August 9, 2014
WarKitteh
Gender-inclusive language in D&D 5e raises roleplaying questions
How Dungeons and Dragons is endorsing the darkest parts of the RPG community "Three weeks ago the 5th edition of Dungeons and Dragons came out. D&D is the iconic tabletop role playing game, so a new edition is a big deal. It’s one of the few times that the small, insular pen and paper community gets noticed by the rest of the world. Many game websites have talked about it, notably Polygon’s piece on gender inclusive language. Yet at the same time as D&D tries to appeal to those outside the gender binary, it has been driving them away by employing two of the most toxic personalities in tabletop gaming." [more inside]
Suspended Wings, Confined Wings, Segmented Wings
The mechanical artwork of metalsmith and jewelry-maker Dukno Yoon simulate the flapping of wings through the simple swish of a finger, or powered by metronome. Artist's Series, youtube
Come with us and see how your shoes are made.
How To Make Shoes (silent SLYT), from the 1930's
Climate change and contemporary fiction
"Novels are no use at all in days like these, for they deal with people and their relationships, with fathers and mothers and daughters or sons and lovers, etc., with souls, usually unhappy ones, and with society etc., as if the place for all these things were assured, the earth for all time earth, the sea level fixed for all time." [more inside]
“Broken Windows” Liberalism
Bill de Blasio has reduced the use of stop-and-frisk, but he still supports the kind of policing that led to Eric Garner’s death. New York City cops are fuming. On Tuesday, union officials gathered to publicly denounce “police haters” and defend the conduct of police officers involved in the apprehension of Eric Garner, a Staten Island man who was killed while being placed under arrest for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes. Last week, the state medical examiner’s office said Garner died as a result of being put in a chokehold — a tactic banned by the New York Police Department. [more inside]
Humans of New York World Tour: Iraq and beyond
If you visit the Humans of New York website or on the Facebook page now and in the next few months, you'll find portraits and stories from beyond New York. Brandon Stanton and HONY will be going on a "world tour," to be part of the UN's Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group effort to raise awareness for the eight international Millennium Development Goals with a target date of 2015 . Currently, HONY is "suddenly a war report form Iraq". [more inside]
Fallout: New Jersey
"When Dystopia Rising went well, there were moments that felt natural, perfect. My first night was filled with gang warfare and hunts for a cult of radiation-worshipping Social Darwinists, but one of the parts I remember best was sitting next to a busker who played me a song from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, gave a mythologized retelling of the musical, and ended up explaining the origins of a group I believe was called the Church of Daft Punk" -- The Verge on playing in the massively complex post-apocalyptic LARP ( Live Action Role Playing) game, Dystopia Rising.
You don’t remember what it was like when there was no feminist internet
Matter and MSNBC.com, along with 40 writers, are rereading Susan Faludi’s 1991 feminist classic, Backlash, this summer, one chapter at a time, and inviting you to read along. [more inside]
“typical of Seuss’ late-period”
Check out the New York Public Library’s hilarious archive of librarians’ harsh children’s book reviews [more inside]
From "Not The Onion"
NSA Tried To Delete Court Transcript In Lawsuit Over Deleting Evidence On three separate occasions in the Jewel V. NSA case, the NSA sought to delete evidence. Then it sought to redact the transcript.
Believe it or don’t, turtles are horrifically well endowed...
Phrase of the day: “rogue taxidermy”
"First it was knitting; then came excessive facial grooming, vegan baking and urban beekeeping. You thought hipster hobbies couldn’t get weirder? Brace yourself." [more inside]
Statues Taking Selfies
Big, nasty, pointy.. swords?
Phosphates, Fizzes and Frappes
Personality Type: skeptic
This well-known personality test is taken by over two million people a year. It's the go-to-quiz for the career consultant industry. It is used by 89 of the Fortune 100 companies and 200 Federal agencies, including the CIA and the military. But not many know that this test was developed by two people in 1940 who had no formal training in psychology. And that the test is based on a 90-year old speculative framework that has no scientific support. Yes, the Myers-Briggs test is totally meaningless.
The Best Beer in Baseball
The Washington Post compares beers available at various ballparks, based on locality, quality and uniqueness.
Do not go slippery into that good night
James Brady
In an unprecedented move, former United States press secretary James Brady's death has been ruled a homicide, 33 years after he was shot by John Hinckley Jr.
Some history of the incident at the Washington Hilton and a sweet rememberance of "Bear".
Enter the Pyongyang
A Beijing-based tour company commissioned a moving time-lapse video of Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Basically I'm just making potato salad. I haven't decided what kind yet.
Zack "Danger" Brown has never made potato salad before. So he decided to ask for ten dollars on Kickstarter to get him started.
. [more inside]
R.I.P. Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan has died at the age of 85. The name may mean very little to you at first glance, but for those of us who lived through the 1980's, he was a very big part of it. Here's an interview with the late producer and a bit more about his legacy.
Celebrating Tove Jansson
Today marks Tove Jansson’s 100th birthday. She was a free spirited artist, painter, political cartoonist, illustrator and author who defied the conventions of her time. Earlier this year, a postage stamp and a 2-Euro coin depicting Tove Jansson have been released in celebration of her birthday. She is probably best known for creating the Moomins, a beloved children's book series that was translated in over 40 languages. Unsurprisingly, some call her the queen of the Moomins. A current London exhibition [Tales from the Nordic Archipelago] allows a glimpse into her life and shows unseen photographs from her private island in the archipelago of Finland, where she spent over 30 summers. The English translation of a new biography is due later this year. [more inside]
You are *in* your birthday present
Best birthday gift ever: the secret treasure room.
« Previous day | Next day »