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If you met Phil Pressel at a party anytime over the past half-century, he couldn't tell you what he did for a living. If you were his wife, you didn't even know where he was staying on those mysterious business trips. Today, after 46 years, the man who made the camera that prevented a war finally got to show off his magnum opus.
posted by Spike at 9:36 PM PST - 37 comments

Futuristic Urban Mega-Structures
posted by Trurl at 9:29 PM PST - 48 comments

Disappearance: The History of Women's Pubic Hair (NSFW)
posted by SkylitDrawl at 9:20 PM PST - 233 comments

"I've been called over the top," Steinman says. "How silly. If you don't go over the top, you can't see what's on the other side." James Richard Steinman is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Meatloaf (Paradise by the Dashboard Light,) and Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse of the Heart. His songs have been covered by artists such as Barbara Streisand(Left in the Dark - here's Steinman's original.) Barry Manilow (Read 'Em and Weep, here performed by Meatloaf) Air Supply (Demo with Rory Dodd on vocals) And of course, many of us have seen the “literal versions of his videos for Making Love out of Nothing At All, I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) Total Eclipse of the Heart, inspired by his flamboyant, theatrical style, which does lend itself to parody. But of course, there is much, much more. [more inside]
posted by louche mustachio at 7:04 PM PST - 90 comments

"I wonder whether the endless fake cultural wars around identity politics are the main reason we have been able to ignore the tech slowdown for so long." - Peter Thiel, The End of the Future [more inside]
posted by beisny at 6:35 PM PST - 83 comments

Fan Animation about Applejack The My Little Pony eating many, many apples (NSFW sound, Not Safe For Bronies in general)
posted by The Whelk at 6:06 PM PST - 49 comments

Sheldon Harnick, lyricist for many hit musicals including Fiddler On The Roof, has written new lyrics for Sunrise, Sunset to make it appropriate for use at same-sex weddings [NYT].
posted by hippybear at 5:41 PM PST - 19 comments

Photographer Suren Manvelyan posted a gallery of close-up photos he took of animals' eyes. [more inside]
posted by gman at 5:03 PM PST - 26 comments

The Architecture of the Comic Book City
posted by Artw at 3:38 PM PST - 29 comments

Bishop Robert Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph have been indicted by a Jackson County, MO grand jury on misdemeanor charges of failure to report child abuse. Finn is the highest-ranking Catholic official in the U.S. to face criminal prosecution in a child sexual abuse case, and faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine (the diocese only faces the fine). Both Finn and the diocese entered not guilty pleas. [more inside]
posted by 2bucksplus at 2:33 PM PST - 95 comments

Spiral art by Chan Hwee Chong.
posted by ericb at 1:57 PM PST - 18 comments

Despite multiple reissue campaigns, some David Bowie gems remain out of print – here’s ten of the best.
posted by xod at 1:13 PM PST - 54 comments

Friday Fun - Mini Metallica (SYLT)
posted by numberstation at 12:46 PM PST - 43 comments

The term is common enough: Goody Two-Shoes, one who is possibly too good and too nice (Google books). But the original children's tale is worth a read, if nothing else to appreciate the hard life of the original (fictional) little Goody Two-Shoes. Here is a facsimile reproduction of the 1766 edition, with an introduction giving some account of the book and some speculations as to it's authorship (Google books scan of an 1882 publication). More versions and tangents inside. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 12:46 PM PST - 15 comments

Jeff Smith, fallen star of the Democratic Party (and subject of a documentary) got hot on Twitter while he was behind bars. Now he's back with an endearing tale of prison love.
posted by slogger at 12:18 PM PST - 23 comments

Yesterday, Politico reporter Kendra Marr was forced to resign her position after New York Times writer Susan Stellin alerted Marr's editors to similarities between her transportation policy story published Sept. 26 and Marr’s story published Oct. 10. An investigation by Politico into Marr's work found 7 instances of likely plagiarism. Marr, who was formerly a reporter for the OC Register, San Jose Mercury News and the Washington Post, had logged 409 stories (scroll down for list) with Politico during her time there. The outlet has issued a statement. Poynter has a thorough rundown, indicating that more of her articles may come under scrutiny. [more inside]
posted by zarq at 12:07 PM PST - 43 comments

Doodle Art posters are back. Thanks to jbickers on the green this Christmas will be a throw-back to one of my favourite childhood activities: colouring in Doodle Art posters! I'm so psyched that these are available again.
posted by HopStopDon'tShop at 11:37 AM PST - 24 comments

The government of Mexico along with archeologists are releasing a film in 2012 that purports to prove alien contact with the Mayans
posted by eggtooth at 10:56 AM PST - 88 comments

From the bankruptcy beat: Kerner Optical shut down. The original Industrial Light and Magic (in a building labeled "Kerner Optical" to hide from industry snoops and avid fans), the practical effects (in contrast to computer effects) shop became a department of a diversifying ILM, which sold it off in 2006. It struggled along on the margins of bankruptcy before filing for Chapter 11 early this year and closing for good in August, its final words a bitter letter about an uncooperative creditor. The Kerner Optical site (entirely in Flash) is still up, where you can see its credits (up through 2008) and view its demo reel.

Souvenir hounds and budding SFX shop owners can have a blast at the liquidation auction, and bid on a box of skulls, a pizza oven, studio props, stage props, leftover models, and tons of shop tools.
posted by ardgedee at 9:59 AM PST - 20 comments

Something Awful Forums has an active thread where adults draw kids conceptions, mostly about animals. Some of them are cute, others are gloriously bizarre. Also in the same vein: Axe Cop [Previously].
posted by mccarty.tim at 9:56 AM PST - 18 comments

If you've ever had those moments where you try to hit undo for something that just happened in real life, or had the impulse to hit control+c to duplicate something on a piece of paper, you might enjoy watching this 1-year-old, for whom a magazine is an iPad that does not work.
posted by cashman at 9:54 AM PST - 117 comments

The Tallest Man collects information and photographs of giants. Despite its title, it includes giants of both genders. "My goal is to build an online image database of giants from 7'2" and upwards. Initially I had 7'6" as my lower criterium, but as so many of the famous touring sideshow giants from the past were below that height, I have lowered the height to be able to include Cliff Thompson, Eddie Carmel, Jim Tarver and Siah Khan." Perhaps you can help identify an unknown giant? Many have already been identified.
posted by jessamyn at 9:29 AM PST - 28 comments

The statistical error that neuroscience researchers get wrong at least half the time. Ben Goldacre of Bad Science explains this mistake, which was made in about half of 157 academic neuroscience papers in which there was an opportunity to make it. The culprit doesn't seem to be any specific journal, since the sample included five different neuroscience journals.
posted by John Cohen at 8:49 AM PST - 72 comments

A map of the locations in JG Ballard's fiction. Click a marker on the map to read the relevant text.
posted by jack_mo at 8:24 AM PST - 18 comments

Senna is a documentary about one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time (if not the greatest) - Ayrton Senna - and covers his career, personality and untimely death at the age of 34. [more inside]
posted by glaucon at 8:16 AM PST - 81 comments

It's Happy Wheels, the motorcross physics flash game featuring buckets of blood, harpoons, and over-the-top violence, and where you can play as "Irresponsible Dad" or a host of other characters. And there is a level creator. Crazy enough that videos of people playing the game are among the most-viewed on YouTube. [Warning: As mentioned, buckets of blood]
posted by blahblahblah at 7:48 AM PST - 8 comments

How the religious right censored the UK media – Christian Mothers’ Union head appointed as ‘expert’ by David Cameron
posted by nam3d at 7:43 AM PST - 34 comments

In the spirit of the Monkey Island saga's point-and-click interface and quirky, anachronistic humor, comes the Flash-based tale of Nick Toldy and the Legend of Dragon Peninsula. Cry havoc and release the dogs of retro and homage!
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:05 AM PST - 15 comments

Over the objections of federal prosecutors and Ronald Reagan's family, John Hinckley, Jr. is on the verge of freedom. "Which should prevail—the belief that anyone who tries to kill a President should never be free? Or a judicial system that rests on laws that spell out pathways to wellness and freedom for people deemed mentally ill when they commit violent acts?"
posted by yankeefog at 4:52 AM PST - 102 comments

Tesco usually sells Terry's Chocolate Oranges for £2.75. Yet, in a scene reminiscent of US show Extreme Couponing, a UK 'daily deals' site discovered a glitch that meant shoppers got them for 29p each. And boy howdy, did they get them.
posted by mippy at 4:43 AM PST - 74 comments

Friday Flash Fun: Japanese designer Tesshi-e makes beautiful, evocative, maddening escape games. Most recent among them is Escape Hotel 4. You may like to check into rooms 3, 2 or 1. Or perhaps you'd prefer to escape from the tatami room, the small bar, the hexagon room, the dome room or the restroom. Examine every item carefully, because nothing is quite as it seems. Expect a lot of lateral thinking and a sprinkling of maths. And before you leave, be sure to take one last look for the Happy Coin: Happy coin will bring happiness to you!! English-language reviews and walkthroughs are here.
posted by embrangled at 3:05 AM PST - 9 comments