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The term "object head" refers to a specific type of character in which the individual has, as may be surmised, an object for a head. [more inside]
posted by brook horse at 6:21 PM PST - 37 comments

It's been ten years since the original publication of the Tau Manifesto, advocating the simplification of a broad range of mathematical formulae by replacing pi with a bigger, better circle constant. Check out the celebratory State of the Tau report for the latest, including new translations of the manifesto and an endorsement from Drake*. [more inside]
posted by kaibutsu at 3:07 PM PST - 58 comments

I'd ask how a black person is meant to feel when they go to Lord's - the so-called home of cricket - and there is a stand named after a man whose family wealth was built on slavery. I'd ask how you are meant to feel when you know the MCC, in recent times, appointed a man as president who led a rebel tour to South Africa during the apartheid years. And I'd ask whether there would be support for the recall of a young black man who had been seen fighting in the street and had failed a drugs test. [more inside]
posted by smcg at 1:18 PM PST - 5 comments

Intergalactic Fishing (PC) is "a fishing RPG that makes use of procedurally generated content and graphics. Travel to lakes all over the universe and catch unique fish, explore uncharted lakes and sell data, complete quests, upgrade your gear, compete in fishing tournaments, design your own lures, and more!" [more inside]
posted by Drastic at 12:06 PM PST - 11 comments

While the rest of the world has been concentrating on making cameras smaller and lighter photographer, Ian Ruhter (previously) was making one literally the size of a house in order to make the world’s largest wet collodion plate (Wikipedia). The camera was used to produce a portrait of a 100-year-old local resident, Ted (PetaPixel), on a sheet of glass measuring 66x90 inches (DP Review) in Bombay Beach, California (Wikipedia), after he took a series (Ian's gallery) of similarly antiquated ambrotype (Wikipedia) portraits. The process by Ian and his team, and their time with some residents of Bombay Beach and Slab City, was captured by Lauren Vance in the short documentary "Obscura."
posted by filthy light thief at 11:52 AM PST - 11 comments

The Mississippi state legislature has cleared the hurdles towards removing and replacing the official state flag, which has contained the Confederate battle emblem since 1894. This follows a recent cascade of institutions, businesses, and towns refusing to display the current flag. Perhaps most cuttingly, the SEC football conference no longer wants to hold championship events in the state. A vote is expected today; the governor has grudgingly indicated that he will sign the bill if it is passed. [more inside]
posted by Countess Elena at 9:24 AM PST - 52 comments

We don’t accept these odds. That was Greta Thunberg’s principal message while speaking before the General Assembly of the United Nations last year. It referred to the remaining CO2-budget of humanity. But the only message that seems to have resonated is 'how dare you', she says in the beginning of her Program, Summer on P1, a well-known Swedish Radio Show. After her speech, Greta and her father travel through 37 states in total. [more inside]
posted by Bella Donna at 8:30 AM PST - 13 comments

Wig in a Box - Can’t Cancel Pride
John Cameron Mitchell, Neil Patrick Harris, Darren Criss, Stephen Trask, Andrew Rannels, Jinkx Monsoon, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Lena Hall, Mason Alexander Park and others sing Wig in a Box for #CantCancelPride.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 8:18 AM PST - 8 comments

Ei Wada and collaborators make delightful musical instruments by hacking familiar, analog consumer electronics.
posted by eotvos at 8:03 AM PST - 8 comments

The Spaceguard Centre, near Knighton, in Powys, Wales, is a working observatory which tracks "near-Earth objects" - comets and asteroids which could hit Earth. [more inside]
posted by Cardinal Fang at 6:28 AM PST - 9 comments

Using live weather and ocean data, SailNavSim allows you to race (alone or with friends) across the ocean. Instructions here.
posted by 3zra at 4:21 AM PST - 9 comments