February 14, 2014
A linguist explains the grammar of doge. Wow.
"...In this sense, doge really is the next generation of LOLcat, in terms of a pet-based snapshot of a certain era in internet language. We’ve kept the idea that animals speak like an exaggerated version of an internet-savvy human, but as our definitions of what it means to be a human on the internet have changed, so too have the voices that we give our animals. Wow."
It's a dog eats pretzel world out there
Accuracy Rate
Wanderlust
Three random walks through eastern food markets: One in Bangkok, one in Taiwan and one in Delhi. [more inside]
It ain't Baroque, don't fix it.
The New Debunkonomy
@PicPedant (mefi's own) has attracted a loyal following in doing the Sisyphean work of calling out Twitter photo spammers and scraper accounts by tracking down, correcting and debunking images and giving attribution to the source. Twitter is awash in "interesting photo" accounts particularly since images started appearing in timelines -- some of the most successful of which may be the wildly popular @HistoryInPics and @EarthPix founded by 2 teenagers who allegedly earn $40,000+ a month. PicPedant's debunking can be vastly amusing. Here are a few greatest hits: no, not a baby panda but an Etsy doll; no, not Japanese cherry trees but an infrared scene from Stockholm; no, not a real moon, but a photo manipulation. He's even called out Madonna for lack of attribution on an image that went viral after her tweet. Keep on keepin' on, you crazy pedant.
The Locker Room and Smarts
Today, saw the release of Ted Well's report on the ongoing harassment of Jonathan Martin by his Miami Dolphin teammate, Richie Incognito. One tidbit from the Stanford educated Martin writing to his mother "I mostly blame the soft schools I went to, which fostered within me a feeling that I'm a huge {deleted}, as I never got into fights."
Does the NFL distrust players who are educated? What happens when a player chooses academics over immediate NFL success? The Rejection of Myron Rolle [more inside]
Tom Finney (1922-2014)
Tom Finney, one of the all time greats of English football, has died at the age of 91. [more inside]
I'd buy that for a dollar...
"If you want to predict the future, just think about how bad it could be and make a joke out of it, and there you go."
Ed Neumeier on the writing of the original RoboCop.
Ed Neumeier on the writing of the original RoboCop.
May you lie in the ground and bake bagels
"I'm mad about you baby. Mad About You...."
New Age Revival
Is it wrong to say Bon Appetit?
P-hacking
P values, the 'gold standard' of statistical validity, are not as reliable as many scientists assume.
Don't Talk
Queen's 1982 dance funk single "Body Language" represented a rare move away from their glam stadium anthems into a more spare, disco-driven beat inter-cut with a moaning Freddie Mercury. The accompanying video, full of exposed flesh and suggestive lyrics, was deemed inappropriate for US TV and was one of the first music videos barred from MTV.
Debugging the A350-XWB
How Airbus is Debugging the A350-XWB. Jeff Wise, writing in Bloomberg Business Week, describes the 18-month testing process for the new Airbus A350-XWB passenger jet. One page version (printer format). And a bonus media offering: a somewhat functional online 3D flight simulator. [more inside]
No spring can follow past meridian
Figure skater Evgeni Plushenko (wiki) withdrew from the men's individual event at the Olympics in Sochi and announced his retirement from amateur skating (NYT) only days after winning gold in the team event. Plushenko has won medals at four Olympic Games* (2006 gold: Short Program, Free Skating; 2014 gold; 2002: SP, FS, 2010: SP, FS); he has won 17 gold, 8 silver and 2 bronze medals in major competitions in spite of a 2006-2008 hiatus and he holds 10 titles in the Russian Nationals in a career spanning over 17 years. He was famous not only for his technique, but also for his grace and showmanship. [more inside]
Planning Love
V-Day cards for planners, architects, urban designers, landscape architects, transportation engineers, and those who love them.
Goodnight, daddy
Ralph Waite has died, at the age of 85. You might know him for his Emmy-nominated performance as Slater in the mini-series "Roots," or from countless other stage and screen roles, or from his three unsuccessful attempts at a Congressional seat in California. But odds are you know him as John Walton, Sr. (the third-greatest television dad of all time, according to a 2004 TV Guide poll) on "The Waltons." [more inside]
Steel is real!
Unhurried extemporizations
Valentine's Day means the latest edition of Hudson Mohawke's annual mix of gooey '80s pop, soul and RnB: Slow Jams VII. You can also listen to all five hours of Slow Jams I-VII, which also has separate links to each mix.
Fifty Years of Falling in Love and Fifty Years of Moving On
Whatever you’re feeling today, you’re not alone. If you’re not sure what you’re feeling try listening to fifty years of music history in five minutes and see what sticks. CollectiveCadenza (previously) presents a history of men moving on, a history of women moving on, a history of love songs by female artists, and a history of love songs by male artists. [more inside]
Reet good.
De La Soul to give entire back catalog away for free
De La Soul will make their entire back catalogue available for free for a 25 hour period to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut record 3 Feet High and Rising. The catalog will be downloadable from De La Soul's website starting at 11am EST. This might just kickstart the D.A.I.S.Y. Age.
The Plaintiffs today also ask for fairness, and fairness only.
"Our nation's uneven but dogged journey toward truer and more meaningful freedoms for our citizens has brought us continually to a deeper understanding of the first three words in our Constitution: we the people. "We the People" have become a broader, more diverse family than once imagined." In the case of Bostic v. Rainey, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia's Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen has declared Virginia's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional [more inside]
The imperfect but honest image of a woman's body
OK, in our defense, Europe is really complicated.
Americans Try To Place European Countries On A Map, Brits have similar results attempting to place US States on a map.
the work of looking at love, rather than being in it
Looking At Love, a selection of photographers' images of other couples, from the New Yorker. Be sure to click through to the photographers' websites, where there are many more fantastic photos! Deslided. NSFW. Happy Valentine's Day!
Cute cute in a stupid ass way!
Jacky! (SLYT) La chanson des Miaou, le retour ! La chanson des miaou, la grande finale!
La chanson des Jacky! Jackie! Nicky! Jacky! Jackie! Jacky! Jackie! Nicky! Jacky! Jacky!... Henr?i!
La chanson des Jacky! Jackie! Nicky! Jacky! Jackie! Jacky! Jackie! Nicky! Jacky! Jacky!... Henr?i!
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