting a new city. It's much more comprehensive than simply looking up Kinko's in the phone book.
posted by clango at 6:39 AM PST - 9 comments

Lunar Photo of the Day started January 1st, 2004 to document human's never ending obsession with the moon. LPOD now joins APOD, MPOD, and ESPOD as quality picture of the day websites.
posted by jasonspaceman at 5:11 AM PST - 2 comments

Pathetic Geek Stories have moved onto their own place. No longer a sub category of The Onion, or more correctly, The A.V Club, PGS is a collection of humiliating points in adolescence, some that bring tears of laughter and others that make you cringe. As a long time fan, I love to go through the archives and relive my junior high pain. Navigation is simple and they load quickly for me (T1). Enjoy!
posted by Dagobert at 2:32 AM PST - 9 comments

Fish, Glorious Fish: They're all here. In fact, I'm having great trouble stifling my natural instinct to call it the most useful, wonderful website in the world. Unless you don't like fish. And even then...
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:10 AM PST - 19 comments

A kill is mandatory. An AP deleted post.
posted by stbalbach at 10:24 PM PST - 26 comments

Alterslash is a screen-scraped version of Slashdot that improves on the original.
posted by holloway at 10:22 PM PST - 10 comments

acid trip
wow. [ via newstoday ]
posted by specialk420 at 9:09 PM PST - 42 comments

A dim view of Microsoft's 2004. Not that there aren't plenty of predictions out there, but this is the most in-depth look at the new face of our favourite anti-competitor I've seen yet.
posted by bonaldi at 8:53 PM PST - 7 comments

morphases [note: flash]
posted by crunchland at 8:43 PM PST - 3 comments

Old River Bill really knows inland workboats. Besides exercising his novel system of punctuation, Bill makes model tugboats and is a part of an avid community of workboat modelers. You can find out everything you ever wanted to know about how real work is done on rivers on how the hell we move 100's of thousands of tons of crap around the country every day.
posted by badstone at 8:30 PM PST - 5 comments

The Underwater Post Office. Check out the Minister of Tourism sending a waterproof postcard.
posted by Wet Spot at 6:54 PM PST - 4 comments

In "How to Kill a Country" there's a list of steps:
(1) Destroy the engine of productivity (2) Bury the truth (3) Crush dissent (4) Legislate the impossible (5) Teach hate (6) Scare off foreigners (7) Invade a neighbor (8) Ignore a deadly enemy (9) Commit genocide (10) Blame the imperialists
In "Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara" the lessons list as:
(1) Empathize with your enemy. (2) Rationality will not save us. (3) There's something beyond one's self. (4) Maximize efficiency. (5) Proportionality should be a guideline in war. (6) Get the data. (7) Belief and seeing are both often wrong. (8) Be prepared to re-examine your reasoning. (9) In order to do good you may have to engage in evil. (10) Never say never. (11) You can't change human nature.

Two sides of the same coin?
posted by john at 6:20 PM PST - 11 comments

New York City Lights Design Competition (via Gothamist). What are the existing examples of urban illumination that impress? Are there unused designs or interesting ideas from art and movies floating around?
posted by liam at 2:16 PM PST - 13 comments

Osama bin Laden writes today's comment in the Guardian. Is the Comment & Analysis section of a major national paper (and international website) the right place to publish a call for jihad?
posted by davehat at 1:45 PM PST - 49 comments

Apple announces 'iPod mini'.... and it's not all that Available in five metallic colours, smaller in size and in capacity (4gb), but not as small in price as many had hoped ($249) - is the new iPod enough of a progression from the first generation?
posted by skylar at 1:44 PM PST - 73 comments

It's Bloggies time again. Let's not have any cheating this year, OK?
posted by me3dia at 1:25 PM PST - 12 comments

Before there was the Panama Canal, an American explorer went on one of the most ill-fated expeditions ever to one of the most dangerous places on the planet -- the darien gap. What do you do when you want to write a book about that journey? You go there, of course.
posted by sodalinda at 12:19 PM PST - 5 comments

Reading this article in the American Conservative Magazine regarding the Secret Service's use of "Free Speech Zones" drew my attention to the case of USA v. Bursey. (more inside)
posted by ewagoner at 10:04 AM PST - 32 comments

"You can't copyright anything on the Internet" Retrocrush posted an article written by thier own, to point out the "Worst Sex Scenes Ever" in the movies. Less than 30days later, the british tabloid "The Daily Star" printed an article that seems to have come directly from the site, attributing the source to a (seemingly fictitous) american magazine called "Film". Not only did the Star's news editor make the above quote, but the story was picked up by a wire service, and has seen print in several other online and print publications... Obviously it's not Fair Use. What would happen if reporters came here looking for ideas?
posted by niteHawk at 8:57 AM PST - 27 comments

Cut the Knot. Interactive mathematics miscellany and puzzles.
posted by plep at 8:24 AM PST - 7 comments

Rolling papers and the pictures that are on the box. My favorites: the rock'n'rollers, of course. But then again, the graphics ones are cool, as are the 'head' oriented ones. There are even NSFW papers. A similar site, Cigarette Rolling Papers - The Arcadia Bell Collection, has far better pictures, but it's harder to navigate.
posted by ashbury at 6:14 AM PST - 2 comments

Affirmative Action Texas Style

Typically, anywhere from 1,650 to more than 2,000 A&M applicants a year receive legacy points, so called because they reward the grandchildren, children or siblings of A&M graduates. Such applicants receive 4 points on a 100-point scale that also takes into account such factors as class rank, test scores, extracurricular activities, community service and others. Most A&M applicants admitted with legacy points don't need them to get in. But in 2003, 312 whites were admitted who wouldn't have been without their alumni ties. In 2002, that figure was 321. The legacy program was the difference for six blacks and 27 Hispanics in 2003, and three blacks and 25 Hispanics in 2002.

I expect we will hear from the White House any day now about how wrong this is.
posted by nofundy at 4:41 AM PST - 34 comments

We hates software.
posted by arto at 11:28 PM PST - 18 comments

A View From The Bridge: Or Death Of A Salesman, perhaps? Hey, even The Crucible, at a stretch! Arthur Miller on Cuba, Castro and the U.S. embargo. Honesty and clarity refreshingly transcend the usual socialist/liberal/conservative divide. Or, at the very least, a damn good read from one of our (i.e. the world's) greatest dramatists. [Via Arts & Letters Daily. Click here for the text-only version. ]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 9:33 PM PST - 25 comments

donkey kong jr. [note: flash]
posted by crunchland at 6:36 PM PST - 21 comments

Fake bongs for conspiracists with time on their hands... But can square-jawed MeFites figure out what happened here? Remember, Captain Scarlet is indestructible...
posted by klaatu at 3:02 PM PST - 23 comments

Globalized fundamentalism versus tradition. This report for the Society for International Development describes the efforts of foreign funded Christian evangelists to gain converts in Sri Lanka, which the author views as an assault on traditional Sri Lankan culture. There is a backlash, which some say is leading to the suppression of religious freedom and state sponsorship of Buddhism. [Via Plastic.]
posted by homunculus at 2:11 PM PST - 10 comments

Pictures of UFOs.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 1:52 PM PST - 16 comments

Iran considers moving capital away from Tehran. Tehran lies on a major seismological fault and experts have long warned that a strong earthquake in the city would be devastating. A professor of geophysics at Tehran university, has warned that if a quake of similar magnitude hit Tehran it would kill more than 700,000 people. Government buildings would be destroyed.
posted by hoder at 1:40 PM PST - 14 comments

bush in 30 seconds the finalists are in ... i wish bradley had given it a shot. [ quicktime required ]
posted by specialk420 at 10:02 AM PST - 39 comments

We've all, I'm sure by now, seen the movie two brothers made about thier iPod's "unreplaceable battery" and them broadcasting the movie they made of thier tech support call, and their defacing apple posters, to the four winds. We may have even read the article that came out over the weekend giving/taking credit for the introduction of the battery replacement program for ipods from Apple as a result of thier movie. (Here's one for 1/2 the price from other people that you can do yourself). So why doesn't the brother's movie site have this info? Are they just out for the publicity? This series of emails seems to prove that, as well as proving the pair of being ungrateful bastids.
posted by Dome-O-Rama at 10:01 AM PST - 43 comments

The National Diet Library Gallery. Japanese arts and history. 'The NDL Gallery features electronic exhibitions of the NDL's unique collections with easy-to-understand explanations. Under the general title "Memories of Japan", an increasing number of exhibitions of Japanese history and culture will become available to the public.' Ex-libris stamps, the Japanese Constitution, the Japanese calendar, Nippon in the world.
Related :- The Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts. Traditional arts and crafts.
posted by plep at 8:22 AM PST - 5 comments

Old Year's Quiz. Another chance to feel un-informed and clueless, or smug and well-informed, depending. Answers next week... or "when we have time to make them up."
posted by asok at 7:57 AM PST - 7 comments

Wil Wheaton sums it up best -- Penny Arcade's Child's Play, as posted previously, has been completely ignored by the media, despite donating over US$200,000 worth or toys and cash to a local children's hospital. 11,100 news items on violence in video games, 3 news items on video gamers opening their hearts and wallets.
posted by krisjohn at 12:05 AM PST - 78 comments

7-year-old gets stuck in stuffed animal game machine
posted by mantid at 11:33 PM PST - 26 comments

What You Can't Say.
posted by weston at 8:51 PM PST - 51 comments

James Branch Cabell's Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice. One of the many treasures at Documenting the American South. Mike Keith's James Branch Cabell Page (Mike Keith has also performed and recorded an obscure symphony based on Jurgen). Owlcroft's overview of Cabell's work.
posted by wobh at 8:40 PM PST - 4 comments

chomp! chomp! safari puzzle game [note: flash]
posted by crunchland at 5:13 PM PST - 1 comment

Libya has pledged to dismantle its atomic weapons program. That is obviously good news, in addition to being a victory for George W. Bush's aggressive foreign policy. But what, exactly, is Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi giving up? Not much... Libya may be closing down its nuclear program because it wasn't working anyway. This points to an important reality about nuclear weapons: they are extremely difficult to make. Claims that bomb plans can be downloaded from the Internet, or that fissile material is easily obtained on the black market and slapped together into an ultimate weapon, seem little more than talk-radio jabber. Nations like Libya that have made determined attempts to obtain atomic munitions have not even come close.

If the Bomb Is So Easy to Make, Why Don't More Nations Have It?
posted by y2karl at 4:44 PM PST - 42 comments

The Encyclopedia of Arda A reference guide to Tolkien-can't tell an orc from a Uruk-hai? Stumped at what the three kinds of hobbits are? This website has the answers. Nicely laid out site, too.
posted by konolia at 4:23 PM PST - 7 comments

The most accurate navigation in history. "We had to know everything from how the iron molten lava in the center of the Earth was churning to how plate tectonic movements were affecting the wobble of the Earth to how the plasma in the atmosphere delayed the radio signals to and from the Deep Space Network stations". ..even the seemingly insignificant solar radiation pressure and thermal radiation forces acting on the spacecraft to a level equal to less than a billionth of the acceleration of gravity one feels on the Earth needed to be taken into account. This mission set a new standard for navigation accuracy for all future interplanetary missions.
posted by stbalbach at 4:07 PM PST - 2 comments

The moon landing of its day. Between 1768 and 1771, Captain James Cook and his ship, HMS Endeavour, circumnavigated the globe on the first exclusively scientific voyage. This site presents most of the botanical drawings and engravings prepared by artist Sydney Parkinson before his untimely death at sea, and by other artists back in England working from Parkinson's initial sketches.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 3:44 PM PST - 9 comments

The MIT Gallery of Hacks. Good-natured creative pranks by MIT students. The pinnacle was possibly 1999's Great Droid, with the Great Dome made to resemble R2D2's head to mark the release of some film or other at the time. In the spirit of the tradition, students left detailed instructions for the safe removal of the decoration.
posted by nthdegx at 2:03 PM PST - 12 comments

Their circular life. [flash with sound]
posted by monju_bosatsu at 12:17 PM PST - 8 comments

A brief history of speech synthesis : an interesting read, with photos and sound samples!
posted by starscream at 10:05 AM PST - 5 comments

Hey, that was my getaway car!!! Ever wonder where property seized from criminals and crime scenes ends up? Steal It Back/The Property Room brings police auctions online, and New York City is now participating too, guaranteeing an large influx of interesting stuff. Part eBay and part "Cops" episode, the Web site is alternatively cheery ("Hot Pursuit Specials!") and puzzling. How did the police end up with that collectible "I Love Lucy" plate anyway? Where did those eight candlesticks and a Bible come from? Are they really selling that hydroponic grow light — that staple of dorm-room marijuana cultivation? How long before they show up to seize it back?
posted by amberglow at 8:14 AM PST - 9 comments

Le mur des je t'aime. 'In a world marked by violence and dominated by individualism, walls, like frontiers, are usually made to divide and to separate people and to protect them from one another. On the contrary, le mur des je t'aime (The Wall of I love Yous) is a link, a place of reconciliation, a mirror which reflects an image of love and peace. '
A Montmartre wall of calligraphic 'I love you's in 280 languages.
posted by plep at 8:12 AM PST - 5 comments

California bans using computers or watching TV while driving I made this post on Dec. 26 about the Laptop Steering Wheel Mount and just wanted to post a follow up. I wish more states would enact the same type of law.
posted by radio_mookie at 7:14 AM PST - 13 comments

Britney's marriage anulled And here I'd guessed 6 days.
posted by delmoi at 6:32 AM PST - 21 comments

is she taking a page from the dennis rodman playbook... or is it really love? just say it isn't so. i guess it's time for the posters to come down off my wall and settle for mandy moore.
posted by brock at 10:00 PM PST - 25 comments

Did belief in extraterrestrials pave the way for today’s general belief in global warming? Is the blending of public policy with science creating junk science? Michael Crichton drew out an intriguing connection in this lecture at Caltech. Via Arts & Letters Daily.
posted by gd779 at 9:18 PM PST - 42 comments

Mars, take II - Still no word from Beagle 2 (discussed here), unfortunately, as Mars maintains its tough reputation. However, the first of two rovers much larger than 1997's very successful Pathfinder is expected to hit the Martian surface with a giant bounce tonight at 8:35 p.m. PST. Check out the realistic simulation videos of how it will land and get to work, then watch Nasa TV (RealVideo) for live coverage.
posted by planetkyoto at 6:32 PM PST - 51 comments

French-fried cars for New Year In Detroit, it has been a custom to fire guns during New Year's celebrations. Perhaps we should put aside our current dislike of the French and borrow this fine way to usher in a brand new year. After all, it is the French who have given us taste, culture, refinement, and the liberty of self-expression.
posted by Postroad at 6:15 PM PST - 48 comments

Broog: Alien Film Critic
Likes: Cuckoo
"Broog will not seek to interpret this film on your behalf, but he will come round to your feeble dwelling and sow your fields with salt, stampede your tiny offspring, and wear your housepets as slippers if you do not avail yourself of the opportunity to see the movie."
Dislikes: Matrix Revolutions
"By the same point in “Revolutions”, Broog was designing a new annex to the Chamber of Oiled Hedgehogs for the special use of Andy and Larry when Broog is able to get his grasping organs on them.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 2:38 PM PST - 6 comments

Euclid's Elements - the ancient Greek mathematicians textbook, presented here with the aid of Java, including Pythagoras' Theorem, and proof that there is an infinite amount of prime numbers.
posted by Orange Goblin at 1:51 PM PST - 2 comments

Lieberman Campaign Referer Spamming? So Says Me Via Doc Searls I originally sent this item to Doc because I don't blog about national things anymore and didn't have a place to write it up. Of course, today I remember MeFi. As Doc passes along, the following appeared in my referer logs yesterday: aca3cc09.ipt.aol.com - - [02/Jan/2004:18:50:27 -0800] "HEAD / HTTP/1.1" 200 0 "http://joe2004.com/?starprose" "StarProse Referrer Advertising System 2004" Of course, Lieberman's joe2004.com website has no links to my weblog, and obviously, given the user-agent, it's StarProse's business to spam via false referers. I suspect it's targeting weblogs, since many include scripts which display recent referers. Since I don't have any such publicly-accessible referer list, it was only by chance that I happened to spot it at all. There is no way to know for certain, barring comment from the Lieberman camp, if this is their campaign or some random Lieberman supporter engaging in this practice. But it's slime regardless of the responsible party. Anyone spot any other presidential campaigns hijacking people's referer logs to advertise?
posted by theonetruebix at 1:33 PM PST - 14 comments

Meteorite hits Northern Iran. Wrath of (insert deity of choice here) continues.
posted by qDot at 12:25 PM PST - 16 comments

Pixelito and Proxflyer Micron, both at 6.9 grams, are thought to be the two smallest robotic flying micro-helicopters. These charming prototypes are the precursors of a surveillance technology that ranges from the hobbyist's draganflyer to DARPA's micromechanical flying insect. Learn more about how spy flies will work as we fly into the future.
posted by madamjujujive at 8:12 AM PST - 6 comments

Poland's Class of 1936 - A WWII Survivor's Quest. 'There were twenty-five proud graduates in 1936 from Krzemieniec High School, famous as Poland's Eton. From their graduation photo they smiled confidently -- university and illustrious careers awaited them in a Poland that had recently arisen from the ashes of World War One. A Nobel Prize in their chosen field was a legitimate ambition ... ' [more inside]
posted by plep at 8:08 AM PST - 10 comments

Principia Cybernetica "tries to tackle age-old philosophical questions with the help of the most recent cybernetic theories and technologies." [via Techno§hamanic]
posted by moonbird at 7:49 AM PST - 2 comments

Guidelines for Low-Impact Tourism Along the Coast of Quintana Roo "Conserving the natural landscape and enhancing the scenic beauty of tourism development contributes to the high quality of coastal habitat, one of the area’s principal attractions." Warning: PDF format!
posted by johnnydark at 5:02 AM PST - 6 comments

Interesting Debka post re: Al-Queda and a scheduled nuking on 2/2/04 of NYC. Supposedly the original web site was removed from the Internet by the FBI.
posted by Beansidhe at 4:17 AM PST - 58 comments

Enter the Inaugural Cincinnati Cornhole Classic now. You could win a personalized cornhole set!
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:47 PM PST - 17 comments

The Bodhisattvas of Babylon is a fan page of the Russian rock group Akvarium (or Aquarium, if you prefer). I usually stay away from fan pages of any sort as if they were the plague, but this one . . . well, I think it's a little special. Read the review of Acoustics. Download a song or two (never mind that the written content, of which there is a lot, is in Russian, as are the songs). Now visit the band's website.
posted by ashbury at 9:53 PM PST - 2 comments

A challenger to Bush for the Republican nomination?
posted by gregb1007 at 9:51 PM PST - 23 comments

Shinsato: Great vacant night cityscapes of Osaka and Tokyo.
posted by hama7 at 9:09 PM PST - 11 comments

This magical book: beautiful (Flash) animated examples of 19th and early 20th century movable children's books from the Toronto Public Library's Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books.
posted by ryanshepard at 7:34 PM PST - 6 comments

Robert X. Cringely's Predictions for 2004 : first he updates readers on his 2003 predictions (80% accuracy) and then dishings 15 new techie prophecies.
posted by boost ventilator at 5:29 PM PST - 18 comments

The Art of the Apology. Perhaps some mefi discussions may benefit from this. Fresh year, and all. [via boingboing]
posted by majcher at 5:17 PM PST - 4 comments

drum machine [note: flash, loud audio]
posted by crunchland at 3:16 PM PST - 9 comments

Here's an article in the New York Post that initially looked like another bulletin on yet a new company being investigated by the SEC. But read the entire text. It has some very strong words to say against the gaming industry and particularly this game, calling it "10,000 times worse than the worst thing anybody thinks Michael Jackson ever did to a little boy". Via Penny-Arcade, their reaction is really worth a read.
posted by phyrewerx at 2:36 PM PST - 63 comments

WHAT'S YOUR LAW? Every year the editors of Edge ask a question.
posted by john at 12:20 PM PST - 50 comments

Instant Bureaucracy! "The Power of middle management is as close as your printer." Friday non-Flash fun.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 10:43 AM PST - 3 comments

How I Met And Dated Miss Emily Dickinson: Have you ever wondered what a favourite writer really looked like? Is there any relationship between an artist's face and their art? Hemingway looks like his prose; Ezra Pound like his poetry; Picasso is a dead ringer for his paintings but, say, John Updike doesn't resemble his fiction; T.S.Eliot looks like a bank clerk and Matisse was nothing like his works. How superficial can you get? [Via Arts and Letters Daily.]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:06 AM PST - 27 comments

Charles Brady, TSA chief for Dulles Airport, was stopped at 1a by Airport Police near Dulles airport and charged with DWI. Brady was scheduled for Orange Alert Duty on New Year's Eve until 2a, and contends that he was stopped at 2:30a (30mins after his shift ended). I feel safer already!
posted by cpfeifer at 9:48 AM PST - 25 comments

Polar Bear Clubs have become a traditional way to greet the new year. The original US club seems to be in Atlantic City, NJ, where winter bathers have been taking the plunge on New Years Day for over 100 years. Some say that the plunges are rooted in the Nordic tradition of saunas and cold water bathing, but today most clubs focus on fundraising, taking a sponsored dip for charity. On Jan 1, 2003 Ivy Granstrom took the plunge in Vancouver BC at the age of 91 -- her 75th New Years dip. New clubs are popping up all the time - everywhere from Hampton, NH to Busan, Korea to Kirov, Russia -- even Gainesville, GA boasts some Polar Bears.
posted by anastasiav at 8:11 AM PST - 14 comments

Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou. 'Vodou is Haiti's mirror. Its arts and rituals reflect the difficult, brilliant history of seven million people, whose ancestors were brought from Africa to the Caribbean in bondage. In 1791 these Africans began the only successful national slave revolt in history. In 1804 they succeeded in creating the world's first Black republic: the only one in this hemisphere where all the citizens were free. Their success inspired admiration, fear and scorn in the wider world. Cut off from Euro-American support, Haitians managed to created their own dynamic "Creole" society-one rooted in Africa but responsive to all that was encountered in their new island home.' History, theology and religious art.
Related :- an essay on the Vodou concept of soul, Voodoos and Obeahs on sacred-texts ('required reading if you want to understand the background of Haitian and Jamaican Vodun, and the profound influence of imperialism, slavery and racism on its development').
posted by plep at 8:05 AM PST - 10 comments

King William's College annual quiz. Every year the students of King William's College on the Isle of Man are quizzed before xmas. The average score is apparently 2/180. The kids are then supposed to come back with all the answers after the holiday. Try it - it's pretty hard. (You'll have to wait another couple of weeks for the answers I'm afraid)
posted by biffa at 4:16 AM PST - 41 comments

Mutual Funds - Out, Google's IPO - In. Letting Your Boyfriend Videotape It - Out, Letting A Major Network Videotape It - In. Segway - Out, Honda Ruckus - In. A sampling from the Washington Post's List for 2004...
posted by bluedaniel at 3:35 AM PST - 21 comments

Good Bye, Horatio Alger The other day I found myself reading a leftist rag that made outrageous claims about America. It said that we are becoming a society in which the poor tend to stay poor, no matter how hard they work; in which sons are much more likely to inherit the socioeconomic status of their father than they were a generation ago. The name of the leftist rag? Business Week, which published an article titled "Waking Up From the American Dream." The article summarizes recent research showing that social mobility in the United States (which was never as high as legend had it) has declined considerably over the past few decades. If you put that research together with other research that shows a drastic increase in income and wealth inequality, you reach an uncomfortable conclusion: America looks more and more like a class-ridden society. And guess what? Our political leaders are doing everything they can to fortify class inequality, while denouncing anyone who complains--or even points out what is happening--as a practitioner of "class warfare." So how do you move on up in the jobless recovery, anyhow?
posted by y2karl at 7:16 PM PST - 111 comments

Toy Ads. Nostalgic for that old Hot Wheels tune up tower you never received as child? Can't recall the name of that one eyed doll your weird aunt gave you for your birthday? Toyadz.com has all the ads that made you drool when you were nine.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:38 PM PST - 8 comments

One woman's blog page of art-related links and ramblings. Exhaustive.
posted by ashbury at 12:33 PM PST - 6 comments

Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol. Gap-toothed and described by judges as "with the looks of a hobbit," the Norwegian plumber with the voice of an angel proves that there's hope for all of us to become popstars. True talent triumphs!
posted by dagny at 12:03 PM PST - 20 comments

A better 2004? A mixed look at what Indian and Chinese astrologers see for the new year. We're soon to move into the Chinese year of the monkey, a symbol of revolution, movement and changes... a year of more conflict and disharmony in international relationship but there are good chances of seeing new light and brighter future after struggles.
But on the brighter(ish) side, Stargazers agree that the coming 12 months cannot fare much worse than the seesaw ride that the world went through in 2003, dogged by war in Iraq, fluctuating financial markets and mysterious diseases.
posted by amberglow at 9:35 AM PST - 14 comments

Hangover Heaven By The Sea: In 1969, Canadian Montenegran Walter Chell invented the Caesar Cocktail as the perfect reflection of (and introduction to) Italian food, by mixing tomato juice, clam juice and oregano with Brazilian lime juice and Russian vodka. Canada, Montenegro, Italy, Russia, Brazil, California: is this the perfect multi-ethnic hangover-buster or what? [More inside.]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 9:08 AM PST - 27 comments

The Death of the Irish Pub? "The smoking ban is the work of one man, Michael Martin, the Minister for Health and Children, and one of nature's killjoys... He is generally thought to regard the banning of nicotine from Irish pubs as a personal crusade, explaining that he once tried smoking but didn't enjoy it."

The ban was scheduled to start today, but has been delayed until March. It's one thing to have smoking banned in California and New York, but what's the point of pub that's not dark and smoky? And Scotland might be next...
posted by grabbingsand at 5:59 AM PST - 121 comments

Interesting article on how science will change our understanding of time. [Via AlDaily]
posted by gregb1007 at 4:03 AM PST - 16 comments

Subtly Simpsons. "... a list of lines from The Simpsons that we, your editors, have found to be particularly witty, often with their humor derived from subtleties of language, esoteric allusions, or just plain wit."
posted by riffola at 1:51 AM PST - 14 comments