October 14, 2016
There's little doubt I'm practicing a vocation in its twilight.
Reflections on ten years working as a fire lookout:
My lookout tower is situated five miles from the nearest road, on a ten-thousand-foot peak in the Gila National Forest. I live here for several months each year, without electricity or running water. Although tens of thousands of acres are touched by fire here every year, I can go weeks without seeing a twist of smoke. During these lulls I simply watch and wait, my eyes becoming ever more intimate with an ecological transition zone encompassing dry grasslands, piñon-juniper foothills, ponderosa parkland, and spruce-fir high country.--A Talent for Sloth
[ HEAVY BREATHING ]
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Final Trailer [YouTube] [Trailer] The final Rogue One trailer is now in range. You may watch it when ready. Rogue One tells the story of how a group of unlikely heroes unite to undertake a daring and seemingly impossible mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. [more inside]
Hail Godzilla, King of the Monsters. He's NOT Your Father's Godzilla.
In theaters in the US from Oct 11th thru the 18th, Japanese with English subtitles. The Godzilla Myth is reborn by Toho Film Co., Ltd., a new Godzilla for a new age. An entirely new story (except for the part where he wrecks Tokyo,) same great theme song.
If the 2014 Godzilla movie with it's paltry 8 minutes of monster left you cold, Shin Godzilla is the kaiju movie for you!
A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History
The National Park Service has published LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History in 32 chapters. Each page includes a .pdf link to a much longer exposition on the subject of the chapter. [more inside]
The Day the Clown Died
French clown, actor, writer, sleight-of-hand expert, and director Pierre Étaix has passed away at age 87. With all the scary clown talk of late, let us pay tribute to a gentler, more thoughtful form of clowning.
His 1962 short Happy Anniversary won the 1963 Best Short Subject Academy Award, and he is most well-known for his 1965 feature-length comedy Yo Yo, about a wealthy heir who just wants to be a clown. [more inside]
Fall, friendly, freaky Friday with Frida!
I was a little late to the birthday party of Ms. Kahlo, but saw this fantastic article and couldn't resist sharing with my fellow Meefs. How To Be More Like Frida Kahlo, As Told By Frida Kahlo Today I ran across another fun tidbit about Frida's old stompin' ground and knew it was deserving of the blue...........Frida Kahlo’s home.
Anodyne for Aggravation
The Impact of Secrets and Dark Knowledge
The bottom line is, trauma and secondary trauma have identifiable symptoms and they are everywhere in the “industry.” The “hyper-real” space which the national security state creates by its very nature extends to everyone too, now, but it’s more intense for professionals. Living as “social engineers,” always trying to understand the other’s POV so one can manipulate and exploit it, erodes the core self. The existential challenge constitutes an assault on authenticity and integrity. Sometimes sanity is at stake, too, and sometimes, life itself.Playing Through the Pain: A DEF CON 24 presentation by Richard Thieme (h/t Schneier)
a box of worthless amazing crap
"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy."
Tron 2.0 - Creating a Visual Language of Scale "Today we introduce TRON version 2 as a fully realized Mapzen house style, rebuilt from the ground up to take advantage of the latest features of the Tangram graphics engine and Tangram blocks. With this new version, visual forms and elements transform per zoom, revealing new cartographic details and a deep exploration of scale transformations."
The disrespect of our ambitions and intellect
Fifteen months ago, Donald declared and we commented; two months earlier, Hillary did likewise. And now, here we are near the end of an divisive and damaging election. As Donald's campaign struggles under many allegations [BBC] [NBC News] [Guardian] [New York Times] and increased conversation on abuse, Hillary pulls out a 7 point lead in a Fox poll, a gap in the Real Clear Politics poll average and a large victory chance in 538 (though, cautionary words about poll bounces). Michelle Obama spoke about the language of this election (FPP title from her speech) [BBC] [New Yorker] [Washington Post] and in The Guardian: "She lent her extraordinary ability to say what people are feeling to every English-speaking woman in the world".
Elsewhere, Trump-stooge Chris Christie is facing a criminal summons and Utah could be a three-way race which leads to a small possibility of President Evan. [more inside]
Do you like grandpas? Do you like cribbage?
Then you might like Cribbage With Grandpas.
- You play cribbage,
- You play against the computer,
- The computer is your Grandpa,
- You get to create your Grandpa.
And All That
"Harold’s death at Hastings by an arrow to the eye remains one of the most enduring ‘facts’ in English history. But this detail may have been the product of historians writing generations after 1066, and the Bayeux Tapestry, the most famous witness to Harold’s death, may not show the king being shot by an arrow at all." [more inside]
'Tis the Season
As we pass the film festivals and Oscar Season approaches, the question is asked: Is there such a thing as an "Oscar Bait" movie?
Accept your impermanence in this bag of bones, live a fulfilled life
D.S. Moss produces an occasional podcast, titled The Adventures of Memento Mori, subtitled a cynic's guide for learning to live by remembering to die. He talks about his ideas in an interview with the Eternal Life Fan Club (website), which can be summarized as embracing life by accepting death. There are eight episodes in the Adventures of Memento Mori so far, covering Plan on Dying, Communicating with the Dead, The Science of Immortality, Past Life Regression, Escaping Death, Thoughts in Passing, and Digital Afterlife. Remember to Die is also on Twitter and Instagram, and I am Mori on YouTube. [more inside]
Two Cats Play Tug of War With Bowl of Milk
Does what it says on the tin. Now, can we wedge it all into a scanner?
“What are those red and yellow pills you got there?”
Anti-Drug PSAs by Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the rest of the 'Looney Tunes' gang via Dangerous Minds.
dog duck dog duck 🐕
Bush of crayfish in Viking herbs
A ball, three teams and a hexagonal pitch
Looking for a new sport? Why not have a nice game of Three-Sided Football? Three teams, a hexagonal field, and the team that concedes the fewest goals is the winner! You might especially enjoy it if you're an anarchist Marxist with an interest in psychogeography and surrealism. [more inside]
Adulterer with Enthusiasm
Malinda Kathleen Reese runs songs back and forth through Google Translate, then sings the results. This being MetaFilter, let's put the Hamilton one above the fold: You'll Be Back [more inside]
Pumpkin Sues Wrestling Company
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is (arguably) the second biggest professional wrestling promotion in the U.S., but it's a distant second. The most coverage it has received in the mainstream press lately comes from behind the scenes, as its co-owner and president has sued the promotion over intrigue regarding a potential sale. Normally, this wouldn't rate a story in The Guardian, but that co-owner/president is Billy Corgan, better known as the front man of Smashing Pumpkins. [more inside]
nothing really matters
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