Favorites from meh
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It's a Curated Group of Potato Chip Bags
World's Smallest Museum Finds the Wonder in Everyday Objects
"Tucked away in a lower Manhattan back alley, the freight-elevator-sized, generically named Museum is one of New York City’s newest curiosities. While it’s only open 16 hours a week, during the day on Saturdays and Sundays, the museum’s contents are viewable 24/7, lit and sealed by glass doors."
Take a drive with Google Earth
Enter start and destination
and watch your route payed out.
Clean, orderly, and entirely devoid of human life
The official "StreetView" map of China is eerily reminiscent of SimCity, rendered in perfect isometric perspective without a pixel out of place: Shanghai, the Forbidden City, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. That hasn't stopped companies from trying to create a more true-to-life photographic alternative: there is coverage of Hong Kong and Macau in Google Street View; sanction to cover the rest of China appears to have been given to City8, which covers 40 cities. (The latter site is in Chinese, but Chrome or language plugins do a decent job of translating the content).
Long journeys, short videos
The Green Tunnel is a six month hike up the Appalacian Trail in a five minute time-lapse video. Though the time-lapse road trip, usually with ambient music, is an overdone genre (except for Michael Gondry's), other time-lapse travel videos can still be interesting: a year long walk through China focusing on beard growth, a visually great (but faked) stop motion walk across America, a boat ride through the Panama Canal,a tilt-shift roadtrip, and the space shuttle Discovery being transported and launched. And, of course, Minecraft in time-lapse. Previously and previously.
Questionable reporting in rape case
After the horrific gang-rape of a child in a small town in east Texas has gained national attention, serious criticisms have been made of how the story has been reported.
"Beware of others making these claims. They want to have sex with you, or THEY'RE A LAWYER!"
Pretty much the entire run of HBO's Mr. Show is available on YouTube.
One of the standout features of the show was it's treatment of advertising. Mr. Show did use the sketch comedy trope of strange products of dubious value, but it also satirized escalating political attack ads as well as the difference between the high road and the low road. Mr. Show also addressed public relations advertising. The show explored the use of shock to grab consumers' attention, and while send-ups of legal services advertising isn't unique, the technique certainly is. NOTE: some videos contain naughty words.
A picture is worth a thousand little words
69 Love Songs, Illustrated is a blog where comic book artists and illustrators interpret the songs on The Magnetic Fields' classic album 69 Love Songs.
Stasi, SSIS, ...
"I almost can't believe I'm witnessing this. We're inside the fortress of terror, our very own Mordor..."
Philosophy of Science
An Introduction to the History and Philosophy of Science
8 videos in which SisyphusRedeemed, academic philosopher, attempts to explain what science is, how it got to be that way, and why it works.
These are all Industrial Age economic models, and we are no longer in an Industrial Age.
"New Economy, New Wealth - We are entering a post-industrial age with a very different economy and needs for a different view of wealth. What does this mean for us?"
A presentation by Arthur Brock, using Prezi (previously). I recommend viewing it full-screen.
What do you call a pothead that doesn't inhale
As you can see below, Ras enjoys smoking pot. He lives in Canada and according to his YouTube profile, his occupation is ‘Smoking’. His interests include smoking, and for music he likes Reggae. In ‘09 he smoked 40 bowls in 11 minutes, for an event called Tokecity’s Gauntlet, for which he was disqualified (because he exceeded the 4-minute smoke limit). Last year he only smoked 36 bowls, ‘about half of his collection’. Maybe he’s getting a bit behind.
“Good luck to all the submissions.”
(From 4-20 tumblr)
Final edition: Twilight of the American newspaper
Final edition: Twilight of the American newspaper.
"Newspapers have become deadweight commodities linked to other media commodities in chains that are coupled or uncoupled by accountants and lawyers and executive vice presidents and boards of directors in offices thousands of miles from where the man bit the dog and drew ink."
What do flaky scalps, skunks, and dead polo ponies have in common?
Chemistry in its Element
- a weekly podcast from the Royal Society of Chemistry offering an engagingly-narrated stroll through the periodic table, element by element.
Recession over in France and Germany
The economy is abjectly terrible, right? It's so bad that nowadays, a picture is only worth 200 words. On the other hand, the recession is over in Germany and France, and in the United States, the unemployment rate dropped just a smidgen last month.
Trying to even out the false middle
Can a firefox extension extend rationality?
Wherein intel labs attempt to add rationality to the web. Good freaking luck.
FLASH THURSDAY!!!
This may be the coolest flash game ever.
Although it's graphics are nothing to write home about, the game play (which I will wisely follow kotaku's example in not spoiling for you) is quite simply incredible. It's a unique and quick little work break for you via kotaku.
Photos of regular people looking extraordinarily bad
Not all portrait photography studios are equal.
"Total frickin' awesomeness from Olan Mills, Sears and other fine portrait studios."
The Third World Squat
The Third World Squat (Some images not 100% safe for work) When it comes to training someone who's new to the world of squats, deadlifts, and the fine art of picking up heavy stuff, I've found a substantial disparity in the learning curve between North Americans and those from third-world countries . . . There are a variety of possible reasons for this, but there's one dominant variable that's a great predictor of a trainee's immediate potential before they even step foot in the gym: The third-world squat.
Nothing like a good Read.
Small is Beautiful - The best new journals.
(via Guardian / Observer) selected by Stephanie Merritt. "Published out of tiny offices or even editors' apartments, funded by grants, donations or founders' savings, distributed by direct subscription or in selected independent bookshops, paying contributors little or nothing at all, these magazines have nevertheless attracted such eminent writers as to give them an international reputation far beyond their limited circulation."
Image of the Year.
Image of the Year. From the article: "If you want to go shallow for an Image of the Year, you can't do better than Paris Hilton, seen through the window of a Los Angeles sheriff's car, weeping as she's being hauled back to prison to complete a probation-violation sentence. But when you first notice the credit on that now infamous picture, there's a double take. The image came from the camera of Nick Ut, whose picture of a little girl burned by napalm, naked and running directly toward the camera and into the conscience of the American people, became perhaps the most powerful and influential vision of the Vietnam War. Not only was the Paris Hilton image taken by one of this country's most celebrated war photographers, it was taken June 8, 35 years to the day after the devastating image of 9-year-old Kim Phuc fleeing her bombed-out village. Let's put these two pictures up on the wall together for one last, end-of-the-year look, and see if something emerges."
Red Ball, Yellow Ball
Shuffle.
Pool without pockets, simple but addictive
Roadtrip!
Seattle to Boston in 15 minutes.
Katja Suletzki drove the full length of Interstate 90, the longest interstate highway in America, from Seattle to Boston. Thanks to a webcam, a modified version of Flix, and a laptop, the journey was recorded for posterity as a 15 minute film.
Road Trippin'
"Road Trip is a short film composed of 12,397 pictures taken automatically from the back seat of a car while driving accross [sic] America from Portland, Oregon to New Hampshire."
Photoshopped pictures of people with mouths instead of eyes
Photoshopped pictures of people with mouths instead of eyes
via Neil Gaiman who may or may not have pioneered the concept with his nightmarish creation The Corinthian.
Human Album Covers
Half-human album covers. Also known as "sleevefaces."
Words words words. (And symbols!)
Editor wars are some of the most divisive debates among programmers and writers. These days, the battles are between proponents of IDEs like NetBeans, Eclipse, and the like as often as they are between proponents of vi and Emacs, the traditional battlegrounds. That fight hasn't ended, of course. The support of the vi camp has largely solidified behind Vim, the largest and most feature rich (or bloated, if you like nvi) variant, and GNU Emacs has essentially vanquished its internecine rival. Are you a traditionalist? You can find an argument if you really want to.
Of course, a lot of people now vote for third parties. There are candidates for the ignorant, for the masochistic, and the insane. Some people are more comfortable with familiar interfaces. Still others are obsessed. [Previously]
Maybe Rap Really is the Poetry of Our Time...
Watch Sam Harris read "Soulja Boy" in....a unique style.
(YT, slightly NSFW due to language) (skip to 0:15 for the actual video) And the original song.
Stop making sense of this business of music
David Byrne's Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists — and Megastars
Where there was one, now there are six: Six possible music distribution models, ranging from one in which the artist is pretty much hands-off to one where the artist does nearly everything.
Does anybody remember she loves you?
I Wanna Hold Your Stairway
The Beatnix perform Stairway to Heaven... as the Beatles might have done it. Probably not much different than the Rutles might have done it.
The perfect foil for abstinence-only initiatives
Abstinence: 98% effective in preventing HIV/AIDS, STDs and pregnancy (when used consistently and correctly)
"If you're having sex, thinking about having sex or trying not to think about having sex, try Abstinence....the condom."
Pretty Good Pornography
A Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court in Vermont has ruled that a man allegedly caught with child pornography on his laptop need not reveal his PGP password (yes, authorities shut down the laptop and now can't get at the alleged porn) pursuant to the Fifth Amendment's protections against self incrimination. The decision is here[PDF]. A decent write-up (from CNET of all places) is here. This appears to be the first decision ever to directly address this issue, and many commentators had thought it would come out differently. The major question is whether revealing one's PGP key is "testimonial" or not. According to the Supreme Court, giving up fingerprints or blood samples isn't, nor is standing for a lineup, nor is handing over the key to a safe, but if it's combination safe, well maybe that's different. Never let it be said that your Fifth Amendment rights are easy.
This is serious-- we can make you delirious
Retrostatic is a treasure trove of 80's (and 90's) TV commercials--from PSAs of singing pills to the Post cereal Create-A-Villain contest (and so much more). Also, cartoons, with descriptions and opening sequences of everything from Alf Tales to Thundercats.
gharbzadegi
"Fascism", in its current hyphenated repackaging, gets bandied about quite a bit these days. So, it may surprise you to learn that the populist appeal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad depends in part on a Persian concept, "gharbzadegi" ("weststruckness" or "occidentosis") whose roots are located in an Iranian adaptation of Martin Heidegger's proto-fascist concept of "The Darkening of the World" by the intellectuals Ahmad Fardid and Jalal Ali Ahmad.
Another bump against the apple cart
Dear torrent seeder: I am the producer of a motion picture. This is not a case-and-desist order. I am writing to thank you. Jerome Bixby's The Man From Earth succeeds through sharing.
A Look Back at Jon Stewart's Greatest Gay Moments
A Look Back at Jon Stewart's Greatest Gay Moments.
"There's a whole lotta gay going on in the brand-spanking-new archive of The Daily Show video clips."
TYPE HARD OR GO HOME
Some people care about their keyboards. The Northgate OmniKey (now resurrected) was once legendary. There are those who mourn the passing of the space cadet keyboard and its successors, and those who campaign for its revival. The late, lamented (though not by everyone) Apple Extended Keyboard was finally recreated.
But, for the purist, there is only one true keyboard, the best ever made: the IBM Model M.
But, for the purist, there is only one true keyboard, the best ever made: the IBM Model M.
Curse of the Long Tail
Sorry PR, you're blocked.
Chris Anderson, the editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine calls out the 300+ PR "professionals" who cannot be bothered to look for the right person to send their announcements to. Then, he publishes their e-mail addresses online, for all to see. If you were thinking of using a PR firm this year, here are 300 that you might want to give a miss. via
Imaginary cities, the creatures that live in them, and the hats they wear
"Introducing the new Portable Halo, a device that will revolutionize lies."
The art of Swedish illustrator Mattias Adolfsson, strongly recommended for fans of Gahan Wilson. Also check out his Flickr set of fictional cityscapes, sketchbook samples, and the rest of his sprawling real/imaginary world.
Go Go Mania!
The year 1964 was a watershed period in British music. Before that year, British popular music was barely heard outside of the U.K. But when the Beatles achieved American success, a seemingly endless number of British bands and singers were suddenly able to crack the American market.The features opens with footage from a November, 1963 Beatles concert in Manchester - She Loves You
By the end of 1964, some enterprising filmmakers decided to create a cinematic year-in-review to highlight this new wave of British music talent. The result was “Pop Gear,” a strange but jolly little production that serves as a celluloid time capsule for that remarkable musical year.