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Dr. Rob Dobrienski is a Manhattan therapist who blogs with honesty and humor on shrinktalk.net about his practice and topics interesting to both laypersons with an interest in psychology and therapy as well as therapists in current practice. [more inside]
posted by sweetkid at 9:11 PM PST - 18 comments

Crayola Color Chart 1903-2010. It's not just Green Yellow and Yellow Green anymore. (via DataPointed.) (More DataPointed color-data goodness.)
posted by escabeche at 8:45 PM PST - 77 comments

A few months ago, The New Statemen asked a number of public figures "why they believe in god." Last week, they asked a number of public figures "to explain why they don't."
posted by bardic at 8:12 PM PST - 164 comments

In the nine years since its last appearance in the blue*, Taquitos.net has grown to more than 5,000 snack reviews. [more inside]
posted by Trurl at 6:20 PM PST - 35 comments

When you combine Kung Fu, Soccer and Volleyball you get an awesome sport called Sepak Takraw | the film version, Libas | 'Just Give Me The Damn Sepak Takraw Ball'. A few more examples: grass court | women's match . About the Sepak Takraw ball. [more inside]
posted by nickyskye at 5:22 PM PST - 20 comments

Freedom to love, tested in Afghanistan. When Rafi Mohammed, a 17-year-old Tajik Afghani, met and fell in love with his girlfriend Halima, he did not think about the rage that would erupt in her ethically conservative Hazara neighborhood, or of the lengths to which the local police and religious leaders would go to protect the couple from an angry mob in a region of Afghanistan which has seen fewer attacks recently and has been restored to local control. Despite -- or perhaps because of -- the violence that ensued, many of the locals have found themselves opposed to the fundamentalists, unwilling to see another pair of young lovers executed, as happened under Taliban rule. (video, NSFW) ""I feel so bad. I just pray that God gives this girl back to me. I'm ready to lose my life. I just want her safe release. . . It’s the heart. When you love somebody, you don’t ask who she is or what she is. You just go for it.”
posted by markkraft at 2:50 PM PST - 34 comments

S.S. Prazak's "Hat Tricks", Stuart Jaffe's "The Curse and the Revenge" and Bob Wilson's "Fences" are all One-Minute Weird Tales, strange and often disturbing little stories published online by the Weird Tales Magazine as short videos. [more inside]
posted by Jelly at 2:32 PM PST - 6 comments

Holy Smoke - "The process of having cremated ash placed in live ammunition begins when you contact us. You tell us what type of hunting or shooting that the decedent practiced and we can help you decide what will best suit your needs....1 Pound of ash is enough to produce 250 shotshells."
posted by madamjujujive at 2:10 PM PST - 46 comments

On Harassment and the Marking of Visible Womanhood [more inside]
posted by flex at 2:10 PM PST - 209 comments

Cash WinFall, or how to turn the lottey into a real moneymaker. In Massachusetts, one state-sponsored lottery has become a game you can't lose....if you know the trick. A tale of math, grinding and grifting in the Boston Globe.
posted by Diablevert at 2:02 PM PST - 47 comments

The performance collective This Is It has created a video singing the praises of creativity: Don't Hug Me I'm Scared. (via)
posted by The Whelk at 12:04 PM PST - 15 comments

The War in Hipstamatic: A rare and beautiful look at Afghanistan, through an iPhone.
posted by homunculus at 11:30 AM PST - 96 comments

I Do Not Have an Eating Disorder is an autobiographical on-going web-comic by a 27-year-old Australian woman who is coming to terms with her realization that she has anorexia. [more inside]
posted by craichead at 10:28 AM PST - 69 comments

"Every week for the forseeable future, . . ., more than a million people are being added to our cities." Geoffrey West applies the paradigms of physics to cities, businesses, biological and social sciences. Extra. Previously.
posted by Obscure Reference at 9:50 AM PST - 20 comments

How Christian is Terrence Malick's Tree Of Life? [more inside]
posted by philip-random at 9:42 AM PST - 88 comments

3D interactive journey into the Great Pyramid of Khufu. More from BBC. Tour in and around the pyramid guided or on your own. Also explains the theory by French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin how the pyramid was built.
posted by stbalbach at 9:17 AM PST - 5 comments

Times are tough, but one market is doing well: The Rapture. You've got your usual seeds and survival packs and first aid kits, but do you have your Rapture erotica for those long, lonely nights in the bunker? What about an iPhone app so you know when the Rapture occurs? How about informational and inspiring movies? And for those looking to break into the market, BusinessWeek gathers some helpful tips, such as "never give a date for your endtime prophecy."
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 8:50 AM PST - 35 comments

YouTube free Jazz will create randomized sound collages from YouTube videos based on a keyword search. Some examples: free jazz, soundcheck, laughing baby, parakeets, dog says i love you.
_{Links can sometimes take a few seconds to load, depending on the search term used.} [more inside]
posted by codacorolla at 8:37 AM PST - 43 comments

The Indie Game Legend! Save the indie developers from an alien world full of vicious inhabitants in this meaty top down shooter. (via Pixel Prospector. You might have heard of PP when he made the video compilation 235 Free Indie Games in 10 minutes. He's followed it up with 75 Free Indie Games in 5 minutes and 93 Free Arena Shooters in 10 minutes.)
posted by The Devil Tesla at 8:18 AM PST - 6 comments

When forensic sculptor Frank Bender, Esquire's Man of the Month in April 2004, died this week the world mourned one of the foremost skull-to-face recreationists. What fewer people knew was that his passing created an opening in The Vidocq Society a members-only crime-solving organization he co-founded in 1990, dedicated to working on long-unsolved murders. Membership is limited to 82 members, one for each year of Inspector Vidocq's life. The organization does have a newsletter available online and guests and associates sometimes tag along to their monthly luncheons, Cuisine & Crime Solving.
posted by jessamyn at 7:13 AM PST - 18 comments

Powerglove, a speed metal / 'tv show and video game' band, has released an official video to their cover of the Danny Elfman theme from Batman.

Their other covers include: X-Men, The Animated Series (see it mixed to the intro) / Transformers / Flintstones / Simpsons / Inspector Gadget / Power Rangers / Pokemon: Gotta Catch Them All (Live) / The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest / Nightmare before Christmas: This is Halloween / Mario Minor / Legend of Zelda: Power, Wisdom, Courage / Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man / Heffalumps and Woozles and: Tetris (Live) [more inside]
posted by zarq at 9:23 PM PST - 36 comments

Using infrared reflectography, conservators at the Getty Museum have produced an infrared reflectogram of what lies beneath Jan Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece. In the site's current phase, you can see hi-res images of the altarpiece both opened and closed, and can compare two images at once. The Met offers further information about the altarpiece, while the National Gallery explains a smaller-scale project devoted to Jan van Eyck's portrait of his wife.
posted by thomas j wise at 8:25 PM PST - 11 comments

"Hyper-minimalist poster designs of the classic children’s stories we’ve grown to know and love." [more inside]
posted by deborah at 7:10 PM PST - 66 comments

Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book (pdf, html)
posted by MetaMonkey at 6:03 PM PST - 70 comments

Rap Battle Parody Had to post this when I saw it. Taking shots at rap battles nowadays always provides quality entertainment. While you're at it check out the setup for Round 2, and check out Tyler, the Creator and his Odd Future counterpart participate in their own "rap battle".
posted by dapperkoala at 3:51 PM PST - 10 comments

The EU is to (finally) reform the Common Fisheries Policy [NYT] (BBC Q&A). As fishsubsidy.org note, the industry is currently subsidised by over €1bn a year, and the new policy fails to allow for a large change in fleet size. If you're looking for ways to help on a personal level, mefi's own Zarkonnen has produced a guide to what seafood is safe to ethically eat that I've found useful. [via mefi projects]
posted by jaduncan at 2:56 PM PST - 27 comments

Lisa Sauermann of Germany has won her fourth gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad, making her the top performer in the high school math competition's history. The IMO has been has been run continuously since 1959. Sauermann scored a perfect 42 on this year's exam, the only contestant in the world to do so. Not impressed yet? Here are this year's problems: day 1 and day 2. Watch a bunch of mathematicians wrestle with problem 2 in real time at the polymath blog.
posted by escabeche at 1:35 PM PST - 64 comments

The African Presence in India: A Photo Essay : The questions we pose here are simply these: Who are the African people of India? What is their significance in the annals of history? Precisely what have they done and what are they doing now? These are extremely serious questions that warrant serious and fundamental answers. This series of articles, "The African Presence in India: An Historical Overview," is designed to provide some of those answers.
posted by infini at 11:58 AM PST - 14 comments

The Age of Dissolution. "Walking the Ganga river, from holy bacterial stews to crystalline glaciers: Shiva, eclipses, and the IPCC." [Via]
posted by homunculus at 11:20 AM PST - 4 comments

2 Tone was both a British music genre and a record label where black met white; fired by the great Thatcher divide.
The Two Tone story I; II; III; IV; V;
More Music inside: - [more inside]
posted by adamvasco at 10:59 AM PST - 58 comments

Rorschmap slices and reflects images from Google Maps, creating kaleidoscopic cartography. [more inside]
posted by zamboni at 10:37 AM PST - 19 comments

"You never hear, “Famous author Neil Gaiman caught with seven stewardesses in a Wichita bus depot.” Chuck Wendig says, "We need literary rock star heroes to swoop in and save publishing." Well, perhaps... But can you picture this? "The authorial world demands this. And we’re not talking about some little Twitter snit, some online battle oozing across a handful of Livejournal comments. It’s not enough for Stephen King to talk to Entertainment Weekly and be all like, “Well, Stephenie Meyer is no J.K. Rowling, pfft.” I’m talking, Terry Pratchett needs to go and take a shit in Dan Brown’s mailbox."
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:55 AM PST - 140 comments

Most of the talk about renewable energy is aimed at electricity production. However, most of the energy we need is heat, which solar panels and wind turbines cannot produce efficiently. To power industrial processes like the making of chemicals, the smelting of metals or the production of microchips, we need a renewable source of thermal energy. Direct use of solar energy can be the solution, and it creates the possibility to produce renewable energy plants using only renewable energy plants, paving the way for a truly sustainable industrial civilization. [more inside]
posted by Bangaioh at 7:24 AM PST - 31 comments

Who invented the high five?
posted by garlic at 6:55 AM PST - 55 comments

There are more than 700 curious tunnel networks in Bavaria, but their purpose remains a mystery. Were they built as graves for the souls of the dead, as ritual spaces or as hideaways from marauding bandits? Archeologists are now exploring the subterranean vaults to unravel their secrets. [more inside]
posted by hippybear at 6:30 AM PST - 20 comments

Gundam Navi: [Via: Comics Alliance] "If you're a Japanese otaku growing bored of your crippling iPhone GPS dependence, Namco Bandai could have the solution for you -- gaming your way to destinations with Mobile Suit Gundam. Gundam Navi, the first of a line of Character Navi programs, is a new GPS app that transforms a user's commute into "battle events" that pit a location marker against randomly generated enemies lined up on a given route." Gundam Navi is available for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS. The app costs ¥3,500 for one year of usage. [Screenshot 1] [Screenshot 2] [Screenshot 3] [Screenshot 4] [Screenshot 5]
posted by Fizz at 6:13 AM PST - 28 comments

Help the Hero! - Be the best manservant you can be!
posted by lemuring at 6:03 AM PST - 13 comments

Vimeo user Charlie Bucket has created a "Fluid Dress" made from 600 feet of plastic tubing, throughout which courses a controlled mixture of air and fluorescent liquid. The result is quite fascinating (SLVimeo)
posted by ShutterBun at 5:14 AM PST - 31 comments

Aptiquant (PDF) has correlated browser choices with IQ scores for online IQ tests and found that IE users in 2011 score well under average. IE6 users had an average IQ of 82. Opera users rated 124.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 11:17 PM PST - 78 comments

The Lovesong of Admiral Piett Let us go then, you and I, When the star destroyers are spread out across the sky Like a smuggler frozen, cased in carbonite.
posted by Violet Hour at 7:56 PM PST - 57 comments

Southern California Public Radio Reports (article [audio and video available inline]): Five years ago, a team of photographers created the world’s largest photograph by converting an Orange County jet hanger into a giant [pinhole] camera. The 30-by-111 foot image — called “The Great Picture” — is now on public view [at the Culver Center of the Arts] for only the second time in the U.S. Displaying the giant snapshot can be a monumental challenge. Making it was a lot harder (slyt). [more inside]
posted by troll at 6:21 PM PST - 9 comments

OK Go + Pilobolus = All Is Not Lost [more inside]
posted by EvaDestruction at 6:01 PM PST - 33 comments

The Lost City of Pompeii : A snapshot of ancient Roman life via the ruins of Pompeii. Some decor NSFW.
posted by sonika at 1:51 PM PST - 47 comments

Before and after shots of joggers.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:39 PM PST - 160 comments

Here are some photos of dogs shaking off water, and here are some dogs that are having a great time running, and here are some more, and here are some awesome dogs doing some awesome jumps, and here are some dogs all dressed up in wacky costumes, and here are some plain-old handsome dogs posing for the camera.
posted by jbickers at 12:17 PM PST - 62 comments

25 years in and I had nothing. I was sitting alone in my garage in a house I was about to lose because of that bitch -- lets not get into that now -- and I realized. Fuck, you can build a clown, and they might not come. I was thinking, "It’s over. It’s fucking over."

Marc Maron, consummate comedy insider enjoying a career resurgence as a consummate comedy outsider, delivers the keynote address at the 2011 Just For Laughs Comedy Conference. [more inside]
posted by Pants McCracky at 12:09 PM PST - 41 comments

Mortys. (Vimeo) A short, animated film in French with English subtitles. Also on YouTube and DailyMotion [more inside]
posted by zarq at 11:38 AM PST - 6 comments

If Adult TV Shows Were Remade for Children. Illustrations by Caldwell Tanner and Andrew Bridgman.
posted by morganannie at 11:34 AM PST - 18 comments

The Gender Bent Justice League descended on Comic-Con this year, complete with Superma'am, Wonder Man and the Martian Maneater. [more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 11:17 AM PST - 73 comments

To celebrate Harrison Ford's 40th credited big-screen appearance in Cowboys & Aliens this weekend, Steve Murray takes a look back at everyone's favourite acting chameleon.
posted by sweetkid at 10:43 AM PST - 91 comments

Dead End Thrills uses various cheats and texture packs to make beautiful screenshots. The creation of Duncan Harris, Dead End Thrills uses the techniques of photography - lighting and positioning - and an array of cheats to remove HUDs, arrange elements and polish resolutions to create gorgeous images from video games. [more inside]
posted by running order squabble fest at 10:42 AM PST - 19 comments

San Francisco's fog rolling in (SLVimeo).
posted by spitefulcrow at 10:41 AM PST - 47 comments

Reality As Failed State via Bruce Sterling [more inside]
posted by artlung at 10:27 AM PST - 38 comments

I can just hear it... (slightly nsfw). Very interesting and evocative Flickr galleries of vintage photographs of musicians, curated by MeFite, flapjax at midnite. [more inside]
posted by nickyskye at 10:25 AM PST - 10 comments

Worst. Congress. Ever. "With the debt ceiling impasse and legislative gridlock sucking all the air out of Washington, Foreign Policy asked the experts: Is this really the worst Congress ever?"
posted by homunculus at 10:15 AM PST - 83 comments

A corpus analysis of rock harmony [PDF] - The analyses were encoded using a recursive notation, similar to a context-free grammar, allowing repeating sections to be encoded succinctly. The aggregate data was then subjected to a variety of statistical analyses. We examined the frequency of different chords and chord transitions ... Other results concern the frequency of different root motions, patterns of co-occurrence between chords, and changes in harmonic practice across time. More information, analysis, and explanation here.
posted by Wolfdog at 10:09 AM PST - 33 comments

Meet Bebe Gloton, the Breastfeeding Doll who's coming to America. The NY Times opines, Facebook users can't agree on whether it's good or bad, but what does God think?
posted by swingbraid at 9:52 AM PST - 40 comments

Zany Germans have crazy nose flute fun! But, wait! Surprising and unexpected beauty can be coaxed from the nose flute as well. And straight outta Vancouver, the nose flute man will happily show you how it's done. Unfortunately, I've found that pretty much everything else on the internet featuring this particular type of nose flute is, well... pretty awful. YMMV.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:28 AM PST - 16 comments

What actually happens to your clothes after you give them to the dry cleaner?
posted by John Cohen at 8:55 AM PST - 83 comments

Russia had never seen anything quite like the prolific serial killer Alexander Pichushkin, for whom “life without killing is like life without food.” In the end, the Maniac was what his mother and Suprunenko say he was: ordinary. He didn’t have strong opinions. He lacked preferences or ideas about other people, God, art, beauty. He could talk about these things, and did, but these were simply words in the service of killing; they were bits of theater; they were nothing. [more inside]
posted by WalterMitty at 8:49 AM PST - 35 comments

When EJ was called out of town for work, she decided to use couchsurfing site AirBnB to rent her home out for the week. She took care to lock up her valuables (money, passport, iPod, grandmother's jewelry) in a closet. She came home to find her tenants had systematically looted & trashed the place. They got to the closet through a hole they made in the wall & even cut the tags off her pillows. AirBnB has made sympathetic statements but EJ remains devastated.
posted by scalefree at 8:42 AM PST - 128 comments

India Block Printing
posted by OmieWise at 8:33 AM PST - 10 comments

Jupiter has lots. Mars has some, too, as does Neptune. Turns out Earth's got a trojan asteroid of its own. Meet 2010 TK7, the blue planet's new baby brother.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:11 AM PST - 49 comments

If you have spent anytime at all on the National Mall in Washington DC, you have no doubt seen the Tourmobile trolleys shuttling tourists around to the major attractions surrounding the National Mall. Some are now questioning the 40+ year old monopoly that the operator has held on tourist transportation on the Mall, especially in light of the National Park Service's refusal to open up bidding, or even allow more economical or environmentally friendly services to compete.
posted by COD at 6:28 AM PST - 54 comments

In a two minute-and-forty-two-second advertisment against advertising, Microsoft explains why you should use their product instead of that of their competitor [via]
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:45 AM PST - 135 comments

These days, any old fool can beat Super Mario Bros with a record-breaking number of points, or in the shortest amount of time. This guy managed beat the game with the lowest number of points possible. He ran the clock down to zero on each level, always landed at the bottom of the flagpole, collected no coins, killed just one goomba, and somehow managed not to die once during the entire process.
posted by schmod at 8:48 PM PST - 62 comments

John Taylor playing "Flight of the Bumblebee" on electric guitar at 600 beats per minute
posted by Trurl at 7:13 PM PST - 96 comments

This is an art called “Life is melodies.” Everybody plays their own life, and the lives are unique and fantastic. Nobody can be another person who has something which you don’t have. However, this thing applies to all of us, whoever we are. A Japanese ESL student writes odd, sometimes lovely, four sentence stories about the pictures her tutor sends her. She wants to be "Internet famous," even though she is anonymous. Don't we all?
posted by louche mustachio at 7:04 PM PST - 24 comments

When Patents Attack. The team at PRI's This American Life and NPR's Planet Money bring you an hour long look into the growing "Mafia War" around software patents. Diving into the corporate filings, patent acquisitions, and office locations of Nathan Myrhvold's Intellectual Ventures and it's shell companies, Laura Sydell and Alex Blumburg uncover a disturbing protection scheme which threatens to undermine the competitiveness of the US tech industry[pdf]. [more inside]
posted by Popular Ethics at 6:59 PM PST - 122 comments

Industrial Scars: The Art of Environmental Pollution is a serious of gorgeous, abstract photographs by J Henry Fair of polluted industrial landscapes.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 6:24 PM PST - 22 comments

Rei Harakami , the Kyoto-based Japanese electronic musician from Hiroshima, passed away suddenly on July 27. He was 40 years old. [more inside]
posted by misozaki at 6:09 PM PST - 16 comments

Are We Alone In the Universe? New Analysis Says Maybe. In a new paper published on arXiv.org, astrophysicist David Spiegel at Princeton University and physicist Edwin Turner at the University of Tokyo argue...using a statistical method called Bayesian reasoning...that the life here on Earth could be common, or it could be extremely rare — there's no reason to prefer one conclusion over the other. [more inside]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:49 PM PST - 108 comments

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has supposedly started holding closed door meetings on extending the FISA Amendment Act to again extend the NSA's domestic warrantless wiretapping program. [more inside]
posted by jeffburdges at 5:38 PM PST - 37 comments

The Last Meals Project Every prisoner waiting to be executed is granted a last meal. Prisoners waiting to die choose their last meal for different reasons. Here's a list of exonerated death-row prisoners.
posted by modelenoir at 4:39 PM PST - 43 comments

It started with a little girl who had polio, who later became a seamstress and made clothing and little things, like little pin cushion elephants. They were popular, not as sewing accessories, but as children's toys. The elephants would be joined by a menagerie of stuffed animals, including tigers and pigs. Some animals were set on iron wheels, including bears. But it wasn't until US political cartoon featuring President Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot a small black bear in November 1902 that "teddy" bears became popular, first in 1902 in the United States, made and sold by Jewish Russian immigrants, Rose and Morris Michtom (who would ride the success of Teddy's Bear to form the Ideal Toy Company). Back in Germany, Margarete Steiff's array of toy animals expanded to include a jointed, plush bear, 55 cm tall: 55 PB (German Wikipedia page). Margarete's nephew, who came up with the design, took some samples to a German toy fair in the Spring of 1903, where there was no interest in the bears until a representative from a New York toy company saw the mobile bears and ordered 3,000. A new factory had to be built, and bears were made, most likely shipped across the ocean, but their fate is a mystery.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:13 PM PST - 25 comments

Evolution 2011, the largest fighting game tournament in the world, starts tomorrow. On its eve, a documentary chronicling one player's run last year, FOCUS, was released. [more inside]
posted by apathy0o0 at 2:41 PM PST - 30 comments

Reuters reports that Goldman Sachs is storing aluminum in several warehouses outside Detroit. Apparently not much aluminum is actually leaving the warehouses. This may help explain the recent spike in the price of - any guesses? - aluminum. [more inside]
posted by mark7570 at 1:43 PM PST - 155 comments

Beautiful Swear Words
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:37 PM PST - 54 comments

Straightening out nonlinear literature. C.B. James offers a chronology of Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad (previously), rendered in org-chart-like family trees and tables. (Via)
posted by joeclark at 12:05 PM PST - 14 comments

Let's Go to the Morgue! features images dug up from the San Francisco Chronicle's basement photo archives. Peter Hartlaub got distracted from his parenting blog to find and caption vintage photos of Golden Gate BART and Other Failed Rapid Transit Dreams, Sexy time! Five decades of Bay Area bathing suits, Tourist season in San Francisco, Six decades of roller derby in the Bay Area, When arcades ruled the Bay Area and A journey back to your high school prom. [more inside]
posted by oneirodynia at 11:55 AM PST - 15 comments

As a teenager, Zhang Xin was a factory worker in the sweatshops of Hong Kong. She saved enough to fly to England and at 27, graduated with a Master’s Degree in Development Economics from Cambridge University. At 30, she and her husband started what is now Beijing's largest real estate developer. She is quite candid about China's challenges. Here Charlie Rose interviews the billionaire CEO of Soho China.
posted by beisny at 11:15 AM PST - 38 comments

Don Clinchy, with the Texas Archive of the Moving Image videos collection, goes back to August 1, 1966. [more inside]
posted by Ideefixe at 10:21 AM PST - 4 comments

In 1983, Ken Hakuta's mother in Japan sent him some toys in the mail for his kids. They were octopus shaped, and when you threw them against the wall they "walked" down the wall. Seeing some marketing potential, he bought the rights to the toys for $100,000, and the Wacky Wall Walker was born. It became a HUGE success after a slow start, being offered as a prize in Kellogg's cereals and even inspiring a Christmas special on NBC. Eventually they ended up (according to Hakuta) selling a over 240 million units! Sometime during this wildly successful period, Dr. Fad was born. Ken wanted to everybody to invent and create. From 1988 to 1994, the Dr Fad Show featured a Wall Walker-covered-sweater wearing Hakuta as "Dr Fad" in a kids' gameshow format, with contestants coming on and showing off their inventions, the winner being judged by an applause meter. The show also had a "Golden Gizmo" segment, honouring the great fads of the past - a young Rodney Mullen accepted the Golden Gizmo for skateboarding, while other "famous" folks responsible (or in some other way related to) the fads appeared to receive the award in other segments. [more inside]
posted by antifuse at 9:49 AM PST - 35 comments

This Man was Hired to Depress Art This is the opinion of Will Blake my Proofs of this Opinion are given in the following Notes [more inside]
posted by Iridic at 9:29 AM PST - 16 comments

Evan Osnos joins a tour group from China as they traverse Europe. In the front row of the bus, Li stood facing the group with a microphone in hand, a posture he would retain for most of our waking hours in the days ahead. In the life of a Chinese tourist, guides play an especially prominent role—translator, raconteur, and field marshal—and Li projected a calm, seasoned air. He often referred to himself in the third person—Guide Li—and he prided himself on efficiency. “Everyone, our watches should be synchronized,” he said. “It is now 7:16 P.M.” He implored us to be five minutes early for every departure. “We flew all the way here,” he said. “Let’s make the most of it.” [more inside]
posted by WalterMitty at 8:38 AM PST - 71 comments

Circa 1850. A curious document that had been filed away in a box for over a century. Hundreds of pages of strange, crudely drawn figures, resembling stick figures, many of them appearing to be urinating, copulating, whipping each other, and displaying enormously swollen genitals. An extremely important document that revealed much that was previously unknown about Native American history and culture?? The scribbling book of a German child, "the leisure pencillings of a nasty-minded little boy"?? We may never know. [more inside]
posted by ecorrocio at 8:33 AM PST - 43 comments

Barack Hoover Obama or Barack Nixon Obama?
posted by ennui.bz at 7:25 AM PST - 154 comments

The Corners Project. For three years, photographer Friko Starc took candid, spontaneous portraits of people who passed by one of five Manhattan street corners. Video [more inside]
posted by zarq at 7:19 AM PST - 12 comments

Sifting through The Staxx you'll find excerpts from ancient books about British chimneysweeps, ferns and mosses, Japanese art motifs, ornamental alphabets, and much more.
posted by hermitosis at 6:55 AM PST - 6 comments

If you have a spare $799,999, you can buy the town of Scenic, South Dakota. [more inside]
posted by flyingsquirrel at 6:53 AM PST - 96 comments

The World's Worst Website Every web 1.0 mistake you can make when designing a website, including loud autolaunched bugles. Also the template for the Gruaniad's recent revamp of Comment is Free. Tweet this!
posted by joannemullen at 6:02 AM PST - 80 comments

The dial-up sound, 700% slower.
posted by katillathehun at 11:19 PM PST - 82 comments

Angry Jane Doe: "I have started to sleep around. I sleep with men I am not dating. I sleep with men and refuse to date them, actually. I come to their houses, fuck them, say thank you for a nice time, and don't let the door hit me on the ass on the way out. You might think this is a pretty good deal, but it is not. Because I fuck and tell. Because I'm pissed." (NSFW.) [more inside]
posted by velvet winter at 11:13 PM PST - 327 comments

MurdochAlert warns you whenever you visit one of the 100+ Murdoch Family-controlled websites. If you're not ready to block them all, MurdochAlert can warn you instead. Also it's handy for identifying news sources controlled by the Murdoch Family. Users of Chrome might try Murdoch Block.
posted by Ahab at 10:41 PM PST - 25 comments

For 100 years, Buddhists and Muslims lived side by side in southern Thailand. In 2004, a small fraction of the Muslims started killing the Buddhists indiscriminately. This conflict is now the most violent in Asia, with murders of Thai civilians, including children, monks, and Muslims who refuse to cooperate, occurring on a daily basis. [more inside]
posted by shii at 9:19 PM PST - 52 comments

Chuck Klosterman breaks down Edgar Winter Group's 1973 Old Grey Whistle Test performance of Frankenstein. Unlike zzazazz's previous post, there is no bonus, because "Edgar Winter's finest nine minutes" is its own crazy good reward.
posted by davejay at 7:14 PM PST - 82 comments

Pierre Bonnard died in 1947, after a lifetime of producing a great many intense and beautiful paintings, in keeping with his philosophy of domestic bliss, idealised and frozen in time if not realised in real life. A calm and intelligent man, he pursued his purpose doggedly and left behind an enduring legacy of visual joy. Surely as great an achievement as any painter could wish for. [more inside]
posted by Trurl at 7:00 PM PST - 17 comments

With East Africa facing its worst drought in 60 years, affecting more than 11 million people, the United Nations has declared a famine in the region for the first time in a generation. Alan Taylor's In Focus quickly brings home the scale of the suffering, with a link to the CNN article listing several ways to donate.
posted by bwg at 6:12 PM PST - 33 comments

“You’re from The New York Times,” he said. “How can I be sure you’ll be objective and accurate?”
posted by Renoroc at 5:40 PM PST - 68 comments

Dan Savage has started a new campaign (NSFW) to prod Rick Santorum into avoiding attacks on gay people during his presidential campaign run. He has come up with a new definition for the name "Rick".
posted by dibblda at 5:12 PM PST - 91 comments

253 is a novel written for the Internet. Originally published in 1996, it is composed of 253 stories of 253 words about each of the 253 passengers on a London Underground train, headed for a crash.
posted by yellowbinder at 3:37 PM PST - 29 comments

"We now have a smallish house in a nondescript working class Seattle neighborhood with no sidewalks. We have one car, a battered old minivan with a large dent on one side where you have to bang it with your hip to make the door shut. Our boys go to public schools. Our jobs pay enough to support our lifestyle, mostly anyway. If we wanted, we could both do the "next thing" on our respective career paths..... Fact is, we just don't want to work that hard! We already work harder than we feel like working. We enjoy having time to lay around in the living room with the kids, reading. We like to watch a little TV after the kids are in bed. We like going to the park and visits with friends and low-key vacations and generally relaxing. Going further down our respective career paths would likely mean more work, greater responsibilities, higher stress, and less time to lay around the living room with the kids. So why do it?" David Roberts in Grist on satisficing, voluntary non-affluence, and the medium chill.
posted by escabeche at 2:10 PM PST - 174 comments

Who is Tom Bombadil? [Via a more wide-ranging discussion on reddit.]
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 1:45 PM PST - 212 comments

Homosexuality explained... [more inside]
posted by mudpuppie at 1:22 PM PST - 102 comments

Every spectator area was full with people. There were just so. many. people. Then someone started the wave. The wave. For me, that's the moment e-sports made it in the west. I was there. The second you do the fucking wave at a StarCraft match in NORTH AMERICA, e-sports has come to fruition.

- Reddit user Kevinflo recalls the StarCraft 2 match ups (1, 2 and 3) between MC and LosirA at this June’s MLG Columbus. [more inside]
posted by Loser at 12:32 PM PST - 95 comments

Andrew Davidhazy is a professor in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has been doing fantastic and creative things with photography for decades, presented in photography exhibits and articles in scholarly and popular magazines. He explains the rolling shutter effect (previously) and provides an introduction to panoramic, peripheral and scanning photography. From there, we get into an informal catalogue of slit-scan video artworks and research (previously), from this video clip (possibly NSFW, with moments of distorted nudity) from The Fourth Dimension by Zibigniew Rybczinski (prior work on MeFi). If you're looking for less mind-bending and more stunning, Prof. Davidhazy also works with high-speed photography.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:57 AM PST - 6 comments

In America, the typical black household had just $5,677 in wealth (assets minus debts) in 2009, the typical Hispanic household had $6,325 in wealth and the typical white household had $113,149. These lopsided wealth ratios are the largest since the government began publishing such data a quarter century ago. Data from the US Census: Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).
posted by cashman at 10:25 AM PST - 165 comments

The Teen Suicide Epidemic in Michele Bachmann's District. Minnesota's largest school district, Anoka-Hennepin, has been declared a "suicide contagion area" due to its teen suicide rate. Some point blame at the aggressive anti-gay tactics of Michele Bachmann's allies in the district (coincidentally, Bachmann's husband is an uncertified therapist who runs a clinic offering "reparative therapy" and calls gay people "barbarians" who need to be "disciplined," as previously discussed on MetaFilter). [via]
posted by infinitywaltz at 10:07 AM PST - 148 comments

Nineteen innings. Nearly seven hours of play. The "Worst call in the history of baseball" ends Pirates/Braves game. [more inside]
posted by misha at 9:05 AM PST - 157 comments

"The call to the Sheriff's Office came on Nov. 18, 2010, just before noon. The townhouse, deputies learned, had belonged to a woman named Kathryn Norris, and the 1987 silver Chevy Nova was registered to her, too. She had used a normal amount of electricity in July 2009 and much less in August and none after that. She had paid her mortgage in August and then stopped. Her head was on the floor and her feet were on the seat. The corpse, deputies wrote in their report, was wearing a dress."
posted by Chrysostom at 8:54 AM PST - 79 comments

People often think that other drivers are nuts. The Nigerian authorities have taken things a step further, now requiring drivers accused of going the wrong way down a one way street to get psychiatric exams.
posted by reenum at 8:32 AM PST - 22 comments

I do not enjoy Facebook - I find it cloying and impossible - but I am there every day. Paul Ford writes about social media, the ceaseless flow of time, and narratives - or, "Facebook and the Epiphanator".
posted by WalterMitty at 8:17 AM PST - 53 comments

A new study¹ suggests that BPA is not the health hazard that it has previously been thought to be. [more inside]
posted by alby at 8:05 AM PST - 60 comments

Doppelgänger Dinners. That was the seed of an idea that grew into our most recent dinner: a 7 course meal with an omnivore and vegetarian option where each corresponding course looked identical across the meat/vegetable line. [...] We also wanted to challenge ourselves by not simply creating a bunch of meat dishes and substituting each meat with tofu or some other protein stand-in. So no repeating of ingredients: if we used basil puree in the veggie dish, then we had to use parsley puree in the meat dish. Studiofeast commits culinary counterfeiting. [via]
posted by shakespeherian at 8:01 AM PST - 25 comments

On July 9, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK aired a documentary on the earliest days of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis. There appears to be precisely one place on the internet where it can currently be viewed: here.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:50 AM PST - 44 comments

The writer Iain Sinclair has been a fierce critic of London's 2012 Olympics project for some time. Now, with under a year until the games begin, his determined condemnations have again made the news. But, one architect wonders, is all he is offering just "the urban hipster version of shabby chic"?
posted by hydatius at 6:38 AM PST - 14 comments

The Oakland-based Purple Silk Music Education program is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing musical training to inner-city youth. One particular student in the program, Tyler Thompson, has been getting some press lately for his renditions of traditional Chinese opera (Vimeo link). (Chinese opera, previously on the blue)
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike at 2:25 AM PST - 17 comments

PonPonPon (earworm alert) from Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. [via]
posted by unliteral at 10:48 PM PST - 57 comments

Ancient Lives is a project by the University of Oxford which asks your help in transcribing fragments from the Oxyrhynchus Papyri Collection using the Zooniverse model. Leader of the project, Chris Lintott, explains the project here in a short interview. Can you help him find his one-eyed astrologer? [Oxyrhynchus previously]
posted by Kattullus at 9:31 PM PST - 39 comments

Evolution Right Under Our Noses. "A small but growing number of field biologists study urban evolution — the biological changes that cities bring to the wildlife that inhabits them." [Via]
posted by homunculus at 8:54 PM PST - 41 comments

Hesperian is a non-profit publisher of books and newsletters for community-based health care, mostly aimed at the third world. Their first book, Where There Is No Doctor, A Village Health Handbook, has been translated into 88 languages and is one of the most widely used training and work manuals for community health care in the world. They have now made 20 of their publications available for free download, many of which can now also be browsed online through their website using an "Ebrary" in-browser interface. [more inside]
posted by zarq at 8:25 PM PST - 15 comments

Did a case of 15th C. royal adultery mean that every King and Queen of England since Henry VI to sit on the throne was not the legitimate heir according to the rules of royal succession? And if the Tudors, Stuarts, Hanoverians, and Saxe-Coburg von Gothas Windsor-Mountbattens are not properly the ones to be occupying the positions they have/are, who is Britain's Real Monarch? [more inside]
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:02 PM PST - 107 comments

SlutWalk Toronto (featured on the Blue) has come and gone and spawned imitators. Already though, some feminists are questioning it's efficacy and impact on both men and women.
posted by mikoroshi at 7:19 PM PST - 233 comments

Jason Scroggin and Akari Takebeyashi teach in the Architecture faculty at the University of Kentucky College of Design. Together they also form Design Office Takebayashi Scroggin [D.O.T.S.] Recently they took the idea of an architectural massing model* to the world of animals. Here is a petting zoo of "Massimals" made with ziplock ties, polystyrene foam, chipboard and foam core. [more inside]
posted by honey-barbara at 7:07 PM PST - 4 comments

bringing some beauty to the sad loss of trees with a chainsaw competition Some pretty cool detail and creativity to be had from such a crude tool. I wouldn't be suprised to find the prize money to be a savings from the cost of having the trees cut down and hauled off, too.... [more inside]
posted by Redhush at 6:37 PM PST - 22 comments

Lauded as a civil disobedience symbol agitating for urgent reaction to climate change, Timothy DeChristopher was sentenced Tuesday to two years in federal prison. [more inside]
posted by Trurl at 6:24 PM PST - 49 comments

IBM is working on a keyboard design that will adapt to a user’s finger anatomy. Touchscreen keyboard morphs to fit your typing style. [Fig. 2] Via: [Wired] Morphing Touchscreen Keyboard Interface (PDF) [Pat2PDF/IBM]
posted by Fizz at 5:18 PM PST - 20 comments

An Ohio trial court judge last Friday in State v. Stephens [.pdf] held that there is no First Amendment right to bark at a police dog. [more inside]
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:08 PM PST - 35 comments

The British Pathé Archive: The British Pathé archive is a collection of over 90,000 clips from Pathé newsreels and cinemagazines, which were shown in British cinemas from 1910 until 1970. They were also shown in the US, under licence to Fox. Typically accompanied by jaunty music, and narrated by a man with an oft-parodied conservative RP accent, the archive covers many of the momentous events of the 20th Century. It also contains the trivial.
posted by HastyDave at 4:24 PM PST - 10 comments

SATOR
AREPO
TENET
OPERA
ROTAS
posted by Iridic at 2:35 PM PST - 102 comments

Long Shot Magazine is putting together another issue in 48 hours. After the composition and release of their first two issues, Long Shot—a collection of fiction, non-fiction, photography, poetry, and other art—is preparing for a third issue following a resolved conflict with NBC over their former name: 48 Hours. [more inside]
posted by mean cheez at 1:30 PM PST - 16 comments

AFP photographer Juan Mabromata recently visited the ruins of Villa Epecuén in Argentina, a small touristic village that started slowly re-surfacing after the rising waters of the nearby lake left it completely underwater nearly 26 years ago. [more inside]
posted by palbo at 1:18 PM PST - 16 comments

Stereogum's Stroked is a ten-year anniversary celebration of The Strokes debut album Is This It, featuring Owen Pallet, Peter Bjion and John, and more. [more inside]
posted by hughbot at 12:46 PM PST - 54 comments

Social consensus through the influence of committed minorities: We show how the prevailing majority opinion in a population can be rapidly reversed by a small fraction p of randomly distributed committed agents who consistently proselytize the opposing opinion and are immune to influence. Specifically, we show that when the committed fraction grows beyond a critical value p_c ≈ 10%, there is a dramatic decrease in the time, T_c, taken for the entire population to adopt the committed opinion. [.pdf] [more inside]
posted by troll at 12:28 PM PST - 55 comments

After creating legislation that requires voter ID in order to vote, Wisconsin Governer proposes closing 10 DMV Offices. Requiring voter ID puts a disproportionate burden on elderly, low income and disabled voters who may not be able to wait in long DMV lines. The new Wisconsin laws are expected to potentially disenfranchise millions of voters across the state. [more inside]
posted by Poet_Lariat at 11:41 AM PST - 296 comments

A Simple Plan to Fix the American Political System Using Common Sense and a Little Dinosaur DNA by Tim Siedell.
posted by blue_beetle at 11:19 AM PST - 17 comments

Nirvana's second studio album, Nevermind, turns 20 this September and Spin Magazine has put together a collection of covers. The covers span a lot of ground, from Meat Puppets (of who Nirvana were big fans) to Amanda Palmer, and newer acts including Jesica Lea Mayfield and Telekinesis, plus Charles Bradely & The Menahn Street Band, a surprise funk track by 62-year-old "soul shouter." Read more and download the album from Spin (link sent to an email address), or listen to them on YouTube. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 10:33 AM PST - 169 comments

What has Richard Buckner been up to, since 2006's Meadow? [more inside]
posted by dubold at 9:18 AM PST - 31 comments

How a Security Researcher Discovered the Apple Battery ‘Hack’ - How to destroy Hardware with Software.
posted by MechEng at 9:14 AM PST - 50 comments

On April 15, 2005, Centre County Pennsylvania District Attorney Ray Gricar disappeared under mysterious circumstances. A little over six years later, he was declared legally dead. In early July, 2011, a mysterious man was arrested in Provo City, Utah and refused to give his name, baffling police. One day after he was declared dead, people are asking could Utah's John Doe prisoner be Ray Gricar?
posted by MegoSteve at 8:37 AM PST - 64 comments

The Atlantic has posted its Fiction 2011 issue online. [more inside]
posted by WalterMitty at 7:54 AM PST - 32 comments

His Girl Friday - Between the Lines Edit is all of Howard Hawks's 1940 screwball comedy His Girl Friday that remains if you remove the dialogue. Created by Valentin Spirik.
posted by shakespeherian at 7:36 AM PST - 67 comments

Burl Cain, the warden of Angola, Louisiana's largest prison, uses religion to control and subdue the prison population.
posted by reenum at 7:29 AM PST - 47 comments

Learning from Doom: Latvian artist Viktor Timofeev explores the "digital ruin" of the classic 1993 shooter DOOM, taking dozens of annotated snapshots along the way. It might be the only time you'll see 16th-century Mannerism, El Lissitzky, and Arachnotrons mentioned in the same place.
posted by theodolite at 7:03 AM PST - 50 comments

Stitches From the Soul: Elizabeth Parker's Confession. Elizabeth Parker's cross-stitch sampler reveals the story of a young woman, who when employed as a housemaid for a cruel employer, was thrown down the stairs when she spurned his sexual advances. She later attempted suicide: "I acknowledge being guilty of that great sin of self-destruction." Her story is meticulously recorded in the circa 1830 sampler, part of the sampler collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
posted by marxchivist at 6:35 AM PST - 22 comments

Each of us must face the monster down: Children's author Michael Morpurgo reads his essay for the Norwegian people.
posted by Mooseli at 6:17 AM PST - 24 comments

These days, the term Movable Type is more likely to make people think of a blogging platform than anything involving paper, but it used to refer to the letters, words, and graphics typically cast in an alloy of lead, tin and antimony or carved from wood, that could be rearranged by a letterpress printer for each individual job. In an environment where toner serves most of our current printing needs, the endangered art of letterpress printing now has a roving champion. Her name is Kyle Durrie, and she is the proprietor of Power and Light Press in Portland, Oregon. Back in March she bought herself a 1982 Chevy step van, gutted it, and then installed a work area and a couple of printing presses in the back. She stocked it with a variety of type and ornaments and she is now driving it all over the U.S. teaching folks about the joys of printing with pressure. Maybe if you ask nicely, she'll stop by your neighborhood and show you how to print, just like Bi Sheng first did over a thousand years ago.
posted by Toekneesan at 6:12 AM PST - 12 comments

"I was unaware, in my awe of adults playing folk songs, that they would push me into a different world altogether, a world in which only some would ultimately be deemed worthy to publicly perform music: those who were ‘musically talented’. And that talent was determined by one’s ability to imitate, precisely, music written by others." How I Learned To Play Guitar
posted by mippy at 3:09 AM PST - 48 comments

Russian Unicorn —Michael Bublé   and   Everybody Poops —Black Eyed Peas
posted by jeffburdges at 12:47 AM PST - 17 comments

The winners of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest have been announced for 2011. The contest challenges entrants to compose bad opening sentences to imaginary novels.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 11:30 PM PST - 45 comments

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present, the long-awaited Periödic Table of Heavy Meẗals. [more inside]
posted by Minus215Cee at 9:38 PM PST - 47 comments

Subliminal Sex Messages and Pornography in Advertising and Cartoons (SLYT-SFW)
posted by Brian B. at 8:06 PM PST - 105 comments

Here are two videos of drummer Stan Bicknell playing drums: Mars Volta Medley; Meshuggah Medley.
posted by mhjb at 7:14 PM PST - 39 comments

The Joy of Dullness 1 | The Joy of Dullness 2: a gallery of dull, curious or odd book covers on informative and explore-worthy Bookride. [more inside]
posted by nickyskye at 6:21 PM PST - 18 comments

First we started with planking, then owling, and then it go so hot we just dove in. We're all familiar with planking. (Some tragically so.) An obvious exponent would be owling (even by celebrities! and more celebrities!) Now we're leisure diving.
posted by kinsey at 6:20 PM PST - 102 comments

Last week saw the first release of this year's Summer of Arcade, Bastion (Trailer 1, Trailer 2). Reactions have generally been very positive, including from the venerable Tom Chick and Kill Screen. Drawing praise are the art, writing (by game critic turned developer Greg Kasavin) and music (unofficial playlist, somewhat spoilery). But most noted has been the dynamic narration that permeates the game. [more inside]
posted by kmz at 5:36 PM PST - 43 comments

Irish PM condemns Vatican interference in sex abuse cases. Enda Kenny, the new Taoiseach of Ireland, has scathingly criticized the Vatican, citing the Cloyne Report and a recently-leaked Vatican letter intended to prevent sex abuse cases from going public, despite their public policy of reporting all abuse claims to the authorities. (Similar claims of the Vatican not reporting recent child abuse cases have also been made in the US.) Ireland's Minister for Justice has cited an extensive list of The Church's failures to comply with their policies, and is supporting legislation to make it a crime not to report child abuse claims. The Vatican's envoy was asked to report to Parliament and explain The Church's position on this matter quickly, with the implied threat that they might be forced to testify. Today, the Church, citing "surprise and disappointment at certain excessive reactions" has recalled their envoy. "(This) should be interpreted as an expression of the desire of the Holy See for serious and effective collaboration with the (Irish) Government."
posted by markkraft at 4:56 PM PST - 297 comments

Muzak filter: Ernesto Cortazar (1940–2004) was a composer and pianist who was born in Mexico City. According to his wiki page (which reads like it was written by a friend), he composed background music for more than 500 motion pictures. His music is the type you receive in inspirational emails full of kittens & sunsets. So, it is suitable only as background wall of music for those willing to forgo their cultured sophistication. The only time he was mentioned on the blue, was on a pre-Askme Q&A from 2001 about ‘Cool Christmas Songs’
posted by growabrain at 3:50 PM PST - 4 comments

Sorry Marty.. but 2.21 gigawatts ain't gonna cut it. Scientists have proven nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, so no time travelling for you, bub. A new study published in the American Physical Society's Physical Review Letters journal concludes that even single photons have to obey the posted speed limits. [more inside]
posted by analogue at 3:17 PM PST - 139 comments

A fixture in NYC's Tammany Hall for 25 years, Murray Hall kept a secret. Murray Hall was buried in women's clothes (PDF), and the masquerade he carried out led to a proposed rule that politicians wear whiskers so that women (who did not yet have the right to vote) could not surreptitiously cast a ballot.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:15 PM PST - 21 comments

The Carter Family Project [via mefi projects] To quote the original post: "We're recording every single song the Carter Family ever cut. In order. One per day. In one or two takes. And we've got some real good guest stars, too."
posted by Paul Slade at 2:58 PM PST - 14 comments

Apparently, alligators like marshmallows. [via]
posted by quin at 2:58 PM PST - 44 comments

"I play a CD of a long Evan Parker sax solo while they [enter the theatre]. I figure if people can’t put up with that then they will probably not be able to put up with me." Quoth Benito Strauss, in the context of the Daily Mail's crusade against cruelty to millonaire stand-up Michael McIntyre: Yeah, I'd love it if someone would do a post on Stewart Lee. So: [more inside]
posted by running order squabble fest at 2:57 PM PST - 28 comments

SheBop, a "female friendly sex toy boutique," in Portland, Ore., has a great blog where they post comprehensive guides, among other things, on less-often addressed sex and sex-toy issues like the sex toy cleaning guide, Lube 101, how to use a cock ring, and the lowdown on Kegel exercises. Probably NSFW.
posted by Lutoslawski at 1:47 PM PST - 28 comments

Two and a half years ago, we explored the early history of Cartoon Network... but it wasn't the only player in the youth television game. As a matter of fact, Fred Seibert -- the man responsible for the most inventive projects discussed in that post -- first stretched his creative legs at the network's truly venerable forerunner: Nickelodeon. Founded as Pinwheel, a six-hour block on Warner Cable's innovative QUBE system, this humble channel struggled for years before Seibert's innovative branding work transformed it into a national icon and capstone of a media empire. Much has changed since then, from the mascots and game shows to the versatile orange "splat." But starting tonight in response to popular demand, the network is looking back with a summer programming block dedicated to the greatest hits of the 1990s, including Hey Arnold!, Rocko's Modern Life, The Adventures of Pete & Pete, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Double Dare, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Legends of the Hidden Temple, and All That. To celebrate, look inside for the complete story of the early days of the network that incensed the religious right, brought doo-wop to television, and slimed a million fans -- the golden age of Nickelodeon. (warning: monster post inside) [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi at 1:33 PM PST - 114 comments

MOMENTUS is an artistic collaboration to visualize and reinterpret defining moments in US history.
posted by mean cheez at 1:08 PM PST - 6 comments

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has just finished the initial drilling phase of the East Side Access project to bring the Long Island Railroad to Grand Central Terminal. What are they doing with the tunnel boring machine? Giving it a funeral. (NYTimes link, use this if you need to get past the paywall) Instead of removing the $8 million machine, the contractor responsible for this portion of the project has decided it will be cheaper to leave it in place at the end of the tunnel. This is not without precedent; some of the TBMs used for the Channel Tunnel were turned off the tunnel mainline and left buried.
posted by spitefulcrow at 12:40 PM PST - 44 comments

GE has posted a searchable bird's-eye view of the 6,000 most popular airports in the world.
posted by gman at 12:39 PM PST - 19 comments

CanadaFilter: Jack Layton, Leader of the Official Opposition following the New Democrats historic electoral victory this spring, announces he will step aside temporarily after second cancer diagnosis. Nycole Turmel recommended as interim leader. [more inside]
posted by mazola at 12:31 PM PST - 27 comments

Should a Wash Post writer take one toke over the line to build trust to get the story? The Washington Post has a strict policy that its reporters not engage in anything illegal to get a story. Does that include taking a hit on a joint or pipe if it will get the subject of the story to open up? Not surprisingly, the reader poll had over 70% say, I'd hit that.
posted by AugustWest at 11:05 AM PST - 39 comments

Zombie proof your doors IF AN invading zombie army is staggering towards your front door, don't worry: a fingerprint-activated door lock could save your bacon. That's because one group of researchers has worked out how a biometric scanner can keep the undead at bay. Fingerprint scanner to spot the living dead In NewScientist 25 July 2011 by Paul Marks
posted by naight at 9:44 AM PST - 39 comments

Since 1998, Christian Humor Magazine Ship of Fools has been sending Mystery Worshippers to churches to write reviews. [more inside]
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 9:30 AM PST - 30 comments

NASCAR pre-race, promotional prayer. SLYT
posted by I'm Doing the Dishes at 9:27 AM PST - 46 comments

On Friday, July 22, the Texas Board of Education voted 14-0 to support scientifically accurate high school biology textbook supplements, rejecting the proposed creationist materials. Instead of including such material, the education board voted to let Education Commissioner Robert Scott work with the publishing company Holt McDougal to find language that is factually correct and fits the standards adopted in 2009. "My goal would be to try to find some common ground," Scott said.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:08 AM PST - 55 comments

Jason Padgett is the first person to acquire synasthesia and savantism by head trauma. Three years after his mugging, he began drawing complex geometries, including hand-drawn approximations of fractals, the first time anyone had ever done so. Eventually a mathematician suggested Padgett take a math course; with trigonometric notation Padgett offered a proof of his approximation of Pi. [more inside]
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 8:32 AM PST - 49 comments

The Guardian: Online commenting: How the internet created an age of rage
posted by zarq at 7:09 AM PST - 93 comments

"With same-sex marriage now legal in New York," the New York Times reports, "some gay sons and daughters are starting to feel the same heat from parents as do their straight siblings." As with so many things, The Onion saw this coming years ago.
posted by shivohum at 6:37 AM PST - 40 comments

Storseisundet Bridge, along Atlantic Road, the Atlanterhavsveien in Norway, is a mind-bending (at certain angles) cantilever structure guaranteed to thrill you.
posted by bwg at 6:06 AM PST - 14 comments

"A difficult situation or problem whose seemingly alternative solutions are logically invalid." The tragicomic 1961 novel that sprang from Joseph Heller’s experience as a W.W. II bombardier mystified and offended many of the publishing professionals who saw it first. But thanks to a fledgling agent, Candida Donadio, and a young editor, Robert Gottlieb, it would eventually be recognized as one of the greatest anti-war books ever written. In an adaptation from his Heller biography, Tracy Daugherty recalls the tortured eight-year genesis of Catch-22 and its ultimate triumph. [more inside]
posted by WalterMitty at 6:02 AM PST - 38 comments

Collusion is a firefox add-on that visualizes in real-time which data collection companies track you across different websites on the web and what they're learning about you. Atul Varma describes how this project came about. Safari meanwhile has ghostery, an extension that gives you a roll-call of the ad networks, behavioral data providers, web publishers, and other companies interested in your activity. [more inside]
posted by krautland at 5:57 AM PST - 14 comments

"I can’t imagine a nonfiction writer who wasn’t influenced by the fiction he or she had read. But the “thriller-like pacing” you find in my writing may come more from my own beat than from thrillers. I walk fast and am impatient. I get bored easily—no less with my own ideas than with those of others. Writing for me is a process of constantly throwing out stuff that doesn’t seem interesting enough. I grew up in a family of big interrupters." Janet Malcolm interviewed by Katie Roiphe in The Paris Review.
posted by escabeche at 5:54 AM PST - 6 comments

Nisha Sondhe, a portait photographer and photojournalist, has been documenting similarieis between New York and Bombay (Mumbai) since 2008: An art director once told me, “I know you can shoot exotic things abroad and make them look beautiful, but can you take pictures of familiar things and make them look beautiful as well.” Which was interesting to me because when I would show work for jobs in India, people would ask me why they needed to see “photos of boring everyday things in India.” New York art directors are just like Bombay art directors. In fact, New Yorkers in general are just like Bombayites and the more I looked around the more I realized that the two cities are exactly the same. (via)
posted by ChuraChura at 5:14 AM PST - 10 comments

"On the surface, it looks as if our identity as male or female is determined in the womb. The decision seems final – a genetic switch flicks towards either setting, and locks into place for the rest of our lives." [more inside]
posted by Blasdelb at 11:47 PM PST - 52 comments

Senator Leahy's Protect IP Act would require that U.S. ISPs impose an 'internet death penalty' upon domain after merely a preliminary injunction from a U.S. court that suspects the site of being 'dedicated to infringing activities', even if the domain's owner had never been notified and was not subject to U.S. jurisdiction. There is concern that the legislation would fragment the DNS system and facilitate DNS spoofing by obstructing DNSSEC (pdf). There is also an open letter opposing the bill signed by 108 Law Professors who study intellectual property law. [more inside]
posted by jeffburdges at 11:27 PM PST - 29 comments

The Basket Cat Blog: Shiro loves very small baskets. He also wears flowered hats (sometimes vegetables) and enjoys the idyllic Japanese countryside of Iwate Prefecture. He and his brothers are very chill. Many short but sweet videos of them have been uploaded to YouTube on the shironekoshiro channel. The blog is updated frequently and has extensive archives. More archives here. Twitter Facebook [more inside]
posted by bobobox at 9:12 PM PST - 35 comments

On July 25th pilgrims arrive at Santiago de Compostela for the holy feast day of St. James. The medieval pilgrimage route has seen a spike in popularity in recent years and has been portrayed in both classic and contemporary film as an introspective journey. However, travelers along the way also pass many reminders of Spain's history of religious conflict such as a monument to Ferregut's final duel, the final resting place of El Sid, and the final battleground of Roland. Images of the saint himself can sometimes be controversial as well.
posted by Winnemac at 8:12 PM PST - 23 comments

It was like I’d been here before. I mean we’ve all had feelings of déjà vu but this was ridiculous. It’s almost like I knew what was going to be around every corner.
posted by juv3nal at 5:35 PM PST - 169 comments

In the seven years since its last^* appearance in the blue, Cliff Muskiet's Stewardess Uniform Collection has grown to more than 1,000 different uniforms from more than 400 different airlines. [more inside]
posted by Trurl at 4:51 PM PST - 25 comments

Bankster Gangs (SLYT)
posted by tomswift at 4:39 PM PST - 12 comments

Leprosy in India has officially been eliminated since 2005 as prevalence of the disease has fallen to historic lows. But what was once a public health issue sometimes looks more like a political or religious one as some of the Christian charities that treat victims come under sustained pressure. [more inside]
posted by MuffinMan at 2:16 PM PST - 17 comments

Early this morning, the law that legalized Same-Sex Marriage in New York State went into effect, with many couples choosing to tie the knot at the stroke of midnight. In New York City, the city clerk will be working overtime to process marriage licenses for the 823 same-sex couples expected to wed there today, having adding extra capacity to ensure that all couples who signed up in advance would not be turned away. LGBT weddings are expected to bring an additional $155 million in tourism revenues into the state over the next 12 months, and governor Andrew Cuomo's approval ratings are currently the highest of any US state governor following the passage of the bill.
posted by schmod at 12:33 PM PST - 148 comments

Corey Starliper of Tewksbury, Massachusetts believes he has solved the last Zodiac serial killer cipher and has identified the person who terrorized northern California in the late '60s. "Zodiac sent encrypted communication to area newspapers, taking credit for the killings and warning of more to come ..." His most famous: a 340-character cipher, "was mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle, according to zodiackillerfacts.com. To this day, the cipher has not been completely cracked. Starliper, however, believes he has found the solution to that code." [more inside]
posted by ericb at 10:07 AM PST - 56 comments

There's a growing movement to make sure that smells are incorporated into historical records. Historians, perfumers, and florists all want to make sure we can smell the past.
posted by rageagainsttherobots at 9:27 AM PST - 36 comments

Subsidizing Healthy Foods by Taxing Unhealthy Foods. Mark Bitman proposes a "national program that would make progress on a half-dozen problems at once — disease, budget, health care, environment, food access and more — while paying for itself." [NYT] [more inside]
posted by modernnomad at 9:23 AM PST - 102 comments

The talks between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner "collapsed" Friday with little more than a week to go before the United States may effectively default on its debt. The two parties have been in ongoing negotiations for months over GOP refusal to raise the legal limit on national debt unless tied to a significant package of spending cuts - with some members and activists opposed to any increase whatsoever [more inside]
posted by crayz at 6:58 AM PST - 3183 comments

Bret Victor on WorryDream The power to understand and predict the quantities of the world should not be restricted to those with a freakish knack for manipulating abstract symbols. When most people speak of Math, what they have in mind is more its mechanism than its essence. This "Math" consists of assigning meaning to a set of symbols, blindly shuffling around these symbols according to arcane rules, and then interpreting a meaning from the shuffled result. The process is not unlike casting lots.
posted by naight at 6:47 AM PST - 19 comments

The Bomb That Didn't Go Off. Since September 11, 2001, we have finely honed our fear of the other. But the truth is, the overwhelming majority of our terrorism has always been homegrown. And it is times like these — times of anger and disaffection — when we turn on ourselves, and kill. [more inside]
posted by WalterMitty at 5:53 AM PST - 36 comments

"Ending coal power production is the right thing to do, because while it may seem to be an inexpensive energy source the impact on our environment and the impact on public health is significant..." New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has announced a donation of $50 million dollars to The Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.
posted by beisny at 5:40 AM PST - 28 comments

Fluid Radio stream experimental frequencies into the ether. Channel 2 is especially worth a listen, flowing forth a fairly constant warm wash of haunting melancholy and mellow fruitiness in post folk and post rock form. The reviews on the site appear to be written by an offspring of Monty Cantsin and Rrose Sélavy: I don't know what they're saying, but the reading of them brings zen-like quietude.
posted by titus-g at 1:08 AM PST - 13 comments

Did you know that popular, absurdly inexpensive board game producer James Ernest's Cheapass Games has released some of their most popular games as free PDFs? Among them Deadwood, Devil Bunny Needs A Ham, The Big Cheese, FALLING and Unexploded Cow? [more inside]
posted by JHarris at 6:07 PM PST - 34 comments

Tim Kreider writes a little essay comparing the Moon and Afghanistan.
posted by The Whelk at 5:41 PM PST - 50 comments

Alt-rockers MUTEMATH's new song lets you futz around with its individual tracks. Cool bonus: it alters both the audio track and an accompanying video of the part being played. Takes some time to load, but it's worth it to unleash your inner producer.
posted by Askiba at 4:36 PM PST - 7 comments

2D Photography Rube Goldberg. SLYT. 4.13 [more inside]
posted by bwg at 4:13 PM PST - 15 comments

After weeks of crashes, injuries, and withdrawls (previously), the 2011 Tour de France will come to a close tomorrow with the largely ceremonial ride into the Champs-Elysees. Barring something highly unusual, this year's winner will be Cadel Evans of BMC, whose time trial performance today vaulted him over Andy and Frank Schleck and makes him the first Australian to win the Tour. [more inside]
posted by Dr.Enormous at 2:10 PM PST - 99 comments

In 1875, the Portuguese cartoonist and caricaturist Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro invented an “everyman” to express the opinion of “Zé Povinho” – “ José of the People”, or “John Doe". His most famous “opinion” is the “manguito”, a universally-recognizable symbolic affront to the status quo, with the slogan “Toma!”, or “take that!” In the wake of the downgrade of Portugal’s sovereign debt to “junk” by Moody’s, the Portuguese were outraged. They reportedly jammed up the Moody's site. Zé Povinho responded with his usual aplomb. The figurines are made by hand and the anti-Moodys one went on sale this week. [Last link in Portuguese; some NSFW language and rude gestures in some of the links]
posted by chavenet at 1:58 PM PST - 5 comments

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na naaaaaa
posted by jason's_planet at 1:56 PM PST - 59 comments

British manned space flights; an insidious threat from outer space; a man mutating into an evil alien, his human consciousness being eaten away; and a scientist - utterly anti-Establishment, courageous and cerebral - the only man who can fight it. No, not Doctor Who, but his highly distinguished predecessor, Prof Bernard Quatermass. A decade before Doctor Who first aired, the The Quartermass Experiment was the first science-fiction TV serial produced for adults, and a live-to-viewers BBC production, to boot. The show ran for six episodes in 1953, of which only the first two episodes are known survive. The short sci-fi series spun off three original sequels and a radio drama-documentary, along with movie re-makes of the first three series by Hammer Films. BBC brought back live TV with a 2005 adaptation of the original 1953 series. You can watch the various series on online (in parts on Daily Motion), thanks to fans of The British Rocket Group. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 1:01 PM PST - 21 comments

The U.S. Army's Umatilla Chemical Weapons Depot is is set to shut down this fall. But the question of who should decide the future of the northeast Oregon depot reached the floor of the U.S. Senate Wednesday. The bill that won approval would keep that authority in the hands of a local commission rather than a federal agency. Oregon's Democratic U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley co-sponsored the measure. [more inside]
posted by hippybear at 12:07 PM PST - 9 comments

Two Chinese bullet trains have collided with two coaches falling off a bridge after a lightning strike disabled the first train and signaling failed to alert the second in time. A few months previously the railways ministry expressed and subsequently retracted concerns that builders had ignored safety standards to complete construction more quickly. [more inside]
posted by jeffburdges at 11:21 AM PST - 39 comments

It turns out that a bunch of the bodies in Viking burial sites that were categorized as male because they were buried with swords, etc, are actually female if you look at the bones. More details.
posted by rmd1023 at 11:10 AM PST - 51 comments

Alan Bennett returns to the library.
I have always been happy in libraries, though without ever being entirely at ease there. A scene that seems to crop up regularly in plays that I have written has a character, often a young man, standing in front of a bookcase feeling baffled.
posted by adamvasco at 10:52 AM PST - 3 comments

Minecraft: Middle Earth - A tour of a nearly full scale recreation of Middle Earth in Minecraft.
posted by empath at 10:46 AM PST - 25 comments

Amy Jade Winehouse was found dead in her London home at the age of 27. CNN and BBC are providing breaking coverage of the story. The powerful British soul and R & B singer had a history of struggling with drugs and alcohol. [more inside]
posted by KillaSeal at 10:45 AM PST - 313 comments

Want to (dis)prove who killed JFK? Start with the 5 million pages of material in the National Archives' Assassination Records Collection¹. Better review the 26 volumes of hearings and exhibits published by the Warren Commission. And each frame of the Zapruder film². And just to be on the safe side, the operating manual for his then top-of-the-line Bell & Howell 414PD camera. (1: previously, but with outdated link. 2: related) [more inside]
posted by Trurl at 9:37 AM PST - 73 comments

"In this column I want to look at a not uncommon way of writing and structuring books. This approach, I will argue, involves the writer announcing at the outset what he or she will be doing in the pages that follow."
posted by shivohum at 7:34 AM PST - 60 comments

There is no paradigm for this kind of place. Accidental Norbiton is contingent, marginal, superfluous, an ugly necessity; it is like the wires coiled under your desk, behind your bookcases; it is like the suitcases gathering dust under your bed, on top of your wardrobe; an adjunct to living, part of the logistics, the bureaucracy, never what you might call life itself, the movement and centre and focus of which seem to prevail elsewhere. Perfect, then, for a life of accidental failure. Welcome to Norbiton. [more inside]
posted by carsonb at 6:20 AM PST - 16 comments

How do you make someone cry for science? A Smithsonian magazine talks about a 2-minute 45-second clip from The Champ, starring a young Rick(y) Schroeder. [more inside]
posted by Katemonkey at 5:48 AM PST - 30 comments

The art of intarsia was brought back to life primarily by Judy Gale Roberts in the early 1980's. Practiced in earlier times by artists such as fra Damiano da Bergamo, the technique is similar to marquetry. Intarsia is made by cutting different pieces of wood to shape, and sanding to fit them together tightly. Incredibly complex bas-relief pieces have been made by artists such as Kathy Wise.
posted by dibblda at 10:37 PM PST - 10 comments

I know you can dance, but can you flatfoot? The Stanley Brothers of Virginia: Rank Strangers :: Jacob's Vision :: In The Pines :: How Mountain Gals Can Love
posted by puny human at 10:36 PM PST - 12 comments

Sesame Street a la BBoys. (Vimeo link)
posted by Nathanial Hörnblowér at 8:07 PM PST - 14 comments

Rock Lobster, as performed by old electronic parts. Beautiful People, by the same mad genius's robotic band, End Of Life.
posted by mrzarquon at 7:35 PM PST - 27 comments

In these dark days, only two men, er... guys... er, whatever they are, can save us. And they have answered the call! Beavis and Butt-head are returning!
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 5:38 PM PST - 102 comments

Ding Dong, DADT is dead. Today marks the end of another era of discrimination against Americans who wish to serve in the armed forces. The Washington Post provides a handy recap.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 2:35 PM PST - 102 comments

Tooth Fairy Affair (SLYT - Vimeo) [more inside]
posted by zarq at 1:00 PM PST - 3 comments

Beautiful Buildings Club is a comic about politics, the Cold War, and the eternal conflict between beautiful buildings and the evil Bauhaus empire.
posted by kenko at 12:50 PM PST - 5 comments

Fifteen years after the publication of A Game of Thrones, the first volume in George R. R. Martin's [website] [blog] epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, and six years after the publication of the fourth volume in the series, the fifth volume, A Dance With Dragons, was finally released on July 12, 2011 to critical and commercial success. [more inside]
posted by The Confessor at 12:20 PM PST - 234 comments

Riccardo Muti was conducting Nabucco at the Opera di Roma, until -to his delight- he was forced to interrupt the performance by pressure from the crowd. [more inside]
posted by Cobalt at 11:29 AM PST - 59 comments

After researching Texas's unusually generous adverse possession laws, Kenneth Robinson filed a $16 Affadavit of Adverse Possession and moved into a home in Flower Mound, TX worth an estimated $300,000. [more inside]
posted by KathrynT at 11:28 AM PST - 128 comments

A short compilation of John Lautner houses featured in films. [more inside]
posted by xod at 10:37 AM PST - 6 comments

Movie host and film-lover Elwy Yost has passed away. [more inside]
posted by sardonyx at 9:44 AM PST - 20 comments

All space shuttle missions, in 8 minutes. (SLYT)
posted by Zarkonnen at 9:29 AM PST - 13 comments

Join MetaFilter's own TangoCharlie (Tony Cliff) for an illustrated adventure of swordplay and wordplay set in Turkey in the 1800s, in Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant (updated on Saturday mornings with four to six new pages). What is currently a full-color serialized graphic novel in four chapters started as a short self-published greyscale comic, which was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2008. As a bonus, Tony shares tips and lessons learned in the making of Delilah Dirk on his blog. [via mefi projects] [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 7:47 AM PST - 15 comments

Sexy Fingers [NSFW funky French 2011 AIDS prevention PSA]. And if that touched you the right way, you'll definitely want to poke around sexyfingers.org [also NSFW but loads of Flash Friday fun]. [more inside]
posted by Mike Mongo at 7:31 AM PST - 16 comments

A big explosion occurred in downtown Oslo near the goverment building. Cause unknown so far, reports of injured and lots of broken windows. [more inside]
posted by palbo at 7:15 AM PST - 1280 comments

Don't Be Evil -- a somewhat philosophical review of two new books about Google.
posted by empath at 7:14 AM PST - 20 comments

The Got Milk? folks new ad campaign was apparently too offensive for a lot of women. Who knew milk was so controversial? The video on this page (2 mins) contains the actual ad from the latest Got Milk campaign. It was targeted to men on how milk can alleviate PMS symptoms and make both of your lives better. After much criticism, it was pulled.
posted by Kokopuff at 7:06 AM PST - 91 comments

Animals drawn poorly on cocktail napkins with lasers shooting out of their eyes [more inside]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:02 AM PST - 20 comments

Say goodbye to your work flow. In Shield Defense you play a building with a force field. 50 levels, high learning curve, be prepared to boggle.
posted by parmanparman at 6:35 AM PST - 21 comments

Jan Svankmajer’s Bonecreatures - Bones, dolls and a very peculiar interpretation of Alice in Wonderland together with three other short videos Et Cetera, Flora and Table Manners.
posted by adamvasco at 6:04 AM PST - 5 comments

Sticks is a Flash game where you use some minor engineering skills to make a dude rich. [more inside]
posted by DU at 4:55 AM PST - 13 comments

The Persecution of Daniel Lee: Korean rapper was a victim of an online smear campaign that said he didn't go to Stanford. But it gets worse... [more inside]
posted by k8t at 4:04 AM PST - 53 comments

My Life with Science, Art and Food: "Using scientific laboratory photo equipment, I journey over the surfaces of both organic and processed foods: my own favorites and America’s over-indulgences. The closer the lens got, the more I saw food and consumers of food (all of us!) as part of a larger eco-system than mere sustenance." [more inside]
posted by bwg at 4:03 AM PST - 4 comments

Hot off the heels of the rousing critical success of Transformers 3, producer Don Murphy has greenlighted a feature-length, live-action Captain Planet film.
posted by schmod at 9:51 PM PST - 97 comments

How One Man Hacked His Way Into the Slot-Machine Industry
posted by Chrysostom at 8:36 PM PST - 33 comments

Stefan and Tyler are twins conjoined at the head. These brothers both play the violin and have a form of high-functioning autism, but one is homosexual and the other is heterosexual. You can watch a video of them here.
posted by GnomeChompsky at 8:36 PM PST - 45 comments

On the heels of the newest volume of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (and the recent completion of the controversial Neonomicon, which Moore suggests may be his last non-League comics work), Alan Moore (previously) gives Wired a lengthy interview that includes his thoughts on DC Comics' upcoming reboot (also previously) and the dilemma of the fan-turned-writer.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:34 PM PST - 39 comments

The Weaponized Transhuman: Halo, Deus Ex, Crysis, Bioshock, Warhammer, and the Future of Wetware (Us). Related: New Deus Ex: Human Revolution trailer.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 7:17 PM PST - 37 comments

Actor Jim Meskimen reads Clarence's monologue, slightly adapted, from Shakespeare's Richard III [text] in 25 celebrity impressions. Bonus points for using Ron Howard's voice for the line "Though 'twere to buy a world of happy days," and Barack Obama's for "Such terrible impression made the dream." (via @craigyferg) [more inside]
posted by maryr at 6:39 PM PST - 28 comments

Kudzu and the California Marriage Amendment Proposition 8 Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry: Initiative Constitutional Amendment SECTION I. Title This measure shall be known and may be cited as the "California Marriage Protection Act." SECTION 2. Article I. Section 7.5 is added to the California Constitution, to read: Sec. 7.5. Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. The biggest problem is that laws like the California initiative will make the courts decide who is male and who is female — and all available decision criteria create unavoidable miscarriages of justice that will, or should, dismay initiative proponents. You're probably thinking, about now, that I'm going to exaggerate the sex-definitional 1 problem: Probably, you and everyone you know is unambiguously male or female — or at least has always believed himself or herself to be so, and nobody's challenged that, and nobody's likely to. That's true, absolutely: Only maybe one live birth in 100 has some non-standard sex anatomy, and genetic anomalies are slightly rarer than that. However, let's talk about those 1-in-100 or 1-in-1000 cases — because those could be you, or your aunt, or your best friend — and because our system of law has to deal with 1-in-1000 situations, too.
posted by robbyrobs at 5:35 PM PST - 48 comments

British figurative painter Lucian Freud, whose uncompromising, fleshy portraits made him one of the world's most revered and coveted artists, has died aged 88. Tate Gallery Google image search. [NSFWish]
posted by chavenet at 4:23 PM PST - 42 comments

Is the epic saxophone solo returning to pop music? With recent good time summer radio hits by ubiquitous hit makers Katy Perry and Lady Gaga featuring an unexpected saxophone solo, is this a hint towards a return of the woodwind as a staple in rock/pop music or just ironic posturing from vapid "tastemakers"?
posted by mediocre at 4:16 PM PST - 126 comments

Glenn Greenwald writes about Cenk Uygur's recent firing from MSNBC in Salon Magazine Despite having achieved the highest ratings ever for MSNBC last quarter (beating FOX News), Cenk Uygur was fired from the network this week. Rev. Al Sharpton will be replacing Cenk in the coveted timeslot formerly occupied by Keith Olbermann. Glenn talks about he reasons a major network might do this and Cenk introduces some revelations about why he was let go in in this weeks Young Turks podcast. [more inside]
posted by Poet_Lariat at 4:13 PM PST - 53 comments

Amp Radio Calgary's controversial "Breast Summer Contest Ever", which provoked complaints to the Ad Standards Council and the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, has awarded its prize of $10,000 towards breast augmentation surgery to Avery Mitchell, a 23-year-old transgendered woman. Mitchell received 76% online votes in the contest, supported by notorious "boobies"-loving website FARK.com.
posted by Zozo at 3:06 PM PST - 27 comments

The US Debt envisioned in hundred-dollar bills.
posted by Phire at 2:57 PM PST - 88 comments

Pop-Cultured Currency - Technically, defacing US currency is a crime – but artist James Charles doesn’t seem to be in any legal trouble for his awesome series of Pop Culture Cash. His portraits, created on real money using ink, turn dead presidents into colorfully amusing pop culture icons. Alternate site with larger pics.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 2:22 PM PST - 22 comments

Maps that make you smile, maps that make you look fashionable and maps that keep you warm.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:15 PM PST - 6 comments

Damn, it feels good to be a Lannister. [SLYT] (Also, Game of Thrones spoilers!) (NSFW)
posted by valkyryn at 1:22 PM PST - 39 comments

Could Rupert Murdoch really not have known about phone-hacking? Veteran Canadian journalist and TV producer Howard Bernstein thinks it’s possible, because something almost as bad happened at CTV News, which “produced a story on Chinese students keeping Canadians out of Canadian universities. It was a crock, fabricated by a senior producer on the show.... I am certain [the] then-president of CTV had absolutely no idea.... So why is it so hard to believe that Rupert and son didn’t know about the telephone hacking?”
posted by joeclark at 12:58 PM PST - 83 comments

Henson & Oz: A tribute to one of the great comedy teams of the 20th century. [12m13s] They worked together for 27 years, from 1963 until Henson's untimely death in 1990, and their friendship and professional association spanned several TV shows and a series of feature films. This video essay sums up their excellence, and their significance.
posted by hippybear at 12:44 PM PST - 14 comments

If your website is full of assholes, it's your fault. from Anil Dash. [more inside]
posted by zarq at 12:42 PM PST - 142 comments

Six animations from Commute Orlando on cycling and pedestrian safety.
posted by klangklangston at 11:47 AM PST - 41 comments

Parenting. Illustrated with crappy pictures.
posted by anastasiav at 10:13 AM PST - 72 comments

Holy Maury Mother of God is your one stop shop for gifs, non sequiturs, and reaction shots from the Maury Povich Show.
posted by hermitosis at 10:07 AM PST - 51 comments

The Alamo Drafthouse cinema chain has a tradition of airing humorous celebrity "PSA" bumpers urging theatergoers not to talk during the movie. Will Ferrell. George A. Romero. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. Danny DeVito. R. Lee Ermey. Governor Ann Richards. Recently, Drafthouse owner Tim League sat down for an interview with The Social Network's Jesse Eisenberg and attempted to get him to record a "Don't Talk" PSA. It did not go as planned. (Previously.)
posted by eugenen at 9:48 AM PST - 46 comments

When Design Kills: The criminalization of walking
posted by garlic at 9:41 AM PST - 180 comments

Initially the conventional wisdom was that spacesuits “would be like rockets: adamantine, metallic, armored and smooth.” But in practice, rigid spacesuits repeatedly failed under testing. So when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon they were protected from the vacuum of space by flexible spacesuits crafted from twenty-one layers of fabric, “each with a distinct yet interrelated function, custom-sewn for them by seamstresses whose usual work was fashioning bras and girdles” for the Playtex Corporation. The Spirit of the Spacesuit , Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo [more inside]
posted by Herodios at 9:14 AM PST - 25 comments

How Much Does It Cost To Make A Hit Song? "Def Jam started paying for Rihanna's recent single, "Man Down," more than a year ago. In March of 2010, the label held a writing camp in L.A. to create the songs for Rihanna's album, Loud." [more inside]
posted by incandissonance at 7:53 AM PST - 62 comments

British Wresting Posters: a Flickr set. See also British wrestling photos, and the British wrestling archive. (Via everlasting blort)
posted by OmieWise at 6:48 AM PST - 24 comments

The Great Right Hype: Tucker Carlson and his Daily Caller (CJR, via longform.org)
posted by box at 6:30 AM PST - 88 comments

How to talk to an alien, a detailed guide to first contact. You might want to invent your own language for just such an occasion. Or just get to know the most common patterns for fictional alien languages.(previously)
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 5:29 AM PST - 46 comments

Big Birds Captured in Action is just one gallery on PhotoExtract; there is also Hdr with pics like this or portraits like this.
There are a large amount of categories to explore; such as portraits or sea or Experimental.
Editor Jarek Klimek recommends 61 photographers to follow on Google+.
posted by adamvasco at 4:14 AM PST - 18 comments

Blogger BirdAboard discovers not one, but three fake Apple stores in Kunming, China.
posted by bwg at 2:36 AM PST - 74 comments

The Library of Congress (1:30m), a tour documentary by C-SPAN.
posted by stbalbach at 11:32 PM PST - 8 comments

DO Lectures: a smaller, gentler TED, with annual conferences in Wales and the US. Every twenty-minute conference presentation is available as free online video. A sampling: Tim Berners-Lee on how the web just happened. Peter Segger on soil. David Allen on optimizing your brain.  A complete list of presenters. The Do Village blog.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 11:18 PM PST - 11 comments

Letters from Johns. Letters from Working Girls. Letters from Men Who Watch Pornography. Three projects from Susannah Breslin.
posted by vidur at 11:08 PM PST - 16 comments

Why Development Aid won't solve Radicalism "The data revealed four findings that undermine common wisdom about support for militancy in Pakistan...Overall, the findings suggest that arguments tying support for militancy to individuals’ socioeconomic status -- and the policy recommendations that often flow from this assumption -- require substantial revision."
posted by stroke_count at 10:52 PM PST - 6 comments

The Artway Project - Alexander Artway photographer, adventurer - Throughout his life, Artway made photographs. He left an archive of over 5000 negatives and prints of Russia, New York, Philadelphia, and more - each one meticulously crafted and beautifully conceived. Most were made during the 1930's and range from iconic images of Manhattan to earthy illustrations of his Russian family working the land. New York 1930 -1938 - On the Deep Blue Sea - Russia 1927 - 1936 - Nudes (NSFW)
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 7:20 PM PST - 4 comments

The trailer for the upcoming Spider-Man reboot has been released. But does it rip off the 2008 videogame Mirrors Edge?
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 6:57 PM PST - 184 comments

Sovlit.com is a very large and comprehensive site dedicated to the literature of the Soviet Union (both official and dissident), with summaries (fans of the genres might find the examples of Soviet science fiction and spy novels to be particularly interesting), biographies, and even some full translations of short stories from authors such as Isaac Babel, Vasily Grossman, Yevgeny Zamyatin, and others.
posted by a louis wain cat at 6:43 PM PST - 10 comments

Often attributed to Rossini, the «Duetto buffo di due gatti» ("humorous duet for two cats") is a popular performance piece for sopranos. [more inside]
posted by Nomyte at 6:31 PM PST - 11 comments

Abel Gance "Napoleon" To Be Screened With Live Orchestra in March/April 2012. Kevin Brownlow partially restored version of Abel Gance's 1927 epic "Napoleon" was released in the late's 70's and early 80's. Initial viewing were shown with a live orchestra. Francis Ford Coppola had the distribution rights in the US and had his father, Carmine Coppola score the film. Brownlow's friend Carl Davis scored the European version. This along with other distribution issues lead to problems holding up any future release of any newer versions in this country until now.
posted by goalyeehah at 6:16 PM PST - 12 comments

U.S. Census Data for California: Married Couples with No Children are now the largest number of households, at 26%. 'New census figures show that the percentage of Californians who live in "nuclear family" households — a married man and a woman raising their children — has dropped again over the last decade, to 23.4% of all households. That represents a 10% decline in 10 years, measured as a percentage of the state's households.' [more inside]
posted by VikingSword at 5:42 PM PST - 51 comments

Divorce rates are higher than ever? Think again. A large majority—92%—of children whose families make more than $75,000 a year live with two parents (including step-parents). At the bottom of the income scale—families earning less than $15,000—only 20% of children live with two parents. Of those who first tied the knot between 1975 and 1979, 29% were divorced within ten years. Among those who first married between 1990 and 1994, only 16.5% were.
posted by lohmannn at 4:53 PM PST - 40 comments

Pluto may have been downsized in 2006, but it's still living large, moon wise: A fourth moon has been discovered orbiting the dwarf planet.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:11 PM PST - 80 comments

The chief of the world's leading physics lab at CERN in Geneva has prohibited scientists from drawing conclusions from a major experiment. The CLOUD ("Cosmics Leaving Outdoor Droplets") experiment examines the role that energetic particles from deep space play in cloud formation. Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Director General of CERN, said in an interview: "I have asked the colleagues to present the results clearly, but not to interpret them. That would go immediately into the highly political arena of the climate change debate. One has to make clear that cosmic radiation is only one of many parameters." [more inside]
posted by thescientificmethhead at 1:40 PM PST - 39 comments

'A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of musical instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical contraptions.' Giulio Carmassi such a multi-instrumentalist. He uploads to YouTube jazz tunes & evergreens he records in his home studio. He often write, perform, sings, shoot & edit himself the whole productions. He also has a professional career.
posted by growabrain at 12:44 PM PST - 26 comments

The Grandy Man: the story of Yankees All-Star Curtis Granderson's bond with the family of Brian Bluhm, a Detroit Tigers fan and blogger, gunned down in the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007. [more inside]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 12:44 PM PST - 6 comments

GQ Gaffe in naming Boston Worst Dressed City: GQ Magazine in its "The 40 Worst-Dressed Cities in America" described Boston as suffering "from a kind of Style Down Syndrome" (since redacted). In a constructive response, Dr. Brian Skotko responds, "Mock my pants, not my sister." [more inside]
posted by plinth at 12:42 PM PST - 101 comments

There is a crisis in Argentina due to foreign dancers' increasing proficiency in the tango, allowing them to defeat locals in important competitions.
posted by reenum at 12:25 PM PST - 28 comments

Gamers, have you ever looked in the sci-fi aisle of your bookstore and wondered how there could possibly be novels set in the worlds of "Gears of War" or "Doom," but nothing in the richly imagined distopia of Bioshock? Have you fed your Art Deco obsession with Ryan-inspired fan fiction, wishing for something more? Wish no longer: Bram Stoker Award winner, sci-fi novelist, punk rocker, Blue Oyster Cult lyricist, etc. John Shirley has written the first official BioShock novel, "BioShock: Rapture," which hit store shelves yesterday. An excerpt of the book, which is a prequel to the first game, is offered here from publisher Tor. [more inside]
posted by jbickers at 12:16 PM PST - 63 comments

In response to campus advocates and new directives from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, Stanford University has lowered the evidence standard for cases of sexual misconduct from "beyond a reasonable doubt" to a "preponderance of the evidence". This move, which applied immediately and took effect during then on-going proceedings, was met with praise from students("If the new Standard of Proof bothers you, there’s an easy solution: don’t sexually assault people"), but has proved controversial among civil liberties organizations ("a shocking disregard for fair procedures on campus"), academic scholars ("a declaration of martial law against men...and a betrayal of the Title IX equity law"), and alumni ("The President’s recent decision is all the proof I need to know that the University shows little respect for the rights of students"). [more inside]
posted by Chipmazing at 12:13 PM PST - 123 comments

John Siracusa's (27,000 word) review of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. [more inside]
posted by mazola at 10:55 AM PST - 219 comments

Mohamed Elshahed writes in Jadaliyya about the many problems with the museums of Egypt, including their conflation of "Egyptian history" with "ancient Egypt", their tendency to address themselves to tourists rather than Egyptians, their recent domination by the influence Zahi Hawass (who has resigned as Minister of Antiquities for the second time in five months, after having first left his post in March over the looting of archaeological sites during the recent uprising), their poor organisation and shadowy finances and, not least, the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities' use as a torture site during the protests in Tahrir Square.
posted by Dim Siawns at 10:42 AM PST - 10 comments

Before the former American football player Dave Duerson killed himself, he asked that his brain be left to researchers studying head injuries among athletes.
posted by jonesor at 10:19 AM PST - 104 comments

People's Champion: Behind the Battle (The Eli Porter Documentary) [via] [more inside]
posted by AceRock at 9:48 AM PST - 7 comments

Utahs liquor laws loosen, change, yet still seem the same (NYT) [more inside]
posted by handbanana at 8:45 AM PST - 101 comments

Let me introduce you to the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, fans of the Earl Scruggs style and sound. Don't be fooled by their name or their youth, as they have two speeds: fast and faster. Their name comes from their youngest member, Jonny Mizzone, who often played the banjo on a bed. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 8:22 AM PST - 15 comments

Although Apple's OS X operating system is making inroads with power users, providing Apple style and usability over a FreeBSD-derived UNIX-certified architecture, many find the built-in terminal emulator sadly lacking both UNIX feel and Apple polish. Fortunately, MeFi's own jewzilla has picked up the ball on the most popular third-party Terminal replacement, iTerm, and rolled out something altogether new and wonderful: iTerm2. [via mefi projects]
posted by Mr. Anthropomorphism at 8:04 AM PST - 86 comments

Evidence Based, Culturally-relevant African First Aid Guidelines and Training Materials, from researchers at the Belgian Red Cross and Stellenbosch University. [more inside]
posted by The White Hat at 8:00 AM PST - 3 comments

How many words do you know?
posted by jacquilynne at 7:34 AM PST - 251 comments

Sweatshop is a new educational game for teenagers from Britain's Channel 4. Produced by Littleloud, Sweatshop aims to teach teens about the working conditions behind their clothes through a mixture of frenetic, tower defense-based arcade levels set in a contract clothing factory and factual inserts between levels. [more inside]
posted by running order squabble fest at 7:24 AM PST - 19 comments

Comedian Stewart Lee clarifies his view of comedian Michael McIntyre following a Jan Moir (the very same) article in the Daily Mail (itself a culmination of coverage elsewhere), which included for me the definitive out of context quotation... [more inside]
posted by nthdegx at 7:20 AM PST - 35 comments

The History of the Pizza Box
posted by ShooBoo at 7:18 AM PST - 32 comments

The Black Rock Collective released their third zine free in digital format earlier this month. A group composed of artists with disparate styles gathered from all across the globe. Previous work includes shows with Threadless and custom sets of playing cards.
posted by mean cheez at 7:17 AM PST - 6 comments

Pop Pilgrims : "When the AV Club Travels, we always make time to visit pop culture landmarks. If something memorable happened in the world of film, tv, books, or music, we want to go there. We're not just tourists, we're POP PILGRIMS." [more inside]
posted by crunchland at 4:51 AM PST - 13 comments

571 is out. I don't have time for the longest video ever on youtube. 48 hours is too much. 36 hours, 24 hours,... too much. 13 hours? Too long! I don't have time for 10 hours. On the other hand, this film seemed all too short. It reminded me of another film with some guy and a cat (although Part 2 was better) which I think I saw in an abstract movie about food. [more inside]
posted by twoleftfeet at 3:56 AM PST - 24 comments

Naomi Klein, David Suzuki, Wendell Berry and others invite you to come to Washington DC and get arrested in an ongoing protest that aims to stop the Keystone XL oil pipeline from being constructed.
posted by mhjb at 3:22 AM PST - 24 comments

"F**king wanker!" "Wanker!" "You f**king wanker!" "You f**king wanker! You tosspot!" "You stupid wanker!" "I am not a wanker!" "F**king are!" And the classic, "Wuuuarrrrgggh!" Ladies and gentleman, I bring you deranged Bristolian electric bicyclist Taypet21's YouTube channel. [more inside]
posted by hnnrs at 1:52 AM PST - 63 comments

The History of Rap - Part 2 - w/Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake, The Roots. (SLYT) [more inside]
posted by sharkfu at 1:12 AM PST - 26 comments

[AustraliaFilter] A bunch of fine bloggers - Ben Pobjie, Giles Hardie, Katherine Feeney, Karl Quinn, Sarah McInerney, Jenna Clarke and a few others - are writing hilarious MasterChef Recaps.
posted by vidur at 10:49 PM PST - 55 comments

Proust is a way for you and your family to share and preserve your stories, one question at a time. The site takes its name from the Proust Questionnaire. Stories can be viewed in several different ways and be set as private or public.
posted by unliteral at 10:06 PM PST - 17 comments

Howard Stern and Robin Quivers sat down for a 90 minute interview with Lady Gaga. In it, they talk about sex, drugs, music, success, personal history, trials and tribulations, and whether or not her parents call her Stephanie or Gaga. It was posted to Soundcloud, and you can listen to it here.
posted by hippybear at 7:55 PM PST - 129 comments

I feel I am able to express an - atmosphere- that is a part of the complex world in this age. Katsuyo Aoki was born in 1972 in Tokyo, JAPAN, he work principally with ceramics, incorporating various decorative styles, patterns, and symbolic forms.
posted by at the crossroads at 7:38 PM PST - 10 comments

Robin Williams and his daughter Zelda are in two commercials promoting the re-release of The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 3DS. Zelda William's name is not coincidental, as she was named after the video game princess.
posted by SpacemanStix at 6:00 PM PST - 70 comments

MeFi has seen a GoPro camera attached to a sword, but after running across a video of one attached to a Hula Hoop (it'll make you dizzy) I decided to look for more and found a trove of sports, most of which are created by GoPro and as such may come across as advertising, but some are independently shot, so put that aside if you can. I'll probably never take up any of these activities, but I get an idea of what they're like via helmet or pole-cam. There's the Base Jump; the GoPro at 80,000 feet (near space); Boogie Boarding Surf; Surfing; Racing up Pike's Peak; Mountain Biking; a Kayak Competition; Kiteboarding; Longboarding; the 2010 Highlight Reel and many more. Damn, now I want one!
posted by bwg at 4:31 PM PST - 50 comments

Orange sucking dog. [slyt]
posted by nickyskye at 4:30 PM PST - 48 comments

After weeks of rumors, it's official, Ron Howard's ambitious adaptation of Stephen King's Dark Tower series has been cancelled.
posted by Panjandrum at 4:08 PM PST - 88 comments

A Canticle for Leibowitz (1981, NPR); an audio adaptation of Walter Miller's 1960 history of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz in the centuries after the Flame Deluge. [more inside]
posted by Iridic at 2:37 PM PST - 68 comments

Suspicious Vans
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:32 PM PST - 87 comments

Woodward Avenue through the years. A historical photo gallery of Detroit's Main Street.
posted by jjray at 2:30 PM PST - 14 comments

74 years ago today, Nazi officials debuted an exhibit of "degenerate art" in Munich made up from pieces among the over 5,000 works of art the government had confiscated, including works by Paul Klee, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian, and Wassily Kandisnsky. Most of the pieces the Nazis confiscated were later publically burned, although some was auctioned off or kept by prominent Nazis. Last year, a few of the confiscated sculptures were recovered from a bombed-out basement and exhibited. Today, you can view images from the exhibition catalogue as well as an unfinished recreation of the exhibit. [more inside]
posted by Copronymus at 1:57 PM PST - 33 comments

"The (mostly) aerial photography of Stephan Zirwes is a thing of great beauty. Scale, pattern, grids, colour, texture and drama – his work covers it all. "
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:27 PM PST - 14 comments

Pop quiz! What do these musicians have in common: Lou Reed, E Street Band keyboardists Roy Bittan and Danny Federici, rhythm section Andrew Bodnar and Stephen Goulding of The Rumour, dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, erstwhile SNL bandleader G.E. Smith, session horn section the Brecker Brothers, LaBelle alum Nona Hendryx, guitar virtuoso Adrian Belew, and David Johansen of the New York Dolls? Answer: they were (most of) the studio band on the 1981 album Escape Artist by Garland Jeffreys. Which raises the question, "Garland who?" [more inside]
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:09 PM PST - 22 comments

Honest Tea has an unmanned iced tea stand set up at 5th and Market ih Philly today. You can watch a web camera to see if people are being honest and leaving a dollar for their tea or grabbing that iced tea and running. [more inside]
posted by yeoz at 11:28 AM PST - 191 comments

Behold the infectious ecstasy of the Rainbow Sponge Lady. (SLYT)
posted by hermitosis at 11:25 AM PST - 62 comments

Next Saturday, July 30th, is National Water Gun Fight day. Are you team blue, or team red? You can have a water gun fight in the darnedest of places so get your squirt gun of choice and don't forget the first rule of war: He who takes a nap shall get blasted. [more inside]
posted by cashman at 11:25 AM PST - 19 comments

NY Times reports that Aaron Swartz, co-founder of Reddit, co-author of the RSS 1.0 spec, founder of Demand Progress, former fellow at Harvard's Center for Ethics, and founder of theinfo.org, a site "for people with large data sets" was indicted today on charges of stealing a large data set from MIT: JSTOR, an archive of academic papers. He faces up to 35 years in prison and $1 million in fines. [more inside]
posted by scottreynen at 11:15 AM PST - 238 comments

The East Village's glorious and infamous Mars Bar, on the chopping block since winter, is closed for good. [more inside]
posted by griphus at 11:08 AM PST - 37 comments

Baby Voldemort toy is the most horrifying thing to come out of the Harry Potter world: Tracy Ann Lister creates realistic dolls of characters from Harry Potter as infants.
posted by Lutoslawski at 11:03 AM PST - 52 comments

Beaded Polyhedra ❂ More beadwork (mathematical and otherwise) by Gwen Fisher ❂ Still more beadwork galleries at beAdinfinitum ❂ Three-dimensional finite point groups and the symmetry of beaded beads [pdf - some algebra, but lots of illustrations]
posted by Wolfdog at 10:39 AM PST - 6 comments

Non-Africans Are Part Neanderthal, Genetic Research Shows. [more inside]
posted by dglynn at 10:06 AM PST - 133 comments

The Legend of The Goatriders (Bokkenrijders): In the Limburg region at the end of the 18th century, between 300 and 600 individuals were tortured, tried and executed, accused of being members of a notorious and heretical band of robbers (who rode across the night sky on the backs of goats). But were they devil-worshipping hoodlums or the product of the economic and class pressures of their time? Regardless they have made their way into legend on TV and the printed page. (PDF link, from the European Ghost Literary Project) [more inside]
posted by jrb223 at 9:22 AM PST - 19 comments

ROM hacking, the act of modifying the "cartridge" data for a video game played in an emulator, has been covered before (and before). What you may not know is that intrepid hackers have been at work on more modern systems, producing a wide array of new takes on old classics. New worlds for Mario to explore (also, also, also). A new adventure for Link. Goldeneye levels that are a bit... different. A whole new universe of classes and challenges in Final Fantasy Tactics (gameplay). And HD texture packs for games that haven't aged as well as others. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla at 9:06 AM PST - 23 comments

Vaudeville Ventriloquist Dummy Portraits. Don't miss the mugshot of The Great Lester, who is noted to have "a wonderful way with the ladies."
posted by scody at 8:50 AM PST - 31 comments

To support his new album, Amon Tobin and an army of designers have created an ambitious live digital experience that is currently traveling the world. [more inside]
posted by functionequalsform at 8:42 AM PST - 17 comments

In September of 1848, Charles Fontayne and William Porter took a series of 8 panoramic views of Cincinnati by the then still new daguerreian process, capturing a little more than two miles of the riverfront. In skilled hands, daguerreotype can capture an amazing resolution, so much that modern technology is required to view the full image. In 2007, the 1848 Cincinnati panorama was restored, utilizing a stereo microscope, finding so much detail that the eight 6 ½ inch by 8 ¼ inch plates could be enlarged up to 170 by 20 feet without losing clarity. In May of this year, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County put the daguerreotype plates on display with touch-screen computer displays to see the fine details. But if you can't make it to Cincinnati, the library has a new website where you can navigate and zoom in for a glimpse of life along the riverfront. [via mefi projects] [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 8:12 AM PST - 29 comments

Deanne Gist helps romance novel authors learn the mechanics of Victorian era women's underwear.
posted by reenum at 6:48 AM PST - 95 comments

Olly Moss designed two Captain America prints in the style of WWII propaganda. So did Eric Tan and Tyler Stout (less propaganda, more movie poster). All commissioned by Mondo. The Tyler Stout prints will be given away at the Captain America Comic-Con screening.
posted by mean cheez at 6:37 AM PST - 42 comments

10 Unconventional Bookstores For Your Browsing Pleasure. Includes The Secret Bookstore and The Book Barge but not The Ateneo Grand Splendid.
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:38 AM PST - 22 comments

Nini Baseema is taking one self portrait a day - for a year. Sometimes more than one.
posted by adamvasco at 4:17 AM PST - 61 comments

The opening song from Jesus Christ Superstar has been sung by many people. Here are some of them. [more inside]
posted by Addlepated at 10:01 PM PST - 80 comments

Pop star Rihanna gives good Meet & Greet [more inside]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:44 PM PST - 132 comments

Cult books come and cult books go - that's part of what it means to be a cult book. A few keep reappearing, however. They get discovered over and over by successive waves of admirers. After the third or fourth reappearance, the suspicion begins to arise that this isn't a cult book, after all. It's a masterpiece with problems. Islandia is such a book. - Noel Perrin, "The Best of All Imaginary Islands" [more inside]
posted by Trurl at 7:40 PM PST - 15 comments

"I decided I had to do something to save this person’s life. That killing someone in Dallas is not an answer for what happened on Sept. 11." Rais Bhuiyan petitions the state of Texas to stay the execution of a white supremacist who shot him and murdered two others in a hate-motivated crime.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:04 PM PST - 87 comments

Jed Perl reviews "Thomas Kinkade: The Artist in the Mall"
posted by vidur at 7:00 PM PST - 65 comments

What with Borders going belly-up and no new books being written ever, avid readers fear that their chief means of edification and entertainment may no longer be viable. Fear not, and look backwards. Over at The Guardian, Chris Power has spent the last few years telling giving us A Brief Survey Of The Short Story. A lot of my favourites are there, and I am discovering others I am keen to try. What about you?
posted by tumid dahlia at 6:44 PM PST - 23 comments

144 sites for online education. Categories include science and health, business and money, history and culture, law, computer science, mathematics, and languages. [more inside]
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 5:53 PM PST - 19 comments

If you were a fan of shows like Night Flight, then The Cinefamily theatre blog is for you: Michael Jackson: Unauthorized! :: THOR: Bootleg Version :: Fassbinder soundtracks :: Sci-Fi Cover Art Hall of Fame :: The Last Unicorn :: Echoes From A Somber Empire :: Thrashin' ('80s skateboard) :: Mondo Wizard Battles :: Afterschool Specials :: Negativland :: Found Animation :: The Great Ecstasy of the Woodcarver Steiner + How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck :: Burt Reynolds Supercut :: Tex Avery vs. Jay Ward :: Dumb Names In Movies! :: North Korea-A-Rama (The Red Chapel) :: Mondo Logo 1 + 2 :: Chuck Norris
posted by puny human at 2:56 PM PST - 6 comments

Borders is liquidating as soon as this Friday, closing all 399 stores, ending 40 years of business, and 11,000 jobs. Brought down by e-books and Amazon. Scenes From A Borders Liquidation Sale. Map of (soon to be vacant) Borders stores.
posted by stbalbach at 2:21 PM PST - 310 comments

Matthew Sweet stays busy! Long before releasing the acclaimed album Girlfriend in 1991, he recorded a song with REM's Michael Stipe, joined one incarnation of Anton Fier’s alt-supergroup Golden Palominos, and appeared on Lloyd Cole’s eponymous solo debut. Later on he formed The Thorns with Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins, recorded two albums of covers with Susanna Hoffs, and got interviewed by Tears For Fears’ Curt Smith. He also makes ceramic cats.
posted by bassomatic at 2:19 PM PST - 47 comments

Marissa is an adorable toddler with a rare and terrible medical problem: West Syndrome, a.k.a. infantile spasms. Her father Mike has been active in the online Special Needs community, chronicling her story for years now at his blog Marissa's Bunny. Last year, his readers raised almost $30,000 through a ChipIn fundraiser to offset the costs of Marissa's neurosurgery. As a sort of 'thank you', and with the help of matching funds from his employers, Mike offered to give away and/or raffle 40 iPads to the special needs kids of his blogger friends, to be used as assistive technology devices for many of their non-verbal kids. This follows on the heels of several other iPad raffles he's held in the past year.

Guess what happened next. The Special Needs Parenting blog community is on the case: Ellen Seidman (and her commenters), Rob Rummel-Hudson, Sarah and Joyce Hely, Shannon Des Roches Rosa and others are putting together the pieces right now.
(previously on MetaFilter: the unravelings of Kaycee Nicole, JT LeRoy, Kodee Kennings, Alexa DiCarlo, and Amina Arraf)
posted by Asparagirl at 2:01 PM PST - 179 comments

"If there's one thing I've learned from working in an emergency room, it's that people are terrible liars. Maybe I only think that because the good liars don't get caught? [...] And a lie I hear almost every day in the emergency room is "I fell down the stairs. My partner loves me. They would never hurt me." [...] For a long time, I just couldn't understand this. We'd get the victim in a private room locked away from the abuser, and they'd sit there with bruises or wounds or even broken bones, in a safe place surrounded by people who wanted to help them, and they'd tell us, often through tears... "I fell down the stairs." It drove me nuts. It made me furious at the victims. Why did they do this? Did they like pain? Did they want to get murdered? Were they just unbelievably stupid? Why the HOLY LIVING FUCK would someone choose to protect and return to a partner who just broke their arm? [more inside]
posted by fiercecupcake at 1:59 PM PST - 74 comments

Digital news is broken. Actually, news itself is broken. Almost all news organizations have abandoned reporting in favor of editorial; have cultivated reader opinion in place of responsibility; and have traded ethical standards for misdirection and whatever consensus defines as forgivable. And this is before you even lay eyes on what passes for news design on a monitor or device screen these days. Suggestions for clarifying online news sites from Andy Rutledge. [more inside]
posted by netbros at 1:48 PM PST - 19 comments

"We certainly cannot follow the example of Odysseus and, going down to Hades, tempt with a bowl of blood a representative sample of native speakers to label particular areas of the standard Munsell color continuum ..."

David Wharton's Latin Color Bibliography collects quotations from ancient literature and modern research on how languages classify colors, and tries to work out the meanings of color words in classical Latin. [more inside]
posted by nangar at 1:00 PM PST - 14 comments

John Mayer visits Berklee to speak to students and offer insight on learning music theory, making music, listening to music, and the temptation to publish yourself. [more inside]
posted by cashman at 11:16 AM PST - 60 comments

A thread full of proofs without words at MathOverflow and quite a lot more of them courtesy of Google Books.
posted by Wolfdog at 9:59 AM PST - 22 comments

A possible new 'ethical' source for popular food-additive gelatin: humans. Vegan reaction not yet forthcoming. [more inside]
posted by malusmoriendumest at 9:50 AM PST - 99 comments

‘In 1912, Scotland Yard detectives bought their first camera, to covertly photograph suffragettes. The pictures were compiled into ID sheets for officers on the ground.’
posted by The Whelk at 9:33 AM PST - 50 comments

Notes on 124 underappreciated films. [more inside]
posted by Iridic at 9:32 AM PST - 127 comments

Congratulations to Japan!!! All that screaming practice paid off. Spirits are lifted. [more inside]
posted by josher71 at 9:26 AM PST - 81 comments

The hoodoo lady and the hoodoo man had a voodoo child. Uh huh, yes, yes, voodoo voodoo.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:36 AM PST - 32 comments

The Last Circus , latest film by vastly under-exposed Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia, will see a limited U.S. theatrical release by Magnet on August 12th. The director's previous work includes surreal apocalypse fantasy (El Dia de la Bestia) and black humor (El Crimen Ferpecto). NSFW trailer here.
posted by mean cheez at 6:27 AM PST - 14 comments

In the U.K., sometimes the bookstore comes to you— on a barge. The Book Barge: a floating bookshop on a canal boat (57' Cruiser Stern) in Lichfield, Staffordshire. [The Guardian]
posted by Fizz at 4:35 AM PST - 23 comments

75 Yeas ago today 18 July was the start of the Spanish Civil War. In many cities the people went A Las Baricadas.
In Catalunya this produced the greatest experiment in worker self management the western world has seen and also gave rise to the movement Mujeres Libres whose work is still very much to the fore in present day Latin America.
The story of the Mujeres Libres is shown in the 3 part film Women of the Spanish Revolution I; II; III
For first person recollections here is Living Utopia. Anarchism in Spain which consists of 30 interviews with survivors of the 1936-1939 Spanish Revolution.
1936 when The people rise like a gale.
posted by adamvasco at 12:51 AM PST - 21 comments

Pompeya is a band that is hard to describe, especially if you go by their videos and sound. For example, if you started with Power (Simple Symmetry & Lipelis Remix), you might think it's an act from the the late eighties, complete with break dancing and dated fashions. If you first came across the Barbarella Chisinau Teaser, you might imagine that they're something from the early 1990s, or a new band goofing with vintage video. And then they drop Power II, which could be some kids playing neo-disco akin to the US band VHS or Beta (wiki). But wait! Check out Cheenese (NSFW moment of nudity 2:58 to 3:05), and you think they might be professional musicians with a sharp-looking video. In fact, Pompeya is a mix of various things: they're four young Russian guys who play indie-disco. [more details after the break] [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 10:05 PM PST - 22 comments

One August morning in 1826, two men went for a walk in the Scottish countryside. Only one of them came back alive. Timewatch tells the story of two men who fought to the death with pistols: one a respected merchant, reluctantly provoked into an unwanted duel; the other a professional soldier, steeped in military tradition. The soldier also happened to be the merchant’s bank manager. It would end with the death of one man and mark the demise of a 600-year-old ritual. [more inside]
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 9:45 PM PST - 49 comments

He Gotta Donk [SLYT] [May be NSFW]
posted by schmod at 8:17 PM PST - 27 comments

"... Al Qaeda was forcing local affiliates (or at least its Iraqi one) to sustain themselves financially. If local groups must make their own money, governments and counterterror operatives can use Al Qaeda’s need to raise money - often using illicit means and pressure against local citizens - against the organization. That kind of counterterrorism would look less like war, and more like careful police work against what amounts to a criminal syndicate or mafia." [Inside Al Qaeda’s hard drives]
posted by vidur at 6:30 PM PST - 46 comments

A computer scientist teaching at a business school decides to go after students who cheat in his class. He’s come to the conclusion that it’s simply not worth his time. [via]
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 5:59 PM PST - 239 comments

"A giant gust of wind picked up a tarp and garbage from across the field and flung it toward the audience and lifted the whole stage — where Cheap Trick had been playing — and almost like a convertible in a car, just folded it backwards in the same direction." The main stage at the Ottawa Bluesfest has collapsed in a sudden storm, during a performance by Cheap Trick. Injuries are reported to be minor. The annual festival brings thousands of music fans into downtown Ottawa. Photos of the aftermath.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:51 PM PST - 43 comments

Dawn spacecraft now orbits asteroid Vesta - After almost 4 years of space travel, the Dawn spacecraft successfully entered orbit around Vesta, an Arizona sized rock. Dawn tweets, takes pictures, and there is a Vesta Fiesta party to celebrate. After hanging out at Vesta for a year, Dawn will head off to visit the Ceres asteroid next, a three year trip. Amazing achievement of engineering, innovation and accuracy.
posted by Argyle at 5:49 PM PST - 41 comments

One day in 1984 character actor Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day, the original, unaired pilot of Buffy The Vampire Slayer) was walking down the street when Jonathan Demme pulled up and asked if he wanted to see a movie he was finishing. Tobolowsky accepted: taking his girlfriend Beth Henley, they went to the Academy Linwood Dunn Theatre to watch the rough cut of the movie, Stop Making Sense. The audience in the otherwise empty theatre consisted of Tobolowsky, Henley, and Demme, along with members of Talking Heads, including David Byrne and Tina Weymouth. Later, Byrne passed Tobolowsky on his bike and asked if he wanted to work on a new movie. Interest sparked again, and during the ensuing collaboration Tobolowsky shared his past experience of psychic phenomena. Inspired, Byrne went on to write Radio Head. The song was heard by Thom Yorke and became the name of his band. All of this is a true story, based on puzzling evidence. [more inside]
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 5:47 PM PST - 46 comments

A tribute to Dora Hall was recently presented at Everything is Festival by Mr. Neil Hamburger. "DORA HALL was the undisputed queen of vanity entertainment. Dora's husband was Leo Hulseman, the founder of the immensely successful Solo Cup Company, and a man who was quite happy to delve into Solo's apparently bottomless coffers to finance dozens of record releases by his wife, all of which were given away free of charge with packages of plastic cups and plates during the 1960's. Not content with her 'success' in the record business, in the 1970's and 1980's Dora branched out with several full-blown Solo-financed TV specials designed to make her a star--despite the fact that she was an elderly grandmother with limited show business experience." -- TV Heaven (as quoted by Everything is Terrible, supra.) [more inside]
posted by Countess Elena at 4:35 PM PST - 10 comments

Cowboy Henk is an extremely stupid, surreal, and funny comic strip from Belgium. Mostly SFW but occasionally very NSFW. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla at 3:38 PM PST - 26 comments

Did you ever find a picture on the internet and thought „Where is this ?“. We can help you find this place! [sic] (via)
posted by desjardins at 1:30 PM PST - 25 comments

Los 33: Chilean miners face up to a strange new world "The rescue of 33 miners from Chile's San José mine after 69 days trapped underground was a triumph shared with the whole world. But the transition back to normality is proving difficult for both the men and their families."
posted by nooneyouknow at 12:44 PM PST - 21 comments

Someone has been leaving mysterious miniature paper sculptures in various locations in Scotland. They seem to all be tied to Scottish author Ian Rankin, twitter, and the magic of the written word. [more inside]
posted by sarahnade at 11:42 AM PST - 21 comments

Want to make your own bee beard? This video from the Clovermead Bee Competition described how (put a queen bee in a little cage, add bees). See images of bee beards as contestants try to build beards that weigh the most. Why stop there when you can get bees to cover your entire body, as they do in a competition in China?
posted by Wolfster at 11:30 AM PST - 24 comments

July 17th 1959: "Billie Holiday died in a New York City hospital from cirrhosis of the liver after years of alcohol abuse, aged 43 (while under arrest for heroin possession, with police officers stationed at the door to her room). In the final years of her life, she had been progressively swindled out of her earnings, and she died with $0.70 in the bank." Still, the world remembers her for her music, her voice that changed lives. Some of her best: Nice Work If You Can Get It, Fine and Mellow, Strange Fruit, I'll Be Seeing You, Good Morning Heartache, Summertime, I'm A Fool to Want You, As Time Goes By, Solitude, Come Rain or Come Shine and The Man I Love. [more inside]
posted by pleasebekind at 9:50 AM PST - 30 comments

In Brazil, "gambiarra" is the art of improvising makeshift repairs - spontaneously solving the problem at hand with whatever is in hand. Wikipedia Brazil has a bit more on the topic and how it extends to architecture and programming. Gambilogia is an arts group exploring this DIY aesthetic. Interestingly, there's lots of discussion around gambiarra. Personally, I find the original quick fixes more compelling (examples at bottom of the article).
posted by fake at 9:25 AM PST - 39 comments

Hiring young women to strip at a funeral ceremony might strike some as scandalous, but for many in Taiwan it is an important part of the grieving process.

posted by empath at 8:21 AM PST - 43 comments

...after enrolling in public school and moving to Montana — a predominantly white state, albeit one with a decidedly hippie-ish vibe — Lamb and Lynx decided they simply no longer believed what they’d been taught. Prussian Blue, five years later. Previously, previously.
posted by gerryblog at 8:02 AM PST - 102 comments

Aardman Animation has released the trailer for their upcoming feature: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits.
posted by hippybear at 7:21 AM PST - 48 comments

Untris... not heaven or hell, but a strange parallel universe... beyond the reaches of time...
posted by lemuring at 7:04 AM PST - 25 comments

Visual.ly, the most daring start-up in visualization after the previous demise of Swivel and other "social visualization" ventures.(*) has infographics which explain typography, dollar bills. and evolution of the geek.
posted by twoleftfeet at 6:18 AM PST - 20 comments

"I don't want to tell him," says Jean Paul. "I fear he will say: 'Now, my brother is not a man.'" A report on a harrowing but little known tool of war - Male rape.
posted by AzzaMcKazza at 3:48 AM PST - 46 comments

Futuristic Circular Flying Object: It zips through the air, glides smoothly around corners, and negotiates staircases with ease, emitting a soft hum. (slyt) [more inside]
posted by troll at 2:20 AM PST - 29 comments

It took the photographer Donald Weber more than five years to make his way inside a Ukrainian police interrogation room.

For months, Weber showed up every morning at police headquarters, where he sat on a wooden bench in a drab hallway, waiting to ask the suspects if they’d let him witness their interrogations. When they agreed, he sat and watched from his chair in a small room as a damaged light fixture cast spider-web patterns on the wall. [more inside]
posted by plexi at 1:39 AM PST - 23 comments

Space: 1975!
posted by loquacious at 11:39 PM PST - 43 comments

Health News Review rates and reviews medical reporting in US media. [more inside]
posted by nangar at 10:17 PM PST - 1 comment

How To Be A Writer
posted by Trurl at 7:47 PM PST - 105 comments

Jim Babb first appeared in the ARG scene as Tim Scribbles, roommate to a robot in search of love. More recently, he's been honing his skills with a family-friendly production called Socks Inc., where the only barriers to entry are an old sock, a webcam, and some imagination. Now what happens when he applies his unique blend of quirky humor and unself-conscious style to the real world in a heartfelt proposal to his partner in crime? Julie, will you marry me? [more inside]
posted by SpaceBass at 5:52 PM PST - 5 comments

Attention all units, please respond to Central and Broadway, reference a large crowd. It's a war on drugs.

Just Say No: a music video featuring former Albuquerque sheriff Darren White. On vocals.
posted by NoraReed at 5:17 PM PST - 27 comments

Inside RIM: An exclusive look at the rise and fall of the company that made smartphones smart. 'Research In Motion is in the midst of a major transition in every sense of the word. Publicly, the company is portraying a very defensive image — one that is very dismissive, as if RIM is profitable and class-leading, and the media is out of line to criticize its business, as are investors. Internally, however, there’s a different story to be told. It’s a story filled with attitude, cockiness, heated arguments among the executive team and Co-CEOs, and paranoia.' [more inside]
posted by VikingSword at 5:01 PM PST - 70 comments

Short, sweet, chill. Three kittens take over some turntables. SLYouTube.
posted by sweetkid at 3:54 PM PST - 40 comments

Fancy yourself a rocket scientist? Want to build rockets and shoot little green guys into space? Comfortable with your rocket flying apart and exploding into a thousand fiery pieces? Able to press the space bar? Try Kerbal Space Program. [more inside]
posted by Lord_Pall at 1:38 PM PST - 26 comments

Job searchers have begun outsourcing the process of applying for jobs to companies in India. The results have been mixed.
posted by reenum at 1:00 PM PST - 35 comments

Agony and Ivory. "Highly emotional and completely guileless, elephants mourn their dead—and across Africa, they are grieving daily as demand from China’s 'suddenly wealthy' has driven the price of ivory to $700 a pound or more. With tens of thousands of elephants being slaughtered each year for their tusks, raising the specter of an 'extinction vortex,' Alex Shoumatoff travels from Kenya to Seattle to Guangzhou, China, to expose those who are guilty in the massacre—and recognize those who are determined to stop it."
posted by homunculus at 12:34 PM PST - 24 comments

The Summer 2011 issue of Stanford Medicine Magazine is about "Surviving Survival": The Woman Who Fell To Earth / Khmer Rouge on Trial / A Kid Again / Her Stroke of Insight / RxErcise [more inside]
posted by zarq at 11:42 AM PST - 11 comments

"The way I look at it, what I created can and may already have resulted in the [execution] of an innocent person." Donald Heller is partly responsible for turning California's death row into the most populous and expensive in the nation. So why'd the lawyer known as "Mad Dog" change his mind?
posted by scody at 11:33 AM PST - 24 comments

Ghostly images remain on windows after bird strikes. No blood, no gore.
posted by rtha at 11:26 AM PST - 32 comments

Insane, inscrutable, and angelic, Montreal artist Grimes's vocal melodies float on a barely subdued monster beat that threatens to uproot buildings and put holes in the ground. [more inside]
posted by Nomyte at 10:19 AM PST - 19 comments

The final images. Can you guess the movies? (answers at the bottom)
posted by quiet coyote at 8:57 AM PST - 46 comments

Last Monday, the Israeli Knesset (legislature) passed the Law for Prevention of Damage to State of Israel through Boycott (Q&A), which, among other things, makes it a civil offense for residents of Israel to advocate economic boycotts against Israel or any geographic region under its administration, including the Occupied Territories. This means that while individual Israelis may themselves refuse to buy products made in the settlements, they run the risk of being sued if they publicly call upon others to do likewise. [more inside]
posted by iati at 8:50 AM PST - 59 comments

Five minutes into the future - a blog where Astro Zombie posts things he finds that appear to come from the not-so-distant future. Check out New Tombstones Adorable Cars Modular Toasters Augmented Reality Shopping and Smart Lamposts [via mefi projects]
posted by The Whelk at 8:23 AM PST - 28 comments

In Defense of Pop Music -- New York Magazine takes a look at the rise of pop and dance music and the death of rock in the charts.
posted by empath at 7:47 AM PST - 110 comments

Going to the beach this weekend? This is what you'll be standing on.
posted by nathancaswell at 6:43 AM PST - 27 comments

Renowned Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, having recently fooled around with a giant robot orchestra (previously), and well known for his views on reinterpreting musical classics (also previously), has released a new acoustic album in which he covers songs that have influenced him. They're tasteful. Hear him explain what it's all about.
posted by Silverdragonanon at 6:40 AM PST - 56 comments

There may be $2 trillion sitting on the balance sheets of American corporations globally, but firms show no signs of wanting to spend it in order to hire workers at home, however much Washington might hope they will.

Time magazine outlines five common destructive myths about how to stimulate U.S. Growth.
posted by AndrewKemendo at 6:24 AM PST - 42 comments

Not so fast, internetpseudonym, on signing up for that Google+ account. Turns out you can only use your real name or face account suspension. Users don't like it and some are worried about safety, but Google isn't budging: "To help fight spam and prevent fake profiles, use the name your friends, family or co-workers usually call you...You can use pseudonyms to upload videos in YouTube or post to Blogger."
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:16 AM PST - 200 comments

Le Figaro has a great article with photographs of the journey of human hair obtained as offerings to the gods by pilgrims in Tirupati to the beauty salons of New York and the heads of such as Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Since its in French, here's Mother Jones covering the same in English. A Spaniard in London does a photo essay while exporters show you a flowchart of the entire process. Highly valued and in short supply, remy hair, as it is known, is very different from the stuff you find being used in pesticides, pizza base and deer repellent (warning: Fox News link).
posted by infini at 4:15 AM PST - 7 comments

The Realistic MG-1 Synthesizer with 'polyphony', built by Moog Music in 1981 for the home market and sold through Radio Shack stores for $499. Despite its toy-like appearance, its tones are quite serviceable. Sound demos: Classic Moog filter tones. 1 2. A thorough demonstration of each knob, switch and slider, 1 2 3 4 5, filtering audio, and with a sequencer.
posted by Ardiril at 9:16 PM PST - 25 comments

Lee Krasnow makes puzzles.
posted by Trurl at 7:06 PM PST - 9 comments

Fleet Commander . That is all.
posted by anigbrowl at 5:29 PM PST - 48 comments

[Mark Twain] did not squat down to be heard and understood by children, but asked them to stand on their tiptoes—to absorb the kind of language and humor suitable for adults.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 5:13 PM PST - 21 comments

Former baseball player and legend in his own mind becomes the new CEO of K-Swiss and takes it to a whole nubba lebel. (YT; NSFW) [more inside]
posted by fuse theorem at 5:10 PM PST - 40 comments

Apparently there is a Sondheim fan on the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic staff. The Art of the Dress versus Putting it Together (starts at 4:55) from Sunday in the Park with George (or Barbra Streisand's arrangement). At the Gala versus Ever After from Into the Woods. Ponies previously: 1 2 3
posted by Gordafarin at 4:07 PM PST - 37 comments

Ocean Voyager shark cam: As a tie-in with the upcoming Shark Week, Georgia Aquarium has set up a live webcam of the world's largest shark tank through August 7.
posted by rewil at 3:33 PM PST - 8 comments

Better access to supermarkets — long touted as a way to curb obesity in low-income neighborhoods — doesn't improve people's diets, according to new research. 'The study, which tracked thousands of people in several large cities for 15 years, found that people didn't eat more fruits and vegetables when they had supermarkets available in their neighborhoods. Instead, income — and proximity to fast-food restaurants — were the strongest factors in food choice.' [more inside]
posted by VikingSword at 3:13 PM PST - 168 comments

This is just a fangirl with a camera. Being an amateur. Making a blog. Making a statement. Saying that Harry Potter changed her life. And THIS is the remix. (DLYT)
posted by roger ackroyd at 2:27 PM PST - 92 comments

#crashtags. Why, MeFi’s own Adrian Holovaty asks, would one need to add hashtags – designed for space-economical Twitter, where every character counts – to Google+, which has orders of magnitude more space to express oneself? And should Twitter really be influencing our online behaviour thus, given “how limiting (and, frankly, silly) Twitter is”? [more inside]
posted by joeclark at 1:06 PM PST - 98 comments

This weekend, the busiest freeway in the United States, Interstate 405 in Los Angeles, will close for bridge demolition to allow for a northbound carpool lane. The stretch handles 375,000 cars on a typical day and up to 500,000 on the weekends. This event has been dubbed "Carmageddon." [more inside]
posted by Mister Fabulous at 12:19 PM PST - 207 comments

The Brain on Trial. Advances in brain science are calling into question the volition behind many criminal acts. A leading neuroscientist describes how the foundations of our criminal-justice system are beginning to crumble, and proposes a new way forward for law and order.

"We may someday find that many types of bad behavior have a basic biological explanation—as has happened with schizophrenia, epilepsy, depression, and mania."

[more inside]
posted by Eideteker at 11:43 AM PST - 99 comments

"Feeling Good" lipdub, by a cast of senior citizens (via MetaChat) [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 10:00 AM PST - 35 comments

Attention well-dressed gentlemen: Looking for affordable business attire, suitable for tropical climates, extended bike rides, and living out of a suitcase? Want to buy a high-quality suit for under $200? Looking for wash-and-wear polyester ties? Dress shirts for twenty bucks? Shop at one of the online boutiques that outfit Mormon missionaries and all this can be yours. (Mormon ladies' wear also available.)
posted by AngerBoy at 9:45 AM PST - 104 comments

"It signals what’s wrong with the so-called charter school community. Somebody who doesn’t deserve a charter gets a charter. Somebody who doesn’t deserve a building gets a building. And then somebody who doesn’t care about the communities can turn their head and walk away." Venture capitalist and blended learning 'evangelist' Tom Vander Ark committed to opening several charter schools in New York City and Newark, NJ, stringed the Department of Education along until the last possible moment, and then walked away (NYT link).
posted by Nomyte at 9:33 AM PST - 48 comments

Akinobu Izumi puts tiny worlds, and tiny dinosaurs, in tiny bottles.
posted by IvoShandor at 8:33 AM PST - 18 comments

Two "Nerd PSA's": Kaley Cuoco addresses Slave Leia Fatigue. Nathan Fillion on Swamp Ass. (Both links YouTube, Via)
posted by zarq at 8:17 AM PST - 110 comments

The Secret Bookstore [more inside]
posted by stbalbach at 7:48 AM PST - 25 comments

Given the material abundance made possible by the replicator, how would it be possible to maintain a system based on money, profit, and class power? Towards an Anti-Star Trek. [more inside]
posted by gerryblog at 7:45 AM PST - 146 comments

Why do people believe something even after it's been proven false? A new study confirms that "the effect of misinformation on memory and reasoning cannot be completely eliminated even after it's been corrected." [more inside]
posted by zooropa at 6:53 AM PST - 73 comments

Tarol Hunt, author of webcomic Goblins, was recently informed that the house he and his family rent had been allowed to fall into foreclosure by its owners, forcing him to make a choice: raise thousands of dollars to buy the home, or be evicted. On July 10th, Thunt appealed to his fans as a last resort: Raise $30,000 by August 20th, as part of his Tempts Fate spin-off, and Tempts Fate will survive the most fiendish, dangerous adventure he's ever faced. His fans raised the money in four days.
posted by Silverdragonanon at 6:29 AM PST - 34 comments

Batman: Delivrance a french video (with subtitles) about the return of Batman from retirement featuring special guest: Wolverine.
posted by blue_beetle at 5:47 AM PST - 17 comments

Captain Awesoooome! SLVimeo; 8.12; "Captain Awesome is about to save the day once again, when an upset stomach threatens to ruin it all. A story of a superhero’s race against time to save his image or humanity before it all goes down the drain!" Tip: bonus joke at 5.51. [more inside]
posted by bwg at 4:55 AM PST - 2 comments

A Geek's Journal - 1976. What if there had been blogs in 1976? I would most definitely have had one and this might well have been it. This blog is based on my actual journal kept in 1976. Activities of a Geek in 1976 included: getting that week's comic books, going to the movies, attending a Paul McCartney and Wings concert, school pictures, and those freaks in Algebra class.
posted by marxchivist at 3:48 AM PST - 28 comments

Rioting robots on the streets of Brixton, a gorgeous sci-fi/architecture/animation short film by architecture graduate Kibwe Tavares. [more inside]
posted by Foci for Analysis at 2:01 AM PST - 26 comments

Drew Struzan , the artist responsible for countless iconic movie posters of the 70s and 80s, is returning from his 2008 retirement to release a Frankenstein print for Mondo, in association with the Alamo Drafthouse. This is in celebration of the news that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will now be archiving Mondo posters alongside those officially commissioned by studios. Drew Struzan previously. Other Mondo screenprints.
posted by mean cheez at 8:43 PM PST - 9 comments

More recently, Wilson has drawn fan and media attention for his thick, black beard and eccentric behavior. There's a relatively strange baseball player called Brian Wilson. [more inside]
posted by SomaSoda at 7:09 PM PST - 63 comments

Maine Coon boil (SLYT)
posted by Trurl at 7:04 PM PST - 99 comments

Everyone knows that Sean Bean is, in fact, the balls. In addition to being Boromir, Ned Stark, and 006, the man has had unnumerable classic roles, yet has flown mostly under the radar for much of his career. But if you need a tough but good looking dude to glower menacingly and hurt people, either for the angels or the devils, then Sean Bean is your man. The downside is that, well, he dies a lot. A LOT.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:03 PM PST - 82 comments

Everybody likes earning badges. It's what built scouting and what drives the Khan Academy. Now Google has introduced "Google News Badges". Is this a benevolent attempt to get more people to be aware of what's going on in the world, or is something deeper and/or darker going on? It's an unusual move, whatever the reason.
posted by strangeguitars at 6:28 PM PST - 41 comments

The recent passing of Randy Savage stirred nostalgia in wrestling fans from the '80s. Then WWE wrestler CM Punk garnered mainstream media coverage with a blistering promo that ran roughshod over the corporate image that the WWE had been carefully cultivating for the last decade. The unprecedented use of social media in his feud with John Cena (he sent both indie wrestler (and close friend) Colt Cabana and WWE ice cream bars trending on Twitter) has not only given wrestling the biggest mainstream boost since the Attitude Era, it has also shined a light on writers who love the fake fighting but aren't the stereotype of a wrestling fan -- The Masked Man (now unmasked) has been writing excellent pieces for a while, but The Dugout's Brandon Stroud now posts The Best and Worst of Raw, and a host of Tumblrs (such as Styles Clash) follow the sport (with Fair to Flair as an example of a collaborative blog). [more inside]
posted by solistrato at 5:45 PM PST - 40 comments

For more than 50 years, Mr. Potato Head toys have been a hit among American children - and increasingly, collectors. This collector's website has everything Potato Headian, whether you want to see 2008 Presidential Candidates holding Mr P or the "psychedelic" Mr. Potato Bug, Bird, and Fish from the early 1970s or read about how it almost became a forgotten cereal premium instead of a "funny face kit" for unused fruits and vegetables. Then there are the pictures from 2002 when Rhode Island distributed 5 foot fiberglass Mr. Potato Head statues which were decorated by artists through the state. There's more. A lot more.
posted by julen at 4:38 PM PST - 21 comments

Saving Valentina. A group of five friends out boating on the Sea of Cortez discovered a young humpback whale entangled in fishing net and possibly near death. After about an hour of hard work they were able to free the whale, who proceeded to put on an amazing show for her rescuers. [Via]
posted by homunculus at 4:01 PM PST - 43 comments

Christopher Walken reads Three Little Pigs on a British TV series in 1993.
posted by gman at 3:59 PM PST - 28 comments

Fantasy Island: The Strange Tale of Alleged Fraudster Pearlasia Gamboa
posted by vidur at 3:59 PM PST - 4 comments

"If they simply professed unusual beliefs, movement leaders wouldn’t be remarkable. But what makes the New Apostolic Reformation movement so potent is its growing fascination with infiltrating politics and government. The new prophets and apostles believe Christians—certain Christians—are destined to not just take 'dominion' over government, but stealthily climb to the commanding heights of what they term the 'Seven Mountains' of society, including the media and the arts and entertainment world. They believe they’re intended to lord over it all. As a first step, they’re leading an 'army of God' to commandeer civilian government. In Rick Perry, they may have found their vessel. And the interest appears to be mutual." Previously. Via.
posted by brundlefly at 3:29 PM PST - 134 comments

Guitar String Oscillations via iPhone - your physics lesson for the day.
posted by Ardiril at 3:22 PM PST - 15 comments

Why do people read fiction anyway? -to deal with personal problems Jon Baskin wrote a review of a book by Timothy Aubry titled: Reading as Therapy Oprah, Amazon, and The Rise of Therapeutic Fiction.
posted by naight at 2:35 PM PST - 37 comments

A lot of things make us dumb but for seriously this time you guys, the availability of information on the internet is making us not bother to remember information. We aren't even that great at remembering where the information is that we didn't bother to remember. Instead we just remember that it can be found someplace or other. [more inside]
posted by cashman at 2:13 PM PST - 74 comments

The Craig's List Reverse Programmer Troll
posted by empath at 2:13 PM PST - 37 comments

Today would have been Woody Guthrie's ...99th birthday, and the beginning of his centennial year.

"Woody is just Woody. Thousands of people do not know he has any other name. He is just a voice and a guitar. He sings the songs of a people and I suspect that he is, in a way, that people. Harsh voiced and nasal, his guitar hanging like a tire iron on a rusty rim, there is nothing sweet about Woody, and there is nothing sweet about the songs he sings. But there is something more important for those who will listen. There is the will of a people to endure and fight against oppression. I think we call this the American spirit." - John Steinbeck

For fans, there's a webpage to organize events and such around his centennial. And here's something for those that don't know his work, and those that want to remember:

This Land Is Your Land
Biggest Thing Man Has Ever Done
Talking Dustbowl Blues
So long it's been good to know you
posted by Stagger Lee at 12:50 PM PST - 48 comments

"Welcome to CDOI. This website is interested in the armorunit blocks of breakwater. Shape and the situation are taken in the photograph and researched." [more inside]
posted by alby at 12:44 PM PST - 11 comments

Willie Soon Ph.D. is a member of the Solar, Stellar, and Planetary Sciences (SSP) group at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He is also the go to guy for cloaking climate denial in "science". A regular blogger at conservative web sites, he can be counted on to provide anti-global warming talking points such as here and here. He has also been linked to conservative funding sources and recently spoke at Heartland Institute's "denial fest". His scientific work has been the target of some dispute. Recently, RealClimate was able to access his publically accessible website where he has posted papers, emails, calculations and reviews going back to 2003. There seems to be evidence that Soon has been playing a little loose with the data
posted by Michael_H at 12:41 PM PST - 19 comments

[1999Filter] • MIDI Led Zeppelin • MIDI Rush • MID9 Beatles • MIDI Yes • MIDI Iron Maiden • [previously]
posted by not_on_display at 12:31 PM PST - 24 comments

Father and son "bookend" the first and last shuttle launch with this photo, which is a thing of beauty. The son, Chris Bray, described it as "[t]he picture we waited 30 years to complete." In an interview, Bray said that they almost didn't make it due to delayed flights and other problems. Quite a lot of comments in his Flickr page (where the photo was originally posted) like the changing technology, comparison of film vs digital photography, keeping a close father-son bond over the years, and whether he was wearing the same shirt or not. (previously and previously)
posted by pleasebekind at 12:27 PM PST - 26 comments

ALEC Exposed is a wiki site set up by The Center for Media and Democracy which posts and chronicles leaked documents including more than 800 model bills drafted and approved by corporations during ALEC meetings. The documents have been analyzed and marked-up for clarity. Journalists along with the general public are invited to download the documents and sift through the bills in order to help map the connections back to their own state legislation and legislators. [more inside]
posted by stagewhisper at 11:53 AM PST - 22 comments

Every year since 2005, Nicholas Feltron has logged the progress of his life – his meals, locations, conversations, pets, travel, everything – in minute and exacting detail, summarizing his activities in what he calls "Annual Reports" featuring beautiful infographics.
Last year, Feltron's father died. Rather than talking about himself for the 2010 Annual Report, Feltron memorialized the entire life of his father.
[more inside]
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 11:53 AM PST - 16 comments

This is Zombotron. You can scavenge for items and kill the undead in this Flash game. Your less-advanced mechanical brethren may even shoot you on site, as they are only programmed to detect motion. Welcome to Zombotron.
posted by Smart Dalek at 10:26 AM PST - 29 comments

King of the Rocket Men was the first appearance of the "atomic powered rocket flying suit" from Republic Pictures. The characters changed but the suit remained for four action-packed serials. In 1949, King of the Rocket Men starts out with a bang, or rather a series of bangs (YT playlist), as scientists die in accidents, but science and fists save the day. Civilian researcher Commando Cody is the next hero to don the rocket pack in 1952, for 12 chapters of Radar Men from the Moon. But when Zombies of the Stratosphere attack that same year, Commando Cody is out sick (or something), so Larry Martin steps up to duke it out in the rocket suit (though thin on the "zombies", the serial starred Leonard Nemoy as a Martian). Commando Cody returned in 1953 to face the evil alien "Ruler" in Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (vid 1, vid 2). [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 9:49 AM PST - 17 comments

Ever wondered where Flickr and Twitter are used the most? Eric Fischer (previously, previouslier, previousliest) has created a new set of maps comparing geotagged Flickr images to geotagged Twitter posts.
posted by spitefulcrow at 9:27 AM PST - 23 comments

I remember I went to NBC, and there were about 10 people in the room. [Kevin Reilly] and I looked at each other, and he said, "What do you want to do?" I said, "I want to build up this all-American quarterback, this hero. This wonderful, beautiful kid with his entire future ahead of him. His biggest decision in life was whether he was going to take a full ride to UT or Notre Dame. He's got the hot girlfriend. He's got the loving parents. And he's going to break his neck in the first game. We're going to create this iconic American hero, and we're going to demolish him." An oral history of Friday Night Lights.
posted by Pants McCracky at 9:05 AM PST - 128 comments

Use more than 250GB of data in a month twice within the first six months of your contract, and you will be banned for year. A first hand account, per Andre Vrignaud. Wired's analysis. Is Comcast simply trying to provide a better quality of service for its customers by regulating traffic? Or, as some suggest, is Comcast making moves to protect its core video cable interests in the face of growing media streaming services, like hulu and Netflix? Critics have speculated about the motives of this move in 2008, when the cap was enacted. Additionally, some, including Vrignaud, have criticized Comcast for removing essential household services, akin to water and electricity. It may seem a bit overstated, until you consider that these days the internet is used for more than convenience and entertainment, but also for full-time work from home and as a phone replacement. Should shutting it off be this easy? Ongoing discussion here.
posted by SpacemanStix at 8:47 AM PST - 117 comments

"Two years after first announcing it, Spotify is finally coming to the US. The service will be launched later today, at 8 in the morning EST. The company has signed a deal with the fourth and final music label just hours before launch and the service will be virtually identical to the European one, except for the pricing which, while keeping the numbers, is switching pounds for dollars. " [more inside]
posted by incandissonance at 7:56 AM PST - 124 comments

Weekend At Kermie's: The Muppets' Strange Life After Death. Elizabeth Stevens asks:

What if, in 1990, instead of recasting Kermit—something that had been done to Mickey and Bugs Bunny before him—the Muppets had continued on Kermit-less, as "The Simpsons" did after Phil Hartman died. Recall Susan’s words on "Seasame Street" about Mr. Hooper in 1982: “Big Bird, when people die, they don’t come back.” Let’s say Robin showed up saying his uncle Kermit had passed away? Or, if that was too dark for Disney, what if Kermit had left show business to go off to start a family with Piggy? Someone else could lead the gang of weirdoes.

It would’ve made more artistic sense than what happened.

posted by zarq at 7:29 AM PST - 65 comments

No hierarchy, no supervisors, no managers, no bosses. How does the philosophy that "authoritarians cannot impose commitments, only commands" translate into a successful company? [more inside]
posted by hypotheticole at 7:20 AM PST - 19 comments

The CIA's Secret Sites in Somalia. Jeremy Scahill at The Nation reports on a CIA facility at Mogadishu's international airport used for a "counterterrorism training program for Somali intelligence agents and operatives," as well as a secret prison "buried in the basement of Somalia's National Security Agency" where "some of the prisoners have been snatched off the streets of Kenya and rendered by plane to Mogadishu." [more inside]
posted by lullaby at 6:23 AM PST - 39 comments

A cappella "Du Hast" performed by Viva Vox Choir of Belgrade, Serbia. SLYT
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:16 AM PST - 26 comments

22 Manly Ways to Reuse an Altoids Tin
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:52 AM PST - 57 comments

Greenpeace activists, following through on Greenpeace's opposition of Genetically Modified Organisms, have dismayed Australian scientists by raiding a CSIRO experimental farm in Canberra and destroying the station's entire experimental crop of genetically modified wheat.
posted by Silverdragonanon at 5:33 AM PST - 130 comments

Did you know that cats have a secret administrator's mode? SLYT. But worth it. (VIA BOING BOING)
posted by JHarris at 5:23 AM PST - 69 comments

Half-Life – Singularity Collapse, Another fan film based off of the Half-Life Universe, with plentiful special effects and action. Interesting how people continue to make films and be inspired by the world of a game from several years ago.
posted by Kaatridge at 4:30 AM PST - 26 comments

The British Film Institute has a youtube channel with rare footage going back over 100 years, covering many aspects of British life. Highlights include: 'Solarflares Burn For You' (1973) (featuring a soundtrack by Robert Wyatt); Rush Hour, Waterloo Station (1970); London Bridge (1926); Productivity Primer (1964); Today in Britain (1964); Snow (1963); Holiday (1957).
posted by ClanvidHorse at 4:20 AM PST - 7 comments

"A culture that does not possess this common store of image and allegory will be a perilously thin one. To seek restlessly to update it or make it “relevant” is to miss the point, like yearning for a hip-hop Shakespeare." -Christopher Hitchens stands up for the King James Bible
posted by beisny at 3:08 AM PST - 61 comments

Carp Attack! SLYT, 1.13.
posted by bwg at 2:19 AM PST - 39 comments

Maybe evolution shouldn't be taught in schools, but what does Miss USA think about math?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:23 AM PST - 48 comments

Bio Apocalypse (PDF) is a 94 page graphic novel full of body horror, nightmare fuel, and heavy handed symbolism. It tells the story of an Akira-like organism that grows and devours the Earth. Drawn on notepaper with lots of red crayons and purportedly written by a Something Awful Goon when he was in 6th grade, Bio Apocalypse has gathered a small cult following and his inspired a partial video reading.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 1:17 AM PST - 22 comments

For all you fans of Karl Stefanovic - and we know you're out there - he's been at it again. This time, he had some help (SLYT)
posted by Pinback at 12:22 AM PST - 12 comments

Cat-Scan.com is one of the strangest sites I've seen in some time. I have no idea how these people got their cats wedged into their scanners, or why.
posted by Argyle at 12:17 AM PST - 248 comments

The Wheels Of Steel: Turntables in your browser (a web-based DJ prototype) Scott Schiller has created turntables in your browser, and has written an extensive blog post about how it works. [more inside]
posted by narwhal bacon at 9:23 PM PST - 31 comments

If you like woodworking and/or learning about vintage tools and their history you will, no doubt, enjoy The blurfl FAQ. There IS NO "previous" discussion of the blurfl on MeFi.
posted by spock at 8:09 PM PST - 16 comments

Manning-Lamo Chat Logs Revealed. "A little more than a year ago, Wired.com published excerpts from instant messenger chats between accused WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning and Adrian Lamo, the ex-hacker in whom he confided and who reported him to the authorities. It’s now time to reveal the previously unpublished portions of these conversations." [more inside]
posted by homunculus at 2:24 PM PST - 343 comments

Sometimes state flags have aspirations of being limited edition vinyl release indie rock album covers.
posted by dersins at 2:06 PM PST - 108 comments

It seems that there is increasing frustration with the current state of email leading some to look for more technical solutions, such as Shortmail - an email client/social networking tool which attempts to redefine what its creators see as a broken relationship with email described on their blog as a "river of trash." , while others to turn to less technological solutions to lessen their email burden. [more inside]
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 1:51 PM PST - 40 comments

Prince Paul’s 10 Favorite Sample Flips [more inside]
posted by AceRock at 1:37 PM PST - 21 comments

A collection of newspaper headlines from "The Simpsons" (SLYT)
posted by Hey Dean Yeager! at 1:05 PM PST - 38 comments

Tired of tower defense games? Tired of always playing the good guy? Try playing Villainous, a tower conquest flash game.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:51 PM PST - 14 comments

Because of a regulatory beer labeling registration snafu, Minnesota beer supplies will soon be down 38%. Another stunning example of inefficient state bureaucracy getting in the way of one's alcohol consumption.
posted by Kokopuff at 12:49 PM PST - 103 comments

Apocalypse Now ... and Then - the timeline of Weird Al Yankovic
posted by mannequito at 12:40 PM PST - 16 comments

I Come To Shanghai is an indie psych-pop outfit helmed by Sam Frigard and Robert Ashley. Robert best is known for hosting, producing, and editing the podcast A Life Well Wasted, often cited as "This American Life for videogames." (previously) Their new mini-LP, Eternal Life Vol. 1, brings the band in a darker, more serious direction. It's steaming on SoundCloud and available for pay what you want download from their website. Their debut self-titled album is poppier and more song-oriented. It's also up for pay what you want download. Watch the video for first-album cut Pass The Time here (warning: video is almost distractingly crazy).
posted by JimBennett at 12:35 PM PST - 4 comments

"I accept that sometimes American phrases have a vigour and vivacity. A relative of mine told me recently he went to a business meeting chaired by a Californian woman who wanted everyone to speak frankly. It was 'open kimono'. How's that for a vivid expression?" The BBC explores Americanisms, but they're not the first: The Telegraph, Daily Mail, and the Economist have also weighed in on the debate. (Somewhat previously.)
posted by reductiondesign at 12:09 PM PST - 219 comments

Mumbai rocked by three blasts in terrorist attack: 21 dead, over 140 injured.
posted by dunkadunc at 12:05 PM PST - 54 comments

Got some free time? Looking for something mildly amusing? Predator and Prey Arrows. Click and move the mouse. Enjoy!
posted by rodmandirect at 11:42 AM PST - 24 comments

"Warren G, what are you doing here?!" ... "What does it look like I'm doing?!" ... Legendary recording artist, Warren G, offers a little help to a man struggling to satisfy his woman. "Are you my waiter?" ... "Nah, I'm the Regulator." (MLYT) (via)
posted by mrgrimm at 10:53 AM PST - 14 comments

The Boys Are Back in Heaven. SLVimeo. An excellent mashup depicting Phil Lynnot of Thin Lizzy fronting the Pixies.
posted by anazgnos at 9:41 AM PST - 25 comments

This year's hot summer jam, Go Outside by Cults, finally has a video. It shows members of the band digitally inserted into footage of Jim Jones' famous religious cult, People's Temple. [more inside]
posted by The Devil Tesla at 9:36 AM PST - 148 comments

They came on strong, "sounding like The Shangri-Las flying through an electrical storm while having a riot in a speed garage club," but only survived for an album, an EP, and a hand full of singles. They were Lolita Storm, a trio of female singers (Romy Medina, Nhung Napalm, and Spex), backed by a guy on the noise-makers (Mr Jimmy Too-Bad), recording and touring from 1998 to 2003. Their brief life totaled around an hour of recorded music, available from YouTube user Darkcore2008 (lyrics often NSFW). [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 9:05 AM PST - 11 comments

Bruce Campbell confirms on Twitter that a remake of Evil Dead is in the works. [more inside]
posted by Hoopo at 8:57 AM PST - 78 comments

Sad Baby Monsters are sad. Maybe they need hugs? Or perhaps some fresh prey... [more inside]
posted by quiet coyote at 8:48 AM PST - 13 comments

Epic War! [SLYT]
posted by Fizz at 8:44 AM PST - 13 comments

The final game of Nadal and Federer's Epic 2008 Wimbledon Final, in book form. [more inside]
posted by sweetkid at 7:50 AM PST - 15 comments

Here's why Breaking Bad beats Mad Men, The Sopranos, and The Wire (Grantland). Here's an interview with Bryan Cranston on The AV Club. Here's Bryan Cranston singing about Rolling Stone.
posted by Cantdosleepy at 6:59 AM PST - 287 comments

"Better a broken bone than a broken spirit". So said the appropriately-named Lady Allen of Hurtwood, pioneer of adventure playgrounds - play spaces which sacrificed a little security in the interests of imagination and creativity. Her work on adventure playgrounds - along with the sight of young Londoners playing in the bombed-out sites of post-Blitz London - inspired a young Richard Dattner, a New York architect now probably best-known for the Bronx Public Library Center. [more inside]
posted by running order squabble fest at 5:58 AM PST - 63 comments

School of French Kissing for Dogs {Warning: Lots and Lots of Humans Making out with Dogs} [more inside]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 3:19 AM PST - 55 comments

He has won more Wimbledon singles titles than Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe combined, and yet you have probably never heard of him. Because you don't care about croquet. [more inside]
posted by twoleftfeet at 3:08 AM PST - 34 comments

Everyone knows that correlation doesn't imply causation, but researchers invariably need to come up with plausible explanations (i.e., models) for the patterns found in their data. However, very different models can "explain" the same pattern. The books The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It and Wars, Guns and Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places by Oxford economist Paul Collier try to explain why some countries have remained poor using data from econometric studies. In his very interesting review (PDF), Mike McGovern, a political anthropologist at Yale, critiques the types of explanations found in popular economics books. Statistician Andrew Gelman has further thoughts on descriptive statistics, causal inference, and story time.
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 12:27 AM PST - 59 comments

Wood Tape. As told by Scott Nesin, of GamesByEmail. Drawings by Guy Nesin.
posted by SpacemanStix at 12:23 AM PST - 30 comments

Dangerous When Provoked Pt. I | II | III | IV | V is a documentary about Canadian editorial cartoonist and Order of Canada recipient Terry Mosher, also known by his pen name Aislin.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:57 PM PST - 4 comments

Computer Gets 33% Better at Playing Civilization, By Reading the Manual: An MIT experiment has apparently succeeded in getting a computer to learn from human-readable, English-language text, the computer extrapolating useful strategies and tactics from an instruction manual so effectively as to dramatically increase its victory ratio in the Sid Meier universe. Via io9.
posted by darth_tedious at 11:47 PM PST - 64 comments

Audio Noir offers a continuous stream of classic radio crime dramas, including Johnny Dollar, Broadway Is My Beat, and Dragnet.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 10:47 PM PST - 14 comments

PR Industry Fills Vacuum Left by Shrinking Newsrooms - "You would go into these hearings and there would be more PR people representing these big players than there were reporters, sometimes by a factor of two or three" ..it's getting tougher to know when a storyline originates with a self-interested party producing its own story.
posted by thisisdrew at 10:47 PM PST - 43 comments

A book recommendation by Mr. O'Brian (previously); the Chapman translation of the Iliad. The same book that guided William Shakespear in writing Troilus and Cressida. [more inside]
posted by Binliner at 8:50 PM PST - 22 comments

Still, Expo is regarded as the best world's fair ever. Its success changed the world's view of Canada, and more importantly, it changed the way Canadians viewed themselves. For the first time the country basked in the pride and the glory of its talents and accomplishments. A nation had come of age. (previously) [more inside]
posted by Trurl at 8:20 PM PST - 42 comments

Well basically, it's men in thong underpants dancing. And they have eagle heads. And... OK, I don't know either, but I can't stop watching it. SLYT. NSFW, life, sanity.
posted by louche mustachio at 8:10 PM PST - 68 comments

The way to make a very secure lock for your bike. Auf Deutsch, but the working of the device is clear. Webpage for the invention, Google Translated, apparently with a parts list.
posted by hippybear at 8:07 PM PST - 46 comments

30 years ago this summer Ronald Reagan was president, Raiders of the Lost Ark hit the theaters, and Nintendo launched Donkey Kong. [more inside]
posted by FfejL at 6:57 PM PST - 39 comments

"Writing about metaphor is dancing with your conceptual clothes off, the innards of your language exposed by equipment more powerful than anything operated by the TSA. Still, one would be a rabbit not to do it in a world where metaphor is now top dog, at least among revived rhetorical devices with philosophical appeal." [What's a Metaphor For?]
posted by vidur at 6:38 PM PST - 19 comments

OK, so you've partly written a novel, but you're having trouble finishing the damn thing. What to do? Summon stamina, press on, and be proud of your literary success? Or, post your abandonment for all the world to see! Ladies and gentlemen, a place for your unfini--
posted by anothermug at 5:09 PM PST - 39 comments

Muppets: The Green Album is being released on August 23rd and the new movie on November 23rd, but if you need your fix, here's a taste: My Morning Jacket covering "Our World" from Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. [more inside]
posted by Muddler at 3:27 PM PST - 29 comments

Jeff Stone, a politician from Riverside County, wants 13 conservative Southern California counties to secede and become the country's 51st state.
posted by reenum at 3:14 PM PST - 153 comments

An Ontario Family Court judge was not very happy with the parties involved in a divorce case [PDF] before him.
posted by Chrysostom at 3:01 PM PST - 84 comments

An English couple weds in a Colonial Africa themed wedding in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.
posted by illenion at 2:56 PM PST - 209 comments

Wanna Buy a Record?

A 1951 promotional film in which Mel Blanc takes Billy May on a tour of the Capitol Records studio on Melrose (followed by the somewhat less glamorous Scranton pressing plant) in an attempt to convince him that 85 cents is not too much to charge for a record. [SLYT] [more inside]
posted by mintcake! at 2:53 PM PST - 13 comments

Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford--model, dancer, feminist, founder of one of the best-known substance abuse recovery centers in the world, and former First Lady of the United States--died Friday, July 8, at the age of 93. [more inside]
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:38 PM PST - 24 comments

Physicist Freeman Dyson reviews two new books about Richard Feynman, one about the science and one in graphic novel form.

He never showed the slightest resentment when I published some of his ideas before he did. He told me that he avoided disputes about priority in science by following a simple rule: "Always give the bastards more credit than they deserve." I have followed this rule myself. I find it remarkably effective for avoiding quarrels and making friends. A generous sharing of credit is the quickest way to build a healthy scientific community.

(previously, previously, and probably in the future, but not predictably so.
posted by cogneuro at 1:40 PM PST - 20 comments

Getting Away with Torture. "Overwhelming evidence of torture by the Bush administration obliges President Barack Obama to order a criminal investigation into allegations of detainee abuse authorized by former President George W. Bush and other senior officials, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Obama administration has failed to meet US obligations under the Convention against Torture to investigate acts of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees." [more inside]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 12:07 PM PST - 63 comments

Plot Device - A man obtains a device that makes life more like the movies (SLVP)
posted by The Whelk at 12:00 PM PST - 16 comments

A shot-by-shot remake of the opening sequence of The Prisoner is the video the first song of seventeen planned tunes by Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, all based on episodes of the cult spy-fi series. You can compare the video and the sequence from the series by screenshot or with a picture-in-picture video. The Prisoner, previously, previouslier, still previouslier, previousliest.
posted by immlass at 11:43 AM PST - 54 comments

"I knew that by assembling seven different people and forcing them to live together, the show would have great philosophical implications". Television genius Sherwood Schwartz, dies at 94.
posted by mazola at 11:10 AM PST - 81 comments

When American Tyler Farrar symbolically claimed America's first stage win on the 4th of July, he dedicated his achievement to the memory of his best friend, Wouter Weylandt, whose tragic crash just two months ago left many questioning whether modern cycling had become too dangerous for today's professional riders (previously). They may have found their answer in Sunday's Stage 9 of what is now being dubbed by many the "Tour de Crash". [more inside]
posted by misha at 10:53 AM PST - 81 comments

Metro 2033: Multimedia Online Fiction. Cruel but beautiful Russian shooter Metro 2033 and its upcoming sequel, Metro: Last Light are arguably two of the most polished games to come out of a country better known for the buggy, idiosyncratic work of GSC Game World and Ice-Pick Lodge. Less well-known is the games' source material, a self-published, soundtrack-backed online novel of the same name (warning: Russian).
posted by Tubalcain at 10:30 AM PST - 18 comments

Words and Music. The staff at Pitchfork list their favorite books about music. [more inside]
posted by rocket88 at 9:56 AM PST - 56 comments

Freshly hatched at London's Natural History Museum - a gynandromorph butterfly. [more inside]
posted by FatherDagon at 9:49 AM PST - 31 comments

Adler Planetarium, founded in 1930, was the first planetarium in the western hemisphere, and is a US national monument. Until recently, the planetarium was run with a Zeiss Projector (Mark IV) that was around 40 years old. The proposed upgrade was controversial in the 2008 presidential elections, as $3 million in federal funding was earmarked for the $14 million project. In the end, the high-tech projection system was funded. The result: the world's most advanced planetarium system, with a 64 megapixel resolution display, provided by 20 individually modified projectors, 42 GPUs and run with the help of 84 servers. And it can be controlled from an iPad or X-Box controller.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:54 AM PST - 29 comments

100 Firefights, Three Weeks: Inside Afghanistan's Most Insane Fight

"In its first three weeks in Afghanistan’s Sangin district, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines got into more than 100 firefights and sustained 62 casualties. The insurgents managed to negate the Marines’ night-vision gear, and rendered their traditional close-combat tactics useless. Things got so bad, the 3/5’s superior officers even suggested pulling their troops back. That didn’t happen. Instead, the 3/5 went after the militants, hard. When the 3/5 came home, they told counterinsurgency historian Mark Moyar all about their deeply unconventional approach to what was already an unconventional war."

This is an excerpt in Wired of Moyar’s 74-page after action report. (pdf) [more inside]
posted by zarq at 8:52 AM PST - 21 comments

The 10 Most Insane Jimmy Olsen Moments of All Time!
posted by Fizz at 8:39 AM PST - 60 comments

Sunscreen: Are you really covered? from WebMD. Debunking the most common myths about sunscreen. [more inside]
posted by blue_beetle at 7:49 AM PST - 79 comments

Welcome to Quartzite, Arizona, where nothing really happens. Oh, except for this. [more inside]
posted by jadayne at 7:42 AM PST - 62 comments

What becomes of your yoga when you are forbidden to do asana? "My chiropractor gave me the ultimate prescription: no asana. Since my practice inspires my teaching, I cut back on my teaching as well, only offering one super gentle community class and working with a few private students. (...) I’ve been in a place of inquiry: What is my practice? What does asana mean to me? What is yoga?"
posted by amusem at 7:38 AM PST - 65 comments

Dog and Deco. My name is Pickles McConchie. I’m a 15 year old Art Deco and camera loving Terrier from Scotland. I like to travel the country with my bitch and pose in front of art deco factories and industrial buildings from the 1920s, 30s and 40s, as well as other twentieth century architectural gems.
posted by The Discredited Ape at 6:34 AM PST - 12 comments

VR Panorama of the Space Shuttle Discovery's flight deck
posted by bitmage at 6:29 AM PST - 30 comments

Russian divers working for the Orda Cave Awareness Project have revealed stunning images of the world's longest underwater cave.
posted by bwg at 5:34 AM PST - 37 comments

Monster Shack is a b-movie review site that also contains an extensive collection of classic movie posters, old news reel reviews and an Atari shrine.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 10:29 PM PST - 15 comments

Fives is a handball sport of British origin. One of the major types, Eton fives, is played in an area which is a replica of one of the bays of Eton College Chapel. Eton fives is exclusively a doubles game, but other versions, such as Rugby fives, can be played as singles. Eton fives is commonly played by public school boys in Britain, but is very popular with ordinary people in Nigeria.
posted by winna at 10:13 PM PST - 25 comments

Public interests will be harmed absent requiring defendants to make available unencrypted contents in circumstances like these. Failing to compel Ms. Fricosu amounts to a concession to her and potential criminals (be it in child exploitation, national security, terrorism, financial crimes or drug trafficking cases) that encrypting all inculpatory digital evidence will serve to defeat the efforts of law enforcement officers to obtain such evidence through judicially authorized search warrants, and thus make their prosecution impossible.

The "if you were innocent, you'd have nothing to hide" argument rears its head, in a big way. [more inside]
posted by fifthrider at 9:24 PM PST - 210 comments

Clean Energy Future . Australia has embarked on a tradeable carbon permit system, covering about 60% of emissions, beginning on 1 July 2012, and mixing in substantial progressive tax reform, putting a line under a very long debate on this matter indeed.
posted by wilful at 9:05 PM PST - 99 comments

What’s interesting is that over 20 years before sparklines came on the scene, Tufte developed a different type of data visualization that didn’t fare nearly as well. To date, in fact, I’ve only been able to find three examples of it, and even they aren’t completely in line with his vision.

Edward Tufte's slopegraphs.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 8:51 PM PST - 16 comments

[Michelangelo Antonioni's Chung Kuo] as a documentary film was one which was draped with fascination for both filmmakers as well as an audience, rather than championing anti-whatever sentiments from either side of the world. Not having seen many movies, either features, shorts or documentaries made during the Cultural Revolution era or about that era in question (propaganda included), I think this Antonioni film has more than made its mark as a definitive documentary that anyone curious about the life of the time, would find it a gem to sit through.
posted by Trurl at 7:53 PM PST - 3 comments

Kid's reaction to meeting a gay couple for the first time. (slyt)
posted by phunniemee at 7:22 PM PST - 99 comments

"The man in the saffron robe accompanying Catherine to her starting point is a witch doctor who's modernized. Under his robe he's got a jazz trumpet. He's going to blow a magic cadenza or two to bless her on her way"

...one of the ancient burial chambers of the Tellen Pygmies; although some of the skeletons she notes are more recent than that, the sort of place for a failed freestyle climber, perhaps."

Catherine Destivelle's gravity-defying freeclimb of Mali's Bandyagara (SLYT)
posted by obscurator at 7:15 PM PST - 36 comments

Gospel singer Herman Cain's album "Sunday Morning" is now available online. In the fifteen years since the album was originally released the singer and baptist preacher has also found success in the business world, broadcasting, and politics.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 5:33 PM PST - 11 comments

In-depth pieces in Vanity Fair and Wired detail the structure and impact of the Stuxnet worm, and what it means for the future of cybersecurity. (Previously)
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:15 PM PST - 43 comments

Cats are apparently the culprits behind several avian extinctions worldwide. So, are cats bad for the environment?
posted by peripathetic at 5:00 PM PST - 132 comments

Debate in Toronto over presence of religion (and sexism?) in public schools Toronto's Valley Park Middle School exposes flaws of religious accommodation? A photo from the Toronto Star of Muslim Middle school student's praying during school sets off Canadian news journalists and religous groups. [more inside]
posted by devonia at 3:43 PM PST - 109 comments

After Kad & Olivier sign off and the Satisfaction production logo fades, viewing audiences are oftentimes treated to a cold open of an empty talk show set... one that quickly becomes the impromptu dance floor for a shameless Frenchman making an absolute giddy fool of himself while lip-syncing pop songs alongside a menagerie of... wait, *what*?! That's right. The Late Late Show's Craig Ferguson appears to have a not-so-secret French admirer -- one who's not above ripping off both his opening titles and his signature dance sequences (including the iconic animal puppets): "ABC" by The Jackson 5, "Flashdance" by Irene Cara, "On the Floor" by Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull, "Waka Waka" by Shakira, "Men in Black" by Will Smith, "Let's All Chant" by the Michael Zager Band, "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham!, "It's Raining Men" by The Weather Girls, and "Vive Le Vent (Jingle Bells)" by Tino Rossi. Luckily, Ferguson's sense of showmanship is more prodigious than litigious -- he responded to Arthur's "homáge" by booking a pair of translatlantic crossover shows, with Arthur visiting LA that week and Ferguson flying out to Paris just last month. Video of both shows (plus lots more) inside! [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi at 3:42 PM PST - 12 comments

Scott Newman's Jazz Age Chicago is a guide to every major movie theater, department store, sporting arena, amusement park, grand hotel and dance hall that operated in the Windy City during the 1920s.
posted by Iridic at 2:54 PM PST - 13 comments

The last Space Shuttle launch, as seen from a students' Space Balloon with the help of Quest For Stars (caution: auto playing YouTube video) and NASA. That is all.
posted by dry white toast at 1:31 PM PST - 20 comments

How about a game of golf on Saturn's moons?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 1:27 PM PST - 13 comments

The participants in the Stanford Prison Experiment are revisited 40 years after their experience.
posted by reenum at 1:05 PM PST - 55 comments

If we have, at the back of our minds, a stereotype of the censor or the censor type, it is probably of some nondescript male bureaucrat who comes to work punctually at 8:30 in the morning, locks his office door behind him, and spends the day going through piles of books, underlining dirty passages in red ink and stamping pass or fail on the cover, or else pouring over strips of film with scissors at the ready, ready to snip out images of breasts and bums, who, when the clock at last strikes 5:00, emerges into the daylight, catches the bus home to some anonymous suburb and spends the evening watching reruns of sitcoms on television before donning his pajamas and falling into a dreamless sleep. Or if we're thinking not of full time censors, people who dedicate their professional lives to the business of censoring, but of part time censors, people who like to do a bit of censoring on the side, then we might imagine that retired teachers, clergymen and moral busybodies in general would be attracted to the craft. But the records of the South African system don't quite fit the stereotype.

- J. M. Coetzee, Nobel laureate author, speaks at his alma mater University of Texas Austin about his experiences with censorship in his native South Africa during apartheid. Coetzee mentions this essay he wrote about his time at UT Austin and a book he wrote on censorship, here's the preface to it.
posted by Kattullus at 10:59 AM PST - 12 comments

The housing bubble was the last chance most middle-class families saw for grasping the brass ring. Working hard didn’t pay off. Investing in the stock market was a sucker’s bet. But the housing bubble allowed middle-class families to dream again and more importantly to keep spending as if they were getting a big fat raise every year. - How the Bubble Destroyed the Middle Class
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:21 AM PST - 199 comments

"FINALLY, we get some evidence that the Ghost x DOOM project actually exists." [more inside]
posted by functionequalsform at 10:17 AM PST - 17 comments

The Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Paul Ford. When it comes to IVF, in-vitro fertilization, nothing is normal. Your world is upside-down. Your doctor compliments your wife on her monkeys. Then, when every dollar and exertion has gone toward a single hour of hope, it begins to snow.
posted by foggy out there now at 9:57 AM PST - 93 comments

"I've had enough; maybe I'll be seeing you around. Make it a great party." Ten years ago today, Dutch rock'n'roll junkie Herman Brood stepped out of this world. Brood was The Netherlands' only legitimate rock and roll icon, as well as an accomplished visual artist, and the country's most famous hard drug user -- which may have sabotaged his American breakthrough. Black Francis made an album (turned into a musical) in his honor. You can study to be a rock star at the Herman Brood Academie. His bronze bust in his (and mine) hometown Zwolle has been moved to keep it safe from copper thieves.
posted by monospace at 9:38 AM PST - 15 comments

100 Dead, Many Children, in Boat Sinking in Russia [more inside]
posted by mooselini at 9:34 AM PST - 21 comments

Hell yeah, let's launch some ships. SLYT.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:11 AM PST - 23 comments

"Just as the watchword of my generation was freedom, that of my daughter’s generation seems to be control." Erica Jong finds a lack of passion in the longings of 20- and 30-somethings. Her claim is that internet porn and motherhood have replaced the quest for free love initiated by Boomer feminists. Sex educator Violet Blue (both links potentially NSFW) disagrees. Rosie Grey concurs in the Village Voice.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 8:19 AM PST - 130 comments

55 Fiction is a form of microfiction with a few rules, including a limitation to 55 words. Started as contest in a local San Luis Obispo, California alt-weekly paper in 1987, the contest has since been replicated elsewhere, including two related books (Google books previews) and two unrelated websites. The latest contest is now done. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 8:14 AM PST - 33 comments

Unlikely encounters between famous people is the subject of this tumblr. E.g. Samuel Beckett drives Andre the Giant to school, Janis Joplin has a blind date with future drug czar William Bennett,, or the previously noted meeting between Rosalynn Carter and John Wayne Gacy.
posted by Obscure Reference at 8:10 AM PST - 26 comments

Odessa, Texas, may be best known for its Permian Panthers high school football team. Their 1988 season was chronicled H. G. Bissinger's non-fiction book Friday Night Lights, which in turn inspired a movie and a tv show. But in 2010, it was another Permian Panthers -- the school's lesser-known basketball team -- that received media attention when it came to light that their star point guard, 16-year-old Jerry Joseph, was in fact a twentytwo-year-old man named Guerdwich Montimere. Now Montimere is facing up to twenty years in jail, but not for lying about his age on the basketball court. During his time at Permian High, he had sex with a fifteen-year-old girl.
posted by Georgina at 7:57 AM PST - 40 comments

How I Went Undercover at Bachmann's Clinic: Truth Wins Out (or TWO) activist John Becker took a hidden camera with him to five therapy sessions at a Christian counseling center run by Marcus Bachmann. Meanwhile, QUEERTY debates whether making fun of Mr. Bachmann's own decidedly "gay-sounding" voice (and theoretical repressed-gay tendencies) is fair game, or whether it counts as homophobic bullying.
posted by hermitosis at 7:35 AM PST - 137 comments

Impasse is a simple flash-based puzzle game that involves getting your object from point A to B.
Notes:

Levels you complete can be scrolled through using "x" to move to the next level and "d" to return the level select button to the first level.

The browser saves your progress, so you can close your tab/browser and return to it later.

posted by lemuring at 7:30 AM PST - 19 comments

The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment: Evidence from the First Year (or, What Happens When You Give Poor People Health Insurance?) "We find that in this first year, the treatment group had substantively and statistically significantly higher health care utilization (including primary and preventive care as well as hospitalizations), lower out-of-pocket medical expenditures and medical debt (including fewer bills sent to collection), and better self-reported physical and mental health than the control group." [more inside]
posted by OmieWise at 6:50 AM PST - 65 comments

Icebreaker: one mouse click at the right moment makes the guy in the suit punch the ice wall and break through. Punching at the wrong moment? Not so good. But funny.
posted by bwg at 4:44 AM PST - 31 comments

In 1989, Eric Holmberg and The Apologetics Group/Reel to Real Ministries released "Hell's Bells: The Dangers of Rock and Roll" [more inside]
posted by dubold at 4:36 AM PST - 57 comments

A dramatic and shocking demonstration of how your brain gets fooled to see something that is not there because of your biases, prejudices and expectations.
posted by pharm at 3:11 AM PST - 63 comments

Spanish police are investigating the disappearance of the Codex Calixtinus, a valuable 12th century manuscript [PDFs], from the Santiago de Compostela cathedral in Galicia. The manuscript is a collection of sermons and liturgical texts and served as a guide for the historical Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, which dates back to the Middle Ages. More images of the book here [Spanish].
posted by chavenet at 2:39 AM PST - 22 comments

Team RoMeLa (Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory) of Virginia Tech has won first place in the KidSize and AdultSize divisions of the humanoid league of the RoboCup 2011 robotic soccer competition. RoMeLa’s team of DARwIn (Dynamic Anthropomorphic Robot with Intelligence) humanoids defeated last year’s champs, the Darmstadt Dribblers, in the semi-finals on the way to victory in the finals of the KidSize division. Meanwhile, RoMeLa’s CHARLI took first place in the riveting Dribble & Kick AdultSize Final (slyt). [more inside]
posted by troll at 1:16 AM PST - 4 comments

Bill Simmons - If I Ruled the (NBA) World [more inside]
posted by beisny at 11:23 PM PST - 31 comments

Influential Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan's 100th birthday would be on July 21st. To celebrate, Australian national broadcaster ABC has launched The McLuhan Project. It includes rare footage, an interactive timeline of his life, and the Tweet like McLuhan project.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:20 PM PST - 32 comments

Mark Ames delves into the FBI documentation on surveillance of the Yippies and dredges up the anti-capitalist core of 60's radicalism.
posted by clarknova at 8:53 PM PST - 28 comments

For nearly 2 years now, Manchester band WU LYF (World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation) has been experimenting with music and the presentation of their image. The group's official website *autoplay on front page* is an assaulting mix of manifesto, art project, and promotion. What started as the intention to have a faceless band quickly gave way to the huge appeal of interesting music, and the band started taking a new approach and taking off the masks. A weird blend of atmospheric indie rock, blues-informed vocals, vaguely political messages, and British soul music, all strangely influenced by American hip hop, makes WU LYF easy pickings for best of the (music) web.
posted by broadway bill at 8:02 PM PST - 26 comments

The Mad Music Archive and the Colorectal Surgeon Song as gelotological recommendations | Gelotology.com | Laugh Sounds | Laughter and the Brain | Gelotology: A laughing matter | Gelotology, the study of laughter | The Science of Laughter | What’s So Funny? Well, Maybe Nothing | The science of laughter - Humour may play a vital role in children's development, reports Alastair Clarke. [more inside]
posted by nickyskye at 6:42 PM PST - 4 comments

YouMakeMeSoHappy is the blog of net-artist Nicolas Sassoon. His work features a minimalist, abstract and low-fidelity aesthetic, combining simple shapes and patterns in animations to produce stunning results. _{Warning: some flashing lights contained in these links.} [more inside]
posted by codacorolla at 6:25 PM PST - 9 comments

Sheila Bair just stepped down from leading the FDIC, and has a sad, sordid story to tell . As head of the FDIC, her attempts to correct the imbalances which led to the financial crash were repeatedly ignored. [more inside]
posted by Coventry at 5:59 PM PST - 64 comments

Your Paintings a joint initiative between the BBC, the Public Catalogue Foundation and participating collections and museums from across the UK, is a website which aims to show the entire UK national collection of oil paintings, the stories behind the paintings, and where to see them for real. It is made up of paintings from thousands of museums and other public institutions around the country. Currently the archive contains 63,000 of the approximately 200,000 publically-owned artworks that make up the national collection. [more inside]
posted by dng at 2:35 PM PST - 12 comments

Over 143 episodes of audio, Mike Duncan has covered the founding of Rome through the Crisis of the Third Century in his History of Rome podcast [previously], having now reached the last pagan Emperor, Julian The Apostate. Enlivened by drawing on comparisons to popular culture, from The Empire Strikes Back (when Hannibal makes his appearance) to The Godfather (as a metaphor for Rome's social client system), Mr Duncan's work makes for fun, informative 25-minute sessions with the greatest empire of the ancient western world. If you're interested in more, the podcasts could be handily supplemented with... [more inside]
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 2:32 PM PST - 42 comments

Leon Panetta says U.S. is "within reach" of defeating Al Qaeda. (Video, AP)
posted by 4ster at 2:02 PM PST - 90 comments

Sam and Bethany Torode published a book in 2002 called Open Embrace: A Protestant Couple Rethinks Conception, a book that captured the growing movement among conservative Protestant Christians toward the use of natural family planning. In 2006, the Torodes' announced their perspective had changed slightly (Archive.org capture of full statement). In 2009, the Torodes divorced. Bethany is now writing candidly about her life as a single mother with 4 children on her blog, In Full Bloom. Sam recently published a novel called The Dirty Parts of the Bible.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:36 PM PST - 130 comments

Frank Lindh, father of 'American Taliban' John Walker Lindh, explains why his son is an innocent victim of America's 'war on terror'
posted by MighstAllCruckingFighty at 11:18 AM PST - 110 comments

Typeface based on sculpture becomes motorized sculpture. The (European) typeface Jigsaw, “which was inspired by sculpture,” finds a use in typesetting the names of donors to a (U.S.) regional arts council. “A motorized disk contains approximately 2,000 names.... Pushing an initial letter on the control panel allows the viewer to find a particular name. The disk rotates and stops at the requested letter and displays all the names corresponding to the requested letter by backlighting them with white LEDs.” (Gallery; Vimeo video.) [more inside]
posted by joeclark at 10:11 AM PST - 12 comments

Tomorrow evening, at roughly 9:50 in the evening GMT, marks the first anniversary (more or less) of the discovery of Neptune.
posted by Dim Siawns at 9:56 AM PST - 35 comments

Joseph Mitchell was a reporter. It's tempting to say his beat was the waterfront, but though he's certainly the poet laureate of the Fulton Fish Market, this would be too literal-minded and geographically limiting. His beat was the margins, including the metaphysical margin of life itself. Mitchell invented a temporal dimension for his stories, a strange and twilit place—Mitchell Time—where a density of historical fact and the feeling of whole eras fading from view are sharply juxtaposed with scenes of cinematic immediacy related in the present tense. A cozy aura of death pervades his work, which often features oldsters experiencing the chilling fear of its approach while gleefully playing hide-and-seek with the reaper. - The Village Voice [more inside]
posted by Trurl at 9:44 AM PST - 6 comments

In 1943 the Army Corps of Engineers approved construction of a 200-acre scale model replicating the Mississippi River and its major tributaries — the Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri Rivers — encompassing 41 percent of the land area of the United States and 15,000 miles of river.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:11 AM PST - 27 comments

"Magnificent and Weird Trees" Also see, Living, Growing Architecture.
posted by zarq at 8:20 AM PST - 18 comments

Book Blogs Search Engine: "Looking for reviews of a book by real-life book bloggers? Tired of sifting through corporate sites in your regular Google search results? That’s why I created the Book Blogs custom search engine – all book bloggers, all the time! Whether you’re looking for other non-commercial reviews of a book you’ve just read, or want real readers’ opinions on a new book you’re considering, this is the place." If you want to include your book blog in the search engine, leave a comment at this link.
posted by Fizz at 7:26 AM PST - 3 comments

Robin's Holiest of Holies [more inside]
posted by lemuring at 4:55 AM PST - 19 comments

“Highbrow critics talk in ornate polysyllables about the ingenuity and art of the German filmmakers. If they condescended to witness the nonsensical genius of a Charley Bowers comedy they could drool dictionaries.” Educational Pictures Press Book for THERE IT IS, January 23, 1928

Charley Bowers is a genius of silent film and animation that never got the level of attention of his peers Buster Keaton or the Fleischer Brothers. You'll have to search hard to find him in film literature. But watching his work—as a bird lays a Ford Model T or a scruffy ghost tortures a Scotsman and his insect sidekick—you can see the inspiration for the later sight gags of Ernie Kovacs, the visual non sequiturs of Looney Toons, the cut paper trickery of Terry Gilliam and surrealist Andre Breton citing one of Bowers' shorts as the most influential film of 1937. [more inside]
posted by Gucky at 12:44 AM PST - 18 comments

Toe Wrestling Is Like Arm Wrestling, But With Toes
posted by Confess, Fletch at 8:30 PM PST - 17 comments

Four years ago, Katie Davis was homecoming queen at her high school in Brentwood, Tenn. She had a yellow convertible and planned to study nursing in college. But those plans changed just a little.Today, she's in Uganda, sharing her home with 13 orphaned or abandoned girls, ages 2 to 15.(second link has sound)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 7:37 PM PST - 221 comments

Various Neutral Milk Hotel Covers. They'll probably make you want to listen to "Aeroplane" again. Some with better sound quality than others. Not all are all that great but there are some neat gems in there. Enjoy!
posted by fantodstic at 2:12 PM PST - 41 comments

The Art of Madeline von Foerster (nsfw). [more inside]
posted by homunculus at 12:15 PM PST - 14 comments

The 1950s Called, and They Want Their Transportation Bill Back. "While the bill’s summary lists few specific programs that would be cut, Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) announced in a press conference Thursday that the bill will eliminate funding for several bicycle, pedestrian and transit programs, including Transportation Enhancements, the Recreational Trails Program and Safe Routes to School." League of American Cyclists: "James Inhofe (R-OK), the lead Republican negotiator on the transportation bill, declared that one of his top three priorities for the transportation bill is to eliminate ‘frivolous spending for bike trails.’ " [more inside]
posted by inkyroom at 12:07 PM PST - 115 comments

Neighbor vs. neighbor as homeowner fights get ugly. 'As more are unable to pay homeowners' fees, associations pit neighbor against neighbor'. Today, one in five U.S. homeowners is subject to the will of the homeowners' association, whose boards oversee 24.4 million homes. More than 80 percent of newly constructed homes in the U.S are in association communities. And of the nation's 300,000 homeowners' associations, more than 50 percent now face "serious financial problems," according to a September survey by the Community Association Institute. An October survey found that 65 percent of homeowners' associations have delinquency rates higher than 5 percent, up from 19 percent of associations in 2005.' [more inside]
posted by VikingSword at 12:04 PM PST - 166 comments

"But it is the worry that the key source of corporate profitability — Chinese labor — may no longer be docile and cheap for much longer that mainly nags at the country's corporate guests as well as its rising capitalist class. And many fear that the very ruthlessness that Zizek talks about — the iron fist that the Chinese state has deployed over the last three decades in order to achieve the unbeatable 'China price' — has become a central part of the problem."
posted by notion at 11:53 AM PST - 30 comments

Tennis at San Quentin [more inside]
posted by Ideefixe at 10:04 AM PST - 18 comments

"The story begins unambiguously. A group of IBMers, working on a secret project to build a personal computer, flew to Seattle in August, 1980, to see if [Bill] Gates could supply them with an operating system. He couldn't -- and referred them to [Gary] Kildall [of Digital Research Inc.] When they showed up at DRI's offices the next day ... the company's business manager ... refused to sign their nondisclosure agreement.... [IBM] did get together with Kildall ... a short time later, but they couldn't reach an agreement. At around the same time, [IBM] saw Gates again. [IBM] and Gates both knew of the operating system [Tim] Paterson had built at Seattle Computer Co.... "Gates said: 'Do you want to get [QDOS], or do you want me to?' [IBM] said: 'By all means, you get it."' Gates bought Paterson's program, called QDOS, for $50,000, renamed it DOS, improved it, and licensed it to IBM for a low per-copy royalty fee."

Tim Paterson, the man who created DOS, the operating system that dominated the computer industry between 1981 and 2000, has an occasional blog that provides a fascinating history of the microcomputer industry: Is DOS a Rip-Off of CP/M?; The Contributions of CP/M; Design of DOS; The First DOS Machine; IBM PC Design Antics; and All Those Floppy Disk Formats…
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 8:40 AM PST - 77 comments

For fans of gaming and pure delight: Katmari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi has joined the team behind the upcoming Glitch, from the makers of Flickr (and Game Neverending!) [more inside]
posted by KatlaDragon at 7:52 AM PST - 23 comments

The Sierra Network - later the ImagiNation Network - was a gaming and chat service for PCs started by Sierra On-Line in 1991 and shut down by AOL in 1998. [more inside]
posted by curious nu at 7:21 AM PST - 16 comments

But I kept all of my gay theology books hidden in a box in the top of my closet, and I tore the book covers off in case someone should walk in while I was reading them. Gay man leaves fundamentalism, finds alcoholism, and is rescued by Anglicanism.
posted by newrambler at 6:03 AM PST - 50 comments

Teller speaks! About the psychology of how magic works. Absolutely fascinating. [slyt]
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:13 AM PST - 53 comments

Cabaret's Don't Tell Momma performed by a young Judi Dench, or by Molly Ringwald, or Chris Moore, but what would she want with me?
posted by The Whelk at 12:33 AM PST - 21 comments

HealtH (1980) [part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] was the film which ended Robert Altman’s relationship with Twentieth Century Fox, the studio for whom he had made M*A*S*H. ... During the editing of the film Altman’s main supporter, Alan Ladd Jr., left the studio and release was shelved. Altman distributed the film himself to the festival circuit. ... But it has never been released on VHS, DVD or BluRay and thus remains one of the least seen of Altman’s ouvre. This is unfortunate as it is a very entertaining film, even if it falls short of its ambitions as a political satire. Ronald Reagan disagreed - calling it "the world's worst movie".
posted by Trurl at 11:27 PM PST - 18 comments

On July 5th the SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured video of a comet, known as a sungrazer, in route to collide with our star. SOHO is equipped with an occluding coronograph that blocks direct sunlight and reveals the corona, but also prevents direct study of the terminal impact of sungrazers. But on July 6th, with the help of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), astronomers were able to observe the comet (slyt) streaking in front of the surface of the sun for the first time in history. It likely disintegrated before impact due to extreme heat and radiation.
posted by troll at 10:42 PM PST - 18 comments

Babies laughing at being sprayed with water | babysitter kitteh | baby loves Bon Jovi| heavy metal lullaby | Oh baby...President Obama. [more inside]
posted by nickyskye at 10:16 PM PST - 38 comments

Why I Quit My Job Kai Nagata on why he just quit his job as CTV's Quebec City bureau chief at age 24: a critique of Canadian government and media.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 8:05 PM PST - 68 comments

Have you ever tried to raise seamonkeys? 54 percent of atheists think people on a date should split the costs, compared with 29 percent of people in general. In general, 62 percent of people like spicy food. But among those who think flag burning should be illegal, 78 percent like spicy food. 61 percent of people who filter their tap water prefer credit cards over debit cards, compared with 43 percent of people in general.
posted by Brian B. at 6:05 PM PST - 78 comments

The Illuminated Mixtapes — a running series of playlists for streaming, with hand illustrated covers for each one. Some nice background music while enjoying your MeFi.
posted by netbros at 5:13 PM PST - 14 comments

Jason Zinoman, author of the newly-published Shock Value, a study of horror films from the late 1960s/early 1970s, presents a four-part essay in which he diagnoses the ills of the modern horror film and presents a few solutions. (1 2 3 4) [more inside]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:27 PM PST - 39 comments

Flash Friday: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Story of the Blanks. A retro-themed game mixing sweetness with...uh, something unexpected. Suffice it to say, Applebloom and Twilight Sparkle will be in for a surprise. After all, it's not as if Zecora didn't try to tell them...via
posted by Smart Dalek at 2:56 PM PST - 22 comments

NOON, 22ND CENTURY. The research vessel Pegasus is getting ready for liftoff from a spaceport near Moscow. Its small crew of three comprises interplanetary zoologist Dr. Seleznev, his adventurous nine-year-old daughter Alisa, and the terminally pessimistic Captain Zeleny. As they search for rare animal specimens to expand the Moscow zoo's collection, they will discover which of the ferocious tigerat's two tails is longer, save a planet of robots from a paralyzing epidemic, and deliver a modestly sized birthday cake. [more inside]
posted by Nomyte at 2:18 PM PST - 24 comments

Languages of the World (Wide Web) — Google researchers graph cross-language links on the web, and "see a surprisingly clear map of Europe and Asia"
posted by blasdelf at 2:13 PM PST - 24 comments

There are precious few 7-footers that can turn into a jump hook while chewing gum at the same time, much less make a living out of it on the pro level. Yet, there Yao was. And he would have been there, even if he was 6 inches shorter than his 7-6 frame. Maybe if it weren't for those extra 6 inches, he and his Rockets would have played into the conference finals last spring. Yao Ming Retires from the NBA. [more inside]
posted by auto-correct at 1:43 PM PST - 40 comments

SynthMania - The internet premiere resource for keyboardists [more inside]
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:03 PM PST - 18 comments

Bill Drummond, best known as co-founder of the KLF, writes about his slow infatuation with damsons.
posted by rollick at 12:16 PM PST - 32 comments

Hidden Tunnels, Bugs, and Bigamy: A Strange and True D.C. Story: "Reports indicated that the tunnels were long and extensive – that they may have reached as far as Rock Creek Park. Some electric lighting was discovered inside. For days, wild theories abounded – was it a Confederate soldier hideout? A stop on the Underground Railroad? A liquor depot for bootleggers? A counterfeiter’s lair? Or maybe a secret laboratory for 'Dr. Otto von Golph’s' experiments?

None of the above." [more inside]
posted by codacorolla at 11:53 AM PST - 41 comments

Artist François Abelanet has transformed the courtyard in front of Paris' City Hall into "a new masterpiece of Land Art," on display until July 15. Who To Believe? is a giant, living anamorphosis -- a three-dimensional optical illusion that requires the viewer to stand at a specific vantage point to truly appreciate the work. [more inside]
posted by bayani at 11:33 AM PST - 7 comments

What Do You Do When Your Only Online Identity is a Pseudonym? In a move reminiscent of recent Facebook purges, a well-known Second Life user (whose only online presence is pseudonymous) finds his new Google+ account deleted, allegedly for not being a real person. Whether this move is directly related to the limited-beta status of Google+ or not, questions remain for those who have been 'unpersoned' by Facebook and hopeful that Google's laissez-faire attitude toward personal identification would make G+ a friendlier environment - particularly given Google's encouragement - as recently as February of this year - to "be who you want to be" when using Google services.
posted by tpoh.org at 11:21 AM PST - 188 comments

Comedian Louis CK on the Opie and Anthony radio show discussing consumers and commercialism: (part 1) (part 2) (part 3). [more inside]
posted by spoobnooble at 10:59 AM PST - 35 comments

The US Secret Service has raided the home of an artist who collected images from webcams in a New York Apple store. The tumblr is still up, as is a explanation of the project by the artist at F.A.T.
posted by chavenet at 10:56 AM PST - 64 comments

Maggie McNeil is a semi-retired "honest courtesan" who recently countered Ashton Kutcher's "sex slavery" claims (previously) with some statistics and facts. Bobbi Starr is a professional concert oboist, nationally ranked swimmer, and works in some of the hardest porn available. She was recently featured on the (highly recommended) BBC Radio Assignment series. Primary links are obviously NSFW; BobbiStarr.com also has potential trigger warnings.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 10:47 AM PST - 21 comments

Kibble Dancing: an action packed corgi adventure!
posted by The Devil Tesla at 10:41 AM PST - 21 comments

They Might Be Giants cover Chumbawamba’s "Tubthumping," with help from the Onion A/V Club team. An episode from The Onion's A/V Undercover Project, (Previously) in which bands take turns covering a popular song from a master list. Last year, 25 bands covered 25 songs in the A/V offices. (Click "View All Episodes" to see the complete list below the video) To date, there are 26 episodes in 2011.
posted by zarq at 10:08 AM PST - 95 comments

You are looking at a Titan Fluorite skull. The skull is 16.9 inches long, from front to back. We specially saved a large piece of high quality fluorite for caving this titan skull, and were all amazed by its beauty when all the carving and polishing were done. A site with remarkable focus and clarity of purpose.
posted by Wolfdog at 9:47 AM PST - 42 comments

Flashing turns pretty girls ugly [SFW]
posted by christopher.taylor at 9:47 AM PST - 73 comments

Unable to prevent revellers urinating against their trees, Roskilde Festival in Denmark installed tree-mounted urinals by Dutch designers Aandeboom. Video here. (via).
posted by nam3d at 9:36 AM PST - 21 comments

The Phonograph Doll was the first attempt at making a talking doll, invented by Thomas Edison. The doll utilized a miniature phonograph to talk, and was possibly the first audio recordings for commercial purposes. An example of the (now 123 year-old) talking doll was found in 1967 in Edison's New Jersey workshop, which is now a National Historic Park and museum. Recently, the warped metal cylinder was optically scanned and re-created, providing a 12-second clip of the oldest known recording of a woman's voice. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 8:58 AM PST - 22 comments

Texas Rangers fan Shannon Stone dies following a 20-foot fall at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas while trying to catch a foul ball. Stone's 6-year-old son was in attendance and witnessed the fall. The death comes months after another ballpark fatality at Coors Field in Denver. (VIDEO).
posted by Tenacious.Me.Tokyo at 8:30 AM PST - 70 comments