July 10, 2018
Branching out
Mark Z. Danielewski has written a pilot script for a television series based on his book House of Leaves
3-D printed guns now allowed by the Department of Justice
An article in Wired reports that now anyone can download plans for guns. A new development in a story previously discussed on MetaFilter and other publications such as Forbes: as of a couple of months ago, distributing blueprints for printing guns is no longer deemed illegal in the USA. [more inside]
I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board
Researchers, hospitals, and programs designed to train medical professionals routinely order Liquid Ass. The stench so realistically mimics the human colon, it’s the perfect training tool to teach medical responders how to maintain focus and professional demeanor in the midst of a truly overwhelming smell. And because the stench is universally offensive, psychologists have found it’s the perfect tool for studying the effects of disgust on all sorts of human behavior, from political decision-making to health care choices.
And while we're on the subject, it's been confirmed that Uranus smells like farts.
And while we're on the subject, it's been confirmed that Uranus smells like farts.
"It was late in June so most of Japan was dripping and grey..."
In 1977, Alan Booth needed a break from his life as a writer and film critic in Tokyo, so he decided to walk from Cape Soya, the most northern point of Japan's four main islands, to the most southern point at Cape Sata, . Listen to his thoughts in a short interview with him from the BBC. [more inside]
How to Write About Africa
Free as f***
When we're free to be ourselves, then we're free [SLYT]. Produced for the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, Canada Day 2017.
Every word that I just said / Could have also been describing you
50/50: A feminist love song by Garfunkel and Oates Uh....that's all there is to say. If you like them, go hear it.
Stop Asking Me If I ‘Saved Room’ for Dessert
Black Mtn College & Its Women
A lovely exhibition of the women artists who were there and are often overlooked. Also, here's a link to the Black Mtn College Museum & Art Center in downtown Asheville NC: Shared History
"Skyrockets in flight/Afternoon delight"
The story behind Starland Vocal Band’s one, big hit : An oral history of "Afternoon Delight" [more inside]
Have you ever questioned the nature of your streaming content?
The Atlantic speculates on HBO's future under Warner Media in our Netflix-dominated world. Previously on MeFi: The DOJ has lost its suit to block the merger of AT&T and Time Warner.
The Contemporary Tern in Bird Illustration
The Audubon Society has been inviting contemporary artists to reimagine the illustrations from The Birds of America (online edition). Some favourites: Gaby D'Alessandro: Ruby Throated Hummingbird; Olaf Hajek, Great Egret; April SGaana Jaad White: American White Ibis; L7m: Southern Caracara. [more inside]
Inside ‘Roe v. Wade’
"Conservative actors Stephen Baldwin and Kevin Sorbo were initially cast as Supreme Court justices but left upon receiving the script." [more inside]
Hey, hold my beer
nice squares
The Debt Crisis
“In some ways, I now think that one of the primary functions of the university, for the ruling class, is precisely to train a generation in indebtedness, in a state of being in debt.” ON UNIVERSITIES: ROUNDTABLE - what is a University for? (The White Review) - Season Of The Bitch episode 42: Debt as a feminist issue and possible solutions (1:03:52) - The net worth of college graduates with student debt is truly depressing (Market watch) - Competition: Find the craziest graph that shows how bad the student debt crisis really is (Twitter) - The Debt Collective, organizing as debtors and recourses against predatory lenders and collectors - The New Economy Project , what is the Soildairty economy? (Previously, Letter to an unknown lender. )
"I fancied being the first to do something"
Fell runner Nicky Spinks is the first person to complete the double Ramsey Round, a brutal and technical 116 mile circuit of the hills and mountains above Fort William, Scotland, which includes 24 peaks, 23 of which are Munros. She competed the run in 55 hours and 56 minutes. [more inside]
A nation of slaves
Who's the man behind the curtain of the Capitalist Subjugation Machine? The ideas of obscure ultra-capitalist James McGill Buchanan are driving America's shift to cutting off and subjugating anyone who's not in the One Percent.
Swan Upping is a good old English tradition, there's not enough of them
The Crown owns all unmarked mute swans on the Thames, and has since the 12th century. Once a year in July an annual swan census called Swan Upping takes place. Led by the Queen's Swan Warden, people in traditional wooden skiffs check for ownership marks and general swan and cygnet health over a five day period. Despite her position, the Queen has only attended one Swan Upping ceremony, in 2009. Impressive current photos and historical photos. [via1, via2]
And then we board a plane.
"A woman gets on a plane. She’s flying from New York to Dallas, where she lives and works as a personal trainer. A couple asks her if she’ll switch seats with one of them so that they can sit together, and she agrees, thinking it’s her good deed for the day. She chats with her new seatmate and they discover that they have a lot in common: he’s also a trainer, and a former professional soccer player. Maybe there’s a spark of attraction between them, or maybe he instigates the conversation despite her polite signs of disinterest—it’s difficult to discourage someone when you’re trapped together on a four-hour flight. We don’t really know what is going on in her head, and there’s no way that anyone could know.
The woman on the plane is unaware that the woman sitting in the row behind her is watching and recording her every move." Ella Dawson: We Are All Public Figures Now
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