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Dr. Anita Borg is the Founder of the Institute for Women and Technology (www.iwt.org). Her work to change the world for women has received international recognition. Throughout her career, Dr. Borg has worked to encourage women to pursue careers in computing. Also, she's a heck of a nice lady. She was diagnosed with brain cancer in April 2000, and recently her condition has worsened. {more inside}
posted by dejah420 at 8:45 PM PST - 9 comments

The Arctic Studies Center at the Smithsonian has several wonderful online exhibitions. I was especially fascinated by Ainu: Spirit of a Northern People. The Ainu are the indigenous people of Hokkaido, Japan, and may be closely related to the first Americans as well (previously discussed here.) There's also a collection of Ainu artifacts and photographs at the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest. [ASC links via plep (again.)]
posted by homunculus at 4:29 PM PST - 12 comments

A beating heart
Via b3ta.
posted by Mwongozi at 4:14 PM PST - 29 comments

Fire Disaster, What Have We Learned? The recent Great White nightclub tragedy has made it imperative to study previous deadly fires in public buidlings, such as the Iroquois Theater, the Cocoanut Grove, the Beverly Hills Supper Club, the Natchez Rhythm Club, the Happy Land Social Club, and the 1944 Hartford circus fire. The sad thing is that many of these deaths could have been preventable.
posted by jonp72 at 3:14 PM PST - 13 comments

Disease Cube A rather extraordinary applet. Find out about the reportable communicable diseases in the US. Many hidden features.
posted by kablam at 2:32 PM PST - 12 comments

50 Most Significant Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books. Not sure what their criteria was, but this is a nice list. Lots of obvious, gotta-be-on-such-a-list choices, but also some surprises that should have people buying some books they might not have thought of before. (The URL is rather cumbersome, but that's the only one I could find).
posted by sassone at 1:38 PM PST - 105 comments

So, carnival is over in Rio, but festivities continue until Sunday in Salvador and other northeastern cities in Brazil. In Rio's samba parade, Beija-Flor was the winner, but Mangueira, last year's winner, came in as a very close second. But what am I saying - gotta go get some sleep. See you all here in 2004!
posted by falameufilho at 12:44 PM PST - 3 comments

The intrinsic mystery of the crop circle is explored in this voice mail to a documentary production company. NSFW [MP3]
posted by Pretty_Generic at 12:26 PM PST - 22 comments

Get your Anti-War on! The definitive strategy guide for achieving everlasting peace. Amazingly, similar stuff is actually happening. Will Bush finally hear?
posted by 111 at 11:26 AM PST - 33 comments

Legendary cane fife player Otha Turner dead at 94 [nyt-rr]. Considered one of (if not THE) last surviving cane fife player, Turner has been nominated for a WC Handy Award, played on records by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and The North Mississippi All Stars, and released albums with his own bands The Afrossippi All Stars and the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band. Some sound recordings here.
posted by dobbs at 11:18 AM PST - 11 comments

Hangover? Not for long! Okay, probably not - heard some commercials for this product on my local sports radio station, and during don imus' radio show... It seems this company is promoting their "dawn808" product which you can take after or during drinking, and it reacts to the chemicals that your liver forms while trying to clean up your blood. fascinating. wonder what happens if you take this, the 48 hour hollywood diet, and some ephedra. at least they're not trying to sell samplers from the 80's.
posted by djspicerack at 11:11 AM PST - 28 comments

Get Your Own Name, Buster! It's doesn't get any sillier than finding out how many people in the U.K. are at this very moment walking about pretending to be you; the limey bastards. But it's humbling, to say the least - and a bit of fun too. [Via Linkmachinego and Plep.]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:48 AM PST - 40 comments

The Quiet American provides glimpses of other cultures via phonographs: snapshots of sound. (The field recordings in Vietnam are beautiful and evocative.) Vagabonding also conveys the wonders of travel. What other sites allow non-travelers to experience other parts of the world?
posted by jdroth at 9:10 AM PST - 5 comments

Full Metal Bonnet Retailers Put All Their Grenades in One Basket: National retailers like Kmart and Walgreens have stocked their shelves with baskets in which the traditional chocolate rabbit centerpiece has been displaced by plastic military action figures and their make-believe lethal paraphernalia. Great quote: Packets of jellybeans are tossed in as if an afterthought, nestled in the cellophane underbrush like anti-personnel mines.
posted by sparky at 8:47 AM PST - 52 comments

The BBC reports that a school in West Yorkshire has banned stories like the Three Little Pigs and Babe because "for Muslims talk of pigs is offensive." Strange that the Muslims don't agree.
posted by twine42 at 8:45 AM PST - 22 comments

Best. Festival. Ever? The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA is back this April 26th and 27th with a ridiculous array of talent...but the return of Manchester, TN's Bonnaroo Festival on June 13th, 14th and 15th could give Coachella a run for its money. [links via Pitchfork]
posted by boost ventilator at 8:31 AM PST - 17 comments

The heartbreaking story of the rise and fall of Little Rick, pugilist.
posted by mikrophon at 7:56 AM PST - 3 comments

Leaflet bombing. The coalition is sending messages to Iraq. Do not, I repeat, do not repair fiber optic cables. Big brother is watching you (but apparently not sharing with UN inspectors). P.S. We love you.
posted by srboisvert at 7:39 AM PST - 17 comments

Pictoplasma. A collection of over 4750 contemporary character designs from a whole wide load of artists, designers and companies world wide. It's making my day. There's a book too.
posted by Spoon at 6:39 AM PST - 8 comments

Ushabtis are small mummiform dolls that the ancient Egyptians buried with the dead. 'Ushabti' means 'Answerer'. [more inside]
posted by Slithy_Tove at 5:40 AM PST - 16 comments

‘Al-Qaeda informant to get RM102m’ Rags to riches for former Taliban informant. And a new identify to boot. Whol says you need to buy lottery tickets for sudden welath?
posted by Postroad at 4:52 AM PST - 8 comments

Man arrested in a mall for wearing a peace T-shirt. For some reason I think loads of people will show up at this mall wearing peace T-shirts over the next few days.
posted by thedailygrowl at 12:55 AM PST - 181 comments

Remember how the Emperor strokes the lightsaber and says to Luke "you want this"? Things George Lucas doesn't want you to know - the filthy but oh so sexy truth about what goes on in the Jedi Academy! Not that there's anything wrong with that. Unless it involves Yoda, because... damn.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:21 AM PST - 15 comments