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BardoThodal the tibetian book of the dead, a way of life.This is what happens on the 49th day of our being dead. If you do not escape the Matrix, the day after you are inside a woman's womb. part one part two (Google video)
posted by hortense at 11:00 PM PST - 6 comments

Big ups to DiddyTV, it is indeed legitimate , sirs. Of course, prosaic gentlemen (i.e. regula' huslas) can be king (i.e. pimp daddy master flex^3) too. Have it your way on the googletube.
posted by jne1813 at 10:52 PM PST - 16 comments

Calling All Wingnuts blogger Mike Stark (previously discussed here) found himself in a fight with George Allen's staffers after asking the Senator an impertinent question about his first wife and sealed divorce file and court records.
posted by homunculus at 10:46 PM PST - 29 comments

High Security Fashion
Miguel Caballero is walking around his company's showroom in Bogotá, Colombia, holding a .38-caliber revolver. "You!" he says, pointing to German Gonzalez, a 20-something salesman who's been on the job for just two weeks. "You're next."
The latest in boardroom insanity? Nah, Miguel Caballero makes high fashion bulletproof clothes for presidents, state leaders and gangsta rappers and enjoys demonstrating how effective they are at stopping pistol fire at point blank range.

Its Armani-style combined with highly effective personal protection.
posted by fenriq at 10:08 PM PST - 15 comments

Pet Peeves in Customer Service Why cellphones are so proprietary, why PA systems sound terrible, why rental companies gouge on gas, and answers to other vexing questions.
posted by aerotive at 9:47 PM PST - 30 comments

The Virtual Gramophone. A massive database of early Canadian 78 RPM recordings, now available in mp3 and rm format. Over 13,000 titles available, freely downloadable. Includes biographical notes on the artists, notes on the history of Canadian recording, interesting technical notes on media conversion, a few videos from the olde dayes, and podcasts. This collection is particularly strong on Quebecois and Acadien folk/fiddle music. Courtesy of the Library and Archives Services of the Government of Canada. Mentioned once before in passing, five years ago on Metafilter, but much improved since them realaudio only days.
posted by Rumple at 9:38 PM PST - 18 comments

Fed up with old-fashioned boards and planchettes? Want to contact spirits the 21st century way? Try iPod Ouija. (not responsible for any possessions or nightmares. try at own risk.)
posted by divabat at 9:15 PM PST - 2 comments

"Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come to You, My Lad," "Casting the Runes," and other stories by M.R. James, the master of the ghost story.
posted by Iridic at 6:23 PM PST - 22 comments

Masterpieces of Persian Painting "The atrocity of raging wars, the fainting of Leili (the beloved) and Majnoun (the lover) and the Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) ascension to the celestial sphere while floating in light—all reflect the reality and image of the pure heart of the artists who viewed the world, its Creator and creatures with love." [via]
posted by dhruva at 5:41 PM PST - 22 comments

Pioneering Anthropologist Clifford Geertz Dies. An era ends.
posted by Seth_Messinger at 5:04 PM PST - 55 comments

Your humpback has gone to a watery grave and you don't know what to do? Time to call in the bone eating zombie worms! (And maybe invite a hagfish or two)
posted by DeepFriedTwinkies at 3:42 PM PST - 18 comments

Nigel Kneale dies.
posted by feelinglistless at 3:28 PM PST - 8 comments

In honor of Halloween, the greatest costume ever: a playable Pac Man arcade cabinet.
posted by jonson at 3:11 PM PST - 24 comments

A motorcycle for halloween
posted by boo_radley at 3:00 PM PST - 30 comments

Maqam World contains much more than maqamat. Rhythms, genres, instruments - all presented with audio examples, pictures, and even pronunciation. The podcasts are an added bonus. [Note: some multimedia features only work in IE, most audio in .rm (it's worth it, though)]
posted by imposster at 2:17 PM PST - 6 comments

Elephants are self aware (news story, videos). "As a result of this study, the elephant now joins a cognitive elite," said researcher Frans de Waal at Emory University. [Past posts tagged with "elephant" "elephants"]
posted by salvia at 1:45 PM PST - 52 comments

My Rapist One day several years ago, I opened up my hometown newspaper and found a picture of my rapist on the Engagements page.[via nytimes]
posted by cgs at 12:10 PM PST - 142 comments

Enduring Outrage: Editorial Cartoons by Herblock, an LOC exhibition. From 1950s plutocrats to 1970s ethics scandals, and up to the ideal American Flag of the religious Right, Block captured complex issues in just one frame. His drawings about government limitations of civil liberties seem particularly prescient.
posted by OmieWise at 11:27 AM PST - 16 comments

Your Disease Risk is an interesting new website that quantifies your risk of contracting various diseases. From a Wall Street Journal story on the site: "The site goes beyond the standard questions about age, cholesterol and family history and explores the variety of lifestyle choices, environmental issues and other factors that can influence health risk. The questions are based on risk factors that have been established through credible scientific studies."
posted by bove at 10:52 AM PST - 18 comments

It's a thriller, thriller night. [youtubefilter]
posted by EarBucket at 10:48 AM PST - 21 comments

The Strange Saga of Milberg Weiss. It started with a bitchslap in Cleveland and may end in the downfall of the largest securities class-action law firm in America.
posted by Falconetti at 10:26 AM PST - 23 comments

Who Killed Ryan Harris? Eight years ago the body of eleven-year-old Ryan Harris was discovered in a poor neighbourhood on the South Side of Chicago. What followed was a saga involving the youngest children in U.S. history to be charged with murder; the subsequent dropping of the charges after exculpatory evidence surfaced and allegations of coerced confessions; another (adult) suspect allegedly faking a low IQ and entering an Alford plea; lawsuits against the prosecutors on behalf of the boys, later settled out of court; and, earlier this year, one of the boys coming back into the news after being charged in connection with a double shooting, with lawyers insinuating that his earlier ordeal was to blame for his criminal activity. One of the sadder stories I've heard in some time.
posted by Johnny Assay at 9:10 AM PST - 9 comments

Internet porn reduces rape. Violence on the silver screen reduces it in the streets.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 8:33 AM PST - 88 comments

The Daily Puppy's Halloween Parade 2006. More dogs in costumes. Cats in costumes. Dogs in bee costumes. Hamsters in costumes.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 8:28 AM PST - 20 comments

Paul Bugess, director of foreign-policy speechwriting at the White House from October 2003 to July 2005, probably hates you. And now he is fed up and wants you to know just how much he hates you.
posted by nofundy at 5:45 AM PST - 153 comments

The Enron Explorer from Trampoline Systems "lets you investigate the actions and reactions of Enron's senior management team as the noose began to tighten" (through some 200,000 public domain corporate emails) using Trampoline's SONAR social network mapping platform. (via FutureFeeder)
posted by tpl1212 at 5:45 AM PST - 1 comments

Borrow and spend, the delayed pain Ever thought of giving the future generations a little something to remember you by? How about the gift of debt? Whatever lens you want to look at the graph, you can blame the rise on: Out of control spending on the military or social programs; The end of the US being the swing producer of oil; Expensive wars; The money no longer being tied to gold or silver and instead being a fiat currency

No matter what the reason for the spending, the GAO warns: If the United States government conducts business as usual over the next few decades, a national debt that is already $8.5 trillion could reach $46 trillion or more, adjusted for inflation. Or If you don't like the graph due to the static nature, how about a clock so you can watch the numbers move upward?
posted by rough ashlar at 5:34 AM PST - 80 comments

Explore Beethoven's Eroica Symphony [note: flash, sound]
posted by crunchland at 5:28 AM PST - 25 comments

Composer and arranger Rogério Duprat passed away on Thursday. Duprat had a substantial career in music for films and commercials, but he is best known for shaping the sound of Tropicalia, the revolutionary stew of Brazilian folk styles, bossa nova, MPB, rock, jazz, blues and psychedelica. Some youtube clips: Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil , Os Mutantes, and Gal Costa.
posted by hydrophonic at 12:32 AM PST - 8 comments