November 17, 2013
The latest product of Juche: Angry Birds
"For experts and those who want to join this illustrious group, the Samjiyon can easily develop into one of their major research tools. The DPRK-specific dictionaries and the encyclopedia are tremendously useful as reference works.It does not take much imagination to see all the future Ph.D. theses written about the North Korean educational system based just on the textbooks available on a single Samjiyon (don’t forget to give credit to the one who provided you with this idea). The selection of eBooks in the literature section is equally remarkable." -- Ruediger Frank reviews the ideologically correct North Korean Samjiyon tablet (PDF), an alternative to degenerate capitalist tablets like the Ipad which can't even receive analog tv broadcasts. All part of the relentless forward march of North Korean IT technology.
The perfect video for those who need a good cry.
June Oswald
50 years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, many of us willl find a moment to reflect... June Oswald had these words in 2009.
The Window Cleaner
How to open a can after the apocalypse
Prada in Japan: a story of sexual harrassment
The sexual harrassment within the Prada company of fine clothing as translated into Japanese culture Fascinating article in Salon about a woman who worked for Prada in Japan and was discriminated again and then stigmatized. Her case, years later, has been taken up by the United Nations.
'Tussin and Twerkin
We Can't Stop and Wrecking Ball in G-Major. Maybe not G-Major, but at least pitched down and edited. As not-work-safe as the regular versions. [more inside]
Jazz covers. Animated.
Animated Jazz Covers. Very cool.
“Feminism,” she said to herself, and then put on some red lipstick.
I like drawn butts and I cannot lie
How to draw GREAT BUTTS in five lines!
Gefiltefish Trombones
Theo and Beau
Theo and Beau: Nap time!
Native American Recipes
For your culinary enjoyment, I present NativeTech's collection of recipes, which you can browse by recipe category, regions, types of dishes, and alphabetically (the site is pretty vast, and you can find recipes throughout the site). For more manageable lists, here is a mixed collection of Native American Recipes, from Apache acorn soup to Zuni corn soup (there's more listed than soups, I promise). One Feather has shared some favorite recipes, and then there's the Native Food blog, with recipes and more information.
Quitting the Academy
An aspiring scientist's frustration with modern-day academia. A resignation letter circulated to staff and students at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, which has caused a bit of a splash in the science community. Lee Smolin, author of The Trouble with Physics, responds in the comments.
"How to be awkward."
The best of Jerome Jarre, a hilarious young Frenchman who delights in singing on subways, violating personal boundaries, and grinning like a loon on Vine. Previously on MetaFilter.
You and whose Armey?
Good Enough For Government Work
Welcome to the new incarnation of the “think tank” world, over which Jim DeMint—its ideal-type avatar—now presides. Instead of letting scholars of various shades of true believership study what interests them without predetermined conclusions, think tanks are now expected to formulate new ways to echo one or another approved ideological dogma—and then marshal lawmakers, none too subtly, to march in lockstep behind it. ... In other words, to consider DeMint’s legacy simply because he’s exiting the Senate after eight years is silly, when he’s just beginning to craft it, finally, from a position of actual power.[more inside]
Don't Forget it Jake, it’s Pie-Town.
Pie-Town was held today (in Chicago) with America’s Baking Competition finalist Francine Bryson and her (no kidding) Chocolate Peanut Butter Bacon Pie!
And with National Pie-Day coming up in January, again, you'll be all ready for the Great American Pie Festival next April with the National Pie Championships in Florida.
Or stay at home and try out the winning recipes from last year (mostly non-bacon, non chocolate, non-peanut butter fruit pies, but still...Pie!)
One of the most emotional pieces of radio ever recorded
Friday November 22, 1963, at the Boston Symphony Orchestra: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a press report over the wireless. We hope that it is unconfirmed, but we have to doubt it. That the president of the United States has been the victim of an assassination. We will play the funeral march from Beethoven’s Third Symphony."
Best Boston Accent Evah?
"In linguistic circles, there is a bit of excitement over the election of Marty Walsh as Boston’s next mayor. Not only does he have a strong Boston accent — perhaps the strongest in the city’s mayoral history — but his speech is a perfect example of the modern dialect, where the broad “a” sound is gone. He’s from Dohchestah. Not Dawchestah. And when it comes time to say pronounce his new job title, he shows the variability of the dialect, which is what actors who drop every R get wrong. Sometimes he’s a may-uh. Sometimes he’s a mare. And a lot of times, he skips both the Y and the R and he’s just a maeh..."
Beams Are Gonna Blind You
Super Trouper: 30 Years Of ABBA [1h30m] is a 2004 documentary about Sweden's biggest export, containing (then) current and historical footage and interviews, giving a generous, broad picture of the history of the band. Includes much never-before-seen performance and backstage footage.
Touch Isolation
Touch Isolation: How Homophobia Has Robbed All Men of Touch, a reflection prompted in part by Bosom Buddies: A Photo History of Male Affection
The Kelpies
The Kelpies. Giant Horse Head Sculptures Tower Over the Forth & Clyde Canal in Scotland. The Kelpies were designed by artist Andy Scott. [Previously]
How one man ate no food for 30 days
"It was my second day on Soylent and my stomach felt like a coil of knotty old rope, slowly tightening. I wasn’t hungry, but something was off. I was tired, light-headed, low-energy, but my heart was racing... I had twenty-eight days left of my month-long all-Soylent diet—I was attempting to live on the full food replacement longer than anyone besides its inventor—and I felt woozy already.We were en route to Soylent HQ, where the 25-year-old Rob Rhinehart and his crew were whipping up the internet famous hacker meal—the macro-nutritious shake they think will soon replace the bulk of our meals. It’s just one of many visions currently vying for the future food crown. The world’s population is still burgeoning, after all, 600 to 800 million people are going hungry every year, and the specter of food riots is perpetually percolating—the demand for cheap, nutritious food is greater than ever." [more inside]
The secret of the Chinese takeout container
Cuz we'll never be Legals
‘Guestlist’ (NSFW lyrics) is the brand new single from Berlin based Denitza Torodrove AKA DENA, released worldwide on 23rd November. The tongue and cheek lyrics offer a poignant juxtaposition to the political message of the single which addresses immigration control issues in her native Bulgaria. The video, also shot in her homeland...provides a suitable backdrop to DENA’s unique brand of pop, 90’s inspired hip-hop and Balkan beats. ‘Guestlist’ follows singles ‘Thin Rope’ and ‘Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools" which came out on French label Kitsune earlier this year, rapidly reaching more than 800,000 views on Youtube. [more inside]
"Everybody gets a hot meal regardless of caste, creed and religion."
"Anyone can eat for free here, and many, many people do. On a weekday, about 80,000 come. On weekends, almost twice as many people visit. Each visitor gets a wholesome vegetarian meal, served by volunteers who embody India’s religious and ethnic mosaic. “This is our tradition,” said Harpinder Singh, the 45-year-old manager of this huge operation. “Anyone who wants can come and eat.”" Behind the scenes at the kitchen (langar) at the Golden Temple that feeds 100,000 daily. More information from the Golden Temple's website.
Planetary Projection
Planetary Projection: a collaborative online history of the (perhaps) disappearing art of film projection.
I just had the scariest dream
Breaking Bad - the alternative ending. The Bob Newhart ending - Breaking Bad / Malcom in the Middle version.
"...everybody’s worst fears are coming true, as far as we can tell."
A Sad Day for Readers
Doris Lessing, revolutionary Nobel prize-winning novelist, passed away this morning at the age of 94. [more inside]
“Mascara is an incredible hassle,”
William T. Vollmann: The Self Images of a Cross-Dresser [New York Times] From a profile on William T. Vollmann, in The New York Times. The profile centers around Vollmann’s latest book, The Book of Dolores.
Fish Portraits
Multitrack love
Songs broken down into their component parts. Choose a song, and use the green buttons to turn tracks on and off. (via Kottke)
Anatomy of a Song: "Someone in a Tree", by Stephen Sondheim
Anatomy of a Song (1976) is a half hour documentary (part two here) about Stephen Sondheim's song Someone in a Tree, from the musical Pacific Overtures. Sondheim talks about the challenges and thought processes behind what he calls his favourite of his own songs. See the original 1976 show in full here. Also see this earlier post on the same song.
Cherry Moon on Valium
This is Belgium Part Two
At the time this was the devil's music for us, but we have learned to listen through the claps and distorted kicks and discovered that if you slow these really dark and heavy techno records down all the way to about 115 bpm, it suddenly makes them sound less frantic, ballsier and a lot sexier. Belgium at its best when pitched down.[more inside]
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