January 8, 2008
Tarantula photos
Rick West takes very nice photographs of tarantulas.
The 'advantage' of 'low human rights'
Only China can destroy socialism. Qin Hui, one of the country's most important public intellectuals, argues "China's rampant state-dominated, welfare-lite capitalism could so undercut competitors that it could threaten the social democratic traditions that underpin the West." [As ever, via.]
The end of net nuetrality.
FCC to investigate Comcast's traffic-management practices. The AP and the EFF both have confirmed that they do interfere with some certain file sharing technologies. Previously.
Elephant Man
How do you like them apples?
Pomme Chan makes rococo nouveau illustrations, with a felt-tip/vector art feel. Roughly 60 images to explore through navigation on the left.
Bloody Diamonds
The Hope Diamond glows red when exposed to ultraviolet light. In itself, this is an interesting way to determine the provenance of a particular gem. [more inside]
The Science Fiction Artwork of John Harris
John Harris's science fiction artwork is stunning. Much of it attempts to capture scale and the hugeness of relative comparisons in the universe. From the book Mass that looks at his work: "From skyscapes to lost cities, planetary bodies to megalithic structures, Harris's concepts are truly colossal, conveying not just the sheer scale that the edifices of future-fantastical technology might attain, but also the awesome-ness, even terror, of their presence." His work has graced the covers of many science fiction books, which you may have recognized. Interestingly, there's no wikipedia article about him.
Texas Taxes Titties
The poll tax caused massive rioting in the UK. Will the pole tax move Texans to do the same? There's an interesting class-war aspect to the story. The bill specifies that the revenue generated will support sexual assault prevention programs, though the bill's legality is being litigated.
Meat?
Mannequin, Fake Boobs and Real Meat in a Swing. Fake hand, holding a real heart. Self-portrait, with octopus. Mannequin with real tongue. Unborn pigs on a meat background. [more inside]
Patton Oswalt Eats At KFC
Comedian Patton Oswalt has gotten a lot of mileage out of KFC's Famous Bowls ("a failure pile in a sadness bowl."); after years of mockery, he finally tries one for himself, and writes about the experience.
Angry White Man
Angry White Man. The New Republic examines the archives of Ron Paul's newsletters.
How much for that nukie in the window? Boom. Boom.
Sibel Edmonds, the FBI whistleblower under a gag order, recently spilled part of the beans to the Sunday Times. Considering the seriousness of the allegations: moles have infiltrated top US nuclear research facilities; the moles have sold US nuclear secrets to foreign governments; all of this behavior has been aided and abetted by top government US officials in exchange for bribes; you might think a US media outlet would be interested in the story. You'd be wrong. Now it seems she has named names. [more inside]
Plastic People
Plastic Lenin chilling in Antarctica. Plastic Jesus riding on the dashboard of my car. St. Joseph, helping you sell your house. Aztec cocaine mule busted at Logan Airport. Colonel Sanders in Tokyo. Santa Claus in Turkey. Ronald McDonald in Bangkok. Muffler Men all over the place. [more inside]
"One sheds one's sickness in books." D. H. Lawrence
So How Evil Were They?
"Third Reich to Fortune 500: Five Popular Brands the Nazis Gave Us." There are pictures and videos of kittens to soften the blow.
You don't see that every day
Prisoner 547 is a Rabbit in prison. He shares a cell with another Rabbit, a Frog and a Chicken. It is visiting day.
In Japanese.
One episode of many. [more inside]
Urban[e] Renewal
Postcards from Our Awesome Future. [via] An art exhibition stemming from the minds of Packard Jennings (whose illustrations have appeared in Adbusters) and Steve Lambert (of Anti-Advertising Agency fame); using San Francisco's infrastructure as a model for improvement, the duo answered the siren call of Objectivism through an arcology devoid of “...budgets, beauracracy [sic], politics, or physics”. [more inside]
It's Slinky, It’s Slinky
Evolution of an artist.
Best history blog awards 2007
The Academy Awards of the history blogosphere have been announced for 2007. The newest edition of the Cliopatria Awards is now out.
Soupy Norman
If you don't live in Ireland, you may be missing out on the inimitable Soupy Norman. YT, with more of the series here. [more inside]
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