June 29, 2011

Robert Morris, 1932-2011

Robert Morris, a pioneer in the field of computer security, early major contributor to the UNIX operating system, and father of Robert Tappan Morris (author of the Morris Worm), has died at 78. NYT [more inside]
posted by fireoyster at 10:41 PM PST - 23 comments

A Brought This On Yourself Production

Every Day Posters Every Day turns mundane life into slightly less mundane posters.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 10:00 PM PST - 30 comments

Sydneyoutsider

Starting July 1, to make Sydney more liveable, the state government of New South Wales (NSW) will pay AU$7000 to Sydneysider families that relocate from metropolitan areas of Sydney to rural NSW. [more inside]
posted by vidur at 8:50 PM PST - 181 comments

Traveller

Traveller is a series of related science fiction role-playing games, the first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop and subsequent editions by various companies remaining in print to this day. (previously)
posted by Trurl at 8:41 PM PST - 86 comments

You know that I was born so very soft and easy-going, I make no trouble at all.

Get ready to meet the fourth or fifth most famous pairing in Soviet children's animation: the meek, civil Leopold the Cat, and the rowdy mice who endlessly harass him in the course of 11 animated shorts (and a non-canonical feature made after the fall of the USSR). [more inside]
posted by Nomyte at 4:41 PM PST - 25 comments

Tom is no longer my friend.

It's official, Myspace has been sold to Specific Media with News Corporation will taking a minority equity stake in Specific Media. Specific Media touts itself as an innovative global interactive media company that enables advertisers to connect with consumers in meaningful, impactful [sic] and relevant ways. Once the crown jewel of News Corps online empire, it had faded into a quick decline selling for only $35 Million after being purchased for $580 Million in 2005. Specific Media, fueled by investment capitol have been acquiring various media platforms and faced a privacy lawsuit for re-creating deleted cookies. What this means for Myspace for now is a significant reduction in our workforce. A former employee gave some insight MySpace in their previous round of layoffs in January of this year.
posted by wcfields at 2:54 PM PST - 106 comments

War is over, Pigs are flying and commas are being removed.

The Oxford writing and style guide no longer advocates the use of the serial/Oxford comma.
posted by The Devil Tesla at 12:24 PM PST - 419 comments

Nobody Wants To Have Sex With Your Fiancé Anyway

Everybody calm down: Nobody wants to have sex with your fiancé anyway. Kat, a stripper and co-founder of Tits and Sass, demystifies the bachelor party experience.
posted by hermitosis at 12:03 PM PST - 243 comments

Political Unrest in Puerto Rico

Al Jazeera English investigates political unrest in Puerto Rico with this episode of Fault Lines. This interesting look at the American commonwealth includes interviews with members of the Puerto Rican independence movement, people affected by high levels of unemployment, and centers around students involved in recent protests at the university. [NYT] [more inside]
posted by garuda at 11:29 AM PST - 19 comments

With Ponies!

Serenity trailer... with ponies! [more inside]
posted by shiu mai baby at 11:19 AM PST - 96 comments

AM? FM? BM?

In perhaps the lowest key announcement of a world-changing breakthrough ever, Steve Perlman, CEO of technology research incubator Rearden Labs (and the once controversial, now successful, OnLive gaming network), claimed during a presentation to Columbia Engineering students on June 6, 2011 that Shannon's Law ... need not apply. [more inside]
posted by seanmpuckett at 11:06 AM PST - 98 comments

Skiiinerrrr!!

[Bill] Kerlina said his two years [as principal of a D.C. Public School] left him with high blood pressure, extra pounds from a stress-induced diet of Armand’s and McDonald’s lunches, and a sense that life is too short. The bitter icing on the cake, as it were, was when certain financial promises made to him were rescinded. Principal K has left DCPS to open a gourmet cupcake shop. (website under construction)
posted by obscurator at 10:27 AM PST - 49 comments

"Minor Threats" - Tablet Magazine Interviews Ian MacKaye

Minor Threats "The punk icon Ian MacKaye always wanted to create a tribe. Now an elder statesman of D.C. hardcore, the musician talks about organized religion, breaking toilets, and making peace with his mother’s death." A simply fantastic interview with Ian Mackaye from a magazine you wouldn't expect to be covering a hardcore music legend. I know there are some fans here on the blue who may really enjoy this.
posted by punkrockrat at 10:21 AM PST - 75 comments

America's Next Great Civil Rights Struggle

The New Republic examines what they're calling "America's Next Great Civil Rights Struggle" and asks, "What will it take for America to accept transgender people for who they really are?" [more inside]
posted by zarq at 10:14 AM PST - 173 comments

Klosterman Dissects the Dinosaur

Chuck Klosterman breaks down Led Zeppelin's 1979 Knebworth Festival performance of In the Evening. Bonus: Led Zeppelin when they were crazy good in 1970.
posted by zzazazz at 10:00 AM PST - 43 comments

Craig T. Nelson Syndrome

60 percent of Americans using a prominent tax deduction believe they get nothing from "government social programs." Cornell professor Suzanne Mettler describes what she calls the "submerged state," in which tens of millions of Americans benefit from $1 trillion of federal subsidies to private activities while believing they receive no benefits from the government. [more inside]
posted by Apropos of Something at 8:27 AM PST - 114 comments

Living in the Red: The Chicago Fire Soccer Team Fan Base, Section 8

Living in the Red: A 15 minute student documentary on the Ultras of the Chicago Fire.
posted by PenDevil at 6:43 AM PST - 29 comments

Non Justia Omnibus

Fifty and Fifty: The State Mottos Illustrated mottos for the fifty states, by fifty different designers.
posted by OmieWise at 6:17 AM PST - 79 comments

Busted!

Johann Hari, British columnist for The Independent and The Huffington Post (recently on mefi), has this week been caught in a storm of controversy concerning his apparent plagiarism of interview quotes. [more inside]
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 4:15 AM PST - 91 comments

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