November 29, 2018
"They could go straight for the people, easily and cheaply."
The Digital Maginot Line: “Cyberwar, most people thought, would be fought over infrastructure — armies of state-sponsored hackers and the occasional international crime syndicate infiltrating networks and exfiltrating secrets, or taking over critical systems. […] But as social platforms grew, acquiring standing audiences in the hundreds of millions and developing tools for precision targeting and viral amplification, a variety of malign actors simultaneously realized that there was another way. They could go straight for the people, easily and cheaply.” [more inside]
Photoshop is like taxidermy, except no one has to die.
What manner of creature is Sausage Cat? How is he related to the Taramster and the Cthulcat? They're all creations of the cheerfully demented Ida: Instagram | Facebook | Patreon
A silver bowl of mints and some peanuts
Virginia-based Americana group Carbon Leaf created a holiday-season EP back in 2010. Whether it's winter weather, traditional family holiday parties, childhood holiday longings, or just being an adult at New Year's, Carbon Leaf probably has a song for you here. Christmas Child runs about 30 minutes total. Christmas Child, Red Punch Green Punch, Ice And Snow, Sutton's Reel, Ode To The Snow, Drifting, Christmas At Sea, Christmas Child (Instrumental), Toast To The New Year [more inside]
Neil deGrasse Tyson accused of inappropriate behavior
Two women have spoken to independent reporter David McAfee about inappropriate behavior by Neil deGrasse Tyson. A former assistant "says she decided to quit after the negative interactions with Tyson, and that she told the story to at least one supervisor in hopes that he wouldn’t hire more female assistants for the astrophysicist."
The Shadow Who
Cyberons, sexy Zygons and Mark Gatiss: the bizarre world of the unofficial Doctor Who spin-offs - featuring actual Colin Baker, Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy and Jon Pertwee as “The Stranger”.
“God's in his heaven, all's right with the world.”
Netflix’s anime announcement frenzy [Ars Technica] “We only have a teaser trailer and a list of writers, directors, producers, and supervisors, but it's enough to get a certain jazzy anime theme song rocking in our heads. That's right: the late-'90s Japanese cartoon Cowboy Bebop is coming back. As, um, a live-action series? Netflix, in an apparent attempt to assuage anxious "uh live action?" responses, immediately informed fans that original animated series Director Shinichiro Watanabe will participate as a "consultant." [...] It's somewhat easier to get excited about Netflix's other huge Tuesday anime announcement, since it's a known quantity: Neon Genesis Evangelion is coming to the service in spring 2019. By that, we mean the TV series' original mid-'90s run of 26 episodes.” [YouTube][Neon Genesis Evangelion Trailer] [Twitter][Cowboy Bepop Teaser Trailer] [more inside]
I Was At One Point Informed By A Person
Star Wars and Empire Uncut. Toy Story Live Action. (The original video seems to be blocked worldwide - but that's not stopping others from making a live-action Toy Story 3). Our Robocop Remake. Tons of reanimations. But premiering in mere seconds holy crap is one that might top them all in weirdness: SHREK RETOLD. [more inside]
"I don't want to shoot you, brother."
This is what can happen when a cop decides not to shoot. TW: suicidal ideation, suicide by cop, tragedy. Via ProPublica.
Zombified Spiders
Infected ‘Zombie Spiders’ Forced to Build Incubation Chambers for Their Parasitic Overlords. Parasites that control the behavior of their hosts for their own benefit are a well-documented natural phenomenon, but the discovery of a previously unknown relationship between a parasitic wasp and a social spider is particularly upsetting. [more inside]
How a serial sex abuser got an extraordinary deal
He abused hundreds of underage girls. He served 13 months. After months of investigation, the FBI appeared to have enough evidence to send Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein to prison for life. But in 2007, U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta accepted an unusual plea, which resulted in a brief stint in county jail and also granted immunity from federal criminal charges to Epstein, four accomplices, and “any potential co-conspirators."
Acosta is now Secretary of Labor, but he is no longer being considered for Attorney General.
(Original link goes to the first of three long Miami Herald stories, which are based on their year-long investigation and include detailed descriptions of the abuse. Slate has a summary.)
Pictionary title screen = Absolute banger
@TristanACooper: "There's an unused music track hidden on the cart of The Flintstones SNES game and it's INCREDIBLE..."
Guy tweets out a handful of links to hidden musical gems from old video games and a bunch of people reply with their own recommendations of long-forgotten 16-bit soundtrack favorites.
Guy tweets out a handful of links to hidden musical gems from old video games and a bunch of people reply with their own recommendations of long-forgotten 16-bit soundtrack favorites.
They Shall Not Grow Old
The above-titled World War I documentary by Peter Jackson makes heavy use of contemporary footage which has been digitally colorized, cleaned up, and corrected for speed. Trailer; behind-the-scenes; early reviews are quite good. [more inside]
Spider Mom TLC
Ant-mimicking SE Asian jumping spider Toxeus magnus nurses its babies with nutritious spider ‘milk’ until they reach puberty.
More Buttonquails than you expected, probably
All the Animals with Rick and Branson is America's number one animal-listing podcast. Join hosts and animal-name enthusiasts Rick Andrews and Branson Reese as they run through the common name of every single animal on earth. [more inside]
an explicitly feminist agenda to airline labor activism
"The innuendo-laden campaign cost National a small fortune—they spent over $9 million a year on the ads—but it paid off. The National Organization for Women objected to the ads, calling them sexist, saying that they presented flight attendants as a “flying meat market” and invited passengers to make sexual advances. Nevertheless, the “Fly Me” series raised the carrier’s profile and won a handful of advertising awards. Advertising the bodies of women employees was good for business."How Flight Attendants Organized Against Their Bosses to End 'Swinging Stewardesses' Stereotyping
Take Public Money Out Of Private Hands
"Of course, the effort to cut off climate-wrecking financial institutions is somewhat complicated by the fact that just about every major bank in New York City is complicit in fossil fuel financing. The solution, environmental advocates say, is a municipal public bank. The idea has existed in North Dakota for nearly a century, and is picking up steam among left-wing politicians in Los Angeles, Oakland, and New Jersey. In New York City, a handful of elected officials, including City Councilmember Mark Levine, have thrown their support behind the plan." As De Blasio Touts Climate Change Divestment, NYC's 'Designated Banks' Continue To Invest over $100 Billion In Fossil Fuels (Gothamist) (Previously Taking Oil TO Court, Public Banking To Fund Green Revolutions?)
wasna
Bison bars were supposed to restore Native communities and grass-based ranches. Then came Epic Provisions. [more inside]
Living as an Accidental Killer
“How can you recover from the trauma of accidentally killing someone?” (SLTG) Shame and guilt are constant for many who, without intention, have caused others to die. This can have consequences that last a lifetime and sometimes beyond. (Trigger warning—graphic descriptions of accidents.) [more inside]
Two Foot Tall Squirrels in North Carolina?!
A creepy detail worth noting: Biologists say some fox squirrels are known to be almost totally black, meaning they could be invisible in the woods after dark. "North Carolinians have come to expect rattlesnakes, bears, alligators and possibly even Bigfoot in wooded areas, but state wildlife officials posted images this month of a lesser known oddity that is just as startling: A 2-foot-tall squirrel."
Coffee + (short) Nap = new, improved Coffee Nap
Scientists agree: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone (short Vox explainer video; related article with links to the three studies cited)
(dystopic) utopianism...
The Complicated Legacy of Stewart Brand's 'Whole Earth Catalog' - "Brand's generation will leave behind a frightening, if unintentional, inheritance. My generation, and those after us, are staring down a ravaged environment, eviscerated institutions, and the increasing erosion of democracy." ('We Are as Gods and Might as Well Get Good at It') [more inside]
The story of a heart valve
Looking Inside My Heart. "Jen Hyde discovered that her heart valve was made by women working in a factory near her childhood home. Getting to know them brought her closer to her own mother." [Via] [more inside]
The Orange Manuscript
Handmade Sketchbooks Teeming with Colorful Calligraphy, Diagrams, Sketches, and Travel Ephemera by José Naranja. A facsimile edition of these notebooks can be yours for a mere €285. If that's too steep, enjoy some of the many images posted from it online. See also an interview with the artist. [more inside]
Some tribes are reluctant to share environmental wisdom
For one thing, they want their knowledge to be employed in the right way ... without exploitation. Hard experience has led to cautions and created resistance. On the other hand, the Wisdom Weavers of the World, who have made 30 hours of films on native ideas. "With Earth's living systems being stressed and dishonored in new extremes", in their view, "we must come together to weave a new story and new awakened presence as one Earth family."
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