August 16, 2016
The rise of anti-intellectualism online
Fik-Shun at World of Dance
World of Dance is a dance competition that's been running for a few years. Fik-Shun is a professional dancer, a regular in the competition and on So You Think You Can Dance. Here are three of his World of Dance performances: Las Vegas 2014, and Bay Area 2015, Hawaii 2016.
You are worth having coffee with.
Francis Su is a professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and the first non-white president of the Mathematical Association of America. In 2013, he presented his Haimo Teaching Award lecture, The Lesson of Grace in Teaching. For Su, when we learn the lesson of grace—that we have dignity irrespective of accomplishments—and when we impart that lesson to our students, we make good teaching, enthusiastic learning, and honest evaluation possible. [more inside]
"To read a Saki story is to hire an assassin."
One hundred years ago, a soldier named Hector Hugh Munro was shot in the head as he crossed no-man’s-land. The night had been dark. Some of the soldiers accompanying him had lit up when they stopped to rest, and the glowing cigarettes attracted a German sniper’s attention. His last words were reported to be: ‘Put that bloody cigarette out!’ The soldier was perhaps the wittiest writer Britain had; his other name was Saki.–Ferrets can be gods, a short essay by Katherine Rundell on the Edwardian short story writer Saki. His stories are available online.
Googly-Eyed Stubby Squid
Puppies!!!
It is time once again for Denali's Sled Dog Puppy Cam. 'Nuff said.
Colloquially known as the 'underboob selfie'
As Thailand is discovering, the smartphone — for all its indispensability as a tool of business and practicality — is also a bearer of values; it is not a culturally neutral device.
And if digital imperialism is happening — if smartphones and other gadgets are bearing cultural freight as they cross borders — there is little doubt as to which nation’s values are hiding in the hold.
@Kyle_MacLachlan can you explain Dune to me please
Simon and Garfunkel: two voices, one guitar, live on stage 50 years ago
Fifty years ago, a few months before they released their third studio album, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel took to the stage in Holland on a TV Show called 'Twien' with just their two voices and one guitar. Here's 23 minutes of music and some interludes with information about selected songs. Playlist: 'Richard Cory,' 'Homeward Bound,' 'Leaves That Are Green,' 'I Am A Rock,' 'A Most Peculiar Man,' 'A Poem On The Underground Wall,' 'He Was My Brother,' and 'The Sound Of Silence.' [Alternative link - slightly longer, but watermarked video.] [more inside]
“We said we wouldn’t do that!”
Harry Potter and the Possible Queerbaiting: [The Guardian] JK Rowling’s Cursed Child has drawn fire over its story of male friendship, which some readers feel flirts coyly with gay romance – but it is a change from the usual stereotypes. [more inside]
Let memesplain Harambe
On July 27, Abby Ohlheiser at The Washington Post explained how “the Internet won’t let Harambe rest in peace”, and Brian Feldman at New York Magazine tried to characterize “the dark internet humor of Harambe jokes.”
As of today, the fact that over 60,000 people now want Harambe to be a Pokémon has prompted another hot take from Ben Guarino at the Post. For a business angle, Fruzsina Eordogh at Forbes explains how Harambe can grace indie tees but remain “too dark for brands”. Meanwhile, Brett Milam of Cincinnati.com has a rundown of the gorilla’s appearances, and Kaitlyn Tiffany at The Verge reviews recent memes and declares Harambe to be one of three Memes of the Summer.
As of today, the fact that over 60,000 people now want Harambe to be a Pokémon has prompted another hot take from Ben Guarino at the Post. For a business angle, Fruzsina Eordogh at Forbes explains how Harambe can grace indie tees but remain “too dark for brands”. Meanwhile, Brett Milam of Cincinnati.com has a rundown of the gorilla’s appearances, and Kaitlyn Tiffany at The Verge reviews recent memes and declares Harambe to be one of three Memes of the Summer.
Cupcake ATM
Tired of the gelato crises? Let me share the joys of the Cupcake ATM (also in Chicago!) It was a long day at a local anime convention, and my comic creating friends and I hopped into a van and trekked out to the cupcake atm on 50 east walton street. [more inside]
Sex Pigs Halt Traffic
Sex pigs halt traffic after laser attack on Pokémon teens. Tiny Insjön in central Sweden isn't known for pig mask-wearing couples shooting lasers at Pokémon hunters before having sex against a waterwheel. But that could be about to change. (SLSwedishlocalnews)
Winner, winner...
Are rotisserie chickens a bargain? The short answer is "probably not," except for Costco (and Smart and Final, which I have never heard of). The long answer is an interesting detour through Boston Market, chicken sourcing, and Mark Bittman's famous simple roast chicken recipe. Which rotisserie chicken is the best is subject to somewhat more debate. If cost efficiency isn't your thing, you can dive right in with the $79 version at The NoMad - with foie gras and black truffle.
“Have you noticed,” she asked, “the clothes thing?”
Stand your ground laws don't include domestic violence victims
Libby Anne has a well researched and sourced post about stand your ground laws and how they apply, or rather don't apply, to the victims of domestic violence The TL;DR is that in 11 states stand your ground laws explicitly do not apply to the victims of domestic violence (unless they have a restraining order). As a result many women nationwide are serving long prison sentences for defending themselves.
Are spoilers protected by copyright law?
The last scene of the sixth season of The Walking Dead was a cliffhanger in its purest (if not most literal) sense -- the newly introduced villain Negan (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) bashed his barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bat (a.k.a. "Lucille") repeatedly into one of the good guy's heads, presumably killing that person. But who was it? AMC doesn't want you to know, arguing that it is "the most critical plot information in the unreleased next season of The Walking Dead" and sending at least one cease-and-desist letter to a fan site, claiming copyright protection against the release of spoilers.
" vision of a world full of code, a cyborg world"
Go Hack Yourself: Richard Marshall interviews Samir Chopra, CUNY Philosophy professor, cricket writer, and more. [more inside]
Herald of the infant spring
Poetic Botany is a new exhibition from the New York Botanical Garden devoted to the transformation of botanical science into both verse and illustration. Using examples from nine different plants, the exhibit traces the ramifications of poetic botany for both science and eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century culture. [more inside]
The Terrifying, Already Forgotten JFK Airport Shooting That Wasn’t
"When the first stampede began, my plane had just landed" - NY Magazine features a personal experience with Sunday's false reports of a shooting at JFK airport in New York City. "Horrifying" video of the police response, which is being investigated.
“It looks like a war zone,” he said. Because it is.
Bill McKibben asks us for a WWII-scale climate change mobilization. Maybe it's time to think of climate change as a war, argues Bill McKibben (founder of 350.org).
"I wanted to try something a little bit different."
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