November 5, 2010
To Translate My Ancestors' Anthems
Looking for new underground hiphop? The last 10 years have seen the rise of a growing Asian/Pacific Islander American hiphop scene, including groups like Blue Scholars, Native Guns (consisting of Bambu & Kiwi), Power Struggle, Typical Cats, and Magnetic North. Also of note is the solid number of women taking up the role of MC'ing in the scene- Rocky Rivera, Hopie Spitshard, The Skim, Sun The Real Sun(exception - Canadian). (Multiple Youtube links, natch)
The shortcut to doubling solar efficiency?
Super Soaker inventor proposes a solid state heat engine that resembles a fuel cell. The idea is to reach a new level in heat generating efficiency, or at least replace heat pumps, with no moving parts. "Johnson has opened up a fundamentally new pathway to generate electricity from heat," says Paul Werbos, program director for power, control, and adaptive networks at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Werbos, an IEEE Fellow, says the NSF is funding Johnson's heat-engine research because of the strong chance that it could cut the cost of solar power in half.
Multiverses collide
Multiverses collide this week with the publication of "The Coming of the Terraphiles," the first canonical Doctor Who story written by the legendary Michael Moorcock. [more inside]
One small step for a robot
One small step for a robot, one giant leap for robot-kind... but not yet. The Robonaut R2 (sic) will have to wait at least another three weeks, as the final mission of Space Shuttle Discovery is delayed.
Boom boom boom
Friday Flash Fun: Nuclearoids. A little like Boomshine, a lot like dominoes. But with explosions. And bouncy balls. And colors. Lots of colors! Not too brain engaging, with particle attraction and even black holes. [more inside]
Your move, FIDE!
Brutish Behavior
The Old Spice Guy backlash has officially begun, sponsored by another brand of men's fragrance you'd never get caught dead using. You can slap that guy or you can slap a mime instead. Or vote for the next guy to get slapped, an overweight dude in a speedo or a familiar looking golfer. Meanwhile, Brut sets down some rules that seem a little too close to the rules for a Gentleman's Gentleman (as seen here). Yeah, it's Pepsi Shade-Of-Green-Not-Occurring-In-Nature. [more inside]
A small measure of justice
The Arkansas Supreme Court has ordered new hearings for the three men convicted of the Robin Hood Hills Murders, known as the West Memphis 3.
The Evolved Slut
Husband-and-wife team Christopher Ryan and Calcilda Jethá have written a book, Sex at Dawn, that challenges what they describe as the "standard narrative" of human sexual and social relationships. In a recent Savage Love podcast featuring Ryan as a guest, Dan Savage described the book as "...the single most important book about human sexuality since Alfred Kinsey unleashed Sexual Behavior in the Human Male on the American public in 1948." [more inside]
"The deepest of the deep"
Choose Your Own MTV
The music video for Andy Grammer's "Keep Your Head Up" lets you pick the way it unfolds... while you watch.
Virgin birth? Snakes? This could get biblical.
Miniature masterpieces
Chewing gum artist. "Mr Wilson has created more than 8,000 works of art this way - each one photographed and catalogued for his archive. A picture can take anything from two hours to three days to complete."
And it's going, going, GONE!
Great banter
First episode of Alan Partridge's brand new series, Mid Morning Matters from North Norfolk Digital (SLYT) (previous)
Whither, Canada?
Buen Tiempo
In the past few months vicent.zp has put up delicious photograph sets of vintage razors, fans, radios & cassette tape recorders, kitchen stuff, and lookie there, a Sputnik Weather Station. You know what time it is.
Keith Olbermann suspended
MSNBC reports: Msnbc TV host Keith Olbermann was suspended indefinitely on Friday for making campaign donations to three Democratic congressional candidates, apparently in violation of NBC News ethics policy. [more inside]
The Twins Who Share A Brain
Tatiana and Krista Hogan are 4 year old twin girls who are joined at the head. Amazingly, their brains are interconnected and share the thalamus, the section of the brain that is responsible for relaying physical sensation and motor function to the cerebral cortex. As a result, it is believed that they can experience one another’s sensations, including seeing though each other's eyes.
Did Mike Mearls ruin everything?
"With 4th Edition, there were good intentions." Escapist Magazine's "Check for Traps" columnist Alexander Macris interviews Dungeons & Dragons Manager Mike Mearls about 4th Edition Essentials, Ryan Dancey's "death spiral" comment, Justin Alexander's "Disassociated Mechanics", and the new Red Box.
"It takes a special kind of retard to be offended by a cartoon"
Space Moose, NSFW. A comic strip built in no small part on murder, scatology, and mocking trekkies. It ran for a decade in The Gateway, the University of Alberta's student newspaper. Cartoonist Mustafa Al-Habib (a.k.a. Adam Thrasher) explains the jokes. Some of my favorites.
Man in disguise boards international flight
Man boards plane in elderly disguise (video) Canadian authorities have detained a young Asian man who was wearing a silicone head and neck mask making him appear to be an elderly Caucasian male. [more inside]
We boldly go where no dentist has gone before
Denis Bourguignon is a dentist in Florida. He is best known to the world for his role in the 1999 documentary film Trekkies where he showcased his dental practice being filled with Star Trek memorabilia. [more inside]
Swiftboating considered harmful.
UK (ex)MP Phil Woolas has indicated he will seek a judicial review of the decision today to void his election victory of earlier this year. He was found guilty of "knowingly making false statements about [rival candidate] Mr Watkins in campaign literature". Woolas claims the ruling will "inevitably chill political speech", whereas the Justices' ruling found that his Election Literature breached UK laws.
Let me talk to my browser.
The East River Bridge
Brooklyn to New York via the Brooklyn Bridge as shot by the Edison Manufacturing Co. in 1899. (SLYT) [more inside]
"chemtrails and footpads and 9/11"
How the venerable Pacifica Radio network is being taken over by "a kind of Tea Party of the left, featuring ex-Scientologists, miracle cure hucksters, and conspiracists who believe that Amy Goodman's Democracy Now!, Pacifica's premier program, is taking CIA money to suppress 'the truth about 9/11.'" [more inside]
Closed For Storm
Six Flags New Orleans closed on August 27, 2005 in preparation for Hurricane Katrina. The park never reopened. [more inside]
Going SAT Free
Some colleges have decided to take SAT scores out of the admissions decision making process. But, some are alleging that this is only a way to game the rankings by excluding the scores of admitted students who didn't do well.
X-it the Xserve
Apple Computers, creator of the worlds first Apple Computer Tablet and the worlds first Smartphone to go to space quitely announced today that despite 35% year over year growth, they are discontinuing the Xserve. [more inside]
Music is god
Dancing under the gallows (SYLT) A trailer for an upcoming documentary traces the life of concert pianist Alice Herz-Sommer, the worlds oldest Holocaust survivor.
Largest (in 1971) Geodesic Dome in the world for sale
The Buckminster Fuller dome of the former Dutch aerospace museum is for sale. In 1971 it was the largest in the world and housed most of the aircraft on display. The dome has a height of 23 meters and a 2700 m2 floorspace. It is currently dismantled and stored in 27 seafreight containers. At the site (in Dutch) there's a wonderful set of photos on the construction in 1971 and dismantling in 2004.
Let's hope the device is less short-sighted than the inventors
Yesterday was the day that Microsoft Kinect for the XBox 360 launched (warning: site "works best with" proprietary, embrace-and-extendware--here's a slightly more accessible YT demo). Like with the Wii, it's possible the most lasting effect on the open community is the excellent commodity hardware. To that end, Adafruit offered a $1000 reward to the first open source code that could work with the hardware. Microsoft was displeased, citing both law-enforcement and product safety groups as co-enforcers. The bounty is now $2000.
"I think Keith never appreciated the tedious hours I had to spend with Jann Wenner"
Please Allow Me To Correct A Few Things. Mick Jagger "responds" to Keith Richards about his new autobiography. (From journalist Bill Wyman.)
"Don't come in, I'm... doing my utmost in the fight against cancer!"
Masturbation cuts cancer risk! That is all.
Preparrre Yourself For (mostly) Indoor Parkour
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