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[Warning, some links have autoplaying video/sound] Police Save Baby Ducks. Police Save Baby Ducks. Police Save Baby Ducks. Police Save Baby Ducks. Police Save Baby Ducks. Police Save Baby Ducks. Police Save Baby Ducks. Police Save Baby Ducks. Police Save Baby Ducks. Police Save Baby Ducks. Plus 20 more where that came from, compiled by Radley Balko after a Twitter thread by John Hamasaki. (The Watch is a paid newsletter but this post is free.)
posted by staggernation at 9:44 PM PST - 42 comments

Receipes you can make with a pizza wheel [slyt] [more inside]
posted by rebent at 6:17 PM PST - 38 comments

Putting a name to the typeface that defined the visual identity of the science fiction series and its author, Frank Herbert—around 2000 words from Florian Hardwig for Fonts In Use.
posted by cgc373 at 5:16 PM PST - 27 comments

With the recent deployment of Patch 6.31, Final Fantasy XIV introduced its fifth Ultimate raid, The Omega Protocol - and with it a race to get the world first clear. The prior Ultimate raid - Dragonsong's Reprise - had caused consternation by the dev team over the use of third party tools, and when it was revealed that the supposed "world first" team used a third party camera hack, they took the step of stripping the team of their titles, achievements, and items related to the completion of the trial. [more inside]
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:09 PM PST - 28 comments

AI has been generating an endless Seinfeld episode for more than a month now [Reid McCarter, AV Club]
"At the time of writing, Nothing, Forever showed Elaine and Kramer sitting on a couch, just having clipped into each other and melded into a strange new creature. The scene changed to show George talking to Elaine about a restaurant that won’t allow people to use ketchup on steak. "Rules, rules, there are always rules," Elaine replies, prompting the laugh track. She recalls there being rules about trying to order a decaf coffee once in the past and the laughs play again. The pair then stand together in silence for a while, nary a synth bass slap or pop to end their hilarious bit. After a while, George sits down on the couch and Elaine slowly falls diagonally into a wall." [Link to the Twitch stream]
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:59 PM PST - 75 comments

Possession of small amounts of certain illicit drugs by people aged 18 and over is no longer a criminal offense in BC. [more inside]
posted by narcissus_and_ambrosia at 10:39 AM PST - 25 comments

Once you notice them, you'll start seeing them everywhere. The Side Eye zooms in a tiny but telling detail: the glitchy macron.
posted by Etrigan at 8:00 AM PST - 58 comments

These Genshin Impact Fans Spent $1,000 to $90,000 On Its Characters [Kotaku] “Whaling, the act of spending enormous amounts of money on digital games, can be a difficult topic to discuss in the gaming community. Free-to-play games often contain gambling systems designed to encourage spending, and the most prolific whales can make headlines for pouring thousands of dollars into acquiring playable anime characters. Especially in English-speaking communities, whales will often be discussed with a veneer of pity or scorn. Most players I spoke to for this piece asked to be identified by their online names, and a few requested anonymity. Those who wanted to be anonymous cited concerns about being judged by their non-gamer peers, or of having their game account hacked. “If my family and non-gamer friends ever knew, they would absolutely lose their minds,” said one government employee who spent over a thousand dollars on the game.”
posted by Fizz at 6:23 AM PST - 50 comments

A Canadian judge has denied a request to clear a homeless encampment, ruling that doing so went against the residents' Charter rights to life, liberty and security of the person because of the lack of shelter space in the region. The region has not indicated whether it will appeal. Full text of the ruling [PDF]. Resident of the encampment quoted in the ruling say they prefer it to the shelter system because "we respect each other, we consider each other family and we don’t touch each other’s stuff. I have privacy here and no one steals from me." [more inside]
posted by clawsoon at 5:38 AM PST - 49 comments

Ira "Bob" Born, former president of Just Born candy company and the inventor of the Peep, has passed away at the age of 98
posted by firechicago at 5:23 AM PST - 40 comments

Last year, Australian novelist John Hughes was found to have plagiarised several writers, including Leo Tolstoy and F Scott Fitzgerald. He also plagiarised his former student Joseph Earp, whose reaction was complicated: "It hurt, and I was angry for what had happened to me and other writers – the way our labour had been co-opted, and not appropriately cited. Lots of people can imagine that hurt, I assume. But I can’t imagine that many other people understand the way it felt good, too."
posted by Ballad of Peckham Rye at 3:59 AM PST - 9 comments

What at first seemed empowering — siphoning money from men who would see women as nothing more than customized pocket pussies — became clearer to me as feeling returned to my body. There were, of course, a small minority of men who saw their monetary exchange as one for a woman’s subjectivity — those who paid to feel dominant and make an object out of someone. And then there were the rest. ... It was a time of isolation, a time where people had lost family members, friends, and communal events. It was a time where people wanted to connect and feel alive in their bodies, and had found a relatively simple vehicle for doing so. Even if they were connecting with me, who hid behind a facade of images and persona. Even if I ultimately could not give them the connection they bought. from my year as a hot girl for hire by Eliza McLamb
posted by chavenet at 3:24 AM PST - 22 comments

Being called to rescue a wombat stranded in the middle of a lake was a first for this long-time wildlife carer. [News article and short video] Kylee Donkers has been involved in some very strange rescues over the years, but this animal recovery on a lake on the Victoria-NSW border was a new experience. (Context is that there have been a lot of major floods, which may have swept the wombat into the middle of the lake.)
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 12:14 AM PST - 3 comments

She played straight-laced Shirley in "Laverne & Shirley" from 1976 to 1983.
posted by NotLost at 9:38 PM PST - 46 comments

Why Is the New York Times So Obsessed With Trans Kids? A detailed, scathing editorial by Tom Scocca.
posted by Tom Hanks Cannot Be Trusted at 4:55 PM PST - 66 comments

We Are Already in the Metaverse (Megan Garber for The Atlantic)
posted by box at 2:22 PM PST - 29 comments

The Moon doesn’t currently have an independent time. It's time for another look at humanity's exploration of space, from 2022's end to the start of 2023. There's a lot going on, especially between the Earth's surface and orbit. [more inside]
posted by doctornemo at 12:18 PM PST - 10 comments

"He has stood his ground, but it ended a number of close friendships including his association with Amory Lovins." Stewart Brand, who is now 84, is currently working on a book about maintenance. [excerpt]. He is best known for founding The Whole Earth Catalog and coined the phrase, "Information Wants To Be Free. Information also wants to be expensive." The discussion on The Well (an early version of Metafilter) has plenty of delightful gossip about Norbert Weiner, Buckminster Fuller, and others. [more inside]
posted by mecran01 at 10:54 AM PST - 10 comments

A series of posters that visualize all three-digit prime numbers through geometry and color.
posted by duien at 9:55 AM PST - 18 comments

“Kraft has seen the American people through economic hardship, world wars, and social movements. It is, without a doubt, the food of troubled times. The fact that any one of us can go to a grocery store and buy one of these boxes for about a dollar during a global pandemic, a time of unprecedented inflation in the midst of a looming recession, is astonishing.“An Ode to Kraft Dinner
posted by Grandysaur at 8:38 AM PST - 114 comments

A few weeks ago, Yogesh Raut (previously on MeFi) walked onto the Alex Trebek Stage and won his first game of Jeopardy! He went on to win two more, and nearly $100,000, before falling to a triple-stumper Final Jeopardy question. He also embarked on what NBC News called "a weekslong social media rant against the show, asserting that it's not a real quiz contest, questioning its value to society and accusing it of being 'fundamentally incompatible with true social justice.'" Is he Jeopardy's newest villain who should get a lifetime ban?
posted by Etrigan at 7:58 AM PST - 103 comments

Hello, Monday, it's dear friends. Hi, yes, I'm totally awake, and I have a short quiz for you. How is this thread like a neutron? [more inside]
posted by taz at 3:20 AM PST - 65 comments

I’ve spent much of my adult life doing what I loved as a child: asking questions in the hope of finding some sort of resolution. Despite being someone who obsessed over the smallest questions and problems in the world around me, I long resisted turning those skills inward. As a result, I never knew the source of my tics, never knew that I had been living with Tourette’s syndrome. from How a Tourette’s Diagnosis Helped Me Understand Who I Am by Leyland Cecco
posted by chavenet at 2:53 AM PST - 4 comments

WHOPPER WHOPPER WHOPPER WHOPPER | JUNIOR DOUBLE TRIPLE WHOPPER | FLAME-GRILLED TASTE WITH PERFECT TOPPERS | I RULE I RULE I RULE THIS DAY | LETTUCE MAYO PICKLE KETCHUP | IT'S OK IF I DON'T WANT THAT | IMPOSSIBLE OR BACON WHOPPER | ANY WHOPPER MY WAY WHOPPER MY WAY [more inside]
posted by creatrixtiara at 9:05 PM PST - 32 comments

How Often Should You Do the Spartan 300 workout? ...answers your questions about the Spartan 300 workout, presumably an exercise regime favored by that mythically militaristic warrior-state. You can learn how many reps of each exercise are involved, what their diet was and so on. All of this leads up to Question 14: How Tall was a Spartan?
posted by storybored at 8:27 PM PST - 36 comments

ADS-B Exchange has been sold for 20 million to private equity Jetnet and the volunteer data collectors are are feeling sold out. [more inside]
posted by zenon at 7:09 PM PST - 21 comments

A 2.5 minute video plus some text tips on changing a flat tire on an automobile.
posted by brainwane at 5:23 PM PST - 30 comments

What does it mean to be rich in America, where the elite need to re-earn their position anew each day and experience the demands of wealth without its promised sense of security and ease? [more inside]
posted by Toddles at 4:56 PM PST - 106 comments

Each year, the United States produces enough wool to create millions of sweaters. But a big hunk of that wool production ends up composted or even landfilled. The Regional Fiber Manufacturing Initiative at Fibershed includes tons of research, e.g. current capabilities of Western U.S. fiber manufacturing (artisanal bottlenecks and all) and their Fiber Visions of how dogbane, wool, and cotton could honor Indigenous practices and regenerate soil health for Central & Northern California. Small wool mill Ewethful (in Oregon) on what goes into the price of a skein: 12 lbs of unprocessed wool --> skirt the wool (remove any vegetable matter, poop and/or unwanted fiber) --> 9 lbs of raw wool --> wash --> resulting in 6.5 lbs of clean wool. [more inside]
posted by spamandkimchi at 4:27 PM PST - 5 comments

In 1183, a Chinese Poet Describes Being Domesticated by His Own Cats. In Korea cat owners aren't called cat owners: they're called goyangi jibsa, literally 'cat butlers.' Clearly the idea that felines have flipped the domestic-animal script, not serving humans but being served by humans, transcends cultures.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 3:25 PM PST - 17 comments

Almost ten minutes of a cutesy depressed anthropomorphic bread undergoing existential torture, a daily occurence for Bernd das Brot (previously) every night when the Kinder Kanal is not broadcasting. In German with English subtitles.
posted by MartinWisse at 2:47 PM PST - 11 comments

CERN engineer Daniel Valuch discusses synchronizing a pendulum clock with the ALPHA Cesium Fountain Atomic Clock.
posted by zamboni at 1:14 PM PST - 5 comments

Yunchan Lim is South Korean pianist who June became the youngest ever winner of the Van Cliburn piano competition. Among the pieces that the 18 year old player were Liszt's Transcendental Etudes and Mozart's Piano Concerto #22. Most notable however, was his performance of Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto, which created something of a stir. [more inside]
posted by beisny at 10:53 AM PST - 17 comments

He’s trusted to repair some of the world’s most fabled — and expensive — instruments. How does John Becker manage to unlock the sound of a Stradivarius? (SLChicagoMag)
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:47 AM PST - 10 comments

LATimes has many news articles about what happened at Monterey Park: honoring the victims' lives, how the shooter's motives remain a mystery, whether domestic violence played a part, the deafening silence of Californian Republican politicians, and how to continue to dance and rebuild after a tragedy. In Half Moon Bay, the shooter admits to his rage being sparked over a $100 repair bill, long hours, and being bullied at his place of employment. LATimes remembers the victims of Half Moon Bay. [more inside]
posted by toastyk at 8:43 AM PST - 15 comments

"Those who think “15-minute cities” are for wealthy urbanites should consider this graph from a recent nationwide study. It shows a powerful reverse correlation between household income and use of services and amenities within a 15-minute walk of home. In other words, the wealthier you are, the less you rely on goods and services within your immediate neighborhood or adjacent neighborhoods. (You can easily afford to drive, or take a cab or Uber/Lyft to more distant locations)." [more inside]
posted by aniola at 9:28 PM PST - 81 comments

Mitchell Varela gets his pedicures done by one of the most unlikely sources: a cast of striped shore crabs on the shoreline of San Diego, California.
posted by ShooBoo at 6:42 PM PST - 39 comments

My Son Asked For Minnie Mouse Underwear And I Realized We Have A Big Problem. If we believe in equality and inclusivity, it’s incumbent we create space early in kids’ development to experiment, experience and grow outside of narrow labels. For me and my son in that Target, these labels raised questions on why we separate genders in the first place and the ways this separation impacts how each of us sees the world.
posted by tiny frying pan at 2:32 PM PST - 59 comments

Tom Verlaine was a member of Television, the first band out of the CBGB scene in New York City to get signed to a major label. Their album Marquee Moon has been a huge influence on generations of bands. Verlaine died (non-paywalled) this morning after a brief illness.
posted by pxe2000 at 2:21 PM PST - 55 comments

New YouTuber HupahZ, whom I believe to be Asian and tried to research but got nowhere, has some insights into Asian American cinema, and specifically three A24 films. He explores how The Farewell, Minari, and Everything Everywhere All At Once are each a glimpse into the prism that is being Asian American. I really enjoyed this a lot. How A24 Cinematically Highlights the Asian American Experience [30m]
posted by hippybear at 2:08 PM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

The Calculator Drawer is the Internet Archive's new collection of emulated calculators (and, in some cases, manuals.) [more inside]
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 12:29 PM PST - 19 comments

Adolfo Kaminsky saved thousands of Jews by changing their identities [The Economist; ungated] [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 9:37 AM PST - 25 comments

Beyond the headlines, the man. From Heather Cox Richardson.
posted by aiq at 8:57 AM PST - 26 comments

For all the Andor lovers a great interview with Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Genevieve O'Reilly and Fiona Shaw by Erik Davis.
posted by domdib at 3:05 AM PST - 12 comments

California zoo clones critically endangered Przewalski's horse using 42-year-old DNA. The foal, named Kurt, was born to a surrogate mother, a domestic quarter horse.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 12:07 AM PST - 28 comments

Chronophoto is a game in which you guess the dates of some photos — the closer the guess, the higher your score. That's it!
posted by swift at 4:31 PM PST - 76 comments

The 2022 Dog Photography Awards. [more inside]
posted by kristi at 1:32 PM PST - 21 comments

The Rezvani Vengeance is a quarter-million dollar SUV designed exclusively for idiots [Kotaku.com] “You know where you’re going wrong? After a long day indiscriminately firing your Beretta 1301 in the desert, you’re home chugging back your InfoWars Ultimate Bone Broth Plus, when you discover you’re all out of SSI Sight-Rite chamber cartridge laser bore sights. So you jump into your SUV to head to the nearest Dick’s Sporting Goods, right? Only, in that SUV? Is it bulletproof? Does it fire pepper spray out the wing mirrors? Does it even come with gas masks? No I don’t think it does. Which is why you want to get yourself a Rezvani Vengeance, designed by video game vehicle artist, Milen Ivanov. [...] This laughably silly vehicle, yours starting at $285,000, is made to order, and thanks to bizarre TikTok influencer videos, a demonstrably extant creation. Based on the Cadillac Escalade, your standard model comes with all the features you’d expect in your bog-standard quarter-million dollar car.”
posted by Fizz at 1:22 PM PST - 100 comments

Farmer, artist and writer Lynn R. Miller on working horses: "There are fewer rules to working horses and more subtleties and opportunities." A review of Miller's Art of Working Horses. "Then the seat broke and he was tossed forward under the plow, under the feet of his horses and the tongue of the plow, with one thigh up against that sharpened coulter, a steel disc meant to bite deep into sod. The horses had stopped in an instant." And another review. Archived "Ask a Teamster" [the horse driving type] columns at Small Farmers Journal, established by Miller in 1976.
posted by spamandkimchi at 1:05 PM PST - 4 comments

In March of 2018, 18 years after being banned from the Empress Hotel in British Columbia, Novia Scotia resident Nick Burchill wrote them a letter and asked for forgiveness. In October of 2022, Benedict Cumberbatch did a dramatic reading of the letter.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:53 AM PST - 20 comments

The Guardian posts Ten common myths about Bike Lanes, and why they're wrong.
(archive link)
And in Wired, the Battle over Bike Lanes.
(archive link) [more inside]
posted by Rash at 10:31 AM PST - 81 comments

The move by Mr. Erdogan’s government is unusual. It involves the difference between what linguists call the “exonym"—the name for a place or thing in other languages, and the “endonym"—the local name. [more inside]
posted by Meatbomb at 8:42 AM PST - 167 comments

“My ancestors put me here,” Pappenfort said. “They came from Illinois, and it’s my responsibility to do everything I can to get them where they’re supposed to be again.” The Museum Built on Native American Burial Mounds (Logan Jaffe, ProPublica, 2023-01-27)
posted by Not A Thing at 8:11 AM PST - 13 comments

Google researchers unveil a generative music AI, MusicLM. "We introduce MusicLM, a model generating high-fidelity music from text descriptions such as a calming violin melody backed by a distorted guitar riff'..." [more inside]
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:49 AM PST - 81 comments

Aria Code podcast episode: Guys and Dolls. Host Rhiannon Giddens, along with Soprano Erin Morley, conductor Johannes Debus, machine learning researcher Caroline Sinders, and psychologist Robert Epstein explore Jacques Offenbach’s 1881 opera The Tales of Hoffmann and how its automated character Olympia echoes current day concerns about A.I. technology. [more inside]
posted by Zumbador at 3:29 AM PST - 10 comments

“It’s always about the family. A titanic battle is raging.” [FT; ungated] [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 2:47 AM PST - 8 comments

Once upon a time, writer Roxane Gay and her wife, the illustrator Debbie Millman, set sail to Antarctica. Here, they each tell the tale—well, their version of it.
posted by ellieBOA at 12:52 AM PST - 12 comments

Defining lunar time is not simple. Although the definition of the second is the same everywhere, the special theory of relativity dictates that clocks tick slower in stronger gravitational fields. The Moon’s gravitational pull is weaker than Earth’s, meaning that, to an observer on Earth, a lunar clock would run faster than an Earth one. [...] “This is a paradise for experts in relativity, because you have to take into account so many things.” 1300 words from Elizabeth Gibney for Nature.
posted by cgc373 at 5:21 PM PST - 63 comments

[Vice] American Nepo Babies Have Nothing on the British Perhaps the British sequel to the ongoing (US-centric) nepo baby discourse, previously seen on the Blue here.
posted by cendawanita at 2:22 PM PST - 26 comments

No the CIA Didn't Invent "Show Don't Tell". Or maybe they did? Perhaps the effects of CIA money on the Iowa Writer's Workshop are overblown, but this piece in Current Affairs makes a strong case how the CIA has influenced "literature" in America. (previously)
posted by slogger at 1:31 PM PST - 48 comments

The union-oriented Twitter account Daily Union Elections asked the world in a recent tweet, “Union folks, what is the best grievance/[Unfair Labor Practice] that you’ve ever won?” And the world responded in kind.

““A member was accused of playing video games on his work computer,” union organizing director Erik Strobl said. “I got him cleared by proving conclusively that the employer-provided graphics card couldn’t handle the resource-hungry game his supervisor claimed to have seen.””

The worker wasn’t even playing a game, but watching “a game review on his break (which is fine),” Strobl clarified, “but he was accused of installing unauthorized third-party software on a government computer (which he 100% didn’t do and, as I showed, couldn’t have done). Zero abuse of time or state property.” [via: Kotaku]
posted by Fizz at 12:28 PM PST - 8 comments

Kenji López Alt answers the eternal question: Should I eat this? (SLNYT) (Archive link)
posted by adamrice at 11:43 AM PST - 25 comments

But a funny thing happened on the way to obscurity. Riseborough, a gifted English actress who has worked with everyone from Mike Leigh to Alejandro G. Iñárritu and won many admirers and allies in the process, somehow entered the awards season conversation.
posted by Etrigan at 10:42 AM PST - 45 comments

Adherence to TINECUC ["there is no ethical consumption under capitalism"] allows organizers to focus on building solidarity between workers or community members rather than buyers, whose common interests may be superficial. It is also, in a world system of production based on exploitation, a factually true statement, insofar as no purchase of anything made with exploited labor has any business branding itself “ethical.” But the unexamined phrase isn’t worth using; before people start attributing TINECUC to Marx or Lenin, we should figure out how Sandinista beans turned into Starbucks — and how anti-consumerist politics fell out of fashion on the American left.
posted by jshttnbm at 6:34 AM PST - 44 comments

Dan Exton, the head of research at Operation Wallacea, recalls standing on the beach in Tela with Antal for the first time and thinking there couldn’t possibly be a coral reef beneath the murky water. “I almost cancelled the dive,” he said. But as soon as he descended, Exton saw “mind-blowing coral. I’d never seen a reef like that. Everywhere you looked, something unusual was happening.” from The Mystery of the Healthy Coral Reef [Nautilus; ungated]
posted by chavenet at 11:36 PM PST - 6 comments

Love it or hate it, there is no denying the influence and impact of one little movie from 1994. Join everyone involved with the movie in celebrating three decades of Clerks with the late 2022 documentary We're Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today [1h13m]. Covers the entire Clerks trilogy and some of the View Askewniverse, and is mostly a lot of people amazed this even happened. And wow, a lot happened!
posted by hippybear at 9:07 PM PST - 42 comments

Open-world RPG gacha game Genshin Impact heavily draws from and features traditional cultural arts, particularly Chinese arts - such as engaging a professional Chinese Opera artist to sing for operatic character Yun Jin (live concert version). For this year's Lantern Rite (the in-game equivalent of Lunar New Year), their YouTube channel features collaborations with more traditional Chinese artisans, such as a short film set during the Shexian Lantern Festival and art handmade using Chinese woodblocks.
posted by creatrixtiara at 8:08 PM PST - 10 comments

A lengthy post at airRaidSirens.net details the mechanical Yamaha Music Sirens of Japan. These can be played with a keyboard, but sadness: "some were being removed or are going to run until they die and will not be repaired." And if they're replaced, it will naturally be with something electronic. They play familiar old tunes which signal the start of a factory's working day, etc. There's a link to a playlist embedded in the article. [more inside]
posted by Rash at 3:22 PM PST - 22 comments

A slime mold for your wrist! By taking care of a living organism within the watch, feeding it a mixture of water and oats, users can enable the slime mold (Physarum polycephalum) to grow, forming a living wire that in turn enables a heart rate sensor. [more inside]
posted by tiny frying pan at 2:57 PM PST - 41 comments

The biggest bank in the country did something extraordinary: It said it had been conned. JPMorgan Chase is suing Frank Financial Aid (YouTube), a higher education financial aid company it bought for $175 million in 2021. The finance company now alleges that Frank massively misrepresented its work and assets, and paid a data science professor to create millions of fake accounts. [more inside]
posted by doctornemo at 1:39 PM PST - 41 comments

I'm a guy, so I have never heard of Dashing Diva, which I understand has a cult following for its high-quality pre-made nails with great color selection, and reasonable prices, and they sell direct as well as in major drugstores and supermarkets. However, I do track MLMs at times, and I was surprised to see a mention on BehindMLM.com that DashingDivas had abandoned their attempt to go MLM after major member backlash. And the story indeed had less to do with MLM, and more to do with one man's hubris... [more inside]
posted by kschang at 12:55 PM PST - 20 comments

Paul La Farge died about a week ago. He wrote strange, luminous novels, works of fiction that often did not fit easily into simple categories, and he also was an essayist. Not quite inexplicably, he became known several years ago for the publication of The Night Ocean, a metafictional novel about an author with an eldritch obsession.
posted by cupcakeninja at 12:53 PM PST - 9 comments

How to Be 18 Years Old Again for Only $2 Million a Year Middle-aged tech centimillionaire Bryan Johnson and his team of 30 doctors say they have a plan to reboot his body. [more inside]
posted by bitteschoen at 12:07 PM PST - 103 comments

War Thunder is an MMO about tanks and guns and things. Its playerbase has a lot of overlap with people who use tanks and guns for a living, as evidenced by how they won't stop leaking classified documents to ask for changes to the video game. [more inside]
posted by one for the books at 10:37 AM PST - 14 comments

Move the knight to every square in order, right to left, top to bottom. Except don’t land anywhere the queen can take you, and don’t take the queen.
posted by Etrigan at 10:20 AM PST - 17 comments

The history of Cyprus is a problem in Pokémon Go [Eurogamer] “Pokémon are banned across a sizable swathe of Cyprus. There isn't a physical wall to keep them out - at least not in most areas. But in Pokémon Go a large area across the width of the Mediterranean island is still a Pokémon no-Go area, thanks to the country's past. Before being contacted by Pokémon Go players based in Cyprus, I admit to being pretty ignorant of the island's recent history, and how its geography remains shaped by the after-effects of the country's 1974 Greek-backed coup and subsequent Turkish-led invasion. History lesson aside, the country remains divided by a United Nations Buffer Zone, a red ribbon on maps that cuts across the middle of the country. The internationally unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus lies to the north, while in the south sits the island's larger Greek Cypriot-dominated region. Between the two sits the Buffer Zone - an area which on paper sounds like a hazard, but in reality is home to 10,000 people - where Pokémon cannot spawn naturally.”
posted by Fizz at 8:00 AM PST - 11 comments

GoTo, maker of LastPass, has updated their blog with new information regarding a security incident that took place in November 2022, reports The Verge. [more inside]
posted by slogger at 7:20 AM PST - 52 comments

The Top Escape Rooms Project (TERPECA) has announced its 2022 list of the world's best escape rooms. Or, at least, the world's best games that are playable in English. Language requirement notwithstanding, TERPECA's top games are mostly in continental Europe, with the number one slot going to Greece's Chapel & Catacombs, a mix of horror maze, escape room, and interactive theatre. At #14, the US makes its first appearance with Houston's Houdini-themed The Man From Beyond, another theater/escape room hybrid. The UK just scrapes into the top 50, with Macclesfield's Mr. Copplestones' Curiousity Shop coming in at #47. [more inside]
posted by yankeefog at 6:48 AM PST - 25 comments

Adult Swim has cut ties with Justin Roiland in the wake of the news that the Rick and Morty co-creator was charged with felony domestic abuse in Orange County. Sources say the show is set to continue, with Roiland’s voice roles to be recast. Though Roiland will still be credited as co-creator, fellow co-creator Dan Harmon will now be the lone showrunner. The show is locked in through season 10.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:10 AM PST - 95 comments

The lungs of the nation: Last weekend 3,000 people rallied to Dartmoor [SW England] to protect the right to camp wild on the uplands. Recent court case found that this right was wrong. [more inside]
posted by BobTheScientist at 2:58 AM PST - 12 comments

Lloyd Alexander (1924-2007) was an author of numerous beloved works of childrens' and young adult literature, most notably The Chronicles of Prydain, Westmark, and the Vesper Holly adventures. In 1994, his publishers produced a short film of a "visit" to his home in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, in which he speaks about imagination, writing, and his love of place.
posted by biogeo at 6:49 PM PST - 33 comments

Adhesives based on gecko skin can hold huge weights – without sticking to anything. Derek Muller, aka Veritasium, is explaining how Geckos can stick to surfaces without being sticky. Van der Waals forces provide the glue. (Thanks to Veritasium on Youtube)
posted by nostrada at 1:44 PM PST - 8 comments

Pop Muzik was a 1979 song, written by Robin Scott, sung by Robin and Brigit Novik, and drumming by Phil Gould (later of Level 42), as part of the M synth-pop project. The video, directed by Brian Grant, parodies the Saturday Night Fever opening shots. It reached #1 in 10 countries; Robin (75) still sometimes records. [Previously] [Performance] [Lyrics]
posted by Wordshore at 1:42 PM PST - 57 comments

In celebration of little indie film Everything Everywhere All At Once receiving 11 Oscar nominations, YouTube queer media analyst and commentator James Somerton takes his usual deep dive into the movie. The Queer Nihilism Of Joy (31m) is a journey through confusion and nihilism and into joy. Queer joy.
posted by hippybear at 1:03 PM PST - 37 comments

For Humpbacks, Bubbles Can Be Tools (Doug Perrine, Hakai Magazine, 2022-12-20) [more inside]
posted by Not A Thing at 11:07 AM PST - 3 comments

Three members of the far-right Oath Keepers and a fourth associate have been convicted of seditious conspiracy (Washington Post) by a Washington, DC, jury for their role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection. This is the second set of convictions: A jury found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and another leader of the group guilty of seditious conspiracy in a separate trial in November. Seditious conspiracy is difficult to prove, but the Justice Department convinced both juries. [more inside]
posted by kristi at 11:01 AM PST - 50 comments

Nikki Finke, "Hollywood's most reviled reporter" died last October, and was just as good at breaking power structures as she was in burning bridges... "She could be rude, aggressive, highhanded — so it wasn’t a shock that, mixed into the respectful newspaper obituaries and affectionate tributes, there were harsh takedowns." [Warning: SLNYT]
posted by foxywombat at 9:34 AM PST - 4 comments

This report [in English] finds that the United States can achieve zero emissions transportation while limiting the amount of lithium mining necessary by reducing the car dependence of the transportation system, decreasing the size of electric vehicle batteries, and maximizing lithium recycling. En español aqui. [more inside]
posted by threementholsandafuneral at 9:31 AM PST - 9 comments

Back in 2004, plans were announced for a sumptuous new edition of John Crowley's beloved fantasy novel Little, Big, to be published in 2006 to mark the book's 25th anniversary. Years passed, the project stalled, irate subscribers started demanding their money back. Then in 2021 Neil Gaiman stepped in to rescue the project, and this week it was announced that the first copies have shipped. Gaiman has posted a video of himself unboxing his copy.
posted by verstegan at 8:27 AM PST - 45 comments

SINCE 1947, THE Doomsday Clock has ticked away [more inside]
posted by sammyo at 7:29 AM PST - 29 comments

Chinese animation is a vibrant, distinctive industry — so why do so many people still call it ‘anime’? [Polygon] ““Donghua” — much like “anime” for Japanese speakers — is simply the Chinese word for “animation.” After decades of stagnation in the animation industry, going as far back as the Cultural Revolution, China has entered what many tentatively call a rebirth in the field. It’s the result of 20 years of a Chinese identity crisis in animation, as the industry struggled to compete with the likes of Disney, Pixar, and Japan’s famed Studio Ghibli. While donghua’s current form is heavily influenced by anime, it has its own identity. From the beginning, the medium has constantly evolved to meet the mindset of the society it comes from. Chinese animation has been around for nearly a hundred years.” BONUS: [10 best donghua to get into Chinese animation]
posted by Fizz at 5:39 AM PST - 16 comments

From the 1984 début of those first seven books, the Vintage Contemporaries design attracted immediate attention. It felt perfectly of the moment, a snapshot of the mid-eighties. If you’re a book collector of a certain age you can close your eyes and see it now. from The Artist Whose Book Covers Distilled the Nineteen-Eighties by Dan Kois [The New Yorker; ungated] [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 4:55 AM PST - 25 comments

The US Pentagon invests $90M in a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) [archive.ph]
posted by bendy at 12:55 AM PST - 17 comments

Black Eyed Peas’ Label Sues Pooping Unicorns Toymaker For $10M The Black Eyed Peas’ record label is suing the makers of a pooping unicorn toy over the company’s unauthorized parody of “My Humps.”...In a promotional video published last summer, the unicorns perform a parody of “My Humps” involving lyrics like “Whatchu gonna do with all that poop? All that poop?” and “Gonna get loopy off my poopy!” [more inside]
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:08 PM PST - 53 comments

“In short, a close examination of the work produced by CNET's AI makes it seem less like a sophisticated text generator and more like an automated plagiarism machine, casually pumping out pilfered work that would get a human journalist fired.”
posted by gauche at 6:22 PM PST - 33 comments

The recent spike in shoplifting is both overblown and real. And almost everyone is profiting from it (including you). [Curbed.com]

“They’re professional and self-employed,” said David Rey, who, after years overseeing security teams in New York department stores, published Larceny on 34th Street: An In-Depth Look at Professional Shoplifting in One of the World’s Largest Stores. “Just like what we do for a living — going to work — they pay their bills and rent and raise their children off the proceeds that they get from shoplifting.”

None of the boosters interviewed for this story could name someone who shoplifted for any other reason than to support a drug habit.
posted by riruro at 5:39 PM PST - 95 comments

Cal-Maine's stock is up 47% from a year ago. Cory Doctorow describes the origins of Eggflation. [more inside]
posted by mecran01 at 1:49 PM PST - 76 comments

The EPA tells Audubon it “is still reviewing whether over-the-top dicamba can be used in a manner that does not pose unreasonable risks to non-target crops and other plants. Fuller was no anti-pesticide crusader. He sells dicamba and tolerant seeds and thinks farmers should be able to use it except in the heat of summer. When the [Arkansas State Plant] board received a record number of dicamba-related complaints in 2017, he joined the unanimous vote to ban spraying after April 15.
posted by spamandkimchi at 1:10 PM PST - 14 comments

layoffs.fyi is tracking the latest downturn in tech employment. Is it due to previous over-hiring and recent high interest rates? Or is it perhaps "social contagion" in the C-suite? NYT: Tech Layoffs Shock Young Workers. The Older People? Not So Much (archive link). [more inside]
posted by gwint at 9:01 AM PST - 106 comments

Officials announced Saturday that the [Canadian] federal government and 325 First Nations have agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit, seeking reparations for the loss of language and culture brought on by Indian residential schools, for $2.8 billion.
posted by Etrigan at 5:58 AM PST - 11 comments

When I tell people I earn my living as a copyeditor, I am typically met with one of two responses: rapt admiration or an almost physical revulsion. from The World Through a Copyeditor’s Eyes by Jeff Reimer [The Bulwark]
posted by chavenet at 4:28 AM PST - 26 comments

Happy Monday, freedom lovers! We heard you like free things so we decided to put a whole bunch of free things in your free thing. [more inside]
posted by taz at 2:19 AM PST - 75 comments

An intergenerational family business ends up being the last of its kind, but still keeps chugging along somehow. How The Last Artificial Flower Factory In NYC Handcrafts Designs For Celebrities [13m, Insider Business "Still Standing" series]
posted by hippybear at 2:55 PM PST - 11 comments

It's the coolest mutual admiration society event ever. On The Amber Ruffin Show - John Oliver Explains How The Brits Do Christmas, and We Have Questions [YT 13:25]. Crackers and minced pie are covered. And, how do they really feel about giant red bows in car commercials and It's a Wonderful Life? [more inside]
posted by Glinn at 1:56 PM PST - 31 comments

This Guy Noticed Jigsaw Puzzle Companies Use The Same Patterns, So He Made Some Mashups. "Jigsaw puzzle companies tend to use the same cut patterns for multiple puzzles. This makes the pieces interchangeable. As a result, I sometimes find that I can combine portions from two or more puzzles to make a surreal picture that the publisher never imagined. I take great pleasure in “discovering” such bizarre images lying latent, sometimes for decades, within the pieces of ordinary mass-produced puzzles. As I shift the pieces back and forth, trying different combinations, I feel like an archaeologist unearthing a hidden artifact." Via shepgo@mastodon.social
posted by taz at 11:50 AM PST - 29 comments

The Eddie , a Hawaiian winter surfing competition held only when wave heights exceed twenty feet, is being held today for the tenth time since it was established in 1984. The most recent Eddies were held in 2004, 2009, and (previously) 2016. YouTube livestream. [more inside]
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 11:30 AM PST - 11 comments

A Guide to Your Most Common Thinking Errors. 21 biases explained in an animated video. Part 2.
posted by storybored at 9:06 AM PST - 52 comments

Julie d'Aubigny: Princess of the Opera. Sword-slinging, opera-singing bisexual rock star of the 17th century - who burnt down a convent to romance a nun and had to be pardoned by the king of France TWICE.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 12:43 AM PST - 24 comments

Cory Doctorow on why we can't have nice (Internet) things
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:58 PM PST - 93 comments

An audacious gamble using a real estate trick possibly unique to Korea failed to pay off for one man, leaving hundreds of tenants in legal limbo and unable to get their hands on massive deposits they put down for the privilege of living rent free for two years. Anthony Lee Zhang (Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago) explains the jeongse system on Twitter and Substack.
posted by Etrigan at 3:19 PM PST - 19 comments

Seattle Times: A photographer named Darius Kinsey... regularly traveled the Western Washington countryside seeking out subjects, and potential customers. He’d started his photography business in Snohomish in 1890, a few years earlier... Tabitha Pritts ... caught his eye, and he hers. Darius and Tabitha married in 1896, thus embarking on a 50-year photographic partnership... Thousands of images produced by Darius and Tabitha reside at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham. (Archived) [more inside]
posted by ShooBoo at 9:51 AM PST - 6 comments

Mentos Theme "Fresh goes better" [more inside]
posted by May Kasahara at 9:12 AM PST - 37 comments

“A Marxist View of Tolkien’s Middle Earth” by John Molyneux, 11 January 2023

J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy world is a medieval utopia with poverty and oppression airbrushed out of the picture. But Tolkien’s work also contains a romantic critique of industrial capitalism that is an important part of its vast popular appeal.

[more inside]
posted by ob1quixote at 9:05 AM PST - 56 comments

The Miraculous Life and Afterlife of Charlene Richard. In 1959, a bright and devout young girl died of leukemia in Lafayette, Louisiana. Over the next sixty years, her story was transformed, beginning with folk sainthood in America's most Catholic country and traveling through the machinations of creating saints in an embattled modern Church.
NYT Magazine longread with option to listen; gift link. [more inside]
posted by Countess Elena at 7:00 AM PST - 7 comments

The world is bullish on America and American power. You read that right. This is the same world that looks on with glee or horror at the carnivalesque, occasionally violent politics on Capitol Hill. The same one that barely a year ago dismissed an America defeated in Afghanistan as a has-been and hailed the rise of a new authoritarian age led by China, with an assist from Vladimir Putin’s confident Russia. Now some caveats.... from America in Decline? World Thinks Again. [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 6:43 AM PST - 25 comments

Is life in the UK really as bad as the numbers suggest? [archive] by Tim Harford
posted by Lanark at 3:55 AM PST - 43 comments

The war has been going on for close to 11 months, and yesterday another donor conference in Ramstein was concluded. There has been significant support pledged the week leading up to the conference, but the thing on most observer's minds have been the German government's unwillingness to greenlight Leopard 2 tank donations or sales. No resolution was reached during the conference, but Germany stated that they ware looking into what stocks were available in-country, while stating that anyone is free to provide Leopard 2 training to Ukrainian crews. Providing fighter jets have seemed like a lost cause, but the Netherlands said that they were open to providing Ukraine with F-16s, re-igniting hope. [more inside]
posted by Harald74 at 12:01 AM PST - 302 comments

Meet the tiger quoll (spotted-tail quoll), a tree-climbing marsupial carnivore. Weighing between 1.8 kilograms to 3.5 kilograms (4lb to 7.7lb), it is the largest of Australia's quolls. Here is a tiger quoll that has had clicker training in a zoo. Here is a wild tiger quoll checking out someone's campsite to see if it can find snacks. Here is a tiger quoll checking out someone's loungeroom. And this is what it sounds like when a tiger quoll is angry and wants some personal space (also contains three adorable baby quolls). And here is a much cuter clucking noise it makes when it isn't angry.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 11:59 PM PST - 11 comments

Writer/director Nida Manzoor (creator of We Are Lady Parts) makes her feature film debut this weekend at the Sundance Film Festival with the action-comedy Polite Society (official trailer). [more inside]
posted by mbrubeck at 6:55 PM PST - 18 comments

The sleep habits of rats, startup guys, pigeons, street buskers and more!
posted by SituationNormal at 4:27 PM PST - 2 comments

The Lisa: Apple's Most Influential Failure Without the Lisa, there would have been no Macintosh—at least in the form we have it today—and perhaps there would have been no Microsoft Windows either. (NB if you really miss Lisa, you can now download its source code)
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 3:46 PM PST - 17 comments

The past as viewed from the past when the past was the present but the past was still the past. A Boy Named Charlie Brown [26m] is an unaired 1963 documentary [Wikipedia] about the comic strip and publishing phenomenon Peanuts, created by Charles Schultz. [more inside]
posted by hippybear at 1:50 PM PST - 9 comments

Three years ago today was the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in the U.S.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 1:33 PM PST - 162 comments

Cats smuggling booze: So, I think the last mention of Trace Butler's "Lackadaisy Cats" webcomic was almost 10 years ago. And to celebrate reactivation of funding MeFi, I thought I should finally get drunk enough to do a post? Meow? [more inside]
posted by flamewise at 12:29 PM PST - 11 comments

"We are the guardians of the living room rug. The avengers of hallway carpeting. The brave souls willing to bite the crap out of any vacuum cleaner we see. We stand vigilant in the face of HEPA filters and self-retracting cords.
"We are the Vacuum Cleaner Defense League.
"While millions of lives are threatened daily, our work will never end. No one is safe until we say NO to vacuum cleaners."
Meet the Members of VCDL | Blog | Spread the word for a Vacuum-free agenda in 2024!
posted by not_on_display at 12:03 PM PST - 9 comments

Fire Emblem Engage May Be The Meaty Tactical RPG Fans Are Hungry For [Kotaku] [Review Roundup] “Fire Emblem Three Houses was adored by many for its detailed characters, intricate relationship building, and consequential story choices. The series’ strategy combat was still there, but hardly the main attraction. Based on early reviews, it sounds like Fire Emblem Engage flips the tables, rewarding fans of the strategy series’ roots while at the same time curtailing the ambitious social elements introduced by its predecessor. Fire Emblem Engage sports VTuber-looking protagonists and a gameplay gimmick that lets players summon heroes from the series’ past to help them in battle. What it doesn’t necessarily have is a cast of fascinating warriors to befriend or a compelling conflict. There are a host of visual and quality-of-life improvements, but the game appears to be more of an homage to the series’ past than its next step forward.” [Overview Trailer] [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 11:47 AM PST - 18 comments

To celebrate the pioneering electronic music experimentation of Radiohead
and the roughly 15-and-a-half birthday of their pioneering pay-what-you want release of their album In Rainbows
please enjoy this pioneering (and surprisingly upbeat) pay-what-you-want release of In Rainbows covered using samples from N64 games (mostly Mario 64)
posted by Going To Maine at 10:38 AM PST - 8 comments

Striking French workers lead 1 million people in protest over plans to raise retirement age
posted by Selena777 at 8:26 AM PST - 30 comments

Such moments also cut to the core of Carmela’s contradictory identity and fundamental dilemma as a frustrated homemaker with repressed desires, a loyal wife who has suffered endless slights from an adulterous husband she cannot bring herself to leave, a devout and conscience-stricken Catholic who owes the spoils of her upwardly mobile lifestyle to blood money and an endless cycle of immorality, and a smart, self-assured woman who has sacrificed all of her potential for a humdrum home life spent in the service of unappreciative spouse and spoiled kids. from How Edie Falco Made Carmela Soprano Matter [Hazlitt] [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 5:06 AM PST - 3 comments

It's Time To Let Coal Die | Climate Town (YouTube, 29m12s)
posted by flabdablet at 3:13 AM PST - 21 comments

On their own, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus are three accomplished singer-songwriters. Together, they're a one-of-a-kind band powered by friendship, sick books, and sicker songs. [Rolling Stone / Archive, boygenius previously and previouslier]
posted by ellieBOA at 1:48 AM PST - 18 comments

Quoll family completes epic 5600km (3479 miles, which is further than New York to San Francisco) roundtrip after accidentally nesting in pumpkin box. The carnivorous critters from Far North Queensland needed some TLC after being found a little worse for wear at a wholesale market in Melbourne.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:30 PM PST - 14 comments

Wikipedia gets first desktop redesign in a decade. A sample page.
posted by gwint at 10:26 PM PST - 58 comments

"What did the original possessor of the menu order? I imagined New York City’s hungry denizens enjoying unfamiliar dishes like “pig’s knuckle in jelly” or “calf’s head with brain sauce.” You might find yourself wondering what “frostfish” is when looking at a Waldorf-Astoria menu from 1901, whether the Beluga caviar for $1.50 seemed expensive (hint: it’s $52.59 in today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation), or how the restaurant managed to have nine different species of game birds on the menu." Getting Lost in the World’s Largest Stack of Menus
posted by Grandysaur at 10:04 PM PST - 14 comments

Musician David Crosby, whose seminal work in the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, and Nash (+ sometimes Young) helped shape the course of American popular music in the 1960s, has passed away at age 81. [more inside]
posted by Nerd of the North at 8:14 PM PST - 77 comments

New Mexico prosecutors have decided to charge actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reedwith with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie, Rust. [gift NY Times link] [more inside]
posted by hydra77 at 7:07 PM PST - 177 comments

Vietnam goes cat-crazy for Tet!
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 6:10 PM PST - 14 comments

Lisa Marie Presley has died, aged 54. Lisa Marie Presley, only daughter of Elvis Presley, "The King of Rock Roll," and actor Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, was buried today in the Meditation Garden of the Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee. She is interred near her late father and her son, Benjamin Keough, who predeceased her in 2020. A memorial service is scheduled for this Sunday, January 22, and will be open to the public. [more inside]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:10 PM PST - 13 comments

Explore the annotated manuscript of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
posted by toastyk at 2:30 PM PST - 10 comments

Almost 6 years after its release, Rain World is getting a DLC expansion. Downpour, which was released today, adds new slugcats, new areas to explore, co-op, and more, to this strange and beautiful game which is quite unlike any other. [more inside]
posted by okonomichiyaki at 2:21 PM PST - 7 comments

Dateforce: Salesforce, but for dating [more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 1:10 PM PST - 19 comments

“The Elder Scrolls: Skyblivion is a volunteer-based project by the TESRenewal modding group. We aim to bring the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to a new generation of gamers and re-introduce it to long time fans of the series. We are currently in the process of remaking Cyrodiil along with all of its quests, locations and characters into Skyrim and Skyrim: Special Edition.” [Official Trailer]
posted by Fizz at 10:43 AM PST - 14 comments

Most Popular Song Each Month in the 60s [more inside]
posted by philip-random at 8:46 AM PST - 65 comments

What started as an experiment has turned into a habit I hope will inspire others. I disconnected from the electric grid for 8 months—in Manhattan.
posted by theora55 at 8:05 AM PST - 110 comments

Thirty years later, Conan O’Brien reflects on the making and legacy of “Marge vs. the Monorail,” one of the best ‘Simpsons’—and sitcom—episodes of all time [The Ringer] [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 4:53 AM PST - 73 comments

One of the world's best leaders, Jacinda Ardern, who helped set the bar for other world leaders, is resigning as New Zealand prime minister. "I no longer have enough in the tank": Jacinda Ardern resigns as New Zealand prime minister
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:32 PM PST - 74 comments

"Check out this guy playing the solo from 'Free Bird.'"
"Lots of guitarists can play that."
"Yeah, but this guy, he...he plays the harmonica."
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:38 PM PST - 20 comments

In 1985, CBS aired a special program designed to help boys figure out How to Be a Man. Hosted by Captain Kangaroo's Bob Keeshan, it concluded with Broadway's Rex Smith performing a carefully choreographed rendition of David Bowie's Boys Keep Swinging.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 6:28 PM PST - 54 comments

Pandas eating bamboo
(also a carrot)
posted by Going To Maine at 5:56 PM PST - 14 comments

Beyond the War on Invasive Species with Tao Orion. The reason we’ve been talking about pesticides because herbicides are such a big part of getting rid of “invasive” species… But your book tries to turn things on its head and to question the concept of whether we should be trying to eradicate them. "Invasive species don’t have special powers and aren’t inherently malignant. From an ecological perspective, they are exploiting available niches." Bonus: interview at the Permaculture Podcast.
posted by spamandkimchi at 4:06 PM PST - 23 comments

A simple tale about how things are going to go. Six parts, just keep hitting "Next".
posted by benito.strauss at 2:43 PM PST - 15 comments

Professional wrestler Jay Briscoe has died at age 38. Briscoe (real name Jamin Pugh) and his brother (IRL and on-screen) Mark were mainstays of the Ring of Honor promotion, appearing at its first-ever event. They would go on to hold the ROH Tag Team Championship 13 times over the next 20 years, including reigning as champions at the time of Jay's death. Jay also won the ROH World Championship on two occasions from 2013 to 2015. [more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 9:03 AM PST - 6 comments

Elden Ring GeoGuessr game tests your knowledge of The Lands Between [lostgamer.io] “Elden Ring players can now test their knowledge of the game's world in a fan made GeoGuessr game. For the unfamiliar, GeoGuessr is a browser game that drops players somewhere in the real world and tasks them with pinpointing their exact location on a map. Now, thanks to reddit user TheEdenChild, there's an Elden Ring version that drops players into The Lands Between. [...] After being dropped into the world, players must pin their location on a newly created satellite map of the world. There are also custom settings - you can select specific areas, length, and timers - plus a leaderboard and support for multiplayer, with more features planned in the future. BONUS: There are also Genshin Impact, GTA 5, Skyrim, World of Warcraft, and Fortnite versions of the game, with Breath of the Wild, Final Fantasy 14, and others coming soon.” [via: Eurogamer]
posted by Fizz at 6:36 AM PST - 19 comments

Founders of Bankrupt Three Arrows Capital Plan Trading Platform for Distressed Crypto Debt [WSJ; ungated] [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 3:18 AM PST - 28 comments

Caterina Valente shows Dean Martin how to sing the one note samba. An utterly charming performance.
posted by Zumbador at 2:25 AM PST - 20 comments

Twitter’s staff spent years trying to protect the social media site against impulsive billionaires who wanted to use the reach of its platform for their own ends.... This article rehashes the last three months of Twitter flushing down the toilet. [more inside]
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:21 PM PST - 219 comments

How do echidnas stay cool in the blistering heat? They blow snot bubbles and perform belly flops. The furry and spiky pointy-beaked critters perform some out-of-the-ordinary behaviours to avoid overheating, researchers from Curtin University find.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:09 PM PST - 13 comments

'What a once-simple rite of childhood reveals about the divisions among us' [more inside]
posted by smorgasbord at 5:28 PM PST - 104 comments

'Films of Love and War.'
posted by clavdivs at 4:52 PM PST - 1 comment

Seamus Begley died on January 7, 2023. This hit me hard, for some reason. I guess because I’ll never hear him again live. [more inside]
posted by dbmcd at 2:31 PM PST - 7 comments

Trobairitz: The Lady Composers of Medieval France is an introduction to the female troubadours of Occitania by Sarah Berry. Only one whole song, music and lyrics, attributed to a trobairitz survives in whole, the Comtesse de Dia’s A chantar m'er de so qu'eu no volria (here in the rendition of Ensemble Céladon and Paulin Bündgen, but many versions exist). Here is another poem by her in Magda Bogin’s translation. About twenty other trobairitz are known by name, and a number of anonymous poems show hints of female authorship. Claudia Keelan published a book of her translations, which she discussed in an essay including some translations and you can see her read dialogue poems with other readers. Finally, here is a translation by Samantha Pious of Bieiris de Romans’ love poem to a woman.
posted by Kattullus at 10:39 AM PST - 5 comments

"Car Brain" - the cultural blind spot that makes people apply double standards when they think about driving - is real, measurable and pervasive. [more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 8:50 AM PST - 191 comments

Pet Fish Reveals Credit Card Details During Pokémon Violet Livestream: Mutekimaru Channel is a Japanese YouTuber whose most well-known livestream series is called 'Fish Play Pokémon'. On these streams — you guessed it — some pet fish actually manages to play through entire Pokémon games. [...] But how do they play? Mutekimaru has created a program and circuit board that uses motion tracking. The board has a sheet of paper and various button inputs on it, and it's placed behind the fish tank. When the fish swims by the button, the circuit board picks up the movement and inputs the relevant movement. On 15th January, while playing Pokémon Violet on stream, the game crashed and the fish found themselves going into the Switch's menu, and then the eShop. It's a... journey, to say the least. Once on the eShop, the fish manage to browse a few games such as Minecraft and Minecraft Legends, but not before popping into the wallet page and adding 500 yen to Mutekimaru's account — which is where the credit card details were on show! [via: Nintendo Life]
posted by Fizz at 6:04 AM PST - 28 comments

[CW: profanity, bleak imagery of England, Sting] UK GRIM is the new song by Sleaford Mods, from their forthcoming album. The video is directed by Cold War Steve and is, unsurprisingly, unsubtle. NME: “It might strike a chord with people at their wit’s end.” Big Issue: “It’s just that the English we’re proud of being is absolutely nothing like the English the authorities want to try and promote.”
posted by Wordshore at 4:42 AM PST - 27 comments

Internet politics scholar Dave Karpf's updated compendium of (68) WIRED articles as zeitgeist capsules. The articles and the original list are available at #Wiredarchive. From 1999: "You’ve Got Smell!" Probably WIRED’s most famous wrong-call cover story profiles a company, Digiscent, that promises the “next Web revolution,” by digitally encoding smells. From 2001: “Death of the New Economy R.I.P." It took a while for WIRED to come to grips with the end of the dotcom boom.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:24 PM PST - 21 comments

“...this song is bullshit, a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human, and, well, I don’t much like it” A fan (multiple fans, apparently) have sent AI-generated lyrics “in the style of Nick Cave” to Nick Cave, who replies: Data doesn’t suffer. ChatGPT has no inner being, it has been nowhere, it has endured nothing, it has not had the audacity to reach beyond its limitations, and hence it doesn’t have the capacity for a shared transcendent experience, as it has no limitations from which to transcend.
posted by staggernation at 2:33 PM PST - 160 comments

In February 2022, 25 newly-discovered Basquiat paintings went on exhibit at the Orlando Museum of Art NYT Link | archive.org link. The authenticity of the paintings was almost immediately called into question, due to their irregular provenance, discrepancies in style, and anachronisms in materials. [more inside]
posted by OrangeDisk at 10:48 AM PST - 26 comments

Ronzoni says it didn’t want to halt sales of its star-shaped “pastina.” So why did it? [archive]
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 8:18 AM PST - 78 comments

Hello, yes, it's Monday, but don't worry, it's all right now, baby, it's — ah all right now, (whoa, ooh)! But don't take my word for it, just ask these guys. Like this thread, they are totally Free, and we're feeling very '70s in here. ☮️ [more inside]
posted by taz at 2:24 AM PST - 109 comments

Over time, the mere existence of such databases becomes a continued justification for their use, so entrenched are they in everyday governance, in policy and decision-making. They aren’t merely representative of everything that the state already knows about an individual, but what’s possible for the state to know, if and when it becomes ostensibly necessary. from Database States by Sanjana Varghese [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 1:08 AM PST - 11 comments

Odeuropa, a project to collect and map Europe's "olfactory heritage," has been building knowledge about Europe's historic fragrances and stenches. Check out the Smell Explorer, follow a BBC reporter in a tour of the "smells and stinks of Amsterdam," or sniff the smells of Hell through art.
posted by Miko at 11:50 AM PST - 22 comments

Juliana Spahr and Stephanie Young, later joined by Claire Grossman, began by noticing that poetry readings they regularly attended were held in “mainly white rooms.” They wanted to know why...Because prizes are a normative standard for success, they collected data on prizes — every prize since 1918 worth $10,000 or more in 2022 dollars. They recorded who won, what their gender and race were, where they earned their degrees, and who served as judges. Then they published what they found in a series of essays. What did they find? [more inside]
posted by latkes at 10:31 AM PST - 17 comments

We Convinced Our School to Bring Back Masks [more inside]
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 8:27 AM PST - 138 comments

Remember the time that Channel 4 sent some reality TV contestants to space for five days? Probably not, because they didn't, but they spent millions of pounds on tricking the contestants into thinking that they had. The resulting show, Space Cadets, is not fondly remembered -- or much remembered at all -- but a YouTube retrospective by science/culture vlogger Chris James has recently been making the rounds. It shows the highlights and the painstaking detail that went into the hoax, from embedded method improv actors to "spacecraft" constructed by Hollywood engineers. Whether it was a greater cruelty than I Wanna Marry Harry is a matter for debate. [more inside]
posted by Countess Elena at 8:16 AM PST - 17 comments

Rural Studio is a post-grad program that researches affordable design principles. a handywoman in northern Michigan vlogs herself building a modular house (ongoing). A designer researches sustainable homes and decides to build a net zero home. Bungalow In A Box is a family operation that builds timber frame + SIP small houses, with lots of pictures of the build and install.
posted by rebent at 7:32 AM PST - 10 comments

A tintinnabulation of greeping. Guinea pigs living their best lives. Also, bonus chickens. (SL YouTube)
posted by holborne at 7:39 PM PST - 34 comments

Whenever one of these models is upgraded, it becomes less good. Janelle Shane asks software to create novelty sock ideas. Various surreal designs result. ChatGPT appears to like alliteration. [more inside]
posted by doctornemo at 6:46 PM PST - 10 comments

Quintessentially Californian institutions are popping up all over Manhattan as New Yorkers embrace sound baths, mocktails and legal marijuana. [more inside]
posted by Ahmad Khani at 5:18 PM PST - 36 comments

And yet, while dragging the likes of Apple CEO Tim Cook off to the whipping post may be fine sport, what’s the state of our own souls in all of this? We who encourage and enable these 21st-century digital robber barons? Are we their victims? Co-conspirators? Could we find our own way out of the walled garden? Do we even want to? from The Pulitzer winner who predicted Elon Musk and Elizabeth Holmes 25 years ago, a look at Steven Millhauser's 1997 novel, Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer
posted by chavenet at 12:04 PM PST - 22 comments

A Writer Collapses. As He Recovers, His Dispatches Captivate Readers (NYT -- archive link) Hanif Kureishi lost use of his arms and legs. In tweets dictated to family members, he narrates the drama, and muses about writing and art, love and patience. He’s also quite funny.
posted by bitteschoen at 12:03 PM PST - 3 comments

99 years-old artist Huang Yongyu designed the Year of the Rabbit (from Hell) zodiac stamp for the Chinese postal service. Huang actually came on livestream to talk about his red-eyed blue rabbit, expressing that drawing a rabbit is something fun, something celebratory, and that he just hoped his rabbit would make people happy. "But it doesn't," one person replied. From What's on Weibo founder Manya Koetse.
posted by spamandkimchi at 11:45 AM PST - 21 comments

Facial recognition software's unique use in sea dragon conservation. Known for their leaf-like appendages, the seahorse-like creatures found along the Australian coastline can be identified by the markings on their faces and along their chiselled snouts.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 7:58 PM PST - 6 comments

Laura Wagner of Defector explores NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying "football is a family" in a letter addressing Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin's nearly dying on the field last week. (Defector's paywall is down at the moment, but if it goes up, here's the archive today link)
posted by Etrigan at 6:20 PM PST - 22 comments

Elegant and Imaginative Photographs of Meals from Famous Literature versus The Top Ten Most Disappointing Edibles and Potables of Children’s Literature. On the one hand, the roasted eggs and potatoes from The Secret Garden. On the other hand, egg creams. A meal from Heidi appears on both lists. Controversy!
posted by merriment at 4:45 PM PST - 137 comments

The Corsi-Rosenthal Box: or, how to build a DIY portable air cleaner with four filters and a box fan
posted by box at 3:30 PM PST - 53 comments

Written In Stone: a collection of photographs of maker's marks in sidewalks.
posted by cortex at 12:59 PM PST - 14 comments

Every Song With Over 1 Billion Spotify Streams [Hi-Res jpeg]
posted by chavenet at 11:58 AM PST - 115 comments

NYT reporter Joe Bernstein and his wife were headed home early. It was cold out, and the club around the corner had music, so they stepped inside to wait for their cab. The band was playing primitive garage rock: fast, loud, hard. The place was packed. There were women in skintight red dresses, long-haired men sucking down bottles of beer and couples flirting in the alcove outside the bathrooms. In fact, just one thing distinguished the crowd from nearly any other rock n' roll show: almost everyone was over 65. Twitter thread. NYT article. Archive.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:39 AM PST - 115 comments

David Cronenberg's Galaxy of Flesh (1985) Keith Schofield used AI art generator Midjourney to produce images from another movie which never existed. (CW Cronenberg body horror, obviously) [more inside]
posted by doctornemo at 6:05 AM PST - 48 comments

Young women were the true originators of the Grimms’ Tales is a short essay by Christine Lehnen about the tellers of the stories that Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published, most of whom were not the old wives of popular imagination, but young women of their acquaintance. A Case Study in Editorial Filters in Folktales: A Discussion of the Allerleirauh tales in Grimm [pdf] by Cay Dollerup, Iven Reventlow, and Carsten Rosenberg Hansen, is a scholarly comparison between the version by one of these women, Dorothea ‘Dortchen’ Wild, and other versions. Wil is also discussed extensively in an interview with author Nick Jubber on the Grimm Reading podcast [Apple Podcasts link]
posted by Kattullus at 5:30 AM PST - 5 comments

I recently realised that I'm autistic. Here are the resources I found valuable in figuring out what this means. All of these links are about autism in adults, which can be a challenge to find. Where possible I've prioritised resources created by neurodivergent people. Reasons why autistic people self diagnose The medical system has long focused on young, white boys — at that, often cisgender, heterosexual, and from families with money — who exhibit very specific autistic traits when it comes to research, diagnosis, and accommodations. This excludes everyone else, and means the most prevalent information we have only helps part of the community. As a result, the more intersections of oppression an autistic person exists are, the more difficult it can be for them to get a professional diagnosis. [more inside]
posted by Zumbador at 1:01 AM PST - 84 comments

Deer sniffing a compost pile to get high. [more inside]
posted by blue shadows at 11:02 PM PST - 13 comments

Old mice grow young again in study. Can people do the same? - "In Boston labs, old, blind mice have regained their eyesight, developed smarter, younger brains and built healthier muscle and kidney tissue. On the flip side, young mice have prematurely aged, with devastating results to nearly every tissue in their bodies." [more inside]
posted by kliuless at 10:56 PM PST - 47 comments

The trailer for Are You There God? It’s me, Margaret has dropped. Get your hankies Gen-xers!
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:39 PM PST - 67 comments

Find That Meme, by Matthew Bryant provides full text search for memes.
How it’s made
h/t Today in Tabs, by rusty
posted by Going To Maine at 1:35 PM PST - 9 comments

.. but in Antarctica! This is the premise of brr.fyi ⛄, a cool little blog written by an IT worker who is currently at the South Pole. [more inside]
posted by Superilla at 12:45 PM PST - 26 comments

Woodworker Olivier Gomis builds a wormhole-themed coffee table.
posted by cortex at 11:06 AM PST - 37 comments

Exclusive: Alex Jones Phone Dump Reveals Text Convos With Tucker Carlson [Huffington Post] CW: what it says on the tin. Feel free to look away if you like, but it provides deep insight into the making of a sausage most foul
posted by chavenet at 10:46 AM PST - 31 comments

Explore the Missing Profits of Nations map to see how much profit and tax revenue your country loses (or attracts) in this shell game for profits. Shifting reduces corporate income tax revenue by more than $200 billion, or 10% of global corporate tax receipts.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:33 AM PST - 10 comments

Regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, he was 78. [more inside]
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 9:10 AM PST - 64 comments

Seven vulnerabilities in Threema found by Kenneth Paterson, Matteo Scarlata, and Kien Tuong Truong at ETH Zurich, including "a cross-protocol attack which breaks authentication in Threema and which exploits the lack of proper key separation between different subprotocols" and "a compression-based side-channel attack that recovers users’ long-term private keys through observation of the size of Threema encrypted backups". [more inside]
posted by jeffburdges at 7:12 AM PST - 20 comments

The collective that contains Art Of Noise have been trying to be more visible recently. Mystery man computer programmer J.J. Jeczalik has popped up in several podcasts recently: From June 2022, SOS pocast [55m], Dec 2022, Synthetic Dreams podcast [44m], Pro Synth Network LIVE! [2h25m, interview begins at around 40m15s] , and Electronic Cafe with a two part interview that totals ~90m [more inside]
posted by hippybear at 9:54 PM PST - 15 comments

Latest lamb ad humorously roasts Aussies for "un-Australian" behaviour. The latest annual lamb ad from Meat and Livestock Australia takes aim at offences such as eating a meat pie with a knife and fork, changing the channel during the Test cricket and not knowing the words to Khe Sanh. The youtube video. The article.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 9:29 PM PST - 41 comments

Cosplay commandos are posting nationalist thirst traps to mobilise the SIMPs – but why?
posted by Etrigan at 6:13 PM PST - 82 comments

Duo Ruut are an Estonian duo who sing haunting melodies and rhythms together while playing a single Estonian zither between themselves--a traditional instrument played in a non-traditional way. Check out their songs Tuule sõnad and Nightingale. [more inside]
posted by msbrauer at 1:42 PM PST - 15 comments

I've heard moms talk about the terrible twos, but it's less common to see a dad write about with so much humor and heart.
posted by SituationNormal at 1:37 PM PST - 26 comments

TraumaZone: Russia 1985-1999. Here's a huge 7 part documentary series on Russia from 1985-1999. Noteworthy for exclusively using BBC film archives to show what real people were going through. There's no narration, but it's one of Adam Curtis' creations, so feel free to read the subtitles in his voice. [more inside]
posted by pepcorn at 12:48 PM PST - 13 comments

Ok really I just want to show you this image of a sparkly rainbow butterfly unicorn kitten which is sometimes just what you need. [more inside]
posted by aniola at 11:51 AM PST - 35 comments

Mathematician and numeric encylopedstrian N. J. A. Sloane looks back on the history of his work and collaborations on what became the wonder that is the OEIS in a brief and very accessible paper, “A Handbook of Integer Sequences” Fifty Years Later. [more inside]
posted by cortex at 10:10 AM PST - 10 comments

I want to share a podcast I've found helpful as I learn to cope with ADHD as an adult - something many of us working from home are discovering about ourselves. That podcast is ADHD Big Brother. Russ Jones is a single dad in his 40s who wants to help other adults who are also struggling with adhd and co-morbid depression symptoms. Each episode is a quick reminder to be kind to yourself, some advice about coping skills, and some high-energy banter thrown in too. Two good episodes are Why Affirmations Don't Work and Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria. [more inside]
posted by rebent at 7:10 AM PST - 55 comments

Welcome to Training Mode: [Polygon] “Have you ever thought to yourself, I want to get better at games, but I don’t want to destroy my life or physical health? Or, What should a gaming “workout” routine look like? We’re here to help with a special week dedicated to all things video games and health. From workout routines to rehab stories, ergonomics, meditation, signs to look for when you’re pushing too far, how to balance games and life, and more, we have stories lined up to help anyone develop a healthy relationship to gaming — especially if you really care about nontoxic ways to improve or compete.” [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 4:51 AM PST - 41 comments

Like the novel itself, this essay has digressed. I set out to describe what it can be like to write a novel and why I think it’s worth all the work and uncertainty, and the same with reading them. Somehow I wound up wondering how we can all tolerate each other. from Why Write a Novel, Why Read a Novel, and Why Now? by Suzanne Berne [LitHub]
posted by chavenet at 4:48 AM PST - 7 comments

... the Kondo boom feels like the last hurrah of a particular type of the prescriptive, white-knuckled minimalism that felt inescapable for much of the past decade. Enter "knolling," a totally different organizational method born from the studio practices of artists, designers, and DIYers that involves laying out related objects—paint pens and ink markers, wrenches and chisels, metal chains of all sizes—in a precise but simultaneously stylish way, intended to streamline workflow. The organizing practice feels uniquely suited to meet this aesthetic moment and rife with potential as an interior design philosophy, focusing on highlighting your belongings instead of discarding them. Tyler Watamanuk writes in Dwell on the Life-Changing Magic of “Knolling.” [more inside]
posted by Bella Donna at 3:57 AM PST - 68 comments

Making energy too cheap to meter - "The great slowdown began when we started rationing energy. Restarting progress means getting energy that is so abundant that it's almost free." [more inside]
posted by kliuless at 1:49 AM PST - 59 comments

A small clique of elites runs U.S. Soccer, passing it on from fathers to sons, from mentors to mentees. In retrospect, it was inevitable that two prominent American soccer families would get caught up in a bubbling stew of conflicted interests and backstabbing.
posted by Etrigan at 5:39 PM PST - 14 comments

Cardinal George Pell, who was the most senior Catholic official to be convicted of child abuse before his convictions were quashed, one of Australia’s most influential and controversial Catholic clergymen, has died.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 5:37 PM PST - 36 comments

"A Year of Scrabble. 47 games … 1,533 turns … 30,378 points. I catalogued every game we played for an entire year. The visuals that follow are visual experiments and focus on different ways of viewing personal data rather than exact details of who won or lost." Nicholas Rougeux's data visualization project and how it was made.
posted by jessamyn at 4:06 PM PST - 12 comments

On Oct. 3, 1960, the Play of the Week was The Dybbuk. Directed by Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Fail Safe, Dog Day Afternoon, etc.), it was a TV adaptation of S. Ansky's play [PDF] (see "How it Transformed American Jewish Theatre") based on traditional themes (see "A Jewish Monsters and Magic Reading List"). It featured modern dance choreographed by Anna Sokolow, who adapted the play nine years earlier (see "Sokolow's Impact on Dance"). A 1937 Yiddish-language film adaptation is also notable. Other Play of the Week episodes included Medea, The World of Sholem Aleichem, The Iceman Cometh (dir. Sidney Lumet), Thérèse Raquin, and Waiting for Godot. Incidentally, related folklore merges with many fantasy sources in the CC-licensed "New School Revolution" RPG, Cairn by Yochai Gal.
posted by Wobbuffet at 2:48 PM PST - 6 comments

Completely Arbortrary podcast. Tree zealot Casey Clapp & tree agnostic Alex Crowson on arboreal friends (and foes?). Once And Future Quing (Quince), Triangle of Citrus (Mandarin Orange), Big Nuts (Pecan) and cinnamon are the four TREESON’S EATINGS holiday episodes. No transcripts as far as I can tell. There are around 5 minutes of random chitchat at the start of each episode but the tree nerdery is excellent.
posted by spamandkimchi at 1:49 PM PST - 2 comments

‘What’s up! I can’t read.’ O.C. resident goes viral after schooling left him functionally illiterate by Sonja Sharp for the L. A. Times, is a profile of Oliver James, whose TikToks chronicle his daily progress in learning to read. The article goes into why it was that he never learned to read before, but he also tells his own story in this short video.
posted by Kattullus at 1:38 PM PST - 28 comments

United Nations says ozone layer is slowly healing, hole to mend by 2066. A United Nations report says the Earth's protective layer is healing at a pace that has the potential to fully mend the hole over Antarctica within about 43 years.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 11:22 AM PST - 16 comments

Over-reliance on English hinders cognitive science. [more inside]
posted by signal at 11:05 AM PST - 5 comments

Katie Porter is running for Senate. (*to the tune of Song 2) [more inside]
posted by ishmael at 8:59 AM PST - 45 comments

A couple months ago, kinesiology researchers conducted some tests to see if the walks in Monty Python's "Silly Walks" sketch had any health benefits. Turns out they do. [more inside]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:55 AM PST - 17 comments

To stop comparing myself to her. I can't help but envy the lives of those pairs who are perfect complements. One acts, the other manages. One writes, the other edits. The model inspiring the artist. The muse amusing her echo. Or even both doing the exact same job, wearing the same clothes, favoring the same perfumes, marrying the same man-nɒm. How lovely that must be, to be at ease with your reflection, to never be alone, to always have a partner. [more inside]
posted by smcg at 8:48 AM PST - 2 comments

The long road to union representation at Yale (threadreader). Yesterday, after an organizing campaign that can be traced back well over 30 years (eg, JSTOR), the Graduate Employees and Students Organization (UNITE-HERE local 33) at Yale University won the right to representation in a landslide landslide 1860-179 victory. The victory comes on the heels of successful strikes at Columbia and the University of California and is part of a growing movement toward grad unionization -- including elections this month at Northwestern and the University of Chicago. [more inside]
posted by Westringia F. at 6:56 AM PST - 12 comments

The Case for Abolishing Elections: More disturbing, he noted how his fellow politicians—all of whom owned their homes—tended to legislate in favor of landlords and against tenants. “I saw that the experiences and beliefs of legislators shape legislation far more than facts,” he said. “After that, I frequently commented that any 150 Vermonters pulled from the phone book would be more representative than the elected House membership.” [more inside]
posted by N8yskates at 6:54 AM PST - 91 comments

In the Stacks (Maisie's Tune) by Robin Sloan is both a synthesizer with knobs you can fiddle with and a short story you can read.
posted by Harald74 at 4:31 AM PST - 5 comments

As I watch the unfolding of extreme events across our planet, I find myself continuously relocated to that moment in the car with my brother. The sense of fracturing that ripples from a single shock event, even if the full extent of damage is yet to reveal itself. from The Great Forgetting by Summer Praetorius [CW: climate pessimism, mental illness]
posted by chavenet at 4:21 AM PST - 9 comments

The story of a seemingly insignificant character, hidden in plain sight: deft and insightful analysis of the opening sequence in Conan the Barbarian (1982) [threadreader/nitter]
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 3:16 AM PST - 38 comments

Last night, Virgin Orbit attempted the first ever space launch from UK soil (well, kind of) with their 747 carrier aircraft Cosmic Girl taking off from "Spaceport Cornwall" to release a LauncherOne rocket over the Atlantic ocean. The venture had been hailed as the start of new space industry for post-Brexit Britain, but the company and regulators argued openly in the press about who was to blame for delays. On the night, the much-hyped livestream was a flop, with glitchy telemetry, the sign language interpreter spotted drinking, the Chrome browser running the visuals crashing, and the final release countdown passing by without any video or commentary, only elevator music. Eventually a grainy image appeared, but although the launch itself initially seemed successful, the company later had to retract a tweet reporting a successful orbit, as an as-yet undetermined failure of the second stage left all nine satellites in the payload to burn up on re-entry. The company's stock price promptly fell to Earth by 30%, almost as quickly as the failed rocket.
posted by automatronic at 8:15 PM PST - 39 comments

At the end of every year, NiemanLab asks for predictions about the coming year of journalism from those in the know. Here's the latest batch predicting 2023. And here's the previous efforts: 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 (previously-ly-ly-ly)
posted by BiggerJ at 7:53 PM PST - 2 comments

"Hang on--Are you a dessert?" A compilation of Adrian Bliss sketches about the body. [more inside]
posted by mecran01 at 6:22 PM PST - 6 comments

It was in that optimistic spirit, 28 days ago, that the former president, impeached and voted out of office and impeached again, amid multiple state and federal investigations, under threat of indictment and arrest, on the verge of a congressional-committee verdict that would recommend four criminal charges to the Feds over his incitement of a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol and threatened to hang his vice-president in a failed attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results, announced his third presidential campaign. Since then, he has barely set foot outside the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago. For 28 days, in fact, he has not left the state of Florida at all. [more inside]
posted by Literaryhero at 4:53 PM PST - 51 comments

For more than 50 years, New College of Florida has been one of the country’s most liberal colleges, known for attracting brilliant, unusual thinkers who go on to do cool and/or great things. But New College also is part of Florida’s public university system, which puts it under the thumb of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. And last week DeSantis announced he was packing the college’s Board of Trustees with six nominees that would create a hard-right majority specifically selected with the intent of converting the progressive institution into a conservative training ground. The nominees include a who’s who of the right-wing mouthpiece circuit, and both the governor's supporters and critics say this is a taste of what to expect as DeSantis guns for the U.S. presidency. [more inside]
posted by martin q blank at 3:34 PM PST - 39 comments

Axel Adler's arms and legs. I was most impressed with the legs.
posted by dobbs at 1:55 PM PST - 2 comments

In May of 2022, Cameron Macintosh produced Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends [2h17m, skip to 5m50], a one-off tribute concert to the departed theater composer that included most of UK theater royalty: Michael Ball, Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Petula Clark, Rosalie Craig, Janie Dee, Judi Dench, Daniel Evans, Maria Friedman, Haydn Gwynne, Bonnie Langford, Damien Lewis, Julia McKenzie, Julian Ovenden, Bernadette Peters, Siân Phillips, Jon Robyns, Clive Rowe, Jenna Russell, Imelda Staunton, Charlie Stemp, Gary Wilmot, and Michael D. Xavier.
posted by hippybear at 1:43 PM PST - 5 comments

What the Hell is Going On Inside Those Neural Networks? Chris Olah: "...the question that is crying out to be answered is, how is it that these models are doing these things that we don’t know how to do?...How do these systems accomplish these tasks? What’s going on inside of them? Imagine if some alien organism landed on Earth and could go and do these things. Everybody would be rushing and falling over themselves to figure out how the alien organism was doing things. You’d have biologists fighting each other for the right to go and study these alien organisms. Or imagine that we discovered some binary just floating on the internet in 2012 that could do all these things. Everybody would be rushing to go and try and reverse engineer what that binary is doing. And so it seems to me that really the thing that is calling out in all this work for us to go and answer is, “What in the wide world is going on inside these systems??” Related: How Chat-GPT Actually Works [more inside]
posted by storybored at 1:23 PM PST - 61 comments

New York has an elaborate system of cameras to enforce the law on the road. (YT 9:21) Some drivers have decided they'd rather not play by the rules. Gersh Kuntzman, editor of Streetsblog NYC, bikes around the city un-defacing license plates. After an altercation in which another local cyclist (who's also a lawyer) was arrested for "criminal mischief" for a similar act, Kuntzman decided to document the pervasiveness of the problem and the city's refusal to do much of anything about it.
posted by threementholsandafuneral at 12:38 PM PST - 34 comments

Do like punk and metal and want to know more about the individual genres? Do you also like learning how these genres are made? Do you enjoy hearing about very serious art from people who love it and don't take it seriously at all? Can you watch Youtube videos? Then Norway's Pagefire is for you! Led by the prolific Andri from Pagefire, their Youtube guides to music genres (and accompanying music videos) are equally funny and informative. [more inside]
posted by Pope Guilty at 12:16 PM PST - 6 comments

A draft of the new Dungeons & Dragons Open Gaming License 1.1 leaked, and the reactions from players and creators who have operated under the OGL 1.0 for nearly twenty years has been dark and angry. Wizards of the Coast (WOTC), which is now owned by Hasbro (who, depsite D&D making over $1Billion last year, regarded it as "under-monetized"), had been working on an updated version without fan input for some time. Gizmodo reporter Linda Codega goes into the details that upend years of fan particiption in 5th Edition. [more inside]
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 10:11 AM PST - 230 comments

The 2023 Banished Words List is what it is.
posted by box at 9:49 AM PST - 91 comments

A woman researches her debilitating disease, eventually gets past gatekeepers, and contributes to science and to some people's health. This story is from 2016, but it's updated. It's a complex story, with a lot about determination, luck, and what's known so far about the science of Emery-Dreifuss, a rare sort of muscular dystrophy. Jill Viles, a woman with a muscle wasting disease, did significant research (people believed it was a disease that only happened to men), made contact with scientists and with a athlete who had some similarities.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 7:55 AM PST - 12 comments

Central India's Chhattisgarh has one of the highest rates of pregnancy-related deaths for mothers across the country. A growing fleet of motorbike ambulances is working to change that
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 5:33 AM PST - 3 comments

Bolsonaro supporters storm National Congress [DW] [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 4:14 AM PST - 30 comments

Hello, my fine filter friends, welcome to Monday, and your free thread, where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the deer and the antelope play, etc. [more inside]
posted by taz at 2:54 AM PST - 80 comments

A CGP Grey video about New Years Resolutions and picking a theme to have in mind when thinking about making changes or trying new things. [more inside]
posted by Bottlecap at 2:05 AM PST - 7 comments

My impression of Christmas—now that I actually celebrate it with my non-Jewish partner—is that the entire affective structure of the holiday is one of high expectations that are inevitably disappointed. It’s a day that promises to grant you access to the ideal version of your family—which of course is always out of reach. When I was on the outside of Christmas, I got to just enjoy the manic optimism that radiated off of other people in the lead-up. I didn’t have anything at stake.
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:01 PM PST - 35 comments

A Minnesota University Is Under Fire for Dismissing an Art History Professor Who Showed Medieval Paintings of the Prophet Muhammad. Also at the NY Times (paywall): A Lecturer Showed a Painting of the Prophet Muhammad. She Lost Her Job
posted by bigyellowtaxi at 7:38 PM PST - 163 comments

The musician and actress talks “Glass Onion” spoilers, growing up in Kansas, becoming an android, and the inspirational notes she keeps on her phone. [slNewYorker]
posted by Ahmad Khani at 7:20 PM PST - 31 comments

World’s most complicated way to serve ice cream (SYLT)
posted by fimbulvetr at 6:39 PM PST - 11 comments

Shaik Salauddin: the Indian driver-turned-union leader who is brushing shoulders with top politicians and giving ride-hailing firms a run for their money.
posted by Etrigan at 5:30 PM PST - 2 comments

And here is the quite promising start to what led to "Quite possibly the worst album by either Bob Dylan or the Grateful Dead"

Bob Dylan and Grateful Dead Complete Studio Rehearsals June '87 [more inside]
posted by y2karl at 11:17 AM PST - 31 comments

“The selection of the suffix -ussy highlights how creativity in new word formation has been embraced online in venues like TikTok,” Zimmer said. “The playful suffix builds off the word pussy to generate new slang terms. The process has been so productive lately on social media sites and elsewhere that it has been dubbed -ussification.”

The suffix "-ussy" is the 2022 American Dialect Society word of the year. [more inside]
posted by Rumple at 10:37 AM PST - 89 comments

Biden on the Border
posted by Selena777 at 10:01 AM PST - 30 comments

Three David Bowie documentaries for reflection and illumination: Cracked Actor [1975, 55m, Wikipedia], Ricochet [1984, 77m, Wikipedia], and the career spanning fan documentary Metamorphosis Part One, Part Two [45m each]. Bowie would have been 76 years old today.
posted by hippybear at 5:03 AM PST - 12 comments

"I’m not threatened in my career by A.I." psychologist Jim Picano explains. Though, 'Online mental health company uses ChatGPT to help respond to users in experiment — raising ethical concerns around healthcare and AI technology." (via Mastodon)
posted by clavdivs at 9:44 PM PST - 26 comments

Timothy Snyder is a professor of history at Yale University. On Tyranny (20 lessons, 10mins), On Tyranny Revisited (podcast interview 1 hour), On Tyranny (1 hour lecture), Timothy Snyder Speaks (12 episodes, 15mins), a comprehensive college level course on Ukrainian history The Making of Modern Ukraine (23 lectures, 45 mins), in podcast form, and Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin (12 hour audiobook).
posted by adept256 at 8:39 PM PST - 24 comments

why are splines? well my god I have good news for you, here's why splines! Super high quality animation and narration makes it so clear, easily on a par with 3Blue1Brown. Freya Holmér has a series of explainers about video game graphics, creates cool math visualizations, and streams coding on twitch. [more inside]
posted by hypnogogue at 6:44 PM PST - 18 comments

If you've been to Nashville, chances are you've eaten at Arnold's Country Kitchen. The iconic restaurant (winner of a James Beard Foundation America's Classics Award) closed today after a 40-year run. Owners Rose and Kahlil Arnold explain why they chose to step away, Mike Wolf explains why Arnold's was Nashville's best restaurant, and other locals explain why it's hard to imagine Nashville without it. [more inside]
posted by verstegan at 6:35 PM PST - 11 comments

Can YOU drive across Rufford Ford? Not any longer: TikTok car-fishing craze leads to closure of ancient Rufford ford. [more inside]
posted by Lanark at 12:29 PM PST - 30 comments

You Have to Learn to Listen’: How a Doctor Cares for Boston’s Homeless [NYTimes Magazine Gift Link] [more inside]
posted by hydra77 at 11:34 AM PST - 12 comments

The rubber chicken is a versatile musical instrument. (all youtube links) [more inside]
posted by eotvos at 5:59 AM PST - 15 comments

These are the (mostly harmless) Spiders in Your House. Travis McEnery has posted three videos so far, about the most common spider species found in some American homes: cellar spiders, common house spiders, and yellow sac spiders. He also talks about how each rates in three "politeness" areas: webs, movement, and biteyness (spoiler: none are that dangerous). [more inside]
posted by amtho at 2:33 AM PST - 36 comments

Other researchers may have missed turtle noises since they tend to be quiet, infrequent and low-pitched — just at the edge of human hearing. Leatherback sea turtles, for instance, appear to have ears tuned to the frequency of waves rolling ashore. Some species can take hours to reply to each other.
posted by aniola at 1:15 AM PST - 10 comments

Earlier this week, Hasbro released a new version of Clue, its classic, 75-year-old murder mystery board game. While the game is still played the same, the characters and artwork have been changed to better connect with players in 2023. And it seems the artists at Hasbro succeeded because the internet is now very horny for the new cast of potential murderers. [more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 12:40 AM PST - 64 comments

'Alientologists' (2018) is a short film on 'Dust'. Previous Dust.
posted by clavdivs at 5:49 PM PST - 9 comments

Need a mom-friend or dad-friend to give you advice, sympathy and virtual hugs? Or just to have your faith in humanity restored after a deep dive into AmItheAsshole? Browse MomForAMinute and DadForAMinute for sappy, sweet and happy moments.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 5:14 PM PST - 9 comments

How sea levels rising will impact coastlines around the world From the Web site... "Climate Central is an independent group of scientists and communicators who research and report the facts about our changing climate and how it affects people’s lives. We are a policy-neutral 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Climate Central uses science, big data, and technology to generate thousands of local storylines and compelling visuals that make climate change personal and show what can be done about it. We address climate science, sea level rise, extreme weather, energy, and related topics. We collaborate widely with TV meteorologists, journalists, and other respected voices to reach audiences across diverse geographies and beliefs." Probably helpful to determine where to NOT buy a house... and more... one of my favorite coastal day trip locations will likely be gone in less than 30 years. A home I used to own will likely no longer be accessible by road.
posted by IndelibleUnderpants at 4:39 PM PST - 11 comments

Even before Hardin’s ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’ was published, however, the young political scientist Elinor Ostrom had proven him wrong. 3700 words from Michelle Nijhuis for Aeon Magazine [an update to a previous post] [more inside]
posted by cgc373 at 3:15 PM PST - 25 comments

A recent study found that offering information about COVID-19 vaccines in emergency rooms - including a short video, a one-page handout, and a brief discussion with a doctor or nurse - significantly increased willingness to get vaccinated. [more inside]
posted by kristi at 2:10 PM PST - 17 comments

When the Adams County Ohio Sherriff's Department raided Afroman's house, he turned the security footage of their fruitless raid into a music video. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:08 PM PST - 46 comments

Online literary magazine Berfrois is shutting down. Some of its contributors say farewell. The archive will remain available.
posted by chavenet at 11:07 AM PST - 2 comments

Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an animated video showing which activities make Americans the happiest between ages 20 and 70.
posted by gottabefunky at 9:19 AM PST - 45 comments

Prince Harry's memoir, "Spare," has been leaked to the press and OMG. For those complaining that previous interviews and documentaries didn't spill enough tea or have enough drama, THIS ONE'S FOR YOU. There is enough dirt on everybody (particularly his "archnemesis" brother William) that the palace will be LOSING THEIR MINDS. [more inside]
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:46 PM PST - 288 comments

In 1982, no-one had ever seen a British Asian teenager in a sari singing Indian music on Top of the Pops – until Chandra appeared, with a raga-influenced single that would inspire musicians for decades. The music video. The article.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 9:48 PM PST - 21 comments

All The Ways To Make Bubble Tea
posted by storybored at 9:19 PM PST - 16 comments

BBC short series Magic Of Making brings us Glass Marbles. See how these stripy objects are made!
posted by hippybear at 8:19 PM PST - 16 comments

Professional wrestler, AEW executive, and unabashed geek Kenny Omega made a splash at Wrestle Kingdom by entering the ring dressed as the One Winged Angel, Sephiroth. [more inside]
posted by NoxAeternum at 5:45 PM PST - 24 comments

Spiegelworld, a Las Vegas-based company known for adult-themed acrobatic performances, purchased Nipton, Calif. The company has never owned or run a town before. (archive.today link)
posted by Etrigan at 2:49 PM PST - 39 comments

A London furniture conservator has been credited with a crucial discovery that has helped understand why Ice Age hunter-gatherers drew cave paintings. (BBC)
posted by MrJM at 1:49 PM PST - 34 comments

Forthcoming: 2023 Arabic Literature in Translation. 62 Books by Women of Color to Read in 2023. Most anticipated LBGQT+ Books of Spring 2023. Winter 2023 YA Books. 31 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2023. 60 Anticipated Graphic Novels for Winter 2023. Best Kids Books 2023.
posted by toastyk at 12:18 PM PST - 10 comments

I first encountered the music of DJ_DAVE when she played an amazing 30 minute set at GitHub Universe 2020. The venue isn't as strange as it sounds, since DJ_DAVE creates music with the live coding tool Sonic Pi, a genre sometimes known as Algorave. A Brief interview. Her music on: SoundCloud, YT, Spotify, and Bandcamp.
posted by gwint at 11:14 AM PST - 16 comments

An investing rule of thumb like “if anyone pitching an investment ever uses the word ‘trillion,’ hang up” would probably serve most people reasonably well. Bloomberg's Matt Levine takes a close look at a wild scam. [ungated] [CW: crypto]
posted by chavenet at 10:55 AM PST - 27 comments

Consumer Reports found dangerous heavy metals in chocolate from Hershey's, Theo, Trader Joe's and other popular brands. Here are the ones that had the most, and some that are safer. [more inside]
posted by aniola at 10:10 AM PST - 66 comments

Can You Stop Beans From Making You Fart? We Put 17 Methods to the Test
posted by Cash4Lead at 9:39 AM PST - 38 comments

BeeSip features the work of artist turned full time bee photographer Krystle Hickman (Instagram account, LA Times profile), including videos of West Coast (U.S.) native bees burrowing and nesting.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:04 AM PST - 3 comments

You design a cat calendar.
posted by jocelmeow at 7:05 AM PST - 39 comments

In October 2020, a post on indie romance author Susan Meachen’s Facebook page, allegedly written by her daughter, announced that Meachen had tragically died by suicide a month earlier. This news was followed by more posts from Meachen’s “daughter” (on Meachen’s account) in the author’s private writers group, The Ward, suggesting her mother took her own life because her peers in the online indie book community bullied her. In light of this horrible news, authors and online friends helped fund Meachen’s funeral, created an anti-bullying anthology in her memory, and offered to help her daughter edit her mother’s final book, free of charge. On Monday—over two years later—Meachen’s account posted something new in The Ward. This time, it was Susan saying she’s actually been alive this whole time.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:59 AM PST - 53 comments

The folks at the myfavouritecottages.co.uk trip-booking site decided to have some fun in their "inspirations" blog: "So, what do tourist attractions look like in the eyes of their harshest critics? . . . By analysing one-star reviews on Trip Advisor, we found complaints about the experience at each attraction, and AI [DALL-E 2] did the rest." [VIA IFLS]
posted by not_on_display at 5:46 PM PST - 19 comments

For the second day, the US House of Representatives has no speaker. A new session can't start until a speaker is elected. McCarthy has lost six rounds of votes. [more inside]
posted by joannemerriam at 4:31 PM PST - 855 comments

A 40-year saga of kickbacks, threats, political maneuvering, and the humiliation of Pearl Jam.
posted by latkes at 3:26 PM PST - 17 comments

Electric Vehicles are Bringing out the Worst in Us. "This shift toward ever-larger trucks and SUVs has endangered everyone not inside of one, especially those unprotected by tons of metal. A recent study linked the growing popularity of SUVs in the United States to the surging number of pedestrian deaths, which reached a 40-year high in 2021. " [more inside]
posted by storybored at 8:54 AM PST - 187 comments

Still friends to the end: the evolution and endless appeal of killer doll movies [A.V. Club] “America loves its toys to death, at least if movies are any indication. Since the 1987 introduction of the murderous doll Chucky, killer toys have been a staple of the cineplex. Despite the modest returns of the Child’s Play series, Chucky continued to rampage from the toy box to knife block through six sequels, a 2019 remake, and unleash a score of imitators, including Annabelle, more than a dozen Puppet Master movies, and Brahms: The Boy II. Somehow, watching child-size menaces hack adults to bits feels good in a place like this.” [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 7:34 AM PST - 41 comments

The Food Industry's Backbone (The Nib) [more inside]
posted by box at 6:14 AM PST - 7 comments

The Hook, a beloved Charlottesville weekly, closed a decade ago but its archives lived on — until its 22,000 stories were suddenly taken offline in June. Former staffers have theories about its mystery buyer. [more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 10:00 PM PST - 23 comments

In Every Zelda Is The Darkest Zelda, Jacob Geller explores, discusses, and spoils a truckload of Zelda games and also the Animorphs books. While diving into the darkness, Geller finds a message of light. A good video for any gamer contemplating the setting and conflict in their experiences.
posted by hippybear at 3:37 PM PST - 15 comments

DarkSky: "The World’s Best Terrible Weather App" is no more. And maybe that's for the best? "Indeed, Dark Sky’s big innovation wasn’t simply that its map was gorgeous and user-friendly: The radar map was the forecast. Instead of pulling information about air pressure and humidity and temperature and calculating all of the messy variables that contribute to the weather—a multi-hundred-billion-dollars-a-year international enterprise of satellites, weather stations, balloons, buoys, and an army of scientists working in tandem around the world... Dark Sky simply monitored changes to the shape, size, speed, and direction of shapes on a radar map and fast-forwarded those images. “It wasn’t meteorology,” Blum said. “It was just graphics practice.”"
posted by gwint at 3:28 PM PST - 85 comments

The acclaimed driver, best known for his “Gymkhana” videos, was killed in a snowmobile accident[NYT]. [ESPN]
posted by shoesfullofdust at 10:46 AM PST - 16 comments

Jeremiah Green, founding member and drummer for Modest Mouse, has died at age 45. Green performed only at the start of the band's 25th anniversary tour of their much-acclaimed album, The Lonesome Crowded West, and left to undergo treatment for cancer.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 9:51 AM PST - 43 comments

Pigs build nests.
posted by aniola at 9:45 AM PST - 8 comments

Former beauty editor and cog in the Kardashian machine Jessica DeFino wrote a lot of beauty industry critical content in 2022 (on Substack), including a conversation on fossil fuels in skincare with Emily Atkins of HEATED, a story about skin and serum and sourdough and musings on the appeal of Lensa AI: "Somewhere, in some alternate universe, I am exactly as beautiful as the world says I should be." [more inside]
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:27 AM PST - 18 comments

All the new video games launching in 2023 [Polygon] “Already we can count more than 100 major video game releases expected in 2023, from highly anticipated RPGs like Starfield and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, to new, mainline entries in series like Final Fantasy and Street Fighter, and the long-awaited return of franchises like Diablo and Pikmin. While video game release dates are constantly in flux, Polygon’s guide to the video games coming out in 2023 will be regularly updated with new games, new release dates, and games’ inevitable delays. Here’s a look at what the year has in store for upcoming games.”
posted by Fizz at 6:58 AM PST - 73 comments

In pursuit of their own interests and investments, media tycoons past and present, again and again, appear to be conveniently oblivious to the main frame through which they filter news — that of class, including class structure and class interests. Consequently, they often overlook (or ignore) conflicts of interest that implicate media owners, funders, investors, and advertisers, not to mention their business clients on Wall Street and in Big Pharma, Big Tech, and the military–industrial complex. from Project Censored 2023: Billionaire Press Domination [Part 1; Part 2}
posted by chavenet at 2:44 AM PST - 14 comments

Medieval European singing sounded more "Middle Eastern" than is commonly believed. Musician Farya Faraji looks at "how the overall singing style of European Medieval music was markedly different from current Classical conservatory techniques, and resembled current Greek, Arabic, Bulgarian or Turkish forms of singing far more—styles of singing defined by less precise pitch and florid melismatic delivery."
posted by Cash4Lead at 8:32 PM PST - 29 comments

CW: very uncomfortable read, execution, graphic

Alabama’s corrections department has bungled the procedure on three recent occasions, with IV teams failing for hours on end, adding immense distress to a difficult situation.

What is it like to survive an execution by lethal injection? Normally, there’s no one to tell the tale. But these are not normal times, especially in Alabama. [Obviously, this is uncomfortable reading].
posted by Rumple at 4:20 PM PST - 49 comments

With the new year upon us, it's time for Defector's annual reviews of What We Got Stuck In Our Various Orafices and What We Did To Mr Happy for 2022. [more inside]
posted by NoxAeternum at 4:20 PM PST - 81 comments

What we might inherit is not always known in advance of the inheritance. When the inheritance is outside of the material or the tangible, sometimes noticing it is difficult.
posted by Ahmad Khani at 4:02 PM PST - 5 comments

British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who first rose to prominence by outfitting the Sex Pistols in the 70s, died Dec 29, 2022. [more inside]
posted by maggiemaggie at 3:45 PM PST - 23 comments

In the middle of New York City, Roosevelt Island has a quirky, small town vibe.
posted by SituationNormal at 3:26 PM PST - 18 comments

White contractors wouldn’t remove Confederate statues. So a Black man did it. He didn’t seek the job. He had never paid much attention to Civil War history. City and state officials said they turned to Team Henry Enterprises after a long list of bigger contractors — all White-owned — said they wanted no part of taking down Confederate statues. [more inside]
posted by Toddles at 3:06 PM PST - 14 comments

In the 1998 Webby Awards (remember them?), the category of Print+Zine was won by Salon, but one nominee was a plucky little site called Literary Kicks. It is now 2022, and while new posts are sometimes separated by months these days, Mark Eliot Stein's Literary Kicks is still kicking. And they have two podcasts! World Beyond War, and Lost Music, on literary opera. [more inside]
posted by JHarris at 2:05 PM PST - 4 comments

The family that has inked pilgrims for 700 years...
posted by dfm500 at 1:06 PM PST - 4 comments

[Last] year saw the end of several beloved long-running magazines and a few new ones barely given a chance to shed their baby fur.
posted by Etrigan at 1:01 PM PST - 23 comments

There's a now-revived old tradition that happy married couples are eligible for a "flitch" of bacon (basically half a pig), as decided and awarded at "the Dunmow Flitch Trials -- "if they can satisfy the Judge and Jury of 6 maidens and 6 bachelors that in 'twelvemonth and a day', they have 'not wisht themselves unmarried again'". The trials involve counsel for the claimants arguing against counsel for the bacon, cross-examinations, and a lot of laughs. 2-minute clip of a trial from 1930; 43-minute video of a 2016 trial (spoiler for results). [more inside]
posted by brainwane at 8:19 AM PST - 16 comments

Hello, everyone, and happy beginning of the week, beginning of the month, and beginning of the year. Amid all these fresh beginnings, some new old things are afoot. We've long been told that the best things in life are free, and now The Best Things in Life Are Free is also free. As are Sherlock Holmes, Metropolis, Puttin' on the Ritz, and screaming about ice cream, apparently. Also, of course, this thread, so come at once if convenient – if inconvenient come all the same! [more inside]
posted by taz at 3:17 AM PST - 54 comments

What it says on the tin (SLYT) A young beaver celebrates Christmas by building a dam [more inside]
posted by mumimor at 3:46 PM PST - 54 comments

Today is Public Domain Day in the United States. This year, US copyright protection expires on works created in the year 1927, including the final Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, the silent film sci-fi epic Metropolis, and compositions by Irving Berlin, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and George Gershwin. While the laws governing exactly how long copyright protection lasts for any given work are byzantine and inconsistent, most works created in 1927 were protected (retroactively) for 95 years after creation. [more inside]
posted by biogeo at 10:51 AM PST - 78 comments

10 Ways the World Got Better In 2022
posted by NotLost at 9:52 AM PST - 31 comments

The January 6 Committee has released a website of its final report, including an animated timeline of the attack. Previously
posted by kirkaracha at 9:46 AM PST - 31 comments

I hope nothing in 2023 makes you as angry as Matt Babich is about truffles.
posted by Etrigan at 9:38 AM PST - 98 comments

Happy New Year, Final Fantasy fans, I hope you don't have anything important to do today because YouTuber Ludiscere has a series of videos with in-depth analysis of each of the games FFI through FFIV (so far) which you might enjoy. [more inside]
posted by Mister_Sleight_of_Hand at 5:42 AM PST - 9 comments

A gentle documentary of 5min vignettes where twelve people with a terminal prognosis ranging from early 20s to late 70s, speak about life knowing they have a limited time left. [SLYT 60min]
posted by Thella at 3:03 AM PST - 8 comments

Towards a rainbow new deal
posted by aniola at 1:29 AM PST - 10 comments