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Have you heard the Indian slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya? He's really very very very very good. [more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:10 PM PST - 27 comments

Thomas Shahan's Photostream - Macro Insect Photography
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 11:08 PM PST - 19 comments

Abandoned in a hat in the middle of a snowdrift as a newborn, rescued by a woodsman and guarded by a lioness, stolen and raised by a wood nymph, instructed in the ways of all the languages of the animals as a child, on the threshold of manhood he visited medieval Europe, feudal Japan, and Arabian markets to learn the inherent evil of humanity. For his insistence on toymaking, he was terrorized and repeatedly captured by a race determined to corrupt young minds, until his immortal protector came out to defend him with a laser-shooting axe which eradicated the malevolent culture. But can that same protector defend his ward's life to the likes of the Commander of the Wind Demons? The Life and Adventures of Santa Clause, a Rankin/Bass production, Part [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
posted by Navelgazer at 8:12 PM PST - 45 comments

"To Whom it May Concern: If this letter has been opened and is being read, it is because I have been seriously injured or killed by my son, Sky Walker." [...snip...] "I do not want him to be punished for actions for which he is not responsible." [more inside]
posted by FunkyHelix at 7:44 PM PST - 97 comments

Hey Alex, check out my new haircut. NOT RIGHT NOW DERRIK! Hey Alex, what are you doing? I'M LISTENING TO MY MUSIC, DERRICK! Hey Alex WHAT DO YOU WANT DERRICK? Presenting: BalloonShop [more inside]
posted by rebent at 7:36 PM PST - 28 comments

Iranian protesters are putting messages of dissent on currency via
posted by Daddy-O at 7:27 PM PST - 28 comments

Close all the drapes, board up the fireplace, watch what might be hiding in that tree, and whatever you do, don't go to sleep, because December belongs to Cthulhu.* [more inside]
posted by Caduceus at 7:16 PM PST - 32 comments

"The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you’re a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds."
posted by jason's_planet at 5:41 PM PST - 97 comments

"Center the bagel at the origin, circling the Z axis. A is the highest point above the +X axis. B is where the +Y axis enters the bagel. C is the lowest point below the -X axis. D is where the -Y axis exits the bagel."
posted by william_boot at 5:10 PM PST - 44 comments

2000-2009: When TV Became Art. [more inside]
posted by crossoverman at 4:44 PM PST - 191 comments

The Replacements you didn't hear -- demo versions of Alex Chilton, Can't Hardly Wait, Run for the Country + Nowhere Is My Home
posted by vronsky at 3:55 PM PST - 48 comments

In Montana, a rabbi is an unusual sight. So when a Hasidic one walked into the State Capitol last December, with his long beard, black hat and long black coat, a police officer grabbed his bomb-sniffing German shepherd and went to ask the exotic visitor a few questions. [more inside]
posted by zarq at 3:51 PM PST - 45 comments

The Supreme Court has taken review in a case in which a law school barred a Christian legal group which apparently excludes non-Christian and LGBT students. The Hastings Christian Fellowship, a chapter of the Christian Legal Society, lost its official recognition as a student organization when it wouldn't agree to accept members and officers "regardless of their religion or beliefs about homosexuality" and ran afoul of the Hastings Law School's anti discrimination policy. The HCF sued and lost in district court and the 9th Circuit, which issued a two line order finding the law school's policy reasonable and content neutral. The 7th Circuit, by contrast, ruled in 2006 that such exclusion of the CLS by the Southern Illinois University law school violated the Society's free speech and expressive association rights. Today the Supreme Court, after some dithering, has accepted review of the case.
posted by bearwife at 3:29 PM PST - 95 comments

Norman Rockwell's research photos. Norman Rockwell commissioned photos (which he meticulously directed) and then painted those photos. Here are some of them.
posted by grumblebee at 2:29 PM PST - 92 comments

Detainee 063. This is the interrogation log of Mohammed al-Qahtani. It is being published in real time: each entry will appear exactly seven years after it was first recorded. The interrogation took place at Guantanamo Bay.
posted by chunking express at 2:23 PM PST - 29 comments

Canadian Recording Industry Faces $60 Billion Copyright Infringement Lawsuit. [more inside]
posted by findango at 1:46 PM PST - 46 comments

In 2005, the first comprehensive characterisation of decapod fauna of the continental margin of southwestern Australia was performed. 524 provisional species were identified, including 175 species (33%) that were new to science, each needing to be named. Earlier this year the naming rights for one particular unnamed spotted shrimp went up for auction to support the Australian Marine Conservation Society. Bob Rosenberry, journalist and publisher of Shrimp News International was an enthusiastic bidder, with plans to name the species Lebbeus shrimpnewsii, until he learned he couldn't name it after a commercial entity. The winner was a surprise to all involved: Lucien James "Luc" Longley, retired NBA player. (via) [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 1:28 PM PST - 13 comments

Virgin Galactic unveils SpaceShipTwo
posted by Artw at 1:04 PM PST - 83 comments

The many MeFites previously disappointed by not being able to attend the recent and enticingly promoted 10th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos will be delighted to know that a similar opportunity presents itself. (SLYT - moderately NSFW)
posted by well_balanced at 11:33 AM PST - 45 comments

Bubble Tanks Tower Defense a flash tower defense game by HeroInteractive, creator of Bubble Tanks & Bubble Tanks 2. In many ways a Desktop Tower Defense clone/knock-off, but does add some of its own ideas to the mix.
posted by juv3nal at 11:29 AM PST - 17 comments

Vim tutorial. Efficient Editing with Vim. Vim as IDE. Vim cookbook. [more inside]
posted by kmz at 11:24 AM PST - 120 comments

As the Tea Party outpolls the Republican Party in a generic three-way ballot, disaffected progressives are considering independent parties of their own.
posted by Joe Beese at 11:21 AM PST - 112 comments

Substituting cannabis in place of more harmful drugs may be a winning strategy in the fight against substance misuse. Research published in BioMed Central' open access Harm Reduction Journal features a poll of 350 cannabis users, finding that 40% used cannabis to control their alcohol cravings, 66% as a replacement for prescription drugs and 26% for other, more potent, illegal drugs. [more inside]
posted by VikingSword at 11:05 AM PST - 76 comments

Everything is Terrible presents A Woman's Guide To Firearms, a mildly patronizing introduction to gun lust for the fairer sex.
posted by The Devil Tesla at 11:04 AM PST - 35 comments

Effect Games provides free, online tools for building, sharing and playing your own browser based games. [more inside]
posted by brundlefly at 10:37 AM PST - 7 comments

All That: "new" fiction from David Foster Wallace.
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:05 AM PST - 56 comments

Prescription painkillers kill more people than heroin, AIDS or H1N1.
posted by binturong at 9:22 AM PST - 64 comments

Burgess & McDowell discuss A Clockwork Orange with film historian William Everson (who talks a little too much.)
posted by OmieWise at 8:59 AM PST - 22 comments