March 8, 2002

Family of Man Part 2

Family of Man Part 2 Many will remember Edward Steichen's (the first photo curator of the New York Museum of Modern Art besides being one of photography's greats) epic 1955 Family of Man exhibition for the MOMA and the ubiquitous book memorializing it. This is a worthy attempt at keeping that 50's spirit alive. PS all photos taken with Leica cameras, and for any Leica fanatics, take a peek at the just unveiled Leica M7 while you are at it.
posted by Voyageman at 10:54 PM PST - 11 comments

Rosie O'Donnel is Gay ...

Rosie O'Donnel is Gay ... Kmart to Close 284 Stores, Cut 22,000 Jobs: Coincidence? I think NOT!
posted by yevge at 9:46 PM PST - 58 comments

The mention of Benedict Arnold was inadvertent.

The mention of Benedict Arnold was inadvertent. Just caught a fun piece on NPR about 'Kill Duck Before Serving', a collection of notable corrections printed in The New York Times. Miscaptioned photos, famously bad journalist math (how many bras?), and transcription gaffes ('veteran,' not 'Bedouin'). Great stuff, whether you love or hate the 'paper of record.' One gem: "A caption in Business Day with an article about the National Bank of Kuwait mistranslated the Arabic script of the bank symbol. It says, 'National Bank of Kuwait' [not 'There is no god but Allah']." The Times regrets the error.
posted by pzarquon at 8:02 PM PST - 3 comments

Police Report: Hit-Run Suspect Told Friends 'I Hit This White Man'

Police Report: Hit-Run Suspect Told Friends 'I Hit This White Man' I heard this story last night. This incident happened last October...why did this story take so long to make national news?
posted by Oxydude at 7:33 PM PST - 6 comments

Sex!

Sex! Now that we have your att... hello? 'Boring sex': latest 'global problem', or the cry of a world full of jaded misogynists?
posted by iamrobotandproud at 7:08 PM PST - 16 comments

W.P. Kinsella probably the finest literary chronicler of America's National Pastime is also a master at the delicate art of being sentimental without being saccharine. The Band created some the greatest musical portraits of America ever committed to wax. Both of these artists tackle very "American" themes, yet both(excepting Band drummer Levon Helm) are Canadian. Canada is often ignored or glossed over culturally speaking, but these two examples make me think that perhaps Canadians have a unique perspective on America that helps them create such amazing portraits of the US.
posted by jonmc at 5:34 PM PST - 16 comments

Would I climb a mountain, just to read a poem?
Lines from Wordsworth or King, on height of Bear or Stone?
Or "Rock and Hawk" upon the Hook?
No peaks near me to climb,
I'd find a field and recite "the Harvest Bow."
Would you read, and what, and where, and why?
posted by bragadocchio at 4:25 PM PST - 18 comments

The penguins of Bouvetøya

The penguins of Bouvetøya (aka Bouvet), a tiny island in the South Atlantic claimed by Norway, have been denied independence by Oslo. (Last link is in French, translated inside.)
posted by Mo Nickels at 3:44 PM PST - 8 comments

Artist-in-Residence Program

Artist-in-Residence Program at the landfill. There are plenty of "found object" artists out there, but in this particularly enlightened recycling program, the Sanitary Fill Company pitches in to the process in a big way.
posted by badstone at 3:41 PM PST - 2 comments

Scotland's drug minister declares the war on drugs over.

Scotland's drug minister declares the war on drugs over. "The only time you will hear me use terms such as 'War On Drugs' and 'Just Say No' is to denigrate them." [Link via DanceSafe]
posted by bingo at 3:39 PM PST - 16 comments

What We're Fighting For

What We're Fighting For : a group of 60 diverse academics lay out the basic principles shared by Americans and the West in the war against terrorism:
We affirm five fundamental truths that pertain to all people without distinction:
1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
2. The basic subject of society is the human person, and the legitimate role of government is to protect and help to foster the conditions for human flourishing.
3. Human beings naturally desire to seek the truth about life's purpose and ultimate ends.
4. Freedom of conscience and religious freedom are inviolable rights of the human person.
5. Killing in the name of God is contrary to faith in God and is the greatest betrayal of the universality of religious faith.
We fight to defend ourselves and to defend these universal principles.
[More inside.]
posted by dhartung at 1:02 PM PST - 29 comments

20 Pictures by Boogie

20 Pictures by Boogie at Artcoup. Great urban photography. #18 is um...special. Must be seen.
posted by Su at 12:58 PM PST - 37 comments

Super Exciting Moving Sale

Super Exciting Moving Sale "Do you own clothes? Do you love the Justice League of America? If you answered yes to either of the preceeding questions, then you are a prime candidate to be the proud new owner of the Batman Dresser. A picture of Al Pacino as Tony Montana will appear next to all sold merchandise."
posted by kirkaracha at 11:12 AM PST - 4 comments

Microsoft must include Java with XP and IE.

Microsoft must include Java with XP and IE. Sun sues Microsoft for including Java, then sues Microsoft for not including Java. Fascinating.
posted by milnak at 11:06 AM PST - 33 comments

What makes "The Simpsons" tick.

What makes "The Simpsons" tick. Long Live The Simpsons!
posted by Rastafari at 10:49 AM PST - 43 comments

Pringles now with more crisp signals.

Pringles now with more crisp signals. Empty cans of Pringles could be helping malicious hackers spot wireless networks that are open to attack. Just goes to show that wafer thin security is a big problem.
posted by riffola at 9:49 AM PST - 20 comments

The need for an economic stimulus bill

The need for an economic stimulus bill appears to have taken on new urgency, now that the recovery is already underway. I'm glad both parties found enough irrelevent stuff they wanted to pass anyway that they could get a bill through.
posted by electro at 8:49 AM PST - 1 comments

Sit down and share an intimate meal with Mr. Andrea Yates.
posted by NortonDC at 8:36 AM PST - 9 comments

The president of ICANN, the organization that has been attempting to coordinate the Internet's domain name system, has suggested that the body virtually eliminate public participation and be more controlled by governments and corporations. If you're concerned, one thing you can do is join ICANN at Large.
posted by tranquileye at 8:34 AM PST - 4 comments

A Grand Narrative

A Grand Narrative "When Hindus kill Muslims it's not a story, because there are a billion Hindus and they aren't part of the Muslim narrative. When Saddam murders his own people it's not a story, because it's in the Arab-Muslim family. But when a small band of Israeli Jews kills Muslims it sparks rage — a rage that must come from Muslims having to confront the gap between their self-perception as Muslims and the reality of the Muslim world." Thomas Friedman looks for an angle and finds a story! What role, if any, does narrative consciousness and social psychology play in the Middle East? (via blogdex :)
posted by kliuless at 8:24 AM PST - 26 comments

"The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS)"

"The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS)" is the Trade Association for "America's favorite brands of distilled spirits." They try to promote pro-liquor causes such as reducing tariffs on alcohol and increasing the number of states selling it Sunday. Here is where it gets interesting: their site is at: www.discus.health.org/ which is (obviously) a subdomain of health.org. If you go to health.org there is no mention of DISCUS involvement. The health.org 'about' page implies that the site is jointly run by several Federal Agencies. Health.org itself seems devoted to stopping drugs in their seedy illegal tracks. Take a look at: "Marijuana: Weeding out the hype" or this "Prevention Alert" which suggests "Skewed articles can be used in the classroom to provide 'teachable moments' in seeking the facts about... ecstasy." Is it troubling that "the trade association for... America's favorite brands of distilled spirits" is operating behind the scenes of the 'government sponsored' anti-drug site with no disclosure? Would it be too jaded to conclude that when health.org commands teens: "If you're smoking marijuana--stop!" that the puppet master is more worried about the fierce competition presented by non-alcoholic drugs than they are genuinely concerned about the health.org of young people?
posted by limitedpie at 8:23 AM PST - 22 comments

Bond, James Jimmy Bond.

Bond, James Jimmy Bond.

Last Saturday ABC television aired "Diamonds Are Forever" and digitally altered the color of character Plenty O’Toole’s panties, as well as adding a black brassiere.

What possesses a network experiencing serious viewership erosion to cause them to spend time and money is such ridiculous censorship? What are the issues regarding copyright and intellectual property?

More importantly, what are they smoking over there at ABC?
posted by jpburns at 8:21 AM PST - 30 comments

The Most Listened To Internet Radio Station In The World...

The Most Listened To Internet Radio Station In The World... is London-based Jazz FM. It's not really a Jazz station, but it plays delightful lounge music and the sound quality(Windows req.)is exceptional. And it makes a profit! What can they possibly be doing right?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 7:53 AM PST - 25 comments

Lord of the Hackers?

Lord of the Hackers? Sherri Turkle writes in the NYT:
Adolescents are wise in the psychology of computer games and Middle Earth. They live in a world they can't control, in a body that seems increasingly alien. To them the computer world is soothing, offering reassurance through mastery. Just as each episode of "The Lord of the Rings" presents a danger and each has its resolution, so many adolescent boys move from one block of intransigent code to another, from one screen to the next, declaring victory as they go. But this distinction is about more than gender; it is about ways of looking at the world — real, imagined or computer-generated. Some pioneers of computing had a style of working that rewarded risk. They spoke of programming itself as though it were a dangerous quest. At M.I.T. computer hackers even had a name for it: "sport death." To pull back from the impending doom of a system crash required near magic, an almost empathetic knowledge of the intricacies of code. For this community, a certain bravado came to be seen as valuable, even necessary, beyond the world of programming.
Any programmer-hobbits care to comment on this? This doesn't exactly describe my feelings when unsnarling html.
posted by mecran01 at 7:46 AM PST - 41 comments

whitney biennial 2002

whitney biennial 2002
yummy flash goodness for friday morning.
posted by quonsar at 6:33 AM PST - 15 comments

What if...?

What if...? Uchronia: The Alternate History List is an annotated bibliography of novels, stories, essays and other material involving the "what ifs" of history. Such texts may also be called as alternate histories, alternative histories, allohistories, uchronia, counterfeit worlds, counterfactuals, negative histories, etc. Alternative history is big on the web. See this alternative Russian Revolution example. For an exaustive AH list check out Uchronia's links pages. Are there any other favourite alternative history sites / books you have enjoyed?
posted by talos at 5:21 AM PST - 9 comments

A Brief History of U.S. Interventions: 1945 to the Present

A Brief History of U.S. Interventions: 1945 to the Present (Via Fark.) There's some eye-opening stuff here, assuming it's all true.
posted by artifex at 4:48 AM PST - 39 comments

Am I the only one who notices that Scrubs is the best new show on television?

Am I the only one who notices that Scrubs is the best new show on television? Great writing and a great cast make me wonder who is Watching Ellie and putting the Seinfeld Curse at 3 for 3 with 2 RBI's and a double. If you haven't seen Scrubs, check it out. If you have, tell other people to watch it. Don't let quality television go off the air because of a bad time slot! (Tue. at 9:30 Est on NBC)
posted by McBain at 12:14 AM PST - 41 comments

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