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Fuck Buttons, an electronic music group dedicated to loud-soft dynamics, cover “Mogwai Fear Satan”, a song by Mogwai, a post-rock group dedicated to loud-soft dynamics. (Original)
Mogwai, a post-rock group dedicated to soft-loud dynamics, remix “Colours Move”, a song by Fuck Buttons, an electronic group dedicated to soft-loud dynamics. (Original)
posted by Going To Maine at 11:09 PM PST - 11 comments

Ali Alamedy, an Iraqi artist living in Turkey after being forced out of his country, makes incredibly detailed dioramas of places he has read about but has never been. From filmmaker Veena Rao.
posted by growabrain at 6:32 PM PST - 7 comments

When I was in the third grade, we had a scavenger hunt at school.
posted by clawsoon at 5:58 PM PST - 43 comments

Letter to park rangers in Sequoia National Park.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 3:22 PM PST - 51 comments

In the 18th century, especially if you were a woman, clothes could be so complicated that you wouldn’t be able to get into them easily without someone else’s assistance. Ideas about privacy and intimacy were different then too – it was normal to be touched by a servant if they were helping you wash or dress. You can now watch a short video that shows how a well-off woman was dressed by her maid servant at that time.
posted by ChuraChura at 1:55 PM PST - 69 comments

Did BioShock Define the Last 10 Years of Video Games? [A.V. Club] “Ten years ago today, Irrational Games’ sci-fi first-person shooter BioShock [YouTube] [Trailer] was released, and its story of a ruined undersea city and the brutal objectivist that led it to its doom was instantly canonized as one of the medium’s strongest artistic statements. The art-deco-adorned city of Rapture was realized with a depth and vision few games had ever approached and populated with some unforgettable characters, like the twisted artist Sander Cohen and the city’s power-hungry founder Andrew Ryan. Its grappling with Randian philosophy gave the dialogue a high-minded and dramatic flair, all of which culminated in its iconic twist and commentary on the futility of choice in video games. In the years since, BioShock’s shine has waned. So many of its most foundational elements found their way into games of all genres and scopes, and its flaws practically became more talked about than its merits.” [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 1:07 PM PST - 65 comments

"But the pushers of market-friendly solutions, and even most affordable housing activists, miss a central point in the housing debate: we already have enough housing in this country. The problem is not supply. It’s just that the supply is owned by the wrong people. From downtowns to suburbs, there’s a glut of vacant housing and land owned by the rich. The one neat trick to solving the housing crisis: give the things owned by the rich to the poor." - Evict The Rich, Peter Moskowitz, Outline.
posted by The Whelk at 12:11 PM PST - 110 comments

Vivandieres were common and ubiquitous in the French armies up to WW I. The first link is a good overview with some nice paintings/photos. The second linkVivandieres in the military gives a more nuanced view of these women, and has link to references and a one-book bibliography. This last link is a Pinterest page 76 Best Vivandieres images with many of them having info attached.
posted by MovableBookLady at 11:23 AM PST - 15 comments

Here on Albion, recent times have not been good for this ancient food. In Brighton, a travelling cheese festival ran out of cheese, causing concern at future locations. Before this, a similar discontent occured at a London cheese festival. Eleven blocks of prize-winning cheese were stolen. In an episode of Midsomer Murders, a wheel of cheese was the weapon of choice. An attractive sculpture in Hull was rejected, and more hatred. To top it all, people have started adding avocado to Mac and Cheese. In positive news, “Cheese is more accessible than ever”, a cheese toastie truck, Liverpool is the city to go to, and Pavé Cobble is named the UK’s champion cheese. Related: how long can you store cheese?, the Illuminati of cheese, and the post title.
posted by Wordshore at 10:29 AM PST - 58 comments

The BBC has launched a Pidgin English platform. The new platform is part of the BBC's plans to expand in Asia and Africa. [more inside]
posted by damayanti at 10:04 AM PST - 17 comments

Ken Shirriff examined the internals of Intel's first chip (a 64-bit RAM), including taking his own die photos. Fresh off this, he came across die photos of a different 64-bit chip and knew one of them was not what it seemed.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:37 AM PST - 29 comments

Burning cars and cellphones to keep your ghostly ancestors happy. [SLYT] [more inside]
posted by destrius at 7:16 AM PST - 6 comments

From the Fortean Times: "I live in Costa Rica these days. My girlfriends family here own a farm with many horses. She tells me that many times in the past they have discovered some of the horses in the morning with their manes braided perfectly. She says the horses were in a remote part of the farm where there are no people. Anyone have a clue what could be going on here?" Some suggestions from Fortean Times readers: occultists, Bigfoot, and little girls. Warlocks are consulted. Academic papers are published. It gets a little malicious. Just don't blame the hedgewitch!
posted by misterbee at 2:31 AM PST - 42 comments