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LeVar Burton goes behind the scenes of Star Trek: The Next Generation in a Reading Rainbow episode. (via)
posted by spiderskull at 10:29 PM PST - 52 comments

NEPHICIDE by JOGGER (SLYT)
posted by p3on at 9:55 PM PST - 44 comments

Steampunk Palin.
posted by NoraReed at 8:16 PM PST - 59 comments

A blogger for information security firm Imperva reports the discovery of a hacker site offering root access on US & foreign government, military & educational sites for sale for prices ranging from $55 to $499, or just database records for the reasonable price of $20/1000. Besides US sites the hacker(s) also offer government servers in India, Taiwan & Italy. The hacker(s) also provide what they claim is proof of their access for the skeptical or cautious buyer. No credit card offers, please - the only currency they accept is Liberty Reserve.
posted by scalefree at 7:17 PM PST - 29 comments

2K Games and Gearbox Software have announced that Duke Nukem Forever will ship simultaneously for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PCs on May 3. (previously)
posted by Joe Beese at 7:00 PM PST - 50 comments

After 8 years as host of Countdown, Keith Olbermann calls it quits. The final sign-off.
posted by empath at 6:23 PM PST - 155 comments

A duffel bag full of money was found along I-76 today. [more inside]
posted by Balisong at 5:44 PM PST - 51 comments

"All my life I’ve focused on the poor. The rich ones have their own photographers."

Social documentary photographer Milton Rogovin's 'life was about seeing. In the literal sense, he was an optometrist. In a more figurative sense, through the lens of his camera, he saw things and people that were often ignored — the poor, the oppressed, the "forgotten ones," as he called them.' "A librarian in Buffalo's Communist Party, he was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1957, and was named "Buffalo's Top Red" in the Buffalo Evening News. Losing business and facing intense social persecution, Rogovin turned to photography in order to create images that conveyed his desire for a more equal and just society, and to give voice to others who were persecuted, who were invisible to most." Mr. Rogovin died on January 18th at his home in Buffalo at the age of 101. Previously on Metafilter [more inside]
posted by zarq at 5:27 PM PST - 9 comments

Fox in Socks: fastest bed time story, ever. Now go to sleep. (SLYT; 2.24) [more inside]
posted by bwg at 3:47 PM PST - 22 comments

All Apple is doing is slowing people down and aggravating them.
posted by Chuckles at 2:46 PM PST - 261 comments

Today is National Squirrel Appreciation Day. Here are seven ways to celebrate. Here are squirrel FAQ's. Here is a cute squirrel video.
posted by Xurando at 2:18 PM PST - 39 comments

Belgium's telecoms companies have a reputation for customer care that is only slightly better than the Gestapo's. Because of divisions among the linguistic areas, monopolies and a disinterest in oversight, the phone and internet companies are notorious for outstandingly poor customer service. Everyone has a tale to tell. In my case, I had a deal with one company and when my neighbour got connected with a rival firm, instead of putting in a new cable, they literally cut through mine and attached him. They then refused to reconnect me, on the grounds that I was not a customer of theirs. After five weeks of getting nowhere, I had to pay another company to install a new cable. Recently a Flemish TV show fought back for all of us. SLYT. A fine and elaborate prank that needs to be watched to the end. Yes it is a SLYT but for anyone who has ever had to deal with Belgian telecoms or internet companies, this is entirely justified payback.
posted by quarsan at 1:59 PM PST - 32 comments

Cold Reading - A rationalist ghost story by Alan Moore.
posted by Artw at 1:56 PM PST - 50 comments

Microaggressions. This blog seeks to provide a visual representation of the everyday of “microaggressions.” Each event, observation and experience posted is not necessarily particularly striking in and of themselves. Often, they are never meant to hurt - acts done with little conscious awareness of their meanings and effects. Instead, their slow accumulation during a childhood and over a lifetime is in part what defines a marginalized experience, making explanation and communication with someone who does not share this identity particularly difficult. Social others are microaggressed hourly, daily, weekly, monthly.
posted by prefpara at 1:54 PM PST - 56 comments

'The new Republican leaders in the House have received millions of dollars in fresh contributions from banks, health insurers and other major business interests, which are pressing for broad reversals of Democratic policies that affect corporations, according to disclosure records and interviews.''Much of that money flowed to the GOP chairmen overseeing banking, energy and other key committees, who will play a central role in setting the House agenda over the next two years. The impetus behind such largess is simple: Many companies and industry groups hope that House Speaker John A. Boehner (Ohio) and other Republicans will succeed in rolling back Democratic policies they find objectionable, including environmental and Wall Street regulations.' [more inside]
posted by VikingSword at 12:14 PM PST - 79 comments

"With the lifetime costs of civilian brain injuries escalating, are local communities prepared for the complex treatment measures many veterans will require?. . . Why have we devoted such tremendous effort to sustaining life while investing so little to support and nurture it?" Fascinating accounts of brain injuries and their aftermaths, devastating and hopeful, from brain injury case manager Michael Paul Mason. [more inside]
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 12:02 PM PST - 11 comments

On January 5th, 2011 largely unknown modern composer, and pioneer of long format compositions on early computer systems Roland Kayn "... left this world today from his home". [more inside]
posted by wcfields at 11:57 AM PST - 8 comments

One Day On Earth - a vast repository of video captured from lexperiences around the world on the 10th of October, 2010.
A Day Of The World’s Air Traffic - visualisation of the world's air traffic in a single day in 2008. (Original source, in German, previously.)
A Day In The Life Of Social Media. [more inside]
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 11:39 AM PST - 6 comments

Legal Sea Foods plans to serve a menu of blacklisted fish next Monday, claiming that there is no scientific basis for the Monterey Bay Aquarium's guide to sustainable seafood--which was recently updated to promote Atlantic haddock, Atlantic pollock, summer flounder, and line-caught Gulf of Maine cod to its “Good Alternatives” Category.
posted by rhiannonstone at 11:25 AM PST - 69 comments

While there has been quite a few pastiches, parodies, and new stories by fans of Sherlock Holmes over the years, there has been no new works to be placed in the canon of Sherlock Holmes since the final collection was published in 1927. But that is going to change in 2011: Anthony Horowitz has been chosen by Arthur Conan Doyle's estate to write an official Sherlock Holmes novel. Horowitz is the author of the Alex Rider series of young adult spy novels, The Power of Five series of fantasy suspense novels, and a number of TV writing credits. Until then, enjoy digital copies of the Sherlock Holmes canon, and then some. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 10:58 AM PST - 47 comments

Since at least Wednesday, there's been a Cooper's Hawk in the Main Reading Room at the Library of Congress. It has has adopted the ornate 160ft high dome as its aerie. [more inside]
posted by Herodios at 10:38 AM PST - 48 comments

NPR's Carl Kasell reads the pregame pep talk from Any Given Sunday.
posted by me3dia at 10:04 AM PST - 34 comments

Josh Springer thinks his invention can eliminate lines for beer at sporting events. The Bottoms Up beer pouring system claims to pour beer up to nine times faster than normal serving methods by using the power of magnets.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 10:00 AM PST - 49 comments

Since November of 2008, the Uncertain Times tumblr blog been offering a daily ragtag of unique, eclectic, intelligent eye-candy, over 8,000 wondrous posts. Bookmark and lose some hours exploring it! [more inside]
posted by growabrain at 9:30 AM PST - 5 comments

Two rather brilliant documentaries on two rather brilliant comedians, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. Buster Keaton: A Hard Act To Follow (part one) 1::2::3::4::5::6 (part two) 1::2::3::4::5::6 (part three) 1::2::3::4::5 Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius (part one) 1::2::3::4 (part two) 1::2::3::4 Narrated by Lindsay Anderson
posted by puny human at 9:27 AM PST - 14 comments

SLYT: Atlanta Weather Update by Megan Mcglover. [more inside]
posted by whimsicalnymph at 9:23 AM PST - 51 comments

Anal Massage Goes Deeper Than You May Have Ever Imagined. A collection of very awkward sexual self-help videos, gathered by Eliot Glazer (creator of My Parents Were Awesome).
posted by hermitosis at 8:48 AM PST - 66 comments

"As Hannah Montana once said..." A Med School commencement speech about what it means to be called a Doctor. [more inside]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:39 AM PST - 6 comments

Endogenize Ideology: Steve Waldman on the interplay between policy decisions and public opinion, in response to Krugman.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:30 AM PST - 14 comments

Real Men Find Real Utopias Historian reviews new book by bigshot sociologist Erik Olin Wright and gives it a thorough drubbing. Wishes sociology could be like it used to be, with more history and better English. Via ALDaily.
posted by Philosopher's Beard at 6:36 AM PST - 34 comments

The Doge was the leader of the Venetian Republic, which lasted for over a thousand years, so they must have been doing something right. Here's Wikipedia's concise description of the selection process: "Thirty members of the Great Council, chosen by lot, were reduced by lot to nine; the nine chose forty and the forty were reduced by lot to twelve, who chose twenty-five. The twenty-five were reduced by lot to nine and the nine elected forty-five. Then the forty-five were once more reduced by lot to eleven, and the eleven finally chose the forty-one who actually elected the doge." Sounds crazy, but Miranda Mowbray and Dieter Gollmann wrote a paper, "Electing the Doge of Venice: Analysis of a 13th Century Protocol" (pdf) explaining its virtues in terms that should warm the cockles of MetaFilter's collective geeky heart. From the abstract: "We will show that it has some useful properties that in addition to being interesting in themselves, also suggest that its fundamental design principle is worth investigating for application to leader election protocols in computer science." Interesting sidelight: "security theater" can be a good thing.
posted by languagehat at 6:06 AM PST - 49 comments

Various songs explain the sun; The Chromatics. The Sun Is A Mass of Incandescent Gas. Erskine. Why Does the Sun Really Shine?
posted by twoleftfeet at 2:43 AM PST - 32 comments

Adachi Tomomi, Alex Baker, Ian Baxter, Ithai Benjamin, Lesley Flanigan, Lorin Edwin Parker, Peter Blasser, Phil Archer, Todd Bailey, Tommy Stephenson & Patrick McCarthy, Tuomao Tammenpaa, and Vasco Alvo are all featured in Nicolas Collins' extraordinarily good book Handmade Electronic Music.
posted by mhjb at 2:07 AM PST - 14 comments