December 15, 2007

The perfect foil for abstinence-only initiatives

Abstinence: 98% effective in preventing HIV/AIDS, STDs and pregnancy (when used consistently and correctly) "If you're having sex, thinking about having sex or trying not to think about having sex, try Abstinence....the condom."
posted by sneakin at 9:13 PM PST - 58 comments

A series of sacrifices in which the victims are words.

Eclipse is a free on-line archive focusing on digital facsimiles of the most radical small-press writing from the last quarter century. [more inside]
posted by Hypocrite_Lecteur at 9:02 PM PST - 10 comments

It's not over until the falafel sings.

Mackris vs. O'Reilly: the opera. [more inside]
posted by greatgefilte at 8:59 PM PST - 7 comments

Too tall!

Moreover, based on the empirical distribution of height and wages, the optimal height tax is substantial: a tall person earning $50,000 should pay about $4,500 more in taxes (pdf) than a short person earning the same income. Draw what inferences you will.
posted by Pants! at 7:52 PM PST - 43 comments

Computing In Dark Rooms

Courtesy of Daniele Gallifa's Mentegrafica, a video demonstration of Multi-User Interaction using Handheld Projectors. An update to the classic Ghostbusters toy, this set of position-aware hand held projectors lets users share information by shining light onto walls. Some of the smart details in the video include: sharing calendars by overlapping light from two projectors, adjoining projections to create larger screens, and blurring private information when outsiders are nearby. No mention of applicability to first person shooters.
posted by migurski at 7:01 PM PST - 10 comments

Maybe she likes Wittgenstein...

The Most Wanted Song - Finally, thanks to Ubuweb, Komar & Melamid's Most Wanted and Most Unwanted Songs (recorded in 1997) are now available online! Komar & Melamid have been featured on Metafilter before for The Most and Least Wanted Paintings. Thanks WMFU!
posted by clockwork at 6:14 PM PST - 54 comments

Medieval Church Wall Paintings

The Mills-Kronborg Collection of Danish Church Wall Paintings, courtesy of Princeton University's Index of Christian Art, includes descriptions and images of medieval and early modern church frescoes. There are more church frescoes at Painting and Sculpture in Medieval Hungary. (Another site features a fine panorama.) Anne Marshall has developed an extensive site devoted to similar paintings in England, many of which were whitewashed during the Reformation. The University of Leicester hosts a much more specialized database devoted to the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy (no images); La Mort Dans L'Art/Death in Art has some Continental examples of The Three Living and the Three Dead.
posted by thomas j wise at 3:47 PM PST - 4 comments

Pretty Good Pornography

A Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court in Vermont has ruled that a man allegedly caught with child pornography on his laptop need not reveal his PGP password (yes, authorities shut down the laptop and now can't get at the alleged porn) pursuant to the Fifth Amendment's protections against self incrimination. The decision is here[PDF]. A decent write-up (from CNET of all places) is here. This appears to be the first decision ever to directly address this issue, and many commentators had thought it would come out differently. The major question is whether revealing one's PGP key is "testimonial" or not. According to the Supreme Court, giving up fingerprints or blood samples isn't, nor is standing for a lineup, nor is handing over the key to a safe, but if it's combination safe, well maybe that's different. Never let it be said that your Fifth Amendment rights are easy.
posted by The Bellman at 3:18 PM PST - 57 comments

"I think I was Ed Wood trying to be Steven Spielberg."

Art Binninger was a sci-fi buff in the 1970s with the resources of the audiovisual squad at Vandenberg Air Force Base at his disposal. The result was Star Trix, a claymation Star Trek parody, that spawned three short films and Star Trix: The Flick (parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). Art Binninger himself explains the whole saga on his web site.
posted by jonp72 at 2:19 PM PST - 3 comments

Red Crow goes to the next world

Actor/folk singer/Native American Activist Floyd Red Crow Westerman died of complications from leukemia on Thursday. Westerman, a member of the Sisseton-Wapheton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, was best known for his roles in Dances With Wolves, The X-Files and Hidalgo, but apparently viewed acting as an avenue to make money to apply to his other endeavors in support of Native American issues.
posted by rednikki at 12:28 PM PST - 18 comments

Measure your bandwidth in liters.

USB Wine. French comprehension not required.
posted by drdanger at 12:21 PM PST - 39 comments

Other Things Equal by Deirdre McCloskey

How to Be a Good Graduate Student, How to Organize a Conference, Economical Writing: An Executive Summary, Why Don't Economists Believe Empirical Findings?, The Bankruptcy of Statistical Significance, The A-Prime, C-Prime Theorem, and many other articles in PDF format (scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the others) originally published in the very entertaining “Other Things Equal” column by Deirdre McCloskey in the Eastern Economic Journal.
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 12:00 PM PST - 20 comments

A Christmas Dirge

"Don't tether her branches to the chair or kitchenette..." (mp3) This weekend many of us will buy Christmas trees. MeFi fave Nellie McKay humorously, sweetly, but a dash of "you aught to know" musically urges us not to. She's also has thoughts on dogs and zombies. And humorless feminists (at 1 minute into interview).
posted by tula at 11:19 AM PST - 24 comments

caturday fluff

Two talking cats l cat talking translation l assorted cats.
posted by nickyskye at 8:20 AM PST - 38 comments

30 Years of LucasFilm Christmas Cards

30 Years of LucasFilm Christmas Cards (I triple-dog dare ya!)
posted by ColdChef at 7:28 AM PST - 18 comments

Frank Morgan disappears

Frank Morgan died yesterday. He was 73. Interview. Some sounds. (another beautiful american saxophone stylist).
posted by nicolin at 5:46 AM PST - 21 comments

The Sound of Cambodia, pre-Khmer Rouge.

The 1960's and early 70's saw an explosion of creativity and an astonishing variety of stylistic influences coming together in the pop and rock music of Cambodia.Tragically, almost all of the artists of that era were executed (or otherwise perished) during the nightmarish Khmer Rouge years. The following MySpace Music pages will help you to get acquainted with some of the wonderfully eclectic and adventurous music of this fertile period: Pen Ron, Yos Olarang, Rous Sareysothea, Sin Sisamouth, Vor Sarun, Houey Meas, So Savoeun, Eng Nary, In Yeng, Choun Malai, Mao Sareth, Sem Touch, Chea Savoeun, Toche Teng, Teth Sombath, Pen Rom, Em Songserm and Choun Vanna. Also, these related pages: Cambodian Rock, Radio Khmer Sitya, Cambodian Style and Cambodian Soundtracks. NOTE: For personal recommendations, check the hover-overs accompanying each link.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:07 AM PST - 38 comments

Warp Drive, When?

Warp Drive, When? "Have you ever wondered when we will be able to travel to distant stars as easily as in science fiction stories?"
posted by amyms at 12:09 AM PST - 60 comments

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