August 6, 2002

The Doomsday Argument Rarely does philosophy produce empirical predictions. The Doomsday argument is an important exception. From seemingly trivial premises it seeks to show that the risk that humankind will go extinct soon has been systematically underestimated...[more inside]
posted by crunchburger at 11:36 PM PST - 50 comments

For the past year or so pinhole photography has been an important part of my artistic practice. These are some of the sites that have inspired me: pinhole visions is a great all round pinholing resource, and also hosts the Pinhole discussion mailing list. The discussion list was one of the launching points for the 2nd annual world pinhole day, this past April 28th; check out the image gallery. Artist sites worth checking out include this page on Dianne Bos, Martha Casanave's incredible work (both pinhole and not), pinhole.nl (Dude! Meat cathedral), The Oehl's fantastic self-portraits, and polaroidsandpinholes.com. Finally, if you're heading out to Burning Man this year, you could check out Camp Pinhole where each year they "build, operate, and burn a van-sized walk-in pinhole camera/darkroom" (cool!). (First post. Be nice)
posted by slipperywhenwet at 9:28 PM PST - 11 comments

Right. Let me get this straight. A security guard found a handbag unattended in a night club. He then searched the bag, supposedly looking for ID, and found a small packet containing a white powdery substance, which he handed over to the Central Narcotics Bureau. A woman, Ms. Low, later says the handbag belongs to her. The Judge notes that "There was no denial that this was her handbag. She claimed it was hers." Ms. Low's friend, after being offered immunity from prosecution, then says they both snorted cocaine earlier on in the evening. On the basis of the evidence presented, Ms. Low is sentenced to 18 months in prison.
posted by netsirk at 7:30 PM PST - 46 comments

Timmy leaves his Princess.

Timmy leaves his Princess. Josh Ryan Evans, the actor who played Timmy on my favorite soap opera (Passions) died Monday evening from a heart condition.

What's creepy is that the exact same day on the show, his character died.

The producers are editing out anything to do with Timmy, although I really hope that there's a legitimate memorial on the show for the character. He's been the soul of the series, and he simply can't be replaced.

Of course, I expect Tabitha to go full on evil now...
posted by Pinwiz at 4:41 PM PST - 55 comments

How smart are you?

How smart are you? Are blondes really as dumb as people say? Does an IQ test administered via television/net/SMS have any validity anyway?
posted by dg at 4:40 PM PST - 9 comments

Did you know that two to three million people (1 in 10) have died from starvation in North Korea since 1995? I didn't. Is branding them a part of the "Axis of Evil" making it worse?
posted by queequeg at 4:06 PM PST - 31 comments

"Please remember the victims,

"Please remember the victims, living and dead, of silent, brutal, and illegal electronic, chemical and drug, mind altering and controlling weapons testing, often in their homes. For many this involuntary testing continues to this very day and hour."
Are they really victims of men like Dr. Jose Delgado? Or can we dismiss all of them as crazy?
posted by Fabulon7 at 3:57 PM PST - 14 comments

Talking Cock,

Talking Cock, a humorous and sensitive look at the penis and the relationships men form with it, is starting to gain a lot of attention in the UK (now bring it to the States, dammit). Based on more than 3,000 responses to a still-online questionnaire, humorist Richard (Dick!) Herring has devised a one-man show that covers everything from Freudian nightmares to different cultural views of the penis, to the biscuit game. Oh, and the reader submitted penis poetry is a hoot. Warning: definitely average nearly nude male picture on the front page. May not be safe for work.
posted by WolfDaddy at 3:51 PM PST - 20 comments

Mathematician Henrik Lenstra

Mathematician Henrik Lenstra was intrigued by a blank space in he middle of a drawing by MC Escher. Over two years he managed to describe the mathematical structure of the drawing, project what should go in the missing space and produce an extraordanary animation of the result.
posted by alms at 2:38 PM PST - 32 comments

The Analemma

A very well designed site on the Analemma. Don't be scared off by the math, as there are excellent diagrams and quicktime movies on this difficult to visualize phenomena. Difficult, but not impossible, to photograph (probably less than 10 photos are in existence) Ulrich Bienert came close, and has a gallery and some tips if you're so inclined.
posted by quercus at 2:01 PM PST - 12 comments

Operation TIPS calls routed to "America's Most Wanted"

Operation TIPS calls routed to "America's Most Wanted" (Salon premium, sorry) What hack wrote this script we Americans now find ourselves playing out, and why does he have such an on-the-nose sense of humor? Is this funny, depressing, painful or outrageous? Or all four?
posted by busbyism at 1:52 PM PST - 12 comments

The Weekly Standard: Patio Man and the Sprawl People

The Weekly Standard: Patio Man and the Sprawl People
There he is atop the uppermost tier of his multi-level backyard patio/outdoor recreation area posed like an admiral on the deck of his destroyer. In his mind's eye he can see himself coolly flipping the garlic and pepper T-bones on the front acreage of his new grill while carefully testing the citrus-tarragon trout filets that sizzle fragrantly in the rear. On the lawn below he can see his kids, Haley and Cody, frolicking on the weedless community lawn that is mowed twice weekly by the people who run Monument Crowne Preserve, his townhome community.
More inside...
posted by gen at 1:48 PM PST - 65 comments

Steampunk

Steampunk (alternate) is surging. With the recent works of China Mieville (and his creation of New Crobuzon) and Phillip Pullman (His Dark Materials) and Alan Moore, inspired by the works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, there is a new growing fascination with this genre typified by Victorian Anachronism, an alternate history in which technology is overwrought and fantastic. Think Leonardo's machines (though not Victorian), Victorian Robots (prev. mefi thread), The Babbage Engine. 19th Century Science.
posted by vacapinta at 1:43 PM PST - 30 comments

Silt-Filled Turret of USS Monitor Raised From Atlantic

Silt-Filled Turret of USS Monitor Raised From Atlantic
The silt-packed gun turret of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor was raised Monday from the Atlantic floor, nearly 140 years after the historic warship sank during a New Year's storm.

I hope this is not a repost. For any history lovers, this is fascinating.
posted by sahrens428 at 1:41 PM PST - 10 comments

Windows dissatisfaction at all time high.

Windows dissatisfaction at all time high. Of 1,500 corporations surveyed, nearly 40% are actively seeking alternatives to Microsoft and their new licensing schemes. "This cumulative dissatisfaction will not necessarily translate into corporate defections to rival operating systems. But it does open the door a crack and raises the possibility that Linux and Mac OS X can gain new footholds in an overwhelmingly Windows world."
posted by jragon at 1:24 PM PST - 12 comments

Walter Mallow dead at 72.

Walter Mallow dead at 72. Don't know him? He invented clumping cat litter, perfected liquid paper (invented by Bette Nesmith Graham), the heat-resistant tiles on the Space Shuttle, and many other things. Wow.
posted by plinth at 12:41 PM PST - 16 comments

Mice and Martians!

Mice and Martians! Mice sent to Mars, first all-rodent space crew. I like the article's style: "The crew will have no exercise wheels, however. Their motion would interfere with the centrifugal force inside the spacecraft."
posted by agregoli at 11:35 AM PST - 3 comments

Saturday morning TV schedules from the 1950s to today.

Saturday morning TV schedules from the 1950s to today. TV Guide presents the saturday morning schedules for the big three ABC, NBC, and CBS. Although looking through the listings is a nice bit of nostalgia, what's really interesting is watching the rise and fall of pop culture over the listings. From The Beatles to I am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali to Mr. T to Ace Ventura.

Also starting in the 1990s, you can see the networks moving away from saturday morning cartoons. There are several factors, the main two being the Children's Television Act (enacted in 1990), and cable television. Which unfortunately has led to the births of such monsters as Saved by the Bell.
posted by patrickje at 11:31 AM PST - 58 comments

themoviespoiler.com:

themoviespoiler.com: "WARNING! The ending to these films will be revealed!" Because some of us hate surprises. Or maybe we just want to ruin The Master of Disguise for our "Turtle! Turtle!" Co-workers.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 11:17 AM PST - 15 comments

The Death of a Dirigible -

The Death of a Dirigible - "The airship Shenandoah, nose to her high mooring mast, was floating gracefully with the variable breezes. Her twenty gas bags were about 91% full; her tanks loaded with 9,075 pounds of water and 16, 620 pounds of gasoline..." I was fascinated by this account of the disaster that befell the Navy airship 'Shenandoah', marking the beginning of the end of the era of rigid bodied airships. [ Via a comment on /. ]
posted by GriffX at 9:06 AM PST - 14 comments

Bravo, MetaFilter Grammar Posse!

Bravo, MetaFilter Grammar Posse! Following this memorable thread, Lauren Weiner, the editor of much esteemed Knuckerap, has kind words for those of us who contributed to it. [Embarrassingly, Ms. Weiner seems to think Matt Haughey's one and only MetaFilter is my web site. I'm honoured, so do please take your time before letting her know it ain't so. ;) ]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:48 AM PST - 45 comments

The Memory Hole

The Memory Hole " Last month the Office of Management and Budget got sloppy: it issued a press release stating flatly that tax cuts were responsible for only 15 percent of the 10-year deterioration. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities noticed, and I reported it here. Now for the fun part. The O.M.B. reacted angrily, and published a letter in The Times attacking me. It attributed the misstatement to "error," and declared that it had been "retracted." Was it? It depends on what you mean by the word "retract." As far as anyone knows, O.M.B. didn't issue a revised statement conceding that it had misinformed reporters and giving the right numbers. It simply threw the embarrassing document down the memory hole."

I'd like to propose a new word, "rovian."
posted by nofundy at 8:42 AM PST - 10 comments

Pranks as an art form. Read about some of the exploits of pranksters Boyd Rice, Jeffrey Valance, Monte Cazazza, and especially Joey Skaggs Skaggs' classic pranks include The "Walk Right" campaign, the Bad Guys Talent Agency and the Campaign to rename the Gypsy Moth. Lots more in this book.a
posted by interrobang at 8:35 AM PST - 13 comments

You've heard of clip art, but have you experienced the wonder of clip copy?

You've heard of clip art, but have you experienced the wonder of clip copy? Webloggers with writer's block, take note: you can shill for hundreds of corporations, gov't. agencies, and nonprofits by posting a free and copyright-free "feature release" provided by Napsnet (North American Precis Syndicate). Just some of the delightful headlines that can be yours: "The Blinz Is Back!," "Debunking Myths About Incontinence," "How to Avoid Lawnmower Mishaps," "A Career In Roofing Is No Pie-In-The Sky Idea," and "Pet 'Scooting' Could Indicate Tapeworm." For you warbloggers, there's even some propaganda!
posted by kmel at 8:13 AM PST - 3 comments

What a real depression looks like. Total collapse of the middle class, malnutrition, starving bands of marauders eating road-kill, it's every survivalists dream come true. Until last year, Argentines were part of the richest, best-educated and most cultured nation in Latin America. Not anymore.
posted by stbalbach at 7:11 AM PST - 47 comments

One Hell of a Big Bang

One Hell of a Big Bang -- Studs Turkel meets Paul Tibbets the pilot of the Enola Gay. It's a great, though-provoking and disturbing interview to read on Hiroshima Day.
posted by LMG at 6:31 AM PST - 40 comments

Egyptian leader jailed for promoting democracy;

Egyptian leader jailed for promoting democracy; Bush admin "disappointed."
posted by engelr at 6:12 AM PST - 8 comments

Promiscuity is good.

Promiscuity is good. I knew something felt right about the '70s. (courtesy of Arts & Letters).
posted by fpatrick at 5:22 AM PST - 30 comments

Finally somebody's saying it out loud.

Finally somebody's saying it out loud. A "top Pentagon advisory board" says the real enemy in the War on terrorism is...drum roll, please....Saudi Arabia.
posted by alumshubby at 4:58 AM PST - 74 comments

Charismatic & Controversial Mystic George Ivanovich Gurdjieff & His Work

George Ivanovich Gurdjieff. Charismatic and controversial, infamous for introducing the enneagram, claimed by the Sufis, linked to the little known Yezidis, (More here), Gurdjieff--and his school--have their detractors, whether religious or skeptic. His ideas can be difficult , abstruse and are ultimately beside the point. His thesis can be reduced to this: We are asleep, mere machines, acting from habit rather than volition. The goal then is to wake up and stay awake. And that is where the Work comes in. ( A bit more within)
posted by y2karl at 4:49 AM PST - 20 comments

Ned flanders, role model to christains everywhere.

Ned flanders, role model to christains everywhere. Yep that's right folks to christians everywhere ned is the best, why he is even a gospel writer.
posted by johnnyboy at 4:43 AM PST - 10 comments

Maritess Vs The SuperFriends

Maritess Vs The SuperFriends (Flash)
posted by Niahmas at 3:17 AM PST - 7 comments

Scientists in Singapore have grown 'clean' human embryonic stem cells

Scientists in Singapore have grown 'clean' human embryonic stem cells which would pose no threat of infection by animal pathogens if transplanted. Previous ESC lines were mixed with animal cells. Meanwhile in the US, surprisingly little has been accomplished with ESCs in the last year due to the chilling effect of the political controversy. And because of Bush's decision a year ago, any new 'clean' ESC lines could not be be used in federally funded research.
posted by homunculus at 12:19 AM PST - 2 comments

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