March 16, 2015
That cat has serious issues
Louis, a 17-year-old ginger tom, accused of pouncing ‘like a wild lion in the jungle’ on to unsuspecting pet pooch’s head [more inside]
Life as a ghost
The Ghost Children of China Forty-five years ago, China inaugurated an era of population control, amid fears that too many people would bring catastrophe. In 1980, it officially announced a national one-child policy, forcibly limiting the size of families. But there have been, inevitably, second (and, rarely, third and fourth) children: children who go unrecognized by the government, have no official identity – who are left to live outside the institutions of regulated society. Little Jie is one of them. [more inside]
“Jesus. Call the police”.
Why I didn't call the police when I saw two black boys with guns next door. [The Guardian]
"My husband’s instinct was to call law enforcement, but that didn't seem like the solution. Especially after Tamir Rice."
"But TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY. It's the American dream..."
Today, Kendrick Lamar's latest album, To Pimp a Butterfly, was released a week ahead of the release date. Yesterday, the album was briefly made available on iTunes (allegedly, the label's error). But enough of that - let's get to the music. [more inside]
Remembering Harve Bennett, STAR TREK’s Cinematic Shepherd
You know what? I don't need this job after all.
No wonder our ancestors drove them to extinction!
"If you have enough heart and a weird enough face..."
Wrestling Isn't Wrestling: a short film following the last 20 years in WWE, with a mostly female cast and a preposterous number of celebrity cameos. Directed by Max Landis and starring Chloe Dykstra as Triple H (contains lots of profanity).
Shake, Bot
Politicians Shaking Hands with Robots, Ranked
How many Merkels have you spotted so far?
The correct answer is "a suspicious number of Merkels."
Why Is Angela Merkel Always Palling Around With Robots?
How many Merkels have you spotted so far?
The correct answer is "a suspicious number of Merkels."
Why Is Angela Merkel Always Palling Around With Robots?
When the Glimpse Is Worth More than the Glare
This princess is in her own castle
Hanako Games’ Long Live the Queen is a princess story all about facets and demanding respect. You play as Princess Elodie, who must replace her late mother as queen by the end of the year. It’s a princess power fantasy where you learn all about Elodie’s world so that she may navigate politics both at home and abroad and survive attempts on her life. It’s a brutal game, as you learn how to progress by failing and/or dying repeatedly. It’s maddening for perfectionists.Kim Nguyen plays Long Live the Queen and Princess Maker.
What's in a name: Yeti. Abominable Snowman. Himalayan Bear?
Yeti Debate Swirls: Study Reveals Origin of Mysterious Hairs The yeti, a legendary shaggy, bipedal beast from the Himalayas, made headlines last year when a geneticist said he had solved the mystery of its origins. But now, scientists have found the hair samples used in that study didn't come from a mysterious animal, but rather from the Himalayan brown bear. [more inside]
Winter Birdwatching in Jersey City
People on the phone never say "good-bye" at the end of a conversation.
Movie cliches that have been around for decades are still alive and well in 2015. Don't believe it? Check out the list and decide for yourself:
- When men drink whiskey, it is always in a shot glass, and they always drink it in one gulp. If they are wimps, they will gasp for air, then have a coughing fit. If they are macho, they will wince briefly, flashing clenched teeth.
- There are always carrot leaves and a loaf of french bread sticking out of every grocery bag
- Explosions in space make noise, etc. etc. etc.
Like Lehrer and MacNeil, but with moustaches and puppets
A hard-hitting panel show that isn't afraid to tackle the tough issues, with a balanced panel of right-wing, left-wing, libertarian and other guests, No, You Shut Up! "takes on the issues of the day until everyone gets too angry to discuss them any further." [more inside]
Robocops in Kinshasa
Five Congolese-made robots are now regulating traffic in Kinshasa. Other pictures. Traffic robots in action and interview of Thérèse Izay Kirongozi, robot creator, engineer and leader of Wotech (Women's Technology Association). [more inside]
being unable to achieve the impossible: keeping everybody happy
Creating just online social spaces - Aria Stewart, Geek Feminism
"The last two months have seen two Slack chats start to support marginalized groups in the technology field, LGBTQ* Technology and Women in Technology, and we’ve had a lot of discussions about how to run the spaces effectively, not just being a place for those who it says on the tin, but to support, encourage and not be terrible to people who are marginalized in other ways than the one the particular group is trying to represent. "This is a sort of how-to guide for creating a social Slack that is inclusive and just, and a lot of of this will apply to other styles and mediums for interaction."[more inside]
Mayhem is coming
Goatshank Redemption
"Jackie was a horrible actress, the literal worst, but her sick schtick did the trick." If Dinosaurs Were the Main Characters in "Jurassic Park" (SL Buzzfeed)
Traded to Chicago Cubs for a washing machine.
Not everyone was delighted when Will Ferrell played 10 positions for 10 different teams (all field positions and base coach) in five games in one day last week in the Cactus League--in order to raise awareness and money for Stand Up to Cancer and Cancer for College--but honestly, most people were. [more inside]
33 Musicians Discuss Their Favorite Radiohead Songs
Stereogum polled dozens of notable musicians about their favorite Radiohead songs, and this is how they responded.
Imagine Frankensteining kale and Brussels sprouts together
Lollipop Kale Is the Best New Vegetable You’ve Never Heard Of. Lollipop kale is a hybrid of kale and Brussels sprouts that was developed in Britain and is now becoming available in the US and Australia. Branded as "kalettes" in the US, the plant known in Britain as "flower sprouts" is also available as seeds for gardeners who want to give it a try. The first new vegetable in 16 years, it's being brought to the US by the same grower who introduced broccolini (the most recent new vegetable). Like broccolini and broccoflower, lollipop kale is the result of traditional plant breeding and selection. [more inside]
"The delicate tango between common archetype and copyright"
Lindsay Ellis on The Wicked Witch of the West and MGM's copyright "The Wicked Witch of the West is the ultimate archetype for the modern witch, so everyone wants their own version of her. Too bad MGM holds the copyright to the one everyone knows."
Deep in my heart, I do believe
The Algorithmic Self: On Being Made by the Numbers
"The first step toward protecting the self in an age of algorithmic manipulation is to recognize such manipulation as a problem." Frank Pasquale, writing for The Hedgehog Review, grapples with "The Algorithmic Self." [more inside]
It's not about the food—it's about your surroundings.
This Fast-Food-Loving, Organics-Hating Ivy League Prof Will Trick You Into Eating Better: Mother Jones on food psychologist Brian Wansink's work with restaurants, grocery stores, and schools on how to encourage better eating.
In the world of sign language, this man is Michael Jackson
Swedish sign language interpreter, Tommy Krångh, interpreted and danced his way through a song performed by singer Magnus Carlsson on Melodifestivalen.
“That’s a good thing about a hijab...You can hide a microphone in it."
"No Land's Song" is a documentary about Iranian singer and composer Sara Najafi's fight to host a concert of solo women singers in Tehran. Nothing like it had been attempted in Iran for 35 years: after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, women were banned from singing solo in public.
“After every meeting at the ministry, I said, ‘OK, it won’t happen.’" But then she’d have a meeting with her Iranian singers – some old enough to have performed before the revolution, others too young to remember a time when women were allowed to sing at all – and decide to fight on.It is being shown at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Excerpt - Vimeo link.
Disney's $1 Billion Bet on a Magical Wristband
Sometimes the Best of the Web was first said elsewhere...
15 Relatively Brilliant Albert Einstein Quotes on His Birthday (March 14th)
“If I were to start taking care of my grooming, I would no longer be my own self.”
15 Awesome Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quotes for her 82nd Birthday (March 15th)
"I have quite a large supply [of 'Notorious RGB t-shirts]."
MentalFloss.com does handle 'listicles' well (when John Green isn't reading them out loud on a video)… [more inside]
“If I were to start taking care of my grooming, I would no longer be my own self.”
15 Awesome Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quotes for her 82nd Birthday (March 15th)
"I have quite a large supply [of 'Notorious RGB t-shirts]."
MentalFloss.com does handle 'listicles' well (when John Green isn't reading them out loud on a video)… [more inside]
"No one has ever given less of a fuck."
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