July 2, 2020
Something to do this weekend
Eyeball Kicks: the surreal art of Ruth Marten, tattoo artist/illustrator
"Ruth Marten started out as a tattoo artist (Sang Bleu Magazine interview), working on the fringes of the art world in her Native New York, long before tattooing became the socially acceptable, ubiquitous phenomena it is today. She then moved to working on paper and a long and prolific period working as an illustrator for a diverse range of clients (Flash gallery) including Jean Paul Goude, the renowned French graphic designer, producing illustrations for books, magazines and album covers. She then started to make and exhibit her own, very particular, works on paper." (Inhale Magazine) [more inside]
Bull. Eagle. Dragon. Giant.
The Icelandic national football team introduced its new crest today with an absolutely epic, goosebump-inducing video (directed by their goaltender, no less). Visit the micro site to learn more.
human age = 16 ln(dog_age) + 31
"Dogs do not simply age at seven times the rate of humans, scientists have found in a study that reveals young dogs might be “older” than previously thought" [more inside]
America’s Enduring Caste System
Long-form article by Pulitzer winner Isabel Wilkerson. Reading it, I got the feeling that caste has been a missing link in my vocabulary.
It's like I was playing some game, but the rules don't make any sense
How dollar stores became magnets for crime and killing
"[Dollar] stores are throughout our community, but they have no interest in the community. They’re not giving nothing back. They give nothing back.” [more inside]
His life spans the whole history of comic books.
Vulture Capitalists
NYT technology reporter Taylor Lorenz covers internet culture including The End of Friendly Generational Relations, influencers posting fake brand deals, and Instagram's harassment problem (all on Mefi). Today, it emerged she's been the target of threats and harassment by prominent tech VCs on the private Silicon Valley social network Clubhouse. Notably, Ben Horowitz, co-founder of a16z, has declined to help.
Balloon Animals
Ghislaine Maxwell arrested
Ghislaine Maxwell arrested by FBI and accused of 'setting trap' for Epstein victims. Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire and an FBI indictment charges her with several crimes[NYT link , disturbing content]. [more inside]
huzzah!
TERF Wars
Writing in Medium, Laurie Penny provides a backgrounder on the rise of left wing transphobia in the UK, and its damaging impact both in Britain and internationally.(SLMedium) [more inside]
🍉 When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what the angels eat.
How to Pick a Perfect Watermelon. The Best Way to Cut a Watermelon. An Ode to Watermelon. When Bad Watermelons Explode on Good People. 21 Watermelon Recipes to Make This Summer. The Health Benefits of Watermelon. The Reason Why Southerners Love Putting Salt on Watermelon. What Is Yellow Watermelon? Watermelon Varieties – Common Types and Their Tastes. Five of Our Favorite “Watermelon” Scenes in Movies. A Game Where You Slap A Watermelon To Learn About The Existential Horror Of Being A Watermelon. The 5,000-Year Secret History of the Watermelon. How Watermelons Became a Racist Trope. 18 Super Cool Watermelon Tattoo Ideas. The Heaviest Watermelon. How to Eat a Watermelon. How to Carve a Watermelon T Rex Dinosaur. Just eat some watermelon, okay?
"In the Covid-19 economy, you’re allowed only a kid or a job."
In the Covid-19 Economy, You Can Have a Kid or a Job. You Can’t Have Both. As the nation begins to make plans for reopening schools this fall, there is a looming childcare crisis. Many families are struggling with decisions about whether to send children to reopened child care and how to balance work and schools that may be opening on a part-time basis. [more inside]
The Problem of "Colonial Science"
The Problem of ‘Colonial Science’ (Scientific American): "This was my first experience with "parachute science" or, as some might call it, "colonial science" -- the conservation model where researchers from the developed world come to countries like mine, do research and leave without any investment in human capacity or infrastructure. It creates a dependency on external expertise and cripples local conservation efforts. The work is driven by the outsiders' assumptions, motives and personal needs, leading to an unfavorable power imbalance between those from outside and those on the ground. [...] If we acknowledged that working anywhere other than our own home country is a privilege and not a right, and if we all looked to learn and share equally and were equally equipped to do research based on the needs on the ground, then we would be better off than we are right now."
Universities have failed Black Students For Too long
The Free Black University is a hub for radical and transformative knowledge production.
"The Free Black University exists to re-distribute knowledge and act as a space of incubation for the creation of transformative knowledge in the Black community. We firmly believe education should centre Black people healing and it should be free, anti-colonial, and accessible to all – so we will provide it." [more inside]
"Kharkovchanka" - The Colossal Soviet Antarctic Cruisers
"Kharkovchanka" were giant snow tracked vehicles built by the soviets for use in Antarctic exploration from the 1950s onwards. They were designed and assembled (in 3 months) to act in the manner of a giant tracked spaceships - housing crew and towing supplies. Following a successful initial overland journey to the South Pole they have been in successful deployment for decades since. Youtuber Calum tells their story. [more inside]
Stop the Slur: It’s Not “Just a Word”
On Friday, June 26, First Peoples Worldwide and members of the Yethiya wihe’ / Investors & Indigenous Peoples Working Group (IIPWG) sent letters to three major sponsors of the Washington, DC NFL football team—Nike (PDF), PepsiCo (PDF), and FedEx (PDF)—signed by 87 investment firms and shareholders worth a collective $620 billion, asking the sponsors to cut any support to the team until they Change The Name. “We need to remember that the franchise name is not just a word, it is a symbol that loudly and clearly signals that Native Americans are not worthy of respect.” [more inside]
"a total inversion of multiple truths"
Last week a football match in the UK was the backdrop of a particularly racist episode: while players took the knee in support of BlackLivesMatter, some "fans" of the local team flew a banner above the stadium that read "White Lives Matter"*. Cambridge academic (and Guardian contributor) Dr Priyamvada Gopal tweeted in response "white lives don’t matter" (with the qualifier "as white lives"), and found herself the target of racist abuse. Her colleague Nicholas Guyatt, professor of American history at Cambridge University, shared in this thread on Twitter [Threadreader] a few insightful observations about the whole episode and the reactions to it, specific racist attitudes in British media & politics** and white privilege in general. [more inside]
"Any criminal that uses an encrypted phone should be very, very worried"
International cooperation between police forces enabled them to spy on an encrypted phone network, Encrochat, since the 1st April 2020. The result is a massive operation arresting 746 suspects in the UK alone. [more inside]
Singapore General Election 2020
« Previous day | Next day »