July 13, 2010
Dynasty Trusts - America Builds an Aristocracy
Dynasty Trusts - America Builds an Aristocracy.
"We know you; you'll never be just a speck of light again."
The European Space Agency's Rosetta craft has returned stunning images of the asteroid 21 Lutetia, including this one which couples Lutetia with a member of our planetary family. [more inside]
Goose Sacrifice
Notice something missing in Prospect Park in Brooklyn? All the geese have been rounded up and killed in the name of air traffic safety.
Lugar Común/Common Place
In an effort to explore the hierarchy and commonalities between maids and those who employ them, Justine Graham and Ruby Rumié created a photo exhibit entitled Lugar Común (Common Place)
(pdf, text in spanish) of fifty female Latin-American employer-employee dyads. All women wear white shirts and no accessories. They sit in the same poses. There is no explicit indication of who works for whom.
(via) [more inside]
Break into song
The Oil Spill Commission held its first hearing on the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico Monday at the New Orleans Hilton. During the public comment portion, local residents came forward to tell their own stories of loss and fear and frustration over the oil spill and the moratorium.
When words failed, music prevailed.
Vietnam, huh? Grenada man. Grenada?
The Invasion of Grenada (also known as Operation Urgent Fury) took place on October 25, 1983. Despite its reputation for only being "like 12 hours long," it played an important part in the history of the Cold War, the Reagan Administration, and U.S. military policy. Some have compared the way it was handled to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.
Drumssette
Mike Walters is at it again with an amazing tape-based drum machine. Full details are to be found on his website. [previously]
Fewdio
Fewdio makes short horror movies. Two to ten minutes apiece. Here's a few to get you started.
The Shiny Button.
The Mockingbird.
Creep.
Cleansed (gory).
The Mockingbird.
Creep.
Cleansed (gory).
Tarkovsky films. All of them. Free. Online.
Inherit the stars
James P. Hogan died suddenly on July 12, 2010. He was alone at his home in Ireland at the time. The exact cause of death has not yet been determined. Jim is survived by his wife, Sheryl, and his six children. [more inside]
Swan dive! Into interactive TV commercials.
Digg co-founder and CEO Kevin Rose has been sick with left lower lobe pneumonia since July 4. Today he received a get-well message from an unlikely person: the Old Spice Man. [more inside]
Douglas Coupland designs clothing line, claims Canada not doomed
Douglas Coupland designs a clothing line for Roots, the Canadian “outdoorsy” retailer whose heyday, like Coupland’s, may well have passed. (Garish official splash screen.) Two points of MeFi interest: The motherboard pattern (at “Canada & International” store; at USA store; also at pop-up stores like Vancouver’s) and Coupland’s unexplicated claim that “[t]he sexiest thing about Canada is that we have a future.”
The High Cost of Free Parking
"Eighty-seven percent of all trips are made by personal vehicle and 99 percent of those trips arrive at a free parking space." But that free parking comes at a high cost according to Donald Shoup's research. He advocates for charging the right price for on-street parking and for removing off-street parking requirements. Shoup's ideas are coming to the streets in San Francisco's new demand-responsive parking system. Loyal Shoupistas work to spread and implement his ideas.
Too much cofffee man
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Yankee Stadium.”
Bob Sheppard, the voice of Yankee Stadium, died Monday. Only two months shy of his 100th birthday, Sheppard was known for his concise speaking style as the public-address announcer for the Yankees. He held that position from 1951 to 2007, announcing lineups containing baseball greats like DiMaggio and Mantle up to today's players, like Derek Jeter, who requested that Sheppard's voice be the only voice to announce his name in Yankee Stadium. His longetivity and distinct announcing voice made him popular with many generations of Yankee fans. [more inside]
Four Economic Benchmarks We Need Now
With capitalism in crisis, can it be sustained or is it altogether outdated? As Umair Haque asks though, perhaps a better question is: "are organizations and markets making decisions that help make people, communities, and society better off in the long run, by allocating their scarce resources to the most productive uses?" [more inside]
The Bad Seed
The paradox of good parents with toxic children. 'We marvel at the resilient child who survives the most toxic parents and home environment and goes on to a life of success. Yet the converse — the notion that some children might be the bad seeds of more or less decent parents — is hard to take.' 'For better or worse, parents have limited power to influence their children. That is why they should not be so fast to take all the blame — or credit — for everything that their children become.' But this is not the only family dynamic that is becoming noted. 'Therapists for years have listened to patients blame parents for their problems. Now there is growing interest in the other side of the story: What about the suffering of parents who are estranged from their adult children?'
Play like it's 1974!
In 1974, a pair of wargame enthusiasts from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin transformed the nascent hobby gaming world by publishing three little brown booklets. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson's Dungeons & Dragons has become an important part of the lives of generations of young gamers. Along the way, D&D went through numerous editions, each with increasingly complex rules. [more inside]
"If a guy wants to beat his wife and his dog bites him, that's between the three of 'em."
Hunter S. Thompson vs. a Hell's Angel. On a talk show. (SLYT). The audience reactions are sort of horrifying.
Tuna’s End
Tuna’s End Adapted from the book "Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food" for the New York Times. A pretty bleak look at the state of world wide tuna fishing.
Hey Gates, Would You Enjoy a Date with a Good-Looking Man Too?
Comics with Problems (previously, 2) presents Dignity with Respect, the US Army's official comic book explanation of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Among it's important reminders: information given to mental health professionals by soldiers is not automatically considered confidential and officers are obligated to investigate whether a solider's claim to be homosexual is "sincere". h/t Boing Boing.
The Spy Who Ran Back to the Cold
On June 6th, Shahram Amiri - an Iranian nuclear scientist -- appeared on a YouTube video claiming he was abducted by US and Saudi authorities in Medina, drugged and flown to the US. On June 7th, a second video on Youtube appeared where he, or someone claiming to be him, said he was fine, studying in the US. (The U.S. government has no official comment but cited him as a source on Iran's nuclear program.) A 3rd video backed the first.
Now Pakistan says Amiri is in hiding in its Washington embassy's Iranian interests section under asylum and making arrangements to get back to Iran. How he got there, and why, is a mystery. [more inside]
Amarillo's Marsh Art
"Art is a legalized form of insanity, and I do it very well."
A URL Shortener for the Rest of Us.
URL shortening service for twitter. "Senior citizens are the fastest-growing user group for twitter probably. And they don't have time to decipher most URL shorteners. The average senior citizen probably assumes 'bit.ly' is the URL for a Lithuanian overbite clinic; 'tr.im' looks like the homepage of an Islamic transportation consultancy. On the other hand, 'urlshorteningservicefortwitter.com' lays it all out on the table!" [more inside]
Jack Parow, Cooler than You...
Jack Parow is a South African rapper known for the oversized bill on the hat he wears, unlike Die Antwoord (Previously) he raps in Afrikaans almost exclusively. [more inside]
The Greatest Political Comic Never Published
Terrence Nowicki, Jr. is different than most political comic writers. Many political comics today are more about kneejerk satire as part of a zeitgeist than exposing politicians and the tragicomic predicaments of the United States. Yet, the format is capable of so much more.
Terrence Nowicki, Jr.'s This Is Historic Times is not your usual comic. In his comics, profligate use of explanatory words are gauche, and the message has to reverberate. [more inside]
"Owning the Yankees is like owning the Mona Lisa."
New York's ABC affiliate reports that Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has suffered a massive heart attack at his home in Tampa, Florida. Legendary New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has suffered a heart attack and according to multiple reports, is in "extremely serious condition." He was rushed to St. Joseph's hospital in Tampa, Fla.
Steinbrenner, who turned 80 on July 4, bought the Yankees in 1973 and has won an MLB-best 11 pennants and seven World Series championships during his tenure.
Because of his failing health, he turned over the day-to-day operations of the organization to his two sons in November 2008.
He can only receive. A check.
And now, here's Gary Numan performing "Cars" on a bunch of cars. The performance is an ad for DieHard batteries. If you're freaking out about Mr. Numan selling out for car batteries, don't be a dummy. It's not the first time Gary Numan's done a commercial.
It's All Yours George
Q: How many times was George H.W. Bush President? Once you say? Not so fast. On this day 25 years ago, as Ronald Reagan was about to go under anesthesia for surgery for colon cancer, he temporarily gave the V.P. the keys to the country for 7 hours and 50 minutes. It is the first and only time to date, that the Twenty Fifth Amendment has been invoked.
pOnd, a relaxation game
Relax and play pOnd. Make sure you stay to the end.
Helen Petts films free improv
Helen Petts is a filmmaker who helps to run the Mopomoso series of concerts. Her YT channel is a treasure trove of high-quality recordings of free improv performances. [more inside]
History Channel World War II programs reviewed as if they were scripted television
(seriously, between calling the strongman "Man of Steel" and the Frenchman "de Gaulle", whoever came up with the names for this thing ought to be shot). single-link LiveJournal via Making Light
It's fun to stay at the Y---!
Brought to you by the letter Y: The YMCA gives in to Sesame Street pressure and stops hogging the letters.
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