December 5, 2012
American Science Language
[LydiaCallisFilter] Signing Science
happiness, longevity, and good fortune
The citrus fruit called Buddha's hand or fingered citron, which "looks like a cross between a giant lemon and a squid, and can perfume a room for weeks with its mysterious fragrance," is currently in season in the northern hemisphere. Lacking pulp and juice, it does have long, pointed "fingers" full of curious non-bitter white pith. The skin is yellow and smells like flowers and bright lemon. [more inside]
IDK my bff CT?
Sergei Parajanov: exploring the poetic potential of the cinema in the Soviet Union
Georgian-born Armenian, Sergei Parajanov (1924-1990) was a controversial director in the Soviet era. At first he followed the state mandated style of Socialist Realism, but in 1964 he broke out into his own style with Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (YT), a dream-like film that combines expressionistic camera techniques, ethnography, and the logic of folktales. The film won almost every, award in sight on the 1964 film festival circuit, but it was also of the restrictive Soviet approach to the arts. The film was banned by authorities, but Parajanov did not return to realism, and instead paid tribute to the Armenian troubadour Sayat-Nova ("King of Songs" in Persian). The Color of Pomegranates (1968) is a film that sought to portray Sayat-Nova through images inspired by his life and poetry. [more inside]
A vast array of vaguely interesting stuff
Vaguely Interesting stuff. Here's two to get you started:
Calling from the grave - If you ever felt slightly claustrophobic using a traditional BT telephone kiosk, this might be down to its unique architectural history – the design of the UK’s world famous red telephone boxes was inspired by a nineteenth century tomb.
Mass trespass - The Duke of Devonshire’s gamekeepers were on high alert. A left-wing group had been agitating in the Derbyshire village of Hayfield, threatening to “take action to open up the fine country at present denied us.” Their target was Kinder Scout, part of the Duke’s extensive moorland estate in the Peak District. But if they wanted to trespass on His Grace’s land, they would have to get past the gamekeepers.
"Can you tell me why I am a cat, please?"
The Bear was found on a motorway, lost all his fur (twice), got poisoned, had a hole ripped in his throat, lost chunks of ear and went awol for six weeks. But at 17 he's still going strong - The cat with 17 lives
Elisabeth Murdoch (nee Greene), 1908-2012
Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, AC DBE, wife of Sir Keith and mother of Rupert, was an outspoken philanthropist. She died overnight in Australia, aged 103.
O modernista
Word from Rio de Janeiro is that Oscar Niemeyer, celebrated Brazilian Modernist architect, co-architect of the UN headquarters in New York, and designer of its capital city, Brasília, has passed on at the age of 104. The NYTimes obituary has links to his famous buildings in Brazil, but a more comprehensive link of Brasília can be seen at a 50th anniversary retrospective at Wallpaper.
MuchLoved
When everything was unknown, they were there. / When anything could happen, they were there. MuchLoved is Mark Nixon's series of photographs of well-worn transitional objects.
End of the world
Paleographic Maps
Ron Blakey makes paleogeographic maps of the ancient world.
The paleogeographic maps show the varied landscapes of the ancient Earth through hundreds of millions of years of geologic time, including distribution of ancient shallow seas, deep ocean basins, mountain ranges, coastal plains, and continental interiors. Tectonic features shown include subduction zones, island arcs, mid-ocean ridges and accreting terranes.
Tests and the Dead
A recent German television documentary, Tests and the Dead, has revealed that, between 1983 and 1989, the East German government sold its citizens to Western pharmaceutical companies for research, with firms such as Hoechst and Sandoz having paid the cash-strapped dictatorship as much as €430,000 for the ability to test experimental drugs on selected patients in special clinics. The patients were not informed of the tests, and at least several have died as a result of their treatment.
“It’s, I’m, uh … it’s an erotic epic poem.”
NFLreboot
Designer Matt McInerney is setting out to redesign every logo in the NFL as an uncomissioned fun side project. He's up to 20 of them and the results so far are pretty damn good. Fast Company has a bit more about the project.
Goldberg: 1 - Newton: 0
"I'm very tired of not standing up for what I believe in."
Simpson gangnam
81-year-old Senator Alan Simpson does a decent gangnam while encouraging you to do something better with your time and social web skills.
The wheels on the bus go meow meow meow...
I Think You Might Like It?
First there was Grease. Then there was Two of a Kind. And now, at long last, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta have reunited once more, to produce... well, this. [more inside]
So many nuts to crack!
It is Christmas Eve (or the 7th night of Chanukah), and the Stahlbaums are having a lavish party in Germany, or Harlem, or 1770s Washington, DC, or a 1970s-esque retro-future, or a cabaret or any number of times and places ... and then the magic happens! [more inside]
"This post, dear reader, is 100% about cats."
Screw organic chemistry, I'm just going to write about cats. James Ashenhurst uses (sometimes highly unorthodox!) cat pictures to explain topics in stereocatmistry, starting with On Cats, Part 1: Conformations and Configurations. [more inside]
RIP Jazz master Dave Brubeck.
I am devastated to read that jazz master and Kennedy Center honoree Dave Brubeck has died. His influence on jazz was wide and profound. His frequent collaborator and the composer of one of the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s best known tunes, “Take Five,” Paul Desmond, said of the sound of his alto sax, “"I think I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to sound like a dry martini." Brubeck was well-known for his use of differing time signatures, again referencing “Take Five” which was in 5/4 time and another example, “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” in 9/8 time. Desmond passed away in 2005, and Brubeck has left the earthly plain to join him in the Heavenly Jazz Band. RIP.
(MLYT)
Backup Tut and other decoy spatial
"it's such a thrill to add a filter, lo-fi, lo-fi"
Look At This Instagram (Nickelback parody) (video, ~3 min.)
It's Hard Not to Love a Christmas Song with Two Kazoo Parts
Jimmy Fallon, Mariah Carey, The Roots, and some guests peform All I Want for Christmas is You with classroom instruments (their Call Me Maybe previously).
Now hear Friedrich Hayek sing a song of savings....
Deck the Halls with Macro Follies: EconStories.tv is at it again, with their signature brand of musical Austrian economics lessons poking fun at Keynesian stimulus. Sings Thomas Malthus: ♫Silent Night♫ No shoppers in sight... ♫ The general glut has caused our plight ♫ Spend your money to clear our shelves! ♫ In consumption we'll save ourselves! ♫ Underconsumption is born—I view your savings with scorn...♫ (previously, previouslier) Still no NGDP-level targeting songs, sadly.
“a board sign which announced in fading paint but one word: STORE. Just in case the traveler might be in some doubt.”
Harrods, in the bustling heart of London, is in a good location for a shop. So is the Macy’s in Herald Square, which boasts of serving 350,000 New Yorkers every day at Christmas time. Whereas down at the Mulka Store, in the furthermost reaches of South Australia, George and Mabel Aiston used to think themselves lucky if they pulled in a customer a week.The Loneliest Shop In The World [more inside]
"I have downloaded the Moose! My computer and I are happy! My husband is miserable!"
Impossible boy directs Impossible Girl
The video for musician Kim Boekbinder's song 'Gypsy', which was directed and edited by The Whelk [via mefi projects]
The ethics of taking a picture
Yesterday, the New York Post published a dramatic image on its cover of a Queens man just seconds from being hit by a Q train after being pushed by another man who is now in custody. [more inside]
ITU
At its WCIT meeting in Dubai, the UN's ITU has quietly approved a collection of RFCs called 'Requirements for Deep Packet Inspection in Next Generation Networks' (Y.2770) designed to standardize broad spectrum traffic sniffing. The European Parliament recently passed a resolution against the ITU asserting exactly this sort of control over internet standard.
Cthulhu awaits for another day...
The Bloop is a mysterious recurring sound in the world's oceans that has puzzled many over the years (previously). Now scientists think they know the answer: icequakes.
Welcome to San Francisco. Now what the hell are you doing here?
And then she showed me the back room where she took all of her clothes off.
Tantric Negotiating
Yesterday was Day 80 of the NHL lockout, with the situation looking pretty grim after a failed intervention by US federal mediators. Then on Monday, WBZ-TV Boston's Steve Burton surprised everyone by leading off his segment with this bombshell. Tuesday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Union Director Don Fehr took the unusual tactic of stepping back to allow owners and players to negotiate directly. With the annual Board of Governors meeting happening Wednesday and a press conference scheduled afterwards, NHL insiders across twitter are expressing cautious optimism that the puck will soon be dropped.
"Tell me, Jigglypuff, when did you last let your heart decide?"
Professor Oak and Jigglypuff sing "A Whole New World" from Aladdin. [SLYT] CAUTION: amateur voice acting, general silliness ahead
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