January 24, 2017
Daphnis, the Wavemaker
Tireless Cassini, now in its last cycle of death-defying orbits through Saturn's rings before its spectacular September 2017 Grand Finale, has captured an astonishing picture of tiny Daphnis making waves in Saturn's rings; Daphnis is one of the seven moons discovered by Cassini during its 20-year mission. Of course it already has a meme (with accompanying rhapsody). [more inside]
They find humour where others find only sadness. Or potatoes.
British Drunk People Are The Best Drunk People (SLBuzzfeed)
Second hand enforcers of a creditor's paradise...
Mark Blyth is the Eastman Professor of Political Economy at Brown University.
Author of the book, Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea. Previously on the blue.
He has written extensively about the creditor's revolt that begin in the late 70s.
He has become more well known over the last year after he called Brexit, Trump, and the Italian referendum, and is now warning about the French presidential election. He sees the current global trend as creditor-debtor stand-offs. He has referred to many center left and right parties as enforcers in a creditor's paradise For instance, in a speech to the center left, German Social Democratic Party. After they gave him an award for "thinking differently" about economics. [more inside]
Author of the book, Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea. Previously on the blue.
He has written extensively about the creditor's revolt that begin in the late 70s.
He has become more well known over the last year after he called Brexit, Trump, and the Italian referendum, and is now warning about the French presidential election. He sees the current global trend as creditor-debtor stand-offs. He has referred to many center left and right parties as enforcers in a creditor's paradise For instance, in a speech to the center left, German Social Democratic Party. After they gave him an award for "thinking differently" about economics. [more inside]
Who's a good Chocodile? You are!
Lucky Peach magazine's Official Hostess Power Rankings: "Per usual, I have ranked these items in order of tastiness. I have also judged them by a metric I simply like to call “Is It A Good Pet Name?” which ranks these products in order of how cutely they would serve as a name for your new puppy or kitten (adopted from a shelter, of course)." Bonus song: Larry Groce - Junk Food Junkie
Democratic vs. Republican occupations
There’s no “Mr. President” out there
Best YouTube Videos Ever
Warm, warm, warm, cold as fuck
Youtube has been obsessed lately with various red hot things, but this one is actually worth watching: 20 kg of red hot steel vs a frozen lake, from your favorite Finnish machine shop duo (previously.)
Cheat Sheet for the Brain
The Cognitive Bias Cheat Sheet. Derived from the wiki article, the cheat sheet consolidates and classifies 175 biases into four groups. "Every cognitive bias is there for a reason — primarily to save our brains time or energy. If you look at them by the problem they’re trying to solve, it becomes a lot easier to understand why they exist, how they’re useful, and the trade-offs (and resulting mental errors) that they introduce. [The] four problems that biases help us address: Information overload, lack of meaning, the need to act fast, and how to know what needs to be remembered for later." [more inside]
The Spirit of Standing Rock and The Never-Ending Indian Wars
The Spirit of Standing Rock on the Move. "People from more than 300 tribes traveled to the North Dakota plains to pray and march in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux. Back home, each tribe faces its own version of the “black snake” and a centuries-old struggle to survive." [more inside]
Get Back
Back in the Sixties, English MP Eddie O'Hara taught Latin. To make the language relevant, he put Beatles songs into Latin.
Former pupil and current Latin teacher Keith Massey sings one or two in an older language. And not just Beatles [more inside]
HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US
The most electrifying new exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens isn’t inside the museum; it’s a black orb attached to an outside wall. Above it is the name of the newest LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner art project, “HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US.” That orb is a camera connected to a 24/7 livestream, an invitation for anyone anywhere to bear witness. [more inside]
“Charred food always draws you in more, whets your appetite,”
Charred, Browned, Blackened: The Dark Lure of Burned Food [The New York Times] “From the blackened avocados at Nix to the lamb heart ashes at Aska, burned and charred foods may seem like just another fad sweeping through pyrotechnically inclined restaurants. But burning, a technique that can involve a surprising amount of shading and subtlety, has deep roots in many cuisines. A great kazandibi, the Turkish milk pudding, requires a totally scorched bottom to fulfill its delicious potential, the milk pushed to the same shade as a fire-licked marshmallow. Any dessert that relies on a touch of burned sugar, from flan to crème brûlée, will go limp and lifeless if that caramel is cooked too lightly. And there are few primal delights like the burned ends of a barbecued brisket, crisp-edged and fierce with smoke.”
"We should put this on a website or whatever"—A Homestar Runner History
Having revived their signature Flash-driven cartoon, Homestar Runner, creators the Brothers Chaps recount its seventeen-year history in a winding tale of snark, underground popularity, no real business plan, creative burnout, and unlikely success. "A few weeks ago we got to spend all day 3D printing a fake action figure and filling it with beef stroganoff for the Walt Disney company. Once you hit that point, I don’t think you’re allowed to complain ever again." (previously)
From 360 lb. teenager to (likely) NBA first round draft pick
Caleb "Biggie" Swanigan was 360 pounds in 8th grade, living under the constant specter of shelter and food insecurity, with a drug addicted father and an overwhelmed mother.
6 years later he is a successful college student at Purdue University, leading contender for college basketball player of the year, and will likely be a multi-millionaire professional basketball player by the Fall.
His journey is kind of inspiring.
Monsieur le Pepe
Inside the Private Chat Rooms Trump Supporters Are Using to Manipulate French Voters : Buzzfeed reports on a Discord channel called "The Great Liberation of France," the associated /r/the_Europe/ subreddit, as well as on 4chan and 8chan, and the tactics underway to move public opinion in advance of the upcoming French elections. [more inside]
Not A Parking Spot
A South Philly photographer has setup instagram and twitter accounts documenting illegal parking in the city. Philadelphians are handling this in their usually polite manner. (via Atrios)
Doomsday Prep for the Super Rich
Even after the world ends, we won't be rid of these people. Some of the wealthiest people in America—in Silicon Valley, New York, and beyond—are getting ready for the crackup of civilization. [more inside]
Homelessness & menstruation: making a tough situation tougher
“You never see a bowl of tampons and maxi pads, but you always see a bowl of condoms.” [more inside]
How Chicago Bars Got So Many Old Style Signs
What's the deal with all of those bars in Chicago with Old Style signs outside?
Happy birthday, Finland! I got you a mountain.
Battle for Birthday Mountain (video) A lot of Norwegians want to give Finland a mountain to celebrate 100 years of Finnish independence, moving the national boundary 31 feet. Right now the highest point of Finland is on the side of the mountain-- this would give them the summit as well. Is it legal? Maybe not! But now there's a touching film about it.
Eighteen year old plays Pink Floyd's Echoes. By himself.
Eighteen year old Ewan Cunningham covers Pink Floyd's Echoes by playing every instrument. His video pays homage to Pink Floyd's famous Live at Pompeii version of the 25-minute long masterpiece.
Link to the Ewan Cunningham YouTube channel.
America First. The Netherlands Second.
Dutch comedian Arjen Lubach has made a short video welcoming Trump to the Netherlands in Trump's own style . The introduction to the video is in Dutch with subtitles; the video itself is in English.
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