February 8, 2008
Begging The Question
I don’t understand the term “begs the question.” I know I use it incorrectly—or so I’ve been told—but I don’t know what I’m supposedly doing wrong. Can you explain? The Morning News' The Non-Expert tackles "the phrase that nobody understands."
Freeze frame
In 1855, Frenchman Joseph Fortuné Petiot-Groffier died. One of the first daguerrotypists, the pioneering photographer was apparently poisoned by his own chemistry. Some 152 years later, in the twilight of chemical photography, his lab, found intact, is viewed in a new light. Via. [more inside]
Bootleg Woody Guthrie concert restored
... a small, heavy package wrapped in brown paper arrived in the mail at the Woody Guthrie Archives in New York City. Inside was a mess of wires.
It wasn't a bomb - it turned out to be the only live recording of Woody Guthrie known to exist. The wire was fragile, bent, stretched and twisted. Jamie Howarth applied some algorithms he had developed to restore old recordings, and the result has been nominated for a Grammy.
178 years old and still going strong
"There's a place that sells these motorhomes on the road to Newton Abbot, and one day we were going past and James said: 'Let's buy one of those. Then we can go wherever we like, whenever we like, and no one will be able to stop us.' "
Britain's oldest honeymooners (combined age 178) hit the road - with a love story that'll warm your heart.
Britain's oldest honeymooners (combined age 178) hit the road - with a love story that'll warm your heart.
Fashion Week NYC: The Movie
Was your invite to Fashion Week lost in the mail? Have no fear- you can watch video of some of your favorite designers and models at the official Mercedes Benz Fashion Week website. If you're more into schadenfreude than Sean John, check out the Zac Posen show to see Karen Elson take a tumble .
Aimee Mann Celebrity Christmas Show
The Aimee Mann Christmas Trilogy Parts One, Two, and Three (YT links) featuring: Paul F. Tompkins, Jon Krasinski, Emily Procter, Patton Oswalt, Weird Al Yankovic, Bob Odenkirk, Fred Armisen, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell.
I agree, my show is not very good, caller. My show is fantastic!
"I'm on Setanta Sports" with José Mourinho. Fantastic. The Special One returns to the world of football with his very own talk show. Very good. More clips inside. Be champions! [more inside]
Lego Eddie Izzard
vintage images of the Far East and Asia
Loser gets creamed
The Belgian version of Russian roulette.
Songerize
Keeper of the heart's relics
Lyfrau o'r Gorffennol or Books from the Past is a growing online collection of books of Welsh cultural interest which have long been out of print. Some are in Welsh, some in English, all are available to download in a variety of formats or to read online. Found as the collection includes a book on the Adventures and Vagaries of Twm Siôn Cati, the famed bard, genealogist and bandit trickster supreme from Tregaron. It's one of a host of well-presented digital archives built using the multilingual open source Greenstone software suite.
The Washington Indpendent
The Washington Independent went beta a few weeks ago. The site employs several reporters to do investigative journalism on topics of national importance. [more inside]
Psychologists Protest APA's Position On Interrogations
Citing the organization's "sharp shift in values and direction," Ken Pope, prominent member of the American Psychological Association (and a former chair of its Ethics Committee), resigned his membership on February 6. He's the latest of a growing number of professional psychologists who have quit APA in protest of its position on the use of psychologists in government interrogations in the "War on Terror."
Computer thief foiled
Boo is not the smartest computer thief on the planet. Or maybe not the luckiest since he grabbed a computer from an IT specialist.
Polygamy pays (in more ways than one).
It's been going on in Britain for a while. Now hundreds of men in Toronto are receiving welfare for each wife. Is this what Rowan Williams has in mind?
Kiss your free time goodbye.
Protector. ~Flash Friday~ Protector takes the mechanics of tower defense games, and adds an RPG element to it. Specialize, level up, and say goodbye to your free time. previously
Getting to the Square Root of this Function
Getting to the source of 5 beautiful lines of Quake 3. Rys Sommefeldt traces the history of a very quick (and now infamous) inverse square-root function used in Quake 3. (via) [more inside]
C'est une beauté de chemin à faire, hein?
So, good day, and welcome to the Bob and Doug McKenzie FPP. How's it goin' eh? Like, I've got some back bacon fryin' up on the Coleman, a dozen donuts, a two-four, and our topic today is stuff on the internet relating to these two Canadian hoseheads. So, like, sit back, put a toque on, grab a beer, and enjoy! [more inside]
Philip M. Parker writes and publishes over 85,000 books on Amazon
Philip M. Parker[1][2] has written and published over 85,000 books on Amazon in the past few years, although by his own count the total published is over 200,000. He is like a writing machine - in fact, he has created a machine that churns out an original book about every 20 minutes. A few sample titles: [more inside]
If you can't say it in words, say it in song
A most succinct explanation of the current problems facing Wall Street.
The Beast Is Red
Leonard Pierce aka the Ludic Kid is going undercover at CPAC for Sadly, No. While some may know him best for his Geek Index, his current work reporting from the frontlines of the culture wars is all the more hilarious (and chilling) for its basis in reality: parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
What does the future hold?
The Cabinet Office in the UK has published "Future Strategic Challenges for Britain" [full pdf, summary pdf, website], a 180-page document which summarises current futures thinking in the UK Government, with a horizon of about 20 years. It includes predictions on big issues such as democratic participation, foreign affairs, climate change, family life and public services.
Listening to shortwave radio in 2008 is a willfully quixotic undertaking
Waging a tiny rebellion via shortwave radio. "Missing the Internet's precision, what I think most recommends shortwave radio now is its offer of quest. It's in the hunting for something unknown that might not be there anyway, and if it is, may dissolve, sputtering, eaten by sunspots or zapped in static."
Mukasey's Nuremburg defence
In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee yesterday, US Attorney General Michael Mukasey refused to investigate allegations of illegal waterboarding and wiretapping, arguing that the Justice Department could not investigate or prosecute somebody for acting in reliance on a Justice Department opinion, such as those written by John Yoo authorizing torture, even if that opinion turned out to be wrong and the behavior criminal. (The former head the Office of Legal Counsel has described these memos as "advance pardons" for lawbreaking.)
Mukasey also told the Committee that he would not enforce contempt citations against former White House officials who refused to respond to Congressional subpoenas.
Black History Month
Rim Shot
Dog Plus Pony
Glimpses of South Asia before 1947
Glimpses of South Asia before 1947 1,150 illustrated pages by the world's leading Ancient Indus Civilization scholars
774 photographs, postcards, lithographs, engravings, and archival film of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka before 1947
Research into primary education
The Primary Review has published three research reports about primary school education in the UK and elsewhere. The Structure of Primary Education: England and Other Countries. Primary Curriculum and Assessment: England and Other Countries. Press release summarising some of the findings. [more inside]
And Introducing Seth Rogen as Cary Grant in North by Northwest!
Hitchcock Classics as illustrated in the 2008 Hollywood Portfolio from Vanity Fair.
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