December 19, 2008
Science: How About Some Kenny Loggins Instead?
The conclusion of a research paper by associate professor Andrew McIntosh and research assistant Declan Patton of the School of Risk and Safety Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia: "To minimise the risk of head and neck injury, head bangers should decrease their range of head and neck motion, head bang to slower tempo songs by replacing heavy metal with adult oriented rock, only head bang to every second beat, or use personal protective equipment." (Via)
The lotus-cross
When Jesus met Buddha. "Something remarkable happened when evangelists for two great religions crossed paths more than 1,000 years ago: they got along." [Via]
'Twas the knit before Christmas.
The Grand Experiment
History Repeats Itself in Different Hues -- a readable Q&A data dump comparing the economics and policy responses of 1990s Japan and current events
Hot Trobbing Cognition
Intelligent Design: Semen Quality linked to intelligence say researchers from the Vietnam Experience Study.
Selfcontrolfreak
Selfcontrolfreak: experiments in video interactivity.
What is a human being? An acorn that is unafraid to destroy itself in growing into a tree.
H+ Magazine is an online quarterly publication focusing on transhumanism, a product of the futurist movement that supports science and technology to enhance the mental and physical capacities of the human being. Sometimes referred to as posthumanism, Francis Fukuyama calls it one of the world's most dangerous ideas. If you feel like you're lagging behind, George Dvorsky is kind enough to inform us ~>H's of the must-know transhumanist terms for today's intelligentsia. [more inside]
The Hottie On The Oche
Anastasia Dobromyslova - 'From Russia With Love' - the women's world darts champion, will compete with the men at this month's World Championship. Some people are not happy about this.
Nothing like an achievement to justify wasted time
Achievement Unlocked: Posted a Flash Game on Friday.
Evelyn Glennie talks about music and deafness
The Bay area jazz scene
Plays Monk Live at Intersection for the Arts. A terrific video and audio performance of Plays Monk recorded by BayTaper, an excellent one man multimedia operation recording the San Francisco area jazz & creative music scene. (previously)
I'm just enthused out of my face...
Perennial MeFi favourite Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, the behatted ex-pat brit best known for the bitingly sarcastic game reviews in Zero Punctuation (previously on MeFi) has a new project... [more inside]
Do you know these children?
Do you, or an older relative of yours, recognize any of these children? More than 70 children separated from their families during WWII, now all elderly men and women, are using the Internet to try to find some answers about their pasts, their families, and sometimes even their own names. They are soliciting help and suggestions in the comments sections on each story. [more inside]
Cowboy Reeves: The Movie
Keanu Reeves is looking to create a live-action Cowboy Bebop movie with Erwin Stoff, and he wants the role of Spike Spiegel. (via io9) [more inside]
Grreat stufffff.
Just slow down the video a little... and voila! It's drunk Jeff Goldblum, rambling about beige! [more inside]
Wonderful? Sorry, George, It’s a Pitiful, Dreadful Life
Here’s the thing about Pottersville that struck me when I was 15: It looks like much more fun than stultifying Bedford Falls — the women are hot, the music swings, and the fun times go on all night. If anything, Pottersville captures just the type of excitement George had long been seeking. A different take on a classic movie.
Could you please explain why it is
Music industry to abandon Mass Lawsuits
Music industry to abandon Mass Lawsuits. After years of suing thousands of people for allegedly stealing music via the Internet, the recording industry is set to drop its legal assault as it searches for more effective ways to combat online music piracy. [more inside]
Diaspora Database
Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database documents the slave trade from Africa to the New World between the 16th and 19th centuries. It provides searchable information on almost 35,000 trans-Atlantic voyages hauling human cargo, as well as maps, images and data on some individual Africans transported." Search for people. Search for voyages. [more inside]
Katrina's Hidden Race War
Whites used Hurricane Katrina as an excuse to lynch their black neighbors. The shootings have never been investigated.
Be a ruthless banker in your pyjamas.
Snowed in this weekend? Done with your Christmas shopping? Perhaps you're in no mood to shop anymore. Gather your friends together for a low-tech round of The Economist's Credit Crunch Board Game.
W. Mark Felt has died.
The man who provided Bob Woodward with the critical leads on the story that eventually saw the resignation of Tricky Dick Nixon has died: W. Mark Felt, aka. Deep Throat, was 95.The NYT has a little feature on why he was such a big deal. Only in 2005 did Felt finally admit to being Deep Throat in a Vanity Fair article. [more inside]
Better than your average magazine article
The British government's Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology retains PhD and EngD students to produce POSTnotes, information-dense 4 page summaries of science and technology issues, aimed at informing members of parliament. Topics covered include HIV/AIDS in developing countries, large scale electricity storage, future nuclear technologies and next generation broadband access.
DOG HUNT!
On a Clear Day, I Can See Mumbai but Not Dick Cheney's House
What a month for Google Earth. Its breathtaking updated 3D New York City skyline features textured photos of hundreds of buildings. It has doubled its US coverage and expanded Street View imagery by 22 times. But it also became the subject of a failed legal petition in India demanding it blur sensitive areas in the country. Supposedly, it had agreed to do this nearly two years before the Mumbai attack. Despite the bad timing, an Indian rival plans to sharpen the competition. Google Maps and Earth allegedly blur sensitive sites and a few questionably sensitive landmarks. However, as yet undeterred by security and privacy controversy, Google is adding GeoEye's satellite imagery to Google Earth next month.
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