March 7, 2009

The Sun Ra Quilt of Joy

The Sun Ra Quilt of Joy
posted by Joe Beese at 8:04 PM PST - 28 comments

Death of the dirty word

Why would an evolutionary biologist study words? It turns out there is an astonishing parallel between the evolution of words in a lexicon and the evolution of genes in an organism. The word two, for example, has been around much longer than most, and will likely be with us for millennia, whereas the comparatively rare and recent word dirty has undergone many mutations, and will probably be extinct in a few hundred years. Professor Mark Pagel, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Reading, UK, tells us why on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's program As It Happens. Pull slider to 16:00 to start the seven minute interview.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:43 PM PST - 49 comments

U.S. Customs - in your face

What has long been touted as the world's longest undefended border (that running between Canada and the United States) has undergone many changes since 9/11. In an effort to secure its Northern border, the U.S. now employs Predator drones, Blackhawk helicopter patrols, high speed boats, and Google searches. There may even be a big fence in our future. More troubling still are increased demands for information on Canadian citizens, and increased searching powers of U.S. border guards. And don't ask them to say please either.
posted by stinkycheese at 4:52 PM PST - 111 comments

The Fastest Feet in Crete

"He wore a black Cretan shirt, his clothing was in tatters and his patched boots - the semi-detached sole of one of which was secured to its upper with a thick strand of wire - were coming to bits on his feet. ..It was gruelling work, but in an interview many years later Psychoundakis made light of the hundreds of miles he covered at a run: "I felt as if I were flying, so light and easy - just like drinking a cup of coffee."   [more inside]
posted by bokeh at 2:07 PM PST - 6 comments

Fatal Distraction

Fatal Distraction. The lead story in this Sunday's Washington Post Magazine. "Forgetting a child in the back seat of a hot, parked car is a horrifying, inexcusable mistake. But is it a crime?". By Gene Weingarten. [more inside]
posted by Ike_Arumba at 1:57 PM PST - 300 comments

Poo.

A new use for Poo. (via.) [more inside]
posted by cjorgensen at 12:18 PM PST - 41 comments

BÅB, The Ikea Baby

BÅB, The Ikea Baby (pdf) [via mefi projects]
posted by Pants! at 11:01 AM PST - 38 comments

Imagine 150 years of Metafilter

"Notes and Queries: A Medium of Communication for Literary Men, General Readers, etc." Notes and Queries is a long running journal which printed the, well, notes and queries sent in to them by readers. Google books seems to have full view available for most, if not all, of the issues from the founding in 1849 up through 1908. [more inside]
posted by Caduceus at 10:22 AM PST - 12 comments

Road Warrior

Lifting it's script from the abandonned fourth movie, Mad Max will be returning, sans Gibbo, as a 3D animated feature. I'll see you on the road, skag!
posted by Artw at 8:44 AM PST - 38 comments

Conrad, you sexy devil you

There is no finer measure of a man than the way he smokes a pipe.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:05 AM PST - 91 comments

It's Philly Beer Week

It's Philly Beer Week. And that is pretty great. But what is really cool is this, the keg Hammer Of Glory. Scroll down and click embedded video to watch. It made its way through Philadelphia by bike, foot, and wheelbarrow to the opening tap, where the mayor used it to tap the first keg.
posted by fixedgear at 6:20 AM PST - 10 comments

Khmer Rouge

A visualization of the estimated 1.4 million deaths resulting from the Khmer Rouge. (Single Link Big Picture) There is no "more inside", thank goodness.
posted by metastability at 5:58 AM PST - 40 comments

Sixteen Again

Video of Buzzcocks in Concert, Amsterdam Paradiso, Feb 2009 The Buzzcocks recently completed a European tour with a set comprising of their first two albums in the original running order, right down to the loop of 'Boredom' at the end of their debut LP. They're better than ever and I'm knocked out that they still knock seven bells out of most bands around, over thirty years later. They're still there, still charming, still saying something about bittersweet love that is still true. I'm old, so I'm onlt pogoing from a sitting position, but wow. Just wow. Previously.
posted by quarsan at 12:55 AM PST - 31 comments

"Thank you, Republican Party. You helped us elect one of the most liberal senators to the presidency of the United States."

"That's the difference -- The American people agree with me." Michael Moore reflects on the past eight years and America's shift to the left.
posted by bardic at 12:17 AM PST - 153 comments

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