April 4, 2017
Curtain Up! It's Time for Danger Theatre
Danger Theatre was an action comedy TV series aired in 1993. Most of the half-hour episodes were split into two segments, all introduced by host Robert Vaughn. Over the seven-episode run, there were three different shows which appeared in the segments. [more inside]
That sweater sounds lovely.
Patterns, generated from knitting machines, punched into music paper & fed through grinder organs. Also the different growth patterns of Yeast, E. coli and Lichen, and the natural rhythms of timber grain. (Music links go to SoundCloud.) [via]
Eight new boss queens of rap for 2017
Dazed Digital presents Eight rappers you need to hear in 2017 - From Cupcakke’s self-possessed and sexual lyrics to Paradise Sorouri protesting violence against women in Afghanistan, these are some of the most exciting new names in hip hop | 1. CupcakKe - LGBT [NSFW lyrics] | 2. Flohio : God Colony "SE16" feat. Flohio | 3. Kamaiyah - How Does It Feel | 4. Kari Faux - Fantasy | 5. Ms Banks - Roll | 6. 143BandMusic (including Paradise Sorouri) - Tragedy of Life | 7. Quay Dash - Ain't Gon' Stop It / BKLYN [NSFW lyrics] | 8. Young M.A - OOOUUU [NSFW lyrics]
“self-interest dominates our behavior”
Why You Shouldn’t Walk on Escalators [The New York Times] “It may sound counterintuitive, but researchers said it is more efficient if nobody walks on the escalator. To be clear, this is not better for the escalator itself, although that has been a matter of dispute. The question of standing versus walking flared up recently in Washington, D.C., after the general manager of the Metro, Paul Wiedefeld, said the practice of walking on the left and standing to the right — as outlined in the Metro’s rules and manners — could damage the escalator. The escalator company Otis said that was incorrect, an NBC affiliate reported, and Mr. Wiedefeld clarified that standing two abreast would be safer and reduce the chance of falls if everyone did it.”
Good dog
Extremely good dog interrupts soccer match for six minutes. (SLYT, audio is mostly ambient crowd noises and a cameraman laughing). The beagle evaded two attempts by players to grab it, and appeared to be a very good pupper who was having a good time. The home team Halesowen Town went on to defeat Skelmersdale United 1 - 0.
"I already had goats, so, same thing, right?"
Goat Crossfit is the bee's knees [narration, light music].
How French "Intellectuals" Ruined The West
The irrational and identitarian “symptoms” of postmodernism are easily recognizable and much criticized, but the ethos underlying them is not well understood. This is partly because postmodernists rarely explain themselves clearly and partly because of the inherent contradictions and inconsistencies of a way of thought which denies a stable reality or reliable knowledge to exist. However, there are consistent ideas at the root of postmodernism and understanding them is essential if we intend to counter them. They underlie the problems we see today in Social Justice Activism, undermine the credibility of the Left and threaten to return us to an irrational and tribal “pre-modern” culture.
A tiny reproductive system in a dish.
A tweet pretends to be 140 chars, but a toot is 500 flat.
Welcome! Mastodon is an open-source, federated, “GNU Social-compatible microblogging server” developed by Eugen Rochko with some Patreon support. The main server is mastodon.social, but there are many others.
Per Casey Newton at The Verge, Mastodon launched six months ago with little notice. Since Twitter’s latest design change, however, sign ups on the main instance have gone through a sudden surge
The early adopters are voicing some dissatisfaction. with the crowd on Twitter, and signups on the main instance are currently locked. Never fear, Sarah Jeong at VICE Motherboard has a brief tour.
Per Casey Newton at The Verge, Mastodon launched six months ago with little notice. Since Twitter’s latest design change, however, sign ups on the main instance have gone through a sudden surge
The early adopters are voicing some dissatisfaction. with the crowd on Twitter, and signups on the main instance are currently locked. Never fear, Sarah Jeong at VICE Motherboard has a brief tour.
Federal Appeals Court Rules In Favor Of Job Protections For Gay Workers
Today, the Seventh Circuit (en banc) ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 covers employees based on their sexual orientation. Both the 11th and 2nd Circuits have recently ruled that Title VII does not cover LGBT rights at work, possibly setting up for an eventual SCOTUS showdown. [more inside]
As well as a CGI kangaroo that sings "Rapper's Delight" for some reason
The star of 'Jerry Maguire' and 'Stand by Me' on what it was like to act opposite a rapping CGI kangaroo.
Totally not actually the world's first cyborg
Here kitty kitty kitty
Ridley Scott reveals a much grimmer proposition for the original ending of Alien. Hyping up Alien: Covenant (previously, more-so), Scott reveals that his original proposal was for the Xenomorph to kill, then imitate Ripley. [more inside]
Use your turn signal at least 50% more than you use your middle finger
A Nude Horse is a Rude Horse
After seeing a small crowd's mortified reaction to two cattle behaving amorously on a Texas road in 1959, Alan Abel (previously) created SINA, the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals. An article he wrote about the organization for the Saturday Evening Post was rejected, as the editor thought the group deplorable. Undeterred, he carried on his crusade against amoral animals. [more inside]
Diversity versus Hydra
Marvel’s recent Retailer Summit (2, 3) sparked controversy when Marvel’s flagging sales were blamed on an increase in diversity in they books, such as the recently Hugo nominated Ms Marvel. The actual sales numbers appear to tell a different story, with possible causes for their woes being event fatigue, a dip in the sales of X-Men books as Marvel fails to replace them with The Inhumans, and a lack of diversity amongst creators leading to mishandling of issues. A poorly timed storyline with Captain America becoming a Nazi and leading a Hydra takeover of the Marvel Universe (complete with a takeover of websites) may only be making matters worse. Meanwhile Ms. Marvel writer G Willow Wilson has her own take on diversity and the direction the market is going.
"A homely kind, apt for sundry necessary vses."
Of Englishe dogges, the diversities, the names, the natures and the properties "A short treatise written in Latine ... and newly drawne into Englishe by Abraham Fleming" at archive.org is a rather wonderful, often poetic, occasionally goofy 16th century geeky paean to (English)man's best friend. [more inside]
Let's All Watch Bertha Birth Together
Gigantic tunneling machine Bertha, after years stuck underneath downtown Seattle, is finally breaking through. Watch it live!
A Pro Wrestling Newby Liveblogs Wrestlemania 33
Hugos 2017: a tale of puppies.
The 2017 Hugo Finalists and Campbell Award Finalists have been announced, for works in science fiction and fantasy. For the first time since 2013, there was no clear Sad Puppies slate/list of recommendations (context). The Rabid Puppies slate, lead by extreme right-wing author and editor Vox Day, was largely successful in its (limited) slate, and File 770 has a breakdown of how many "Rabid Puppy" works made it to the final slate.
Climate change is happening, but not to me
American attitudes towards climate change, mapped. The latest Yale Climate Opinion Map is out, mapping attitudes on a number of questions onto states, Congressional districts, metro areas, and counties. [more inside]
"I knew I liked it too much."
I was a young ER doctor with a perfect life: gorgeous wife, three kids and a beautiful waterfront house. Then I got hooked on fentanyl and lost it all [more inside]
"It’s more of a crime to have the apostrophes wrong."
He's not the hero Bristol deserves. He's the hero Bristol needs. The BBC caught up with the Banksy of grammar:
The self-proclaimed "grammar vigilante" goes out undercover in the dead of night correcting street signs and shop fronts where the apostrophes are in the wrong place.
So I suppose we could call it Springval?
Theresa May has weighed in on an argument regarding the National Trust's decision to erase mention of Easter from their Egg Hunts, something the NT has denied. [more inside]
In defence of the so-called Worst Movie Ever Made
The ungrateful refugee
The ungrateful refugee. As refugees, we owed them our previous identity. We had to lay it at their door like an offering, and gleefully deny it to earn our place in this new country. There would be no straddling. No third culture here. A long personal essay in the Guardian.
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