September 17, 2017
If You Love the Wilderness, Keep Your Dog Out of It
An interview with backpacking guide Marjorie "Slim" Woodruff on the costs of egocentrism in the backcountry:
Education only works if people are open to change. I think hikers have to undergo a personal epiphany which changes their paradigm. Dog owners are so emotionally caught up in their animal, it is difficult to convince them to change.
Requiem for a weasel
Bobby "the Brain" Heenan, widely considered to be both the greatest manager in professional wrestling history and the greatest colour commentator in professional wrestling history, has died following multiple battles with cancer. He was 73. [more inside]
Josh! Is that thing on?
Irving Harper, Paper Wizard. Also Visionary.
You remember the 1950s atomic era of midcentury design. Most people think of George Nelson when they see the Marshmallow Sofa or the Ball & Sunburst Clocks, and of course Herman Miller Company. Hardly anybody knows about Irving Harper, who actually created these designs in collaboration with Nelson sometimes, and sometimes solo but Nelson was head of the design firm (though not a designer himself) and so he got all the credit.
A few years ago, however, Harper was rediscovered. And to the delight of all, he was also discovered as the creator of charming and delightful paper sculptures. A book came out in 2013, and a video by the Herman Miller Co. has given credit to Harper's iconic designs.
"Now is the time to let it go."
Hal Holbrook is still alive, but has decided to end his 63-year run as Mark Twain in a one-man show Holbrook created and has toured around the world. Mark Twain Tonight! won Holbrook a Tony in 1966 and an Emmy nomination in 1967. Holbrook was scheduled to tour the show again this fall until he abruptly announced its end, cancelling the remaining performances. [more inside]
Let me tell you something, pendejo
Susan Sarandon posted on instagram the first photo from the shooting of "Going Places". Going Places is an upcoming crime comedy written, directed by, and starring John Turturro, acting as both a remake of the 1974 French film of the same name by Bertrand Blier, and a spin-off to the 1998 cult film The Big Lebowski, from which Turturro reprises his role as Jesus Quintana.
To the staff of Radio London's German service
The East German secret police went to extraordinary lengths to track down people who wrote letters to the BBC during the Cold War. Those found were often arrested and jailed, like Karl-Heinz Borchardt, who wrote the following:
I have only just started listening to your programme, 'Letters without signatures', but I like it a lot, since it airs opinions you don't find in our media. I am 16 years old. I will write to you regularly, mainly about young people and their views on world affairs. In my view, the west did not intervene strongly enough in Czechoslovakia. Does a country which fought so hard for its freedom have to carry on marching to the tune of the Soviets?
Warm regards from a schoolboy
Octlantis
Miles on the MBTA
My name is Miles (hence the name of the blog), and I'm obsessed with the MBTA. One man's four and a half year epic quest to ride and review every single bus route serviced by Boston's MBTA.
They thought they would take the property, because we were just girls
“...it was the perfect canvas I could project myself onto.”
The Mega Builder of Garry's Mod by Craig Pearson ““How did they do that?” isn’t something you often ask yourself when looking at a Garry’s Mod screenshot. It’s generally obvious how it's done when you can see the joins. But I asked myself that when I came across Vioxtar’s [DeviantArt] work, because he doesn't build typical Garry's Mod contraptions. He builds worlds. Asking myself wouldn't get me any answers, so I took an extra step and asked him. His answers are as detailed and impressive as the work he produces, and gave me a whole new perspective on what it takes to turn Garry's Mod into art. He's broke the game more times than you can imagine, lost sleep, and worked for months on a single scene trying to bring the sandbox to life. I hope you enjoy his story.”
“It’s not too far gone. It can come back if people come back, help out.”
The Detroit Free Press' John Carlisle rides along on the Salvation Army's Bed and Bread program food truck. Here are the stories of some of the people he met. [more inside]
The current picture in crypto-currency
Luna nobis custodit
Moon Phases 2017 [5 relatively soothing minutes] This 4K visualization shows the moon's phase and libration at hourly intervals throughout 2017, as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. Each frame represents one hour. In addition, this visualization shows the moon's orbit position, sub-Earth and subsolar points, distance from the Earth at true scale, and labels of craters near the terminator. Production music provided by Killer Tracks.
Dam Interesting
A dam fusegate is a non-mechanical method for automatically triggering water release when a reservoir fills to capacity. Basically a very large pivoting metal or concrete bucket that is tripped by inlet flow at high water, it’s like an electrical fuse, only for water, and can be bigger. Much, much, bigger, as the can be seen at the Terminus Dam Spillway of Lake Kahweah in California. [more inside]
No magic bullet
My Father, the Werewolf
When I was a kid, my Dad taught me all about werewolves. Little did I know he was preparing me to understand his depression.
When I was a kid, my Dad taught me all about werewolves. Little did I know he was preparing me to understand his depression.
Uh-huh, that's great, but what's a "Kenzo"?
A new short film has been released by Kenzo, created by first time director Natasha Lyonne. The short stars Maya Rudolph as Chastity with Fred Armisen, Greta Lee, James Ransone, Matt Lucas, Macaulay Culkin, Waris Ahluwalia and Leslie Odom Jr. also making appearances. The 13 minute short pays homage to the eponymous characters played by Giulietta Masina in Federico Fellini's Nights of Cabiria and Shirley MacLaine in Bob Fosse's Sweet Charity, his take on Fellini's film. [more inside]
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