October 6, 2016
Parabat mori
The Monks Who Spent Years Turning Themselves into Mummies—While Alive
The Japanese climate is not exactly conducive to mummification. There are no peat bogs, no arid deserts, and no alpine peaks perennially encased in ice. The summers are hot and humid. Yet somehow a group of Buddhist monks from the Shingon sect discovered a way to mummify themselves through rigorous ascetic training in the shadow of a particularly sacred peak in the mountainous northern prefecture of Yamagata. Between 1081 and 1903, at least 17 monks managed to mummify themselves.
The Japanese climate is not exactly conducive to mummification. There are no peat bogs, no arid deserts, and no alpine peaks perennially encased in ice. The summers are hot and humid. Yet somehow a group of Buddhist monks from the Shingon sect discovered a way to mummify themselves through rigorous ascetic training in the shadow of a particularly sacred peak in the mountainous northern prefecture of Yamagata. Between 1081 and 1903, at least 17 monks managed to mummify themselves.
Maybe.. but I got you pegged ha HA
Frasier Intros Compilation (Every theme and animation used) [YouTube] |
For completeness [YT] |
18 Things You Might Not Know About 'Frasier', Kara Kovalchik, Mental Floss
St. James Infirmary Blues
There's a lot to worry about these days, what with weather and politics. Here's a bit of a distraction, The Silk Road Ensemble performing the classic St. James Infirmary Blues. Open a bottle of something smooth and spicy and enjoy.
Up next on Ninja Warrior, it's Lila from Denver
Up next on Ninja Warrior! (Slyt) Lila's dad, who may be the best dad ever, builds his little ninja her own obstacle course. Lila completes the course, cheered on by her dad and many stuffed animals.
What to read while waiting for the end of the world
"The lists [of gear] are a point of complaint for some reviewers online, but the authors of these books know that they’re writing something that’s a cross between a novel, a shopping list, a survival manual, and a field guide; this is a wholly experimental form, and the results can be awkward." American prepper fiction.
No JavaScript frameworks were created during the writing of this article
no more tofu
Crowley and Yeats
Both W.B. Yeats and Aleister Crowley were contemporaneous members of the British occult society, The Golden Dawn. They hated each other, due to conflicting personalities and views on magick [Direct PDF link to text from the 1948 Partisan Review]. This rivalry culminated in Crowley waging astral warfare on Yeats, and then attempting to seize the headquarters of the G.D. wearing a kilt and wielding a ceremonial dagger. Although the location of that headquarters is now a coffee shop, it once hosted a showdown between two of the world's most famous magicians: The Battle of Blythe Road.
Curated podcasts from the US, UK, and Australia (so far)
The Audit [is] a website and newsletter devoted to discovering, reviewing, and recommending podcasts. We do this work independently and anonymously. We pride ourselves on uncovering interesting audio from all over the world… If you twist our arms, we will tell you that we are sisters, based in Sydney and Berlin.
A pretty young girl of her time
Who Is Louise Delage? (AdWeek)
How to talk to a woman with no headphone jack
When you see a woman with no headphone jack, it can be intimidating, to say the least. Many men assume that a woman would only forgo a headphone jack by choice. But, with the technological landscape being so complex, it can be easy for a woman to get overwhelmed when making decisions about her headphones. [more inside]
an uncompromising desire to tell it like it is, architecturally speaking
Brutalism Is Back [The New York Times] “But now, like the chevron mustache, Brutalism [wiki] is undergoing something of a revival. Despite two generations of abuse (and perhaps a little because of it), an enthusiasm for Brutalist buildings beyond the febrile, narrow precincts of architecture criticism has begun to take hold. Preservationists clamor for their survival, historians laud their ethical origins and an independent public has found beauty in their rawness. For an aesthetic once praised for its “ruthless logic” and “bloody-mindedness” — in the much-quoted phrasing of critic Reyner Banham — it is a surprising turn of events.” [more inside]
When her best friend died, she rebuilt him using artificial intelligence
Midlife Replication Crisis
AMERICAN POLITICAL PRISONER ISSUES PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM PRISON
On April 5th, 2010, the Upper Big Branch Mine suffered a coal dust explosion, killing 29 miners. Massey Energy CEO and 'American Competitionist' Don Blankenship was charged with conspiring to violate safety and health standards, facing up to 31 years in prison; he was ultimately sentenced to a single year in prison. And now, "...Appalachia’s infamous imprisoned coal baron just claimed he’s a 'political prisoner.'" [more inside]
examining the sensorium of political engagement between humans & animals
"A prominent animal rights activist in New Delhi, explaining her relentlessness on behalf of animals, said to me the following: "I only wish there were a slaughterhouse next door. To witness that violence, to hear those screams... I would never be able to rest." She was not alone among animal welfare activists in India in linking the witnessing of violence against an animal to the creation of a profound bond that demanded from her a life of responsibility. I argue in this article that this moment of witnessing constitutes an intimate event in tethering human to nonhuman, expanding ordinary understandings of the self and its possible social relations, potentially blowing the conceit of humanity apart." Witness: Humans, Animals, and the Politics of Becoming, an essay by Naisargi N. Dave. [cw: contains vivid text/visuals describing non-human animal suffering and death*] [more inside]
"The bat flip...is a tiny gesture with outsized meaning"
Baseball's finest bat-flips are performed in South Korea. An in-depth article with animated illustrations. Flipping one's bat after hitting is taboo in MLB but celebrated by Korean fans and players. Each player has his own distinctive style. [more inside]
"to view the current shift within Turkey as an anomaly is a mistake"
My Shattered Istanbul, Selin Thomas
How to Take Home "Garbage Bags Full of $20s"
Fan conventions, where stars can take home hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for a few hours of time, once were the domain of has-beens and sci-fi novelties. But the business has become so lucrative — think $500,000 for Captain America's Chris Evans or The Walking Dead favorite Norman Reedus to appear — that current TV and film stars are popping up at events like Salt Lake City Comic-Con and Heroes and Villains Fan Fest.[more inside]
You say "car-ml," I say "carra-mel."
"...do me this favor, tonight, if you could just call me ‘Joanne.’”
Lady Gaga has begun her "Dive Bar Tour" with an appearance in Nashville at The 5 Spot [professionally filmed* for Facebook Live broadcast, 25m40s]. She debuted three new songs: "Sinner's Prayer", "A-Yo", and "Million Reasons", and also performed recent single "Perfect Illusion". She played guitar and performed with a four piece rock-and-roll band and asked the crowd to call her "Joanne". And, editorial note, she was pretty f-n awesome!** [more inside]
« Previous day | Next day »