Favorites from empath
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Borromean Rings and Quantum Mechanics
Borromean rings consist of three circles linked as a group, with no two circles interlinked; removal of one ring results in the separation of all three. Named for the Borromeo family of 15th century Italy which featured the rings on its coat of arms, the symbol has had a long and varied history. The rings have appeared everywhere from medieval Christian iconography to Norse rune stones to the pillars of Hindu temples. In more recent times, Borromean rings have attracted formal study in the fields of topology, chemistry and (strangely enough) quantum mechanics.
Philosophy I seek.
Looking for an introduction to philosophy book that is comprehensive and inclusive.
Mapping Slavery
Mapping Slavery.
In September 1861 Edwin Hergesheimer of the United States Coast Survey produced a map based on data from the 1860 census showing the distribution of slaves across the South. It's interesting to compare this to other maps.
not now ambien walrus
I accidentally took Ambien this morning rather than a thyroid pill. What do I do?
Achievement Unlocked: Ba-da-bing.
An interview with Jonanthan Blow, creator of Braid, about his upcoming game, The Witness by Simon Parkin in Gamasutra.
A little digital body made up of all my friends.
An interactive music video by Japanese band Sour that is easily the coolest thing I have seen all week. I recommend connecting to at least your Facebook account; it's worth it.
A new genre making...waves!
Is Chillwave the Next Big Music Trend? - Wiki: Chillwave is a debated genre of music where artists are often characterized by their heavy use of effects processing, synthesizers, looping, sampling, and heavily filtered vocals with simple melodic lines. Its musical predecessors are diverse and include the synthpop of the 1980s, shoegaze, ambient, musique concrète and various types of music outside of the Western World. In this case, nostalgia of 80s synthpop is filtered through a distorted lens, re-envisioning the era in a more vague and lo-fi sense. Just don't call them that. You can always check in at the Hipster Runoff (the birthplace of the term) for news about the vaguely new subgenre.
Washing dishes in the developing world
I'm interested in dishwashing practices in the developing world. If you were one of roughly the half of the people in the world without running water in your home, how might you wash your dishes? What kind of set up would you have? Are sinks common even if you collect water from a public well or water truck? Or would you have a washbasin/plastic tub? On a countertop, table, or floor? Cloth or tarp outside? Would you use non-potable water to do the washing up? Save the graywater for next time or for other cleaning tasks?
A Brief History of Mathematics
A Brief History of Mathematics
is a BBC series of ten fifteen-minute podcasts by Professor Marcus du Sautoy about the history of mathematics from Newton and Leibniz to Nicolas Bourbaki, the pseudonym of a group of French 20th Century mathematicians. Among those covered by Professor du Sautoy are Euler, Fourier and Poincaré. The podcasts also include short interviews with people such as Brian Eno and Roger Penrose.
Do you recognize this scantily clad woman?
I found this framed vintage image of a lightly dressed woman at an antique store in southern Colorado. Disassembling the frame, I noticed that the image seems to have been printed on paperboard, and it may be one portion trimmed from a larger poster. It's a monochrome image with limited use of color -- the yellow of her garments, the pink of her cheeks, the light blue cast to the background. TinEye was not helpful. I am hoping some MeFite who recognizes the woman or the image can tell me who she is or where the picture comes from. Failing that, some general guesses on the picture’s vintage or provenance would be welcome.
Abandoned Britain
Stephen Fisk runs a website called Abandoned Communities, which documents unsettled settlements around Britain. Some were huge, like Sarum, between (roughly) the eleventh and fourteenth centuries a royal city with its own cathedral, while some were never bigger than a few dozen people. There are places that have been swallowed by the sea, places that have been swallowed by London, and some that simply dwindled into nothingness. Some you may have heard of already, like St. Kilda or Capel Celyn (cofiwch Dryweryn!). There's also a handy map that links straight to any particular location, and collections of painting and poetry pertaining to these vanished places
What are the most contested paintings out there?
Based on authenticity, what are the most contested paintings in museums today?
They Live
They Live, John Carpenter's 1988 cult classic, is a fairly subversive piece of work. The film, which combines sci-fi, horror and satire -- and includes one of the iconic fight scenes in movie history -- is an allegorical treatise on the evils of capitalism, set in a Los Angeles populated by evil, conspiratorial and wealthy aliens. The film, despite a mixed original reception, has developed a rabid fan-boy following over the last few decades, and now Jonathan Lethem, the author of "Motherless Brooklyn," "The Fortress of Solitude" and, more recently, "Chronic City" has written "They Live," a meticulous, scene-by-scene analysis of its many, many layers.
Manage my PBEM DnD group
Is there a free DnD 4e play-by-email (PBEM) manager available?
Mortgage refinance.
A mortgage refinance question. Numbers rounded off a little for simplicity.
There’s no place in this town for weirdoes
Though the sets and music are pure golden-age horror, the villagers are coded as ’50s sitcom types, bland exemplars of suburban uptightitude. Their ranks include a young Mos Def, though he’s seldom called upon to do anything other than act scared of supernatural goings-on in a manner that would cause even Stepin Fetchit’s ghost to say “For God’s sake, man, show some dignity.”
Just in time for Halloween, the AV Club series My Year of Flops unearths the Stephen King-written, Stan Winston-directed Michael Jackson's Ghosts (2, 3, 4).
Just in time for Halloween, the AV Club series My Year of Flops unearths the Stephen King-written, Stan Winston-directed Michael Jackson's Ghosts (2, 3, 4).
Portrait of a Boy with a Long Beard
Flying eyeballs. Pissed-off bearded ladies. Mummy Jesus. The Wolfman. The lactation of St. Bernard. The Jesus & Mary UFO invasion.* And the Phineas Gage of 1550.
These and more at the gallery of unexpected motifs in Renaissance art. [old-school NSFW]
These and more at the gallery of unexpected motifs in Renaissance art. [old-school NSFW]
Looking for hardware/software experiment ideas.
I want to build some kind of simple hardware/software "thing" using Phidgets or Arduino, those systems that have RFID, sensors of various sorts (light, noise, etc.) , LEDs, and analog buttons, dials, GPS receivers, etc. I'm having trouble coming up with a somewhat simple, cool little experiment that is inspiring enough to spend the time doing. Got any ideas for me?
Drawing with pencils of fire
Alexis Madrigal is exploring the history of technology as seen through the archives of The Atlantic Monthly. (previously)
Some highlights:
Oliver Wendell Homes on photography, 1859.
Mark Twain on the telephone, 1880.
Gilbert Seldes on the first sales of TV sets, 1937.
Robert Jastrow and Homer Newell on the Apollo Program, 1963.
James Fallows on the PC, 1982.
Some highlights:
Oliver Wendell Homes on photography, 1859.
Mark Twain on the telephone, 1880.
Gilbert Seldes on the first sales of TV sets, 1937.
Robert Jastrow and Homer Newell on the Apollo Program, 1963.
James Fallows on the PC, 1982.
Thought Audio
Thought Audio is a small, simple and likable free library of classic literature and philosophy MP3 audio downloads.
Medicine-related deep-house track ID, plz
TrackIdFilter: I've been trying in vain to ID this deep house track that features the following lyrics: "There ain't no pill that can fill this need" and "Somebody call the doctor" (there's more to it, but this is what I can remember). It was played at Panorama Bar, Berghain, by Kiki at around 11am or so last Sunday morning.
Position-based quantum cryptography theoretically proved
Our results open a fascinating new direction for position-based security in cryptography where security of protocols is solely based on the laws of physics and proofs of security do not require any pre-existing infrastructure.
Reliable SIP-based GSM Gateway
What's a reliable SIP-based GSM Gateway for a VoIP system?
King Camp Gillette: The Razor King with dreams of a Corporate Socialist Utopia
King Camp Gillette is remembered for an empire built on giving away one half of his product to increase sales for the other half, but the year prior to moment of inspiration that lead to disposable razors, Gillette published a book with a larger scope: The Human Drift. The work of Utopian social planning was focused on a nation-city called Metropolis, to be powered by Niagara Falls. Gillette followed the first book with a second in 1910, World Corporation, which was a revised vision for a better world, now focused as a corporation formed in the Arizona Territory that would grow to encompass the world, with former President Theodore Roosevelt to head up as corporation president. Roosevelt declined the position, and Gillette's Utopian dreams faded.
Ephemera Magica
Ephemera Magica: A Daily Offering of Vintage Magic:
"I found some great and mysterious things in some old boxes my Mom passed on to me from my Father and Grandfather. I am scanning and posting a page, trick, letter, or booklet from a huge collection of vintage magic articles every day." Click on each of the pictures for larger versions, or check out the Ephemera Magica Flickr Feed. [via mefi projects]
Green Children of Woolpit
The 12th-century English chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall relates a strange story: two lost and distressed children appeared in a local village, speaking a language no-one could understand, and, most strikingly, with strangely green-coloured skin.
Guido's Python
Guido's Python: Introduction
is part of a series by Yaniv Aknin which seeks to look at the programming language through the eyes of Guido van Rossum, author of the language (and mentioned previously).
Let the Music Play
In 1980s New York, two songs - Planet Rock and Let The Music Play - hit the Latino club scene like an earthquake and the aftershocks created a new genre of dance music - Freestyle.
Characterized by funky electro-style breaks made on a Roland 808, with Latin rhythms and uplifting vocals about love and loss, often sung by unknown and untrained singers, the sound has remained a force in pop music and has influenced house and breaks music to this day.
Here's Howe and Here's Hummel
New York city in the 19th century was famous for it's corruption, criminals and "Gangs of New York." All of them knew exactly who to call when they were in trouble, the law firm of Howe and Hummel.
tea in India
Chai Why? The Triumph of Tea in India
: "But whereas I initially supposed tea-drinking to be as Indian, and perhaps as old, as the Vedas, I have come to know that it is, in the longue durée of Indian history, a very recent development; one that (in many parts of the country) did not much precede my first visit, or that even followed it."
You Can Do What You Wanna Do
Debuting 20 years ago, In Living Color launched the Hollywood careers of Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, David Allen Grier, most of the Wayans family, Jennifer Lopez and Rosie Perez. The comedy might not have aged all that well, but the musical performances and parodies are still a lot of fun.
Mathematics Illuminated
Mathematics Illuminated
is a set of thirteen surveys in varied topics in mathematics, nicely produced with video, text, and interactive Flash gadgets for each of the topics.
All kinds of jumps, really
Top 10 Biggest and Best Jumps Ever
Does what it says on the tin [slyt]
The Psychology of Video Games
The Psychology of Video Games.
Jamie Madigan has a Ph.D. in psychology. He's also a Gamer with a capital G, has written gaming strategy guides and countless game reviews, and follows the gaming scene like some people follow baseball. In his blog, Jamie tells you "why things are" when it comes to game psychology. Conan the Loss Averse Barbarian. How Reciprocity Yields Bumper Crops in Farmville. Phat Loot and Neurotransmitters in World of Warcraft.
Noteworks Beta - music composition software
Noteworks is a piece of music composition software that re-imagines the way music is created, played, and shared. Users create musical compositions by building networks and interacting with them in real time. We've reduced the learning curve for algorithmic music composition, so that anyone can create original compositions in minutes. With just a single click, dynamic networks can play back for hours without repeating!
Art imititates life?
Bringing New Understanding to the Director’s Cut (NYT)
Art imitates life? Neuroscientists studying vision have observed a 1/f distribution in the natural scenes we encounter everyday. A new study shows movies have a similar 1/f distribution of scene pacing as natural scenes we encounter in daily life.
Born from jungle techno, the amen break, hip-hop and dub: a history of Drum'n'Bass
Perhaps you were there in 1991 when someone spun We Are i.e. for the first time. Maybe you were a suburban rebel in the mid 1990s, listening to British pirate radio and taping the broadcasts. Or you kept it legit and heard Fabio and Grooverider on Kiss FM or BBC Radio 1. Perhaps you only caught wind of it when Goldie was on BBC's Maestro (prev). You might spend your time figuring out which breaks were used, from the well-known Amen, Brother sample (prev), to Both Eyes Open by Lucille Brown & Billy Clark. Or maybe you don't know the difference between clownstep and liquid funk, but it sounds like something you want to know more about. Step inside, junglist, and embrace the bass.
Georges Méliès, the Cinemagician
He invented or popularized a startling array of the fundamental elements of film: the dissolve, the fade-in and fade-out, slow motion, fast motion, stop motion, double exposures and multiple exposures, miniatures, the in-camera matte, time-lapse photography, color film (albeit hand-painted), artificial film lighting, production sketches and storyboards, and the whole idea of narrative film.
By 1897, in a studio of his own design and construction – the first complete movie studio – his hand forged virtually everything on his screen. Norman McLaren writes, "He was not only his own producer, ideas man, script writer, but he was his own set-builder, scene painter, choreographer, deviser of mechanical contrivances, special effects man, costume designer, model maker, actor, multiple actor, editor and distributor." Also, his own cinematographer, and the inventor of cameras to suit his special conceptions. Not even auteur directors such as Charles Chaplin, Orson Welles, John Cassavetes, and Stanley Kubrick would personally author so many aspects of their films."Inside: 57 films by Georges Méliès, the Grandfather of Visual Effects.
A Darwin electro-opera
The Knife (previously) have released a studio recording of 'Tomorrow, In A Year,' an "electro-opera"{video} based upon Darwin's 'Origin of Species.' Listen to the whole thing here.
I like 'em big when they're inside me
Help me find music that makes me feel small and insignificant.