June 27, 2012
Nessie and Noah
Fundamentalist Christian schools in Louisiana will soon be citing the existence of the Loch Ness monster as proof that evolution is a myth. [more inside]
It happens three times in every life. Or twice. Or once.
The Merchants of Nairobi
Trading Places - photographer Steve Bloom's latest book focuses on the business people, shops, and signs of Nairobi. Take a panoramic walk down Kitengela Road in what is arguably the largest panoramic stitched together from hundreds of photos. In another clip, Bloom talks about his experiences taking the photos. (Via About:Blank)
How can something so rapey be so good?
“Racist rape-culture Disneyland with Dragons” -- Laurie Penny on the popularity of George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire and the critically acclaimed HBO dramatization Game of Thrones. (Hint: Despite the obvious gender-racial-class problems, Miss Penny really likes the show.) [more inside]
Hey LaWasha, hey LaDrya
The latest from former American Idol contestant Todrick Hall, Beauty and the Beat brings together a cast of former Idols, YouTube personalities, and Antoine "hide yo kids, hide yo wife" Dodson.
Lawsuit waiting to happen
At the 36th St. subway station in Brooklyn, one of the subway stairs is a little bit higher than the others. Filmmaker Dean Peterson set up a camera at the top of the stairs for about an hour, and taped what happens.
"I am only recently, by profession, a restaurant critic."
"Bohemians in Benelux", a culinary travelogue through Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Luxembourg in eleven parts by Chris Onstad
The Bear and the Rainbow
Does It Matter If the Heroine of 'Brave' Is Gay? [Contains spoilers for Brave]
Faster and Furiouser
"The truth about the Fast and Furious scandal: A Fortune investigation reveals that the ATF never intentionally allowed guns to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. How the world came to believe just the opposite is a tale of rivalry, murder, and political bloodlust." [more inside]
Only Virgins Need Apply
Trivia: it is called "Mad About Me"
Sometimes the choreography of one song's video fits another song perfectly, and the result... well, it just transcends either of its predecessors. [slyt]
Rapid declines into poverty
East Meets West
Gates on tech and ed
A Conversation With Bill Gates About the Future of Higher Education at the Chronicle of Higher Education. As always, Bill is honest and interesting as he talks about new developments and how they fit into a realistic view of the next 10-20 years of higher ed.
Oh wow, are you still doing that?
Dustin really wanted to jump on the latest fad and have his very own blog. However, he is a man of few words, and even fewer thoughts. In fact, thinking is not something he wastes his time on. But the one thought he did have was that if a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe a couple hundred snapshots of his ugly mug would equal a book deal. Below is a pointless photo of what Dustin is wearing today. [more inside]
The frantic career of the eyes
Picturing Books: What do we see when we read? (Other than words on a page.) What do we picture in our minds? A consideration by Knopf's senior designer Peter Mendulsund. [more inside]
Hudda hudda huh!
Meet The Pyro. That is all. (Team Fortress 2 previously on MeFi. Also. And this. Also this. And, after meeting the Pyro, if you have not met the Medic, Heavy, Spy, Demoman, Soldier, Sniper, Engineer and Scout, perhaps you would like to meet them as well. And then you can watch them dance a little.)
Circumcision in Germany is now illegal
A German court has ruled that male circumcision is "bodily harm" and that a child's right to "physical integrity" trumps parental or religious rights. Jews and Muslims have reacted strongly to the decision, with some going as far to allege anti-Semitism. Intactivists are generally pleased.
From 100 to 0
The Royal Society of Chemistry is offering £1000 to the person or team producing the best and most creative explanation of the phenomenon, known today as The Mpemba Effect [more inside]
The Viable Zombie
“[...] it took more than a dozen calls to work out the details of her zombie contagion. “After about the 17th time,” says McGuire, “I called and said, ‘If I did this, this, this, this, this, this and this, could I raise the dead?’ And got, ‘Don’t … don’t do that.’ And at that point, I knew I had a viable virus.”
Singularity: The Movie!
The Technological Apocalypse is Coming (Straight to DVD) Over the last 15 years a brilliant and charismatic self-made man has been campaigning across the United States, describing a near-future event that will deliver human salvation, immortality, and unlimited creative potential. After this event, he claims, the trappings of earthly life will no longer plague us: we will no longer age or get sick; we will be able to create our own worlds to our exact preferences; and we will no longer be restricted to our current physical forms. This man’s vision has become the center of a growing movement that already has tens of thousands of adherents, dozens of shared texts, and its own non-profit school that aims to “assemble, educate, and inspire a cadre of leaders” to one day “address humanity’s grand challenges.”. Coming soon, the movie! [more inside]
If only he would listen to their advice on how things should be run! It was such good advice.
Crown jewel of the movie poster world
Showcase of rare movie posters coveted by movie poster collectors. The 10 most expensive movie posters. Browse some posters up for sale right now, or wait for the crown jewel of the poster world which could soon become the first to break the $1m mark.
Photos of Rhodesian military vehicles
Photos of Rhodesian military vehicles taken between 1979 and early 1980 with a Kodak Instamatic.
Alienation, irony, autonomy, discourse.
WIGS
In May, YouTube announced they would be hosting a lineup of original video channels, in a possible attempt to compete with network and cable television. Among the new offerings was WIGS, the (NSFW) brainchild of director/producer/writers Jon Avnet and Rodrigo Garcia, of original, scripted dramatic series and short films exploring female characters. [more inside]
But did you threaten to overrule him?
Following junior Treasury minister Chloe Smith's disastrous performance on Newsnight regarding the Chancellor's u-turn on fuel duty, the New Statesmen presents the top five ten worst political interviews.
Serious Business. For 30 Seconds. With a cutaway.
STAR WOLF, or, he tried to kill me with a forklift!
スターウルフ, "Star Wolf," was a half-hour sci-fi TV show produced and aired in Japan in 1978. (TV Tropes page -- addiction warning) It had somewhat cheesy special effects, understandable being a TV series made just one year after Star Wars, but it made up for it with style, energy, and ACTION PACKED MUSIC.
American viewers will know it best as the show ripped apart and reassembled into two Fugitive Alien movies by Sandy Frank Productions, then shown on two memorable episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000. (Episodes on YouTube: Fugitive Alien, its sequel.) Although the Japanese show got at least two seasons (the second under the title Space Hero Star Wolf), only the first four episodes appear to exist on the internet. Here they are: One - Two - Three - Four. (There are no subtitles, but you should be able to figure out what is going on if you've seen the MST episode.) [more inside]
American viewers will know it best as the show ripped apart and reassembled into two Fugitive Alien movies by Sandy Frank Productions, then shown on two memorable episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000. (Episodes on YouTube: Fugitive Alien, its sequel.) Although the Japanese show got at least two seasons (the second under the title Space Hero Star Wolf), only the first four episodes appear to exist on the internet. Here they are: One - Two - Three - Four. (There are no subtitles, but you should be able to figure out what is going on if you've seen the MST episode.) [more inside]
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