February 11, 2010
Stephen Colbert Olympic Poster
Stephen Colbert and Shepard Fairey create a Vancouver 2010 Olympic Poster. [pdf link]. And Stephen suggests to the Colbert Nation that they download, print, and post it all over for the games. (see sidebar.)
He wanted to be a granpa.
Google Invents The Holodeck
Google has invented the Holodeck. Well, not really, but for the moment it's probably the next best thing. Google's Liquid Galaxy Project, a virtual glass elevator that lets you fly around the world, makes for a stunning presentation. Developed as part of Google’s “20 per cent time” initiative, which sees its engineers encouraged to pursue their own projects on company time, Liquid Galaxy allows users to fly through the Grand Canyon, leap into low-Earth orbit and back down into the oceans and even perch oneself on the Great Pyramid of Giza, all without even breaking a sweat. Check out the amazing video here.
Werner Herzog Reads Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel
The Big Picture: Olympic Torch Relay — Goofy Canadian Style
The Big Picture: Olympic Torch Relay Canada's goofy-assed torch relay. Half the pictures are WTF moments — where is she going? Why is it in a swimming pool? Is that a T-Rex? Where's he going after he climbs to the top? [more inside]
The horror!
We found that comic-book reading was a distinct influencing factor in the case of every single delinquent or disturbed child we studied.
Six years before publishing Seduction of the Innocent, Dr. Fredric Wertham was featured in a 1948 Collier's article, "Horror in the Nursery," complete with staged depictions of what happens when the influence of comics goes too far. (Previously)
Six years before publishing Seduction of the Innocent, Dr. Fredric Wertham was featured in a 1948 Collier's article, "Horror in the Nursery," complete with staged depictions of what happens when the influence of comics goes too far. (Previously)
Mercenary Epidemiology
Mercenary Epidemiology: Data Reanalysis and Reinterpretation for Sponsors With Financial Interest in the Outcome. (.pdf link) When should scientists be required to release their raw data for (potentially hostile) re-analysis? A letter to the editors of Annals of Epidemiology from David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, public health blogger, author of the book Doubt Is Their Product, and, as of December 2009, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, unanimously confirmed by the Senate despite the dismay of some. Michaels interviewed at Science Progress about Doubt Is Their Product (podcast, with transcript.)
Stop. Motion time.
Fish Heads was only half the story
Although best known as an actor, Bill Paxton's extracurricular dabbling has been previously discussed on the blue, however... [more inside]
Phillipine-American War in Photographs
Lipstick Down Under?
Well ladies, just when you thought you had all of your cosmetic needs taken care of, they come up with something new. Although I'm not entirely sold on this being essential for your kit, it sure is novel. (And surprisingly not NSFW) [more inside]
Inglourious Justice
You may have seen Newt Gingrich this past Tuesday on The Daily Show describing Obama's decision to try the Underpants Bomber in the courts as "radical." He pointed
out an incident in 1942 when Franklin Roosevelt suspended habeus corpus for Nazi saboteurs dropped off on Long Island by submarine to wreak havoc on Ameica. While "Nazi
Terrorists" might be almost comic book class villains, Newt probably would prefer people not to recall the true story and villains of Operation Pastorius.
Regarding the Collected Poems of William Butler Yeats
Other Yeats Links from The W.B. Yeats Society of New York. Which leads to collections of poems by and scholarly analysis of the poems of William Butler Yeats. And what have you--links to Yeats in translation in Italian, Spanish and Esperanto as well as a movie of He Wishes For the Cloths of Heaven, among other things. I was thinking of the thread here, where the Geocities site of the Collected Poems of William Butler Yeats is long gone. And these above were among what I found when I went looking for a replacement. But Poemhunter does have 427 poems of Yeats arranged in alphabetical order, so there is that. [more inside]
Saddle rash is the best thing will happen to you, fucker!
Some bike messengers last month took justice into their own hands when they caught two suspected thieves, teenage boys who attended a local Catholic high school. According to police, the messengers stripped down the teens to their boxer shorts before taking their cellphones, backpacks and clothes.
But there have been countless other incidents, of real and desired vengeance [more inside]
funemployment
How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America
The Great Recession may be over, but this era of high joblessness is probably just beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults. It will leave an indelible imprint on many blue-collar men. It could cripple marriage as an institution in many communities. It may already be plunging many inner cities into a despair not seen for decades. Ultimately, it is likely to warp our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years to come. (via rw)
The Great Recession may be over, but this era of high joblessness is probably just beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults. It will leave an indelible imprint on many blue-collar men. It could cripple marriage as an institution in many communities. It may already be plunging many inner cities into a despair not seen for decades. Ultimately, it is likely to warp our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years to come. (via rw)
Bollywood Covers The Classics
Some Hindi music directors take a lot of er, inspiration from popular western songs, lifting music and even lyrics. The results range from awful to inspired. [more inside]
But ociffer, I'm a fruitbat!
The flying mammals were placed in a closed obstacle course on the forest floor. "It’s like walking a straight line," Fenton quipped, referring to a common test given to suspected drunk drivers by police —except to succeed, the bats had to maneuver around hanging plastic chains without crashing. Bats can fly drunk.
That Guy
Have you ever been watching TV or a movie and pointed to the screen and said, "Hey! It's That Guy!"? Well, here is where you'll find him. This page is dedicated to the character actors collectively known as "That Guy".
Hipster Puppies
Tonewheels: A Brief History of Optical Synthesis
It's in the hair.
Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have become the first to reconstruct the nuclear genome of an extinct human being. The reconstruction serves as blueprint that scientists can use to give a description of how the pre-historic Greenlander, Inuk, looked - including his tendency to baldness, dry earwax, brown eyes, dark skin, the blood type A+, shovel-shaped front teeth, and that he was genetically adapted to cold temperatures, and to what extend he was predisposed to certain illnesses.
How come I never saw this before?
The iconic photograph of the Soviets hoisting the hammer and sickle over the Reichstag in April 1945 by Yevgeny Khaldei is awe inspiring and makes one wonder how this could be missed by anyone over the age of thirty. Staged? Oh yeah! But it still ranks up there with Joe Rosenthal's Iwo Jima shot and Robert Capa's Falling Soldier during the Spanish Civil War. And it's loads cooler than our most recent entry.
"I WANT TO TAKE GOOGLES OFF OF MY HOME PAGE"
Yesterday, ReadWriteWeb, which "provides analysis of Web products and trends to an intelligent audience of engaged technology decision makers, Web enthusiasts and innovators" posted an article titled "Facebook Wants to Be Your One True Login." What happened in the post's comments taught them a lesson about users who aren't in their target demographic: internet users browse by search, because they think browsers are search engines. [more inside]
NO! MR. PEANUT! WHYYYYYYY?????
Watch the Oscar-nominated animated film Logorama in its (glorious 16 minute, corporate-logo assaulting, nsfw maniacal Ronald McDonald flaming queen Mr. Clean) entirety on Facebook.
Who Wants to Be a Winner?
The New Orleans B!ngo Show is a must see if you are into jazz, 30's gangster movies, the theramin, burlesque, and scary clowns. And of course, bingo. Look behind Door #1 for [more inside]
Learning Arabic
An American student learning Arabic was detained for hours by the TSA and questioned because he carried basic Arabic flash cards. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Nick George a physics student at Pomona College who was detained and aggressively interrogated by Transportation Security Administration authorities, by the FBI and by Pennsylvania police when he tried to board a plane carrying Arabic language flash cards.
Death Bear
Once Upon A Time On The Internet
Todd Alcott has written in-depth analyses of Inglourious Basterds (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and Death Proof (1, 2, 3) that are pretty nifty. [more inside]
musicblogocide 2010
Google shuts down music blogs without warning for "violating terms of service". In what critics are calling "musicblogocide 2010", Google has deleted at least six popular music blogs that it claims violated copyright law. These sites, hosted by Google's Blogger and Blogspot services, received notices only after their sites – and years of archives – were wiped from the internet.
Sometimes a snowflake isn't just a snowflake
An igloo has been built near Capitol Hill. Someone having a bit of fun in the snow? No, it's a symbol of climate change skepticism, built by the family of a Republican Senator. Sen. Jim DeMint also recently twittered that "It's going to keep snowing in DC until Al Gore cries 'uncle'". These are all examples of the politicization of Washington's lousy weather.
He Will Break You
Kyokushin karate champion, master's degree in chemical engineering, awarded a Fulbright scholarship to MIT, speaker of several languages, former lover of Grace Jones [NSFW], Master of the Universe--you already know who I'm talking about, don't you?
It's Dolph Lundgren's world; try not to get in his way. [more inside]
McQueen is dead. Long live McQueen.
Alexander McQueen has died at the age of 40. He will be remembered for his beautiful and haunting style (and his gravity-defying hoof shoes).
Friend to Isabella Blow, Philip Treacy, and many more; inspiration to countless. He will be missed.
I Got Myxomatosis
Twenty years ago, on this day, Nelson Mandela, walked out of prison. While Mandela would go on to end Aparthied and revolutionize South African fashion, the island where he spent eighteen of his twenty-seven years in prison would go on to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lack of regular habitation, however, has brought a new problem to island, a plague of rabbits.
Pepsi Blue Pepsi Blue Pepsi Blue
Wieden+Kennedy is an international advertising agency with a reputation for clever, unexpected advertisements. Their most famous work is Nike's Just Do It campaign; they were also responsible for the breathtaking Honda Cog, which took six hundred takes to get right. Recently they launched the Leroy Smith campaign, starring Charlie Murphy (a campaign that included this delightful game), and some marvelous commercials for Old Spice. [more inside]
...but don't expect to be attending the Oscars ceremonies.
Animator Nick Cross is a Spumco veteran who's made a couple of cartoons that are adorably anti-corporatist and anti-imperialist in flavour. (prev). His latest personal project is called "Pig Farmer" and now you can buy yourself an Executive Producer's credit (or at least a "thanks").
Oh My God, It's Full of Ads.
Augmented Reality, You, Your Kitchen, and the Excellent Products You Will Buy Today. An architecture student films a Gibsonesque, banal-yet-vivid-and-colorful vision of the AR future; his half-dozen videos extend into different realms.
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