October 14, 2017
a watercolor sci-fi comic about a boy robot in a dangerous world
Descender is a comic book printed by Image Comics, publisher of many sweet creator-owned titles. It's written by Jeff Lemire of Old Man Logan, Black Hammer, and Essex County. The artist is the inimitable Dustin Nguyen, whose work (mostly in watercolor) graces such titles as Streets of Gotham, Manifest Eternity, Secret Hero Society, and Lil Gotham. It's a sci-fi story about Tim-21, a boy robot designed to be a child's companion, and his adventures in a world where robots are hunted. There are four volumes out so far in trade paperback, collecting the first 21 issues. It's very pretty-- this Kotaku Australia review has some pictures.
Bishop's Hat, Fan, Bird of Paradise, Crown
Napkin folding is an old art, which reached its height between 1600 and 1850. But you probably just want to know how to fold fancy napkins, in which case check Buzzfeed, Bumblebee Linens, or the Napkin Folding Guide. (Previously)
"the transmutation of information into common myth."
Some Early Facebook Employees Regret The Monster They Created. Not among them, says Max Read, is Mark Zuckerberg, who may not even know what Facebook is
In late September, Zuckerberg apologized for being initially “dismissive” about the problem of misinformation but insisted Facebook’s “broader impact” on politics was more important. He’s probably right, but I’m not sure he should want to be. What happens to politics when what he calls our “social infrastructure” is refashioned by Facebook?Mark Zuckerberg built Facebook into a behemoth whose power he underestimates [more inside]
Ellison and Parks on Invisible Man
The snids (snail kids) are all right
Jeremy the left-coiled snail has died but his life was an inspiration to science. An international volunteer effort to find him a left-coiled (sinistral) mate even inspired a song. [more inside]
It should be called 'correctile dysfunction'
Where do mansplainers get their water?
From a well, actually
🗣️
Breast cancer death rates decreased by 39 percent since 1989
Washington Post: "Breast cancer death rates increased by 0.4 percent per year from 1975 to 1989, according to the study. After that, mortality rates decreased rapidly, for a 39 percent drop overall through 2015. The report, the latest to document a long-term reduction in breast-cancer mortality, attributed the declines to both improvements in treatments and to early detection by mammography."
The magnificent 139
Bill Wyman (no, the other one) ranks every song the Clash ever recorded. I am happy to report that #139 is "We Are the Clash," off Cut the Crap. I'm pretty sure we can all agree on that, at least.
Mr. Vampire (and kin) - experience the adventure! Embrace the darkness!
Clear some time for kung fu comedy with spooks and spirits, because here comes Mr. Vampire (YT, trailer)! While the Sammo Hung production isn't the first Hong Kong comedy horror fighting film to feature a jiangshi, or hopping corpses or vampires of Chinese folklore, it's the one that created a franchise and inspired numerous sequels and tributes. As a successful special effects driven 80’s comedy, it is often compared to Ghostbusters, but, you know, with martial arts. Let's dive into the world of Chinese folklore in HK comedy horror! [more inside]
“It is not noble men we are dominating, but savage orcs.”
Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War can’t decide if it thinks orcs are people too [The A.V. Club] “There’s a horrible reality underneath all the blood and bombast of Shadow Of War: When you “dominate” an orc, you are erasing its agency and enslaving it. There’s really no two ways around it. The notion that this entire game is built upon the act of removing another living thing’s will and using them as an object is an unsettling truth that you’re forced to confront over and over again. Sometimes it’s not enough to brainwash your enemy. Sometimes you also have to explode your allies’ heads or steal their life like the miserable vampire you are. Sometimes the people around you will question your methods, pointing out that the Ring Of Power enabling your domination has been used time and again to deceive and corrupt others and that its use never ends well for the wearer. [...] The game clearly wants you to think about what you’ve spent dozens of hours doing, or at the very least, it’s finally accepted the fact that there’s really no escaping the hypocrisy and ugliness of its entire conceit.” [more inside]
We don't need no interwebz
Baby Pong
No, not that kind—the smelly kind! Skunk babies are irresistible and adorable. Even mama cats like them. And no post is complete without a puppy. Bonus: 15 Skunk Facts.
(Cute skunks previously)
We offer them neither our empathy nor our respect
uʍop ǝpᴉsdn ǝɥʇ oʇ ʞɔɐq ǝɯoɔlǝʍ
Float like a butterfly, sting like a moth
Mothing is generally a fairly low-key hobby. But even in the UK, it can get a bit lively; and in some parts of the world, it can be really quite intense. [more inside]
In Telepathic Society, One Who Can Hide Thoughts Is King
Hugh Howey: How to Build a Self-Conscious Machine - "Unlike the direction most autonomous vehicle research is going—where engineers want to teach their car how to do certain things safely—our team will instead be teaching an array of sensors all over a city grid to watch other cars and guess what they're doing." [more inside]
« Previous day | Next day »