December 7, 2015

The Least Essential Albums of 2015

The (Onion) A. V. Club continues its annual tradition by announcing the least essential albums of the year. While many of them are bad, the purpose is not to highlight the most awful music but the music which has the flimsiest justification for being made. [more inside]
posted by koavf at 10:56 PM PST - 26 comments

Classic Art with a Modern Twist

2015 marks the 400th anniversary of the famous Rinpa School painting of the Wind God and Thunder God (Fujin-Raijin-zu). This has led a modern painter of the Rinpa School to add his own twists on the iconic painting, first in a collaboration with Nintendo to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and, shortly thereafter, to celebrate the new Star Wars movie's release. In addition to these, the artist, Yamamoto Taro, has quite a history of producing traditionally-styled Japanese paintings with a modern sensibility and a touch of humor.
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:34 PM PST - 4 comments

Nethack 3.6.0 released

Twelve years after its last update (3.4.3), Nethack 3.6.0 has been released. [previously] [previously]
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:54 PM PST - 691 comments

גם זו לטובה

Judaism's core texts grew out of millennia-long conversations and arguments across generations, with interconnected dialogues, source citing and (re)interpretation. Now, it's all going digital: Sefaria is creating a massive public domain, interactive "living library of Jewish texts and their interconnections, in Hebrew and translations." Their goal is to build a reference resource and community that "gives a better learning experience than anything that comes before it," from ancient to modern texts and "all the volumes of commentary in between." Read texts, browse submitted public source sheets on dozens of topics or visualize associations between texts.
posted by zarq at 6:54 PM PST - 22 comments

2015 Dataviz Roundup

Information is Beautiful Awards 2015 showcases the best of the year in data visualization, data journalism, and infographics. The first two are particularly striking: Introduction of the Measles Vaccine and A World of Languages
posted by gwint at 4:48 PM PST - 17 comments

Dag That Is A Lot of Music

At spin.com, They Might Be Giants Look Back on Every Album They've Ever Made.
posted by Ipsifendus at 3:38 PM PST - 52 comments

All watched over by machines of loving grace

Creating the Tamagotchi Singularity. 13 emulated Tamagotchis, with custom made AI to meet their every want, inspired by an XKCD comic. The Tamagotchi Hive. Youtube video of a talk about the hive.
posted by zabuni at 2:24 PM PST - 34 comments

Life after Death Star

What happens when you mix a legendary sci-fi series with one of the greatest rappers of all-time? We decided to find out.
posted by General Malaise at 1:27 PM PST - 13 comments

Chris Donovan, an unlikely high fashion shoe designer

Chris Donovan was a telephone technician for 25 years, when in his early 50s, he decided to change careers rather drastically. He sent his designs to Polimoda in Italy to enroll in fashion design, specifically shoe design. He was accepted, and graduated at 55, and now designs high fashion women's shoes, inspired by everything from gnarled trees to hip replacements, architectural features and plumbing fixtures, as seen on his Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest accounts.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:22 PM PST - 20 comments

Tang Blue

As announced by Ellen deGeneres in 2013, there's a sequel planned to Finding Nemo, it's called Finding Dory, and here's the first trailer.
posted by chavenet at 1:22 PM PST - 16 comments

25 Best Films of 2015

Rolling Stone writer David Ehrlich's video countdown of the best films of 2015... [Vimeo] (Note: May contain spoilers for PHOENIX.) [more inside]
posted by bluecore at 1:04 PM PST - 28 comments

My other lawn, its shredded

First Trailer for Netflix's 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' Sequel Debut
posted by infini at 12:43 PM PST - 49 comments

One great rock show can change the world

Indie auteur Richard Linklater pleasantly surprised audiences with his charming 2003 comedy School of Rock, in which a struggling musician (High Fidelity co-star and Tenacious D frontman Jack Black) hijacks a 4th grade prep school class and inspires them to become a killer rock band. Buoyed by likeable characters, a great soundtrack, remarkably talented kid musicians, and Black's lengthy, irrepressible, almost improvisational classroom scenes, the film earned rave reviews and inspired scads of copycat programs around the world (as featured in the '05 documentary and reality series Rock School). But while the cast kicked ass at their ten-year reunion concert in 2013, plans for a sequel fell through. Everyone loves an encore, though. And so this weekend saw the Broadway debut of the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical starring Alex Brightman, with a TV adaptation to air on Nickelodeon next year. Because there's no way you can stop... the School of Rock. [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi at 11:38 AM PST - 37 comments

Buzzfeed Mental Health Week

"We’re launching Mental Health Week at BuzzFeed today because media can play a huge role — for good or for ill — in how people see themselves and understand their mental illnesses. We see it around the globe: a shift from seeing depression, anxiety, and other disorders as shameful personality flaws, and toward understanding them as the illnesses they are."
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:51 AM PST - 72 comments

I'll do this until the election.

One man is replacing guns with sex toys in photos of GOP politicians. That man is Matt Haughey.
posted by maxsparber at 10:45 AM PST - 167 comments

Ten cookies that [allegedly] make all other cookies irrelevant

Because it seems like a good time to post cookie pictures and recipes . . .
posted by bearwife at 10:42 AM PST - 23 comments

"On top of the mountain, people are too close to God."

The planned Thirty Meter Telescope will be a $1.4 billion observatory that can look 13 billion light years away and see the biosignatures of planets outside our solar system. Or at least, it might be -- its construction has been delayed and further work is not certain to happen, due to indigenous Hawaiian concerns about the site desecrating Mauna Kea. [more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 10:34 AM PST - 61 comments

no one suffers from avoidable heart disease like gaston

Gaston, That is Too Many Eggs [more inside]
posted by poffin boffin at 10:32 AM PST - 71 comments

Art, Art Baby

Art Baby Gallery is an online platform looking to represent and expose young artists "[a]mid an environment that is often hostile to budding creatives." [more inside]
posted by ourt at 10:23 AM PST - 1 comments

This new discriminatory policy cannot be God.

“In Good Conscience”: Mormon Feminists on the Brink
posted by almostmanda at 8:54 AM PST - 28 comments

Light pollution will not be a factor.

Live in North America? Do you have binoculars or, at the very least, eyes? Well then, you might be able to see Venus during the day today. That is, until the jerk Moon gets in front of it. [more inside]
posted by bondcliff at 7:37 AM PST - 40 comments

vers le bas avec Tor!

The French government mulls laws to block Tor and public WiFi. Is this what happens when police ask Santa for presents ("liste au Père Noël", according to Le Monde)?. (via)
posted by doctornemo at 6:40 AM PST - 32 comments

Holly's Walk On The Wild Side Has Ended

Holly came from Miami FLA/ Hitchhiked her way across the USA [more inside]
posted by AGameOfMoans at 3:18 AM PST - 42 comments

This man has an actual black hole devouring his jawline.

Fallout 4: immersive/nightmarish facial animations. [more inside]
posted by Sebmojo at 2:34 AM PST - 69 comments

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