Verbotomy - wordplay: create daily neologisms based on a given definition and illustration. (via Bifurcated Rivets)
posted to MetaFilter by madamjujujive at 7:03 PM on December 13, 2006 (18 comments)

Last night there was a pretty cool coronal ejection that ought to be arriving shortly. When it does, expect Auroral activity as far south as Tennessee. (Or Northern Italy. Or New Zealand.) [Via MonkeyFilter]
posted to MetaFilter by absalom at 2:37 PM on December 13, 2006 (35 comments)

A Tale of Two Cockies. A Story of Love, Compassion, Friendship & Loyalty. [Via MoFi.]
posted to MetaFilter by homunculus at 5:02 PM on December 12, 2006 (15 comments)

The Playboy Townhouse. Posh Plans for Exciting Urban Living, circa 1961. via
posted to MetaFilter by Chrischris at 6:42 PM on December 1, 2006 (24 comments)

"Gold is one of the few elements you can find just lying on the ground. This one-ounce pure gold nugget was found in Alaska around 1890 by Hogamorth Marion, while on a trip to sell shoes to Eskimoes. Seriously."

An interactive periodical table.
posted to MetaFilter by Terminal Verbosity at 4:32 PM on November 29, 2006 (34 comments)

Infinite Mario Brothers Did you love Mario Brother 3? Would you like to love playing it forever? With randomized maps and worlds? Oh, yes, you would.
posted to MetaFilter by boo_radley at 7:15 PM on November 25, 2006 (29 comments)

Autodidactic goodies on a budget: Free computer books and online lectures, seminars and instructional materials from a variety of renowned institutions.
posted to MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 7:05 AM on November 21, 2006 (19 comments)

The Rhythm & Blues Review is a one+ hour Google video clip of a 1955 Apollo show featuring Lionel Hampton, Sarah Vaughn, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Cab Calloway -- and at 1.05, Miss Rhythm herself, blues diva Ruth Brown singing her signature song, Teardrops From My Eyes. Ruth Brown sadly passed away on Friday. [More on Ruth Brown]
posted to MetaFilter by madamjujujive at 10:30 AM on November 19, 2006 (15 comments)

"I'm not a Christian, and I have my doubts about being Jesus' descendant,' says garlic farmer Toyoji Sawaguchi. "Somehow I just can't picture Jesus, a great man, as my ancestor.' Bucolic Shingo, formerly Herai, a tiny village in northeast Japan, is believed by some to be the final resting place of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Photos of His grave can be found here.
posted to MetaFilter by maryh at 12:34 AM on November 19, 2006 (37 comments)

Mickey Mouse attempts suicide and fights the Nazis. Minnie Mouse goes wild at National Lampoon, while Donald Duck has a drug problem. Read about a 1970s porn film, a series of underground comics, the missing black centaur in Fantasia, and all the other cultural history that Disney doesn't want you to see.
posted to MetaFilter by jonp72 at 11:12 PM on January 25, 2003 (24 comments)

An Otter Family Album — for over 20 years, zoologist/educator J. Scott Shannon has been observing the "Clan", five generations of ocean-going river otters living in the bay [YouTube] below the historic town of Trinidad on California's northwest coast.
posted to MetaFilter by cenoxo at 2:40 PM on November 13, 2006 (25 comments)

The Secret To Great Bread, according to Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery, is time. If you have 20 hours to spare, you can make a spectacular, no-knead loaf with the simplest of ingredients. Here's his recipe, and here's another. Of course, there are those who would decry the Staff of Life anyway you slice it, but even they can enjoy some hot gluten on yeast bread porn. via the monkies
posted to MetaFilter by maryh at 9:57 PM on November 12, 2006 (47 comments)

The Bohlen-Pierce scale is a musical scale which has thirteen notes spread evenly across one and a half octaves, so that the highest note is three times the frequency of the lowest. Compare with the western twelve-tone scale, which has twelve notes spread evenly across one octave, where the highest note is twice the frequency of the lowest. Both are tempered scales, and both have close approximations to 'just intonations', meaning you could play the scales by plucking a string clamped at certain ratios like 1/2, 1/4, 5/3, etc. One of the independant co-inventors of the scale, John Pierce, was also a famous electrical engineer best known for inventing the communications satellite. You can listen to Pachelbel's Canon(midi link) rewritten in this scale.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 12:46 PM on November 11, 2006 (45 comments)

Ellen Willis was a writer and critic who wrote for the Voice, the Nation, and Dissent, among many others; her NYU homepage and Wikipedia entry link to a number of essays and reviews, all of which are worth your time. She didn't make me a feminist, but her writing gave me much of the intellectual framework of my feminism and throughout the depressing retreat of the '80s reminded me there was still humor and hope. (From her Wikiquote page: "My deepest impulses are optimistic; an attitude that seems to me as spiritually necessary and proper as it is intellectually suspect.") She died yesterday, of lung cancer, at the absurdly early age of 64. I'd like to quote from her "Escape from New York" (Village Voice, July 29-Aug. 4, 1981), an account of a bus trip across the country that shows her inextricable mix of the personal, the political, and the just plain human: [more inside]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat at 6:43 PM on November 10, 2006 (15 comments)

An online gallery of Colonial American Currency. You can browse by colony. They also have images of early lottery tickets. Plus brief and informative essays on subjects such as The Value of Money in Colonial America. You can also relive the Copper Panic of 1789-1799.
posted to MetaFilter by marxchivist at 6:49 PM on November 7, 2006 (7 comments)

Minotauromaquia - a stop motion animated short set to Stravinsky's in which Picasso confronts the minotaur and some other painted characters come to life. The image of the Minotaur is a recurring symbol of self in Picasso's works. (main link via Milinkito [more])
posted to MetaFilter by madamjujujive at 11:14 AM on November 5, 2006 (12 comments)

Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of how the language of Odysseus and his people found a home on the web. Of how the newest mass medium came to house a library of Ancient Greek literature. Of how the sounds of a dead language could find a new life online.
posted to MetaFilter by jason's_planet at 7:22 AM on November 2, 2006 (19 comments)

Her vote went smoothly, but boss Gary Rudolf called her over to look at what was happening on his machine. He touched the screen for gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis, a Democrat, but the review screen repeatedly registered the Republican, Charlie Crist. ...A poll worker then helped Rudolf, but it took three tries to get it right, Reed said. ... Broward Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Mary Cooney said it's not uncommon for screens on heavily used machines to slip out of sync, making votes register incorrectly. ... Early voting problems already in Florida.
posted to MetaFilter by amberglow at 3:46 PM on October 30, 2006 (107 comments)

Body of art "Viruses, blood, and x-rays of bones and viscera can be at once unsettling and enticing." [via]
posted to MetaFilter by dhruva at 4:26 PM on October 30, 2006 (11 comments)

Extreme Instability.
posted to MetaFilter by hama7 at 6:45 PM on October 28, 2006 (17 comments)

How can I build my own Muppet? Are there any guides, tutorials or other online resources that can detail crafting my own Muppet style puppet?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Hanover Phist at 11:19 AM on October 24, 2006 (6 comments)

Meat is Neat. We are but tiny machines. Remember the YouTube video of a funky animation of cellular activity? Here it is with a voice explanation of what's going on. Absolutely mindblowing. some sort of embedded video, dsl-quality with sound. see here for other forms
posted to MetaFilter by five fresh fish at 8:19 PM on October 27, 2006 (34 comments)

Free hugs in New York City inspire free hugs in Sydney inspire free hugs in Philadelphia (Warning: Two YouTube links).
posted to MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 6:05 AM on October 26, 2006 (33 comments)

Sure, you've seen pictures of Meteor Crater, Arizona, but are there any impact craters near you? Probably.
posted to MetaFilter by ewagoner at 11:04 AM on May 20, 2004 (10 comments)

An interactive map of the 174 major meteor impact craters. The largest crater we know of is the Vredefort Dome in South Africa, caused by a meteor some 10 km in diameter. Almost as large in the Sudbury Structure, located in Ontario, which contains some of the world's richest nickel and copper reserves, and has been only confirmed recently to be a crater. Third largest is the now-famous Chicxulub crater in the Yucatan, which probably killed the dinosaurs. Then take a look at an animation of asteroids near Earth [animated gif] and the list of minor planets that could hit us. Want to find out what happens when an meteor impacts in your area? Use the handy Earth Impacts Effects Program!
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 10:47 PM on October 25, 2006 (13 comments)

Misprinted Type.
posted to MetaFilter by hama7 at 7:04 PM on October 23, 2006 (22 comments)

Autostitch is the world's first fully automatic 2D image stitcher. Capable of stitching full view panoramas without any user input whatsoever, Autostitch is a breakthrough technology for panoramic photography, VR and visualisation applications. This is the first solution to stitch any panorama completely automatically, whether 1D (horizontal) or 2D (horizontal and vertical). Don't miss the gallery.
posted to MetaFilter by crunchland at 8:38 PM on October 22, 2006 (54 comments)

Tesla coil music system (YouTube alert) and five other musical gadgets you didn't know about.
posted to MetaFilter by madamjujujive at 12:08 PM on October 21, 2006 (24 comments)

"Welcome to the Archive of the Now. The Archive of the Now is an online and print repository of recordings, printed texts and manuscripts, focussing on innovative contemporary poetry being written or performed in Britain. It is part of the Brunel Centre for Contemporary Writing, at Brunel University in west London, UK. At present, the Archive consists of readings by 65 UK-based poets. This number will continue to grow, and includes newly commissioned, recently acquired and historical recordings."
posted to MetaFilter by jayder at 10:36 AM on October 22, 2006 (5 comments)

The Festival of Lights, Good vs. Evil Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Lights that falls each year in October or November. This year, Diwali is on the 21st of October 2006. Legends about Diwali are many, from the story of Prince Prahlad, immortal in his faith in the universe to the story of Ram and Sita returning from exile to Ayodhya. My favourite is not a story so much as a snippet of what is actually said to happen tonight, not the mythology behind it. Lakshmi walks tonight, she is the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, and lamps [diya or deep] are lit and placed at hearths and entrances so as to help her find her way. Accompanying her is the elephant headed one, Ganesh, the remover of obstacles and giver of knowledge. Just welcome them into your home.
posted to MetaFilter by infini at 9:55 PM on October 21, 2006 (22 comments)

Meet the man who "had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in earth history" - Thomas Midgley, Jr. Midgley invented leaded gasoline in 1921 to stop cars from knocking. In the process, he created a huge new industry, increased by 500 times the atmospheric lead levels, and was part of a multi-decade coverup of lead's effects that put the tobacco industry to shame [note: article is both terrific and very long] and still continues today. Just a few years later, he invented chlorofluorocarbons, and, with a dramatic demonstration of their safety, usured in an era of cheap air conditioning and social change, as well as ozone depletion. In the end, he was killed by one of his inventions, though it was neither lead nor CFCs that were responsible. He is sometimes remembered fondly, he is more often vilified.
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 11:47 PM on October 19, 2006 (30 comments)

Charlie Darwin joins the fray. Yes, The formation of vegetable mould, through the action of worms, with observations on their habits is there.
posted to MetaFilter by jfuller at 6:12 PM on October 18, 2006 (19 comments)

The Computer Gaming World Archive. The first 100 issues of Computer Gaming World downloadable in pdf form, ads and all. 1981-89. (Url directs to splash page with ad, click link below to continue, pdf files somewhere around 20 megs.)
posted to MetaFilter by pyramid termite at 9:11 AM on October 16, 2006 (17 comments)

First, interrobang got the ball rolling with his cool illustrations that can be shuffled in any order to create a new continuous panorama. Cortex added some coded widgetry to automate the process, creating a neat little toy. Then taz and iconomy joined in with their own creative spin. It's nice to see a contemporary techno version of the polyrama, a fine creative tradition dating back to the mid 1800s.
posted to MetaFilter by madamjujujive at 6:09 PM on October 17, 2006 (39 comments)

Japanese Ant Database Group.
posted to MetaFilter by hama7 at 6:48 PM on October 15, 2006 (7 comments)

Leonardo comes to life. A stunning collection of short animations based on Leonardo da Vinci's sketchbooks. Watch a man running, a human heart beating, a tank moving, a bird flying, or a geometrical model rotating. Then visit the Universal Leonardo website to find out more about the man himself.
posted to MetaFilter by verstegan at 12:19 PM on October 12, 2006 (14 comments)

Now this is something I just don't get. Getting worked up because some people are posting longer entries? Can someone explain this to me? So Ben Brown mentioned that he prefers longer posts, and a few people responded to the idea favorably. But then there's backlash to this idea? Can someone please explain to me how someone writing long posts is somehow wrong? Is anyone holding a gun to your head making you read anything on the web? If Ben Brown's posts are too long, don't read them. If Jack's or Brig's are too long, don't read them. If I'm wrong here, please set me straight. I must not have read the weblog rulebook that states posts should be short and snarky, if anyone has a hyperlink to said rule book, please post that too.
posted to MetaFilter by mathowie at 8:45 PM on March 28, 2000 (1609 comments)

The whiskey containing the scorpion is left for several months, which then imparts a unique flavour into the whiskey; it is quite an acquired taste. Tasty pregnant small crickets in salt water brine. Real Cobra Snake whiskey is infused with a real farm raised Cobra snake, ginseng roots and seed pods. All these and more, sold here.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 1:47 PM on October 10, 2006 (51 comments)

The MetaFilter Writers Group, as suggested by grumblebee in this MetaTalk post, is open for business. The plan is for members to post short fiction—short as in 500 words—on a weekly theme. There's also a section where members can submit their other fiction work or poetry for the group to read and discuss. If you'd like to join in the fun, you can register here. The first weekly theme is announced here.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by jack_mo at 3:24 PM on June 9, 2006

Elephant Rage might just tell us a lot about ourselves. There are rehab programs for elephants [mefi thread], and perhaps the ones for human victims can paired . This would be a pretty big step in acknowledging the trans-species psyche. Could this lead to a scientific revultion? Should it lead to an ethical one?
posted to MetaFilter by cal71 at 10:14 AM on October 8, 2006 (18 comments)

George Orwell né Eric Arthur Blair is probably best known to readers for his eerily prescient novels 1984 and Animal Farm. This comprehensive Orwell site betrays an erudite, complex, fascinating personality who wrote about a variety of subjects, from an exposition on British class relations affecting the art and practice of murder, to the complex moral compromises of Gandhi's practice of non-violent resistance, to the doublespeak-laden corruption of the English language as a telling reflection of a corrupt, brutal, post-WWII culture — and much, much more. This site also includes Russian translations of much of Orwell's work.
posted to MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 8:52 PM on August 21, 2006 (21 comments)

Historic Glass Bottles. Bill Lindsey of the BLM created a tremendous resource to assist you in identifying and dating most utilitarian glass bottles and jars produced in the United States and Canada between the early 1800s and 1950s. Check out information on glassmaking, bottle dating, and bottle types. Of particular interest to me are the pages on liquor, wine, and beer bottles.
posted to MetaFilter by monju_bosatsu at 3:55 PM on October 7, 2006 (14 comments)

The Kameny Papers Project preserved and presents the papers of gay rights pioneer Franklin Kameny, who had activists picketing the White House in 1965, well before Stonewall. The website includes a nice archive of his papers, including correspondence, a small photo gallery, and some charming hate mail from members of Congress. See also the Franklin Kameny pages at the Rainbow History Project. Yesterday, the Library of Congress accepted Kameny's papers. [via Andrew Sullivan]
posted to MetaFilter by LarryC at 1:14 PM on October 7, 2006 (9 comments)

Whether it's mislabeling his affiliation, or starting conspiracy theories, the party of responsible government (and their right-wing media organizations) are doing all they can to downplay the Foley scandal.
posted to MetaFilter by jpburns at 5:37 AM on October 4, 2006 (518 comments)

Hotel Bed Jumping
posted to MetaFilter by delmoi at 1:39 AM on October 7, 2006 (32 comments)

The sound of the Universe being born. University of Washington professor calculates the frequencies of sound waves propagating through the Universe during its first 760,000 years by analyzing small differences in sky temperature. More information here and here.
posted to MetaFilter by zaebiz at 5:39 PM on October 5, 2006 (26 comments)

Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage. The Annoying Frequency of Fingernails on a Blackboard. How Many Blinking Photographs Does it Take? The 2006 Ig Nobels.
posted to MetaFilter by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:14 PM on October 5, 2006 (33 comments)

Hadley Centre: Climate Projections Two computer models showing how the North Pole is melting and what the surface temperature of the earth will be like at the end of this century. A spinning globe visualises the changes. This is not hyperbole just lots of data.
posted to MetaFilter by hard rain at 9:40 AM on October 4, 2006 (21 comments)

The Imperial History of the Middle East is a flash based map of the Middle East, with a sliding timeline showing the various forces that have established dominance in the region over the last 5,000 years. Just one of many interesting interactive demonstrations over at Maps Of War.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 10:57 PM on October 2, 2006 (33 comments)

The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths --No longer satisfied with “mere acceptance” by our society, heterosexual political pressure groups have launched a well-planned, well-financed campaign, which, if left unchecked, threatens to destroy the most fundamental structures of American society. (actual report itself is a pdf from there--a takeoff on this stuff, which is NSFHumans)
posted to MetaFilter by amberglow at 8:40 PM on October 2, 2006 (24 comments)