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The Algorithm That Transformed The World - "The Fast Fourier Transform is used everywhere but it has a fascinating origin story that could have ended the nuclear arms race."[1,2,3,4] [more inside]
posted by kliuless at 11:11 PM PST - 11 comments

What's MetaNumbers.com ? MetaNumbers is a free math tool providing information about any positive integer (up to 9223372036854775807), such as its factorized form, its divisors, its classification, or its arithmetic properties (widely used in the field of number theory). Example metanumbers entry: 198606
posted by aniola at 8:49 PM PST - 29 comments

Though the classic Martini recipe is a simple one—only two ingredients in its most austere form—it has inspired more debate than any other over the proper ingredients (gin or vodka?), ratio (wet or dry?) and garnish (olive or a twist?). More than a century’s worth of fine-tuning has resulted in a deep library of both classic and contemporary iterations that run the full gamut of both style and flavor. Here are some of our favorites. from "Planet Martini" [Punch] [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 2:55 PM PST - 89 comments

If the suit still fits… “This year, we’re bringing Jonathan Demme’s groundbreaking 1984 Talking Heads concert film STOP MAKING SENSE (newly remastered in 4K!) back to theaters worldwide.”

In honor of the re-release, here's a newly remastered version of my original post from 2011, with updated links and additional info. [more inside]
posted by kirkaracha at 1:02 PM PST - 54 comments

How Mega Man X rewrote the player / character relationship [Eurogamer] “In video games, there is an implicit understanding that you, as the player, and the on-screen protagonist, your digital counterpart, are on the same side. You are unified by a common goal, battling against Bowser as Mario to save the Princess, or working as Master Chief to stop the Covenant in Halo. But occasionally, and perhaps more interestingly, the player and their digital avatar are lumbered with incompatible goals and the relationship is defined by one-sided control, rather than trust and cooperation. An early example - and it may be the greatest example of all - is Mega Man X. [...] Unlike the previous Mega Man series, every enemy X defeats is a life taken. As the player of the game, meanwhile, speeding through levels and eliminating enemies is second nature. Every boss defeated adds to your arsenal of weapons, giving you new tools to explore, uncover secret power-ups, and exploit enemy weaknesses. There's no hesitation to the atrocities committed, in other words. The fast, smooth action is extremely rewarding, and the fun of combat is an exceptional motivator to continue playing. And it's completely antithetical to the being X wants to be.”
posted by Fizz at 12:50 PM PST - 34 comments

The most musical time of the year is nearly upon us. That’s right, it’s almost time for Eurovision! The 2022 version of the Contest was won by Kalush Orchestra for Ukraine with the song “Stefania”. Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will officially host the 67th edition of the Contest in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Thirty-seven countries will be competing in this years’ Eurovision, participating in two semifinals on May 9th and 11th, with the Grand Final scheduled for May 13. [more inside]
posted by PearlRose at 12:26 PM PST - 26 comments

You can help decode the Herculaneum papyri! A grand prize of 150,000 USD is being offered, with more prizes to be announced. It's on! Hundreds of scrolls that were carbonized and preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. have long fascinated scholars. They are uniquely preserved by virtue of being carbonized. But they are also uniquely difficult to access . . . by virtue of being carbonized. Early attempts to unwrap and decode them included rose water baths and tiny weights to unroll and stretch the scrolls. Surely modern science can do better! [more inside]
posted by fruitslinger at 11:33 AM PST - 12 comments

I gave GPT-4 a budget of $100 and told it to make as much money as possible.
posted by hoodrich at 10:18 AM PST - 80 comments

If you turned on ESPN in November of 2022, you may well have seen something messed up: The Microsoft Excel World Championship [more inside]
posted by firechicago at 9:37 AM PST - 10 comments

Tragically, one of the world’s most valuable sports franchises doesn’t provide complimentary Wi-Fi to its millionaire employees. [more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 7:20 AM PST - 33 comments

The year is 1934, and Superman has arrived in Metropolis.
posted by Orange Pamplemousse at 6:01 AM PST - 10 comments

Australia’s extinct giant eagle was big enough to snatch koalas from trees. Dynatoaetus gaffae (Gaff’s powerful eagle) lived during the Pleistocene epoch, perhaps between 700,000 and 50,000 years ago. At twice the size of a wedge-tailed eagle (which it coexisted with) and with a potential wingspan of up to 3m [9.84 feet], this species is the largest known eagle to have lived in Australia, and one of the largest continental raptors in the world. Only two larger eagles ever existed anywhere: Gigantohierax suarezi, which hunted giant rodents in Cuba, and the giant Haasts eagle, Hieraaetus moorei that hunted large moa in New Zealand.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 1:24 AM PST - 13 comments