April 13, 2010
Faces of war. 1941-1945
On the eve of the 65rd anniversary of the end of World War II, RIA Novosti presents images in memory of WWII heroes compiled from photographs taken by war correspondents in 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany. Ships trains planes and people
Does it come in size BFD too?
The votes are in, the people have spoken. An official commemorative health reform t-shirt design has been chosen and is now on sale at Organizing for America. The Vice President must be so proud.
Putting The Brass Eye to shame
The most wonderful plant ... and one of the ugliest.
Welwitschia mirabilis lies around the Namibian coastal desert like misshapen heaps of horticultural debris, either singly or in untidy clumps. Each plant has two huge leaves lolling out from its gaping trunk that collect moisture from the sea fogs. These plants would win no awards for beauty - the Regius Keeper of Kew Gardens described them as "one of the ugliest" plants brought to England, and it's hard to disagree with the Daily Mail's description of it as "hideous ... leprous ... snaking and sinister". None the less, it is a tourist attraction in its own right and supports the Namibian coat of arms where it symbolises fortitude and tenacity. If you're still hanging out for some Welwitschian goodness, here's a video and lots more photos on Wikimedia Commons. You can even try growing one yourself!
"Hiii. You know what's awkward?"
Natalie Tran (communitychannel on youtube) is a bit of a Youtube sensation, with more Australians subscribing to her channel than any other. She has made over two hundred videos on a variety of subjects. Whether she's teaching you important beauty tips, teaching us home decor and cleanliness, or dazzling us with her music, it's true that her forte lies in discussing the everyday. (NSFW, cursing) [more inside]
Event Horizon: Sculpture Installation by Antony Gormley
"Event Horizon1 is meant to encourage viewers to 'reassess their environment and their position in it,' as [Antony] Gormley puts it, due to the sculptures' interruption of their usual surroundings—London,2 in its first installation in 2007, and now New York.3 'There's very little art in these things,' said Gormley of his figures, which he also refers to as 'three-dimensional shadows' and 'indexes.' The sculptures are but copies of his body at a particular time,4 in various poses. Where the 'art' is, then, is in what happens when viewers engage with the figures. 'When you then insert these still industrial fossils into the stream of daily life and real context5 they can begin to be active in the same way that a chemical catalyst ... causes a transformation,' Gormley said. 'I would like to think that's what happening here.'6 [more inside]
"Now, I don't see race..."
People afflicted with Williams syndroms are known for their "elfin" appearance, the ease with which they approach and socialize with stranger, and their near-normal language skills. Recent research on children with the rare neurodevelopmental disorder suggests they share another trait: They do not form racial stereotypes. Via.
I really cannot believe no one has ever posted this.
The Great Empire of China has a fantastic archive of traditional, classical and even modern Chinese music excerpts and several full musical suites, including some pieces from Chinese opera. National Geographic has a short breakdown on regional variations in traditional music in China. Chinese opera is very different than Western opera. Here are some great pictures of singers. [more inside]
Hitler is still angry whilst revolutionizing smart casual clothing
The Hitler Downfall Parody Thing has, of course, been done on Metafilter, and done, and done. But it's still happening (with interesting permutations), and it's still funny. So much so that the BBC's Finlo Rohrer has been compelled to investigate. [more inside]
"US reaps bitter harvest from 'Tulip' revolution."
It will look cynical indeed if Washington once again tries to paint itself as a champion of democratic values in the Central Asian region. 'Evidently, there has been a massive breakdown in US diplomacy in Central Asia. Things were going rather well lately until this setback. For the first time it seemed Washington had succeeded in the Great Game by getting a grip on the Kyrgyz regime, though the achievement involved a cold-blooded jettisoning of all norms of democracy, human rights and rule of law that the US commonly champions. By all accounts, Washington just bought up the Bakiyev family lock stock and barrel, overlooking its controversial record of misuse of office.' [more inside]
Not much...
How much do music artsts earn online? A rather attractive yet sobering infographic showing how many units an artiste has to shift physically or online to earn the US monthly minimum wage.
Macro Microcredit
Big Banks Draw Big Profits From Microloans to Poor Drawn by the prospect of hefty profits from even the smallest of loans, a raft of banks and financial institutions now dominate the field, with some charging interest rates of 100 percent or more from their impoverished customers. (SLNYT -- use Bugmenot or register with fake information) [more inside]
She peeled away (NSFW)
Maybe it was V, or maybe something clicked when Travolta and Cage did Face/Off, but at some point some people became fixated on women shedding their skin (horrible site design warning) to reveal other women, aliens/monsters, men, robots, or sometimes just to create masks, suits or shells (mostly NSFW, all creepy as hell).
Champ, Champ?
Scoops Callahan grills sundry sports stars about flapper girls, butter and egg men, and Lindy Hopping all night long. Bee's knees or bronx cheer? (SLYT)
19 Cities in the World With 20 Million People in the 21st Century
19.20.21. is a planned five-year project to understand the effects of the rising global population of humanity becoming increasingly urbanized: 19 cities in the world with 20 million people in the 21st century. The Flash-based introduction includes historical trends and geographic factors.
I would work in a box or with a fox...
Shedworking is a daily updated guide for people who work in garden offices and other shedlike atmospheres. There is also a book on the subject. [more inside]
The Sunday Magazine
The Sunday Magazine - Every Friday, David Friedman (of Ironic Sans) posts the most interesting articles from the New York Times Sunday Magazine from 100 years ago that weekend. [more inside]
Solargraphy
Solargraphy.com's purpose is to find out how different the paths of the Sun are around the world. The project has invited anyone to take part and fill in gaps on the map of solargraphs.
Obama's Deal
Tonight on Frontline, Obama's Deal, about how the insurance lobby shaped healthcare legislation. [more inside]
Edible Nationality!
"Whybin TBWA Australia and The Sydney International Food Festival cooked up a clever way to promote last year’s fest — they used iconic foods from the participating countries to recreate their flags. From the green-white-red of basil-spaghetti-tomatoes to the orange-white-green of tikka masala-rice-saag, the results are both appetizing and a little reminiscent of middle-school geography class. Which brings us to our challenge: Can you correctly identify these 12 culinary flags?" [more inside]
Muslims, Back From Whence You Came
The American Family Association has come up with a novel idea to restore patriotism to America's shores: repatriate Muslims back to their home countries.
Creepiness and Wikipedia: Like chocolate and peanut butter
Wikipedia can be a time sink for sure, but often it's difficult to find the most bizarre, creepy, or disturbing articles. Thankfully, someone with lots of time on their hands has made a jaw-droppingly comprehensive list of creepy pages on Wikipedia (the list is in the second post on that page). [Previously]
Johnny Depp Reads Hunter S. Thompson
Johnny Depp reads letters he received from Hunter S. Thompson while filming "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."
Jack Kirby’s Heroes in Waiting
During the 80s comics king Jack Kirby, co-creator of the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, the X-Men and Captain America, became disillusioned with the industry and left to work for animation company , sketching out dozens of characters, work that has been largely unseen... until now.
Sorry, this text just isn't super delicious enough.
All of the Photoshop Typography tutorials you will ever need. And if that simply isn't good enough. Here are the 100 best Photoshop tutorials of 2009.
Fuzzy Wuzzy
The New York Times covers a 'new celebrity trend', Unshaven Women, Free Spirits or Unkempt?
Japan Is An Island
Optomist Deductions: Skip To Line 6
Single Link NYT Post: A Tax-Form For The Marginally Employed.
Why do people use 'bad'words?
A web debate on cursing in private, public and online, part of a series of multiple perspective posts on the NYT called Room for Debate, has several experts, including Georgetown U. Professor and author of You just don't understand, Deborah Tanner, yet no one mentions George Carlin and his take on the seven words you can't say. Some claim we've always cursed, while others claim we curse on the web about as much as we do in real life and there is data people, on average, swear .3% to .7% of the time and frequency per person has more to do with personality than class.
"They moved and danced in front of these fires"
Werner Herzog's cave art documentary takes 3D into the depths: "Herzog has apparently been given permission to film inside the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc cave, a site in the Ardèche department of southern France that contains the earliest known cave paintings, dating back at least 30,000 years. Even more intriguingly, Herzog is planning to shoot much of the film in 3D." [more inside]
shadow art by Kumi Yamashita
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