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An aesthetics of inadequacy. "Despite Aeschylus's statement, 'All knowledge comes from suffering,' all that came from my suffering was suffering." An interview with Alan Shapiro, the author of Song and Dance, about poetry as an attempt of mourning.
posted by semmi at 9:31 PM PST - 3 comments

Interrobang ?! Because what we all really need is another bit of punctuation to misuse.
posted by kristin at 9:27 PM PST - 27 comments

There is a hedonistic school of thought which holds that future generations will experience a level of happiness and sense of well being beyond even the finest china white heroin rush and that this will be the norm. While I do agree that our understanding of mental health is limited to our advances in neuroscience, I just can't see how this is healthy or even remotely possible even within the next 500 years.
posted by Modem Ovary at 7:15 PM PST - 49 comments

The bride stripped bare by her bachelors, even is usually referred to as The Large Glass but whatever the name, what is it? Also, did Marcel Duchamp hide the stitches in plain site? For that matter, when did he find the time to make music? Would hearing him in his own words help us make sense of him? What do his Francophone fans think? Does it require a lifetime of devotion to get a handle on his work? How about dragging his readymades into the lab and putting them under the microscope? If not answers then more questions can surely be found in the Duchamp world community or perhaps on its bulletin board. But, really, I suppose it doesn't matter how you encounter Duchamp just so long as you do.
posted by xian at 5:09 PM PST - 13 comments

Around 2,800 people died as a result of the September 11 attacks. This includes 19 hijackers, of which the remains of nine have been identified. What are we to do with their remains?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:17 PM PST - 71 comments

Earlier this week, Bush blocked $5.1 billion in emergency spending, which most visibly included denying a couple hundred million earmarked for firefighters and emergency services. While he claims the block was to curtail wasteful spending, the biggest waste that keeps getting quoted is the new insect collections room at the smithsonian, even though his office specifically requested the money for his budget request for fiscal 2003. If the only example of wasteful spending was something he requested previously, what was the point of blocking the funds? [more inside]
posted by mathowie at 4:03 PM PST - 18 comments

"Welcome to the land of the balloonies." Find out more.
posted by dfowler at 2:35 PM PST - 20 comments

Is there really a $7 billion lawsuit against the Bush administration -- filed on behalf of 14 of the victims' families -- charging that he let 9-11 happen on purpose? Seems like kind of a weird thing for a few web sites to fabricate, but a google search doesn't reveal many mainstream news sources. And what do folks think of the "Let It Happen On Purpose" theory... or more importantly, the evidence that the theorists cite?
posted by queequeg at 1:52 PM PST - 17 comments

Wow your friends [google] and learn a little history behind the best card trick. [pdf]
posted by psychotic_venom at 1:12 PM PST - 17 comments

The post-industrial model is not an assembly line, but an assembly swarm. So shopping means you're just the front end of the machine, eh?
posted by DenOfSizer at 1:09 PM PST - 5 comments

The Axis of Medieval. Claims of support for women and women's rights in the current regime are nothing more than hot air according to Mr. Kristof. He says their record and the facts tell a different story. The details are shocking. Kowtowing to religious fundamentalists in the US causes devastating results abroad. Would programs like these qualify for using some of the wealthiest persons dollars instead of a tax cut?
posted by nofundy at 12:21 PM PST - 46 comments

So what? Jeez, the media's all up in arms about the multiple editions of Fellowship of the Ring being released. Really, is there not enough in the world to legitimately gripe about? Are Rings fans really being ripped off? It's not like anyone's putting a gun to your head and forcing you to buy any of these discs. Isn't more choice better than less, even in the disposable DVD world?
posted by WolfDaddy at 12:01 PM PST - 44 comments

Moon Trees - Trees grown from seeds that went to the moon on the first manned mission, including their seedlings and offshoots. Most of them are marked with plaques, but it's only now that an official record is being recreated after they'd been giving them out willy nilly for decades - heh. There might be a moon tree in your very own town square! Click here to see the list compiled so far. (via Wren's Nest)
posted by thunder at 11:39 AM PST - 21 comments

The Football Prospectus is up and running. The good folks who work on the Baseball Prospectus have turned their attention to NFL. This is their inaugural effort. Their contrarian thinking and in-depth statistical analysis has (slowly) started to creep its way into MLB coverage. Can their unique take and historical perspective change football's conventional wisdom as well?
posted by herc at 11:28 AM PST - 9 comments

Is this a legitmate criticism.... or just complaining that the Administration has lost its aura of invincibility? From the Daily Standard, an opinion piece stating that former Clinton administration officials are unfairly criticizing the Bush administration. A short, interesting read. What's your opinion? Should former officials criticize their new leaders?
posted by pjgulliver at 10:57 AM PST - 20 comments

Baseball Players To Strike Out Aug 30th. Hooray, baseball's most honored tradition is coming back! Baseball strike August 30th unless players get a new collective bargaining agreement. Its like a fantastic step back in time, as baseball has had work stoppages a glorious eight times since 1972. How are you gonna spend the strike days/weeks/years/decades?
posted by tittergrrl at 10:45 AM PST - 67 comments

Tombstone ATM doles out inheritance to heirs in weekly $300 chunks.
posted by mosspink at 10:26 AM PST - 45 comments

UK Nurses tested for clinical competency, but not for English language skills. So when a surgeon has to halt an operation because the nurses can't understand his instructions, does that make him a racist?
posted by Oriole Adams at 10:19 AM PST - 11 comments

Ever hear about the time Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire were taken in by the police under suspicion of stealing the Mona Lisa?
posted by interrobang at 9:06 AM PST - 3 comments

KCRW's morning radio show, Morning Becomes Eclectic has some of the best live in studio performances from a broad range of excellent musicians. And better yet, all of the performances are archived and streamed online. Recently they have had Flaming Lips, Morcheeba and Cousteau. Some of my favorites from the past are the Coldplay show (as well as a solo appearance by singer Chris Martin), Starsailor and DJ Shadow. I know there are plenty of other resources similar to this, but I think it's hard to find a better collection than this for live recordings. (Search the archives here)
posted by jonah at 8:49 AM PST - 33 comments

Excuse me sir, your dad likes hookers. Friday fun for all the family! Enter details about people you know and the PrankBot will send an email prank to them. They only have 3 pranks to choose from so far, but good for a giggle. Your company didn't need that email bandwidth anyway, right?
posted by sonicgeeza at 7:44 AM PST - 23 comments

Broadcast Flag!
Why are the rights of the consumer constantly compromised? Technology may soon be governed by Hollywood Studios...
posted by I am Generic at 7:25 AM PST - 12 comments

900 now dead in flooding, and 25 million are trapped or homeless. Ha! Gotcha. It's just India.
posted by luser at 7:21 AM PST - 70 comments

Trans-fatty acids are described as being "a secret killer", and "about as bad as bad gets". The US FDA does not currently require trans fats to be listed on product labels, but that may soon be changing.
posted by atavistech at 7:12 AM PST - 33 comments

Odd and silly Flash cartoons, for those of you who enjoy this sort of thing. You'll find all the pillars of modern comedy here: evil pants, pipe-smoking chimps and breakdancing robots. Go to "Errata" and you'll find the cartoons. My personal favorites are Danville Hustle and Sassafras. (Warning: chubby download)
posted by picea at 7:06 AM PST - 2 comments

Minutes of lost Rat Pack meeting recently discovered in Las Vegas! This satirical piece by Bob Odenkirk brilliantly lampoons the group dynamic of Old Blue Eyes and his pals.
posted by MrBaliHai at 4:46 AM PST - 17 comments

Elvis was a hero to most but he never meant shit to me … "Media arrogance and dishonesty means we are eternally bound to live in a skewed world where Elvis is king of rock'n'roll, Clapton is the guitar god, Sinatra is the voice and Astaire is the greatest dancer." Is it right to celebrate an artist who’s fame derived from appropriating and diluting the original music of black America?
posted by niceness at 4:23 AM PST - 111 comments

State income tax or not? Massachusetts voters get to decide on Nov. 5th. Is this a real possibility or just a publicity stunt for Carla Howell and the Libertarian party?
posted by Hall at 3:55 AM PST - 48 comments

When I Die I Want... The whole world to dance? Stop in its tracks? No one to notice? Everyone else to die too? Or will a simple deleted MetaFilter thread do? It's not only control freaks who have an idea of how they'd like their own funeral to go. Matthew Parris, for instance, wants a trial with a counsel for the prosecution, as well as the obligatory one for his defense... [Cultural attitudes to death vary wildly and convey different images which may or may not exactly reflect the predominant attitude towards life. Well, for making your own very particular arrangements, despite the gruesome sideshows, The Sepulcher and The Dark Side Of The Web are two resources to die for.]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:06 AM PST - 7 comments

The King is dead ... long live the King?
posted by walrus at 12:00 AM PST - 8 comments