February 24, 2011
The words are evolving as you read!
"We all can agree...that this text is red.
We can also similarly agree that this text is blue."
[more inside]
Oscar Nominated Screenplay PDFs
A number of the 2011 Oscar nominated screenplays are here as PDFs. The site also has a archives of Coen Brothers and Charlie Kaufman scripts.
MetaFilter: an other-dimensional world that is linked to Earth by several “Unseen Ways”
“Rac Shade was born on Meta, an other-dimensional world that is linked to Earth by several junctures known on Meta as the “Unseen Ways”. Metan priests and doctors decided that young Shade was overly emotional and had him subjected to the Metan “confirmation” process, wherein a “holy surgeon” operated on Shade’s brain with the “sacred laser”.” (I'm surprised they didn't use a Cat-Scan or a Markov Chain.) An entry from "DC Who's Who", a tumblr blog of scans from the 1990-1992 "Who's Who in the DC Universe" and NOT including any influential American bureaucrats or lobbyists (NOT THAT DC) or any Scottish Australian rockers (NOT THAT AC/DC). More on "Shade the Changing Man" and other characters from his book: Kathy George and American Scream.
Fatality!!!
Mortal Kombat has been banned in Australia. In the highest profile censorship incident since last year's butchering of Left 4 Dead 2, the new Mortal Kombat game has been "refused classification by the Australian Classification Board and will not release in Australia". This should galvanize efforts to implement an R18 rating for Australian games, though so far progress has been slow.
King's Quest 3 Redux
Welcome to the 21st century, Australian economy.
The Australian Government has committed to a price on carbon from 1 July 2012, prior to a likely full emissions trading scheme within three to five years. The Opposition are outraged, predicting a people's revolt. This should clearly define the next election.
Grinding for Baby XP
Last March, Lisa Grunwald published a novel, which explores the fascinating and popular University classes that used practice babies borrowed from orphanages in practice houses to teach young home economics majors the science of motherhood.
Doris Mitchell recalls her experience as a practice mother. [more inside]
Interview with Gerhard, from Cerebus
"Gerhard and I spoke to each other over the course of a few hours on Boxing Day, December 26th, 2010. On each end of our respective phone lines we both had an intimidating stack of books — the almost five thousand pages that Sim and Gerhard created together over the course of those 20 years. We flipped through the books chronologically, with the idea of discussing the evolution of Gerhard’s process and techniques, focusing on his development as an artist and a craftsman."
There's a new sheriff in town. And he has an army of assassins.
Charlie Sheen shows why he's better than you. In his recent ongoing series of rants, Charlie Sheen finally lets out the big dogs. [more inside]
Can I Get Another Term? Yes, Sevo!
On February 18th, Ugandans held Presidential and Parliamentary elections. While the final results are still being tabulated, it appears Yoweri “Sevo” Museveni has maintained his position. Museveni, who has held power in Uganda for the past 25 years, is accused of using intimidation and corruption in the electoral campaign, and opposition leaders are already calling for protests and fresh elections. The official line, however, is that Museveni’s off-the-cuff rap won over the youth vote after it was it was remixed and started getting airplay on the radio, in clubs, and as a ringtone. [more inside]
Is that a Wiimote in your pocket, or are you just haptic to see me?
Share your Wiimote, share your wife. Ars Technica presents Ubisoft game "We Dare" as a "WTF". Joystiq declares it will "ruin parties for PS3/Wii owners". But North American Puritans need not fear:
As far as we can tell, We Dare is a European exclusive, so American partygoers are safe for the time being.See the trailer to decide for yourself. Oh, and cue the jokes about vibrating controllers.
T-Minus 2 minutes and counting
STS 133 Space Shuttle Discovery (Single Link Space shuttle Launch)
Interactive Map of ISPs in the US
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently announced the rollout of a searchable map, which also offers a nation-wide view of internet service providers with filters for various technologies. The map is based on information collected from broadband providers or other data sources. [more inside]
"I couldn't justify shooting an unarmed civilian. I said I wasn't going to do it . . ."
In December 2010 Slate posted an interview with Iraq War veteran and conscientious objector Josh Steiber [more inside]
Jon and Don
A 33-minute-long interview between Jon Stewart and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. (pt. 2, 3)
Disaster Movies of the 1970s
Disaster movies are as old as cinema itself. But their golden age began in 1970 with Airport - which, despite being an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture, is now remembered chiefly for the parody it inspired. Earthquake - exhibited in Sensurround - set a record for the number of stunt performers used. But the Master of Disaster was Lost in Space producer Irwin Allen. His The Poseidon Adventure grossed the equivalent of $450 million in today's money. And The Towering Inferno - the filming of which destroyed all but 8 of its 57 sets - is still unsurpassed.
Cut, paste, cut, paste
"‘Churnalism’ is a news article that is published as journalism, but is essentially a press release without much added." Churnalism.com is a site created by the British charity Media Standards Trust, which lets you input the text of a press release to compare it with the text of news articles in the British media. [more inside]
PS3 Hypervisor Bible
At the behest of Sony, German police have raided the home of Linux developer graf_chokolo, a prominent member of the PS3 scene. In response, graf_chokolo has released what's being called the PS3 Hypervisor Bible. [more inside]
channel surf the music web. Or something
Shuffler.fm makes radio stations sorted by genre by playing MP3s posted on music blogs. Think stumbleupon with autoplay.
Delete / Keep / Merge
Stanley Kubrick Video Tribute
A Stanley Kubrick Odyssey - A Video Tribute (NSFW) (If you want to bypass the Youtube adult content screen, the embedded version here should work, as well as possibly the inline Metafilter player.) [more inside]
"There is a wonder in reading Braille that the sighted will never know: to touch words and have them touch you back."
"The blind teaching the reader." An interesting interview that looks at how the blind read from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books blogger SB Sarah.
Wax On
"So, handicap bathroom crying fits are just this thing I do now I guess." A woman with a graduate degree and a self-professed aversion to touching people goes to beauty school, finds she fits in, likes it.
If You Could See What You're Thinking
Ted Serios and Psychic Projections Thoughtographs-- "Psychic Projections/Photographic Impressions: Paranormal Photographs from the Jule Eisenbud Collection on Ted Serios" features a series of images produced by Theodore Judd Serios (1918-2006), a bellhop from Chicago who appeared to possess a genuinely uncanny ability.
By holding a Polaroid camera and focusing on the lens very intently, he was able to produce dreamlike pictures of his thoughts on the film; he referred to these images as "thoughtographs," and many striking examples are on display in the exhibition.
The Chronicle commenters aren't convinced of this guy's ability. Nile Root claims to have seen him in action.
Don't shoot until you see the whites of their union cards
Indiana Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Cox has lost his job after urging National Guardsmen to use live ammunition during their potential clash with Wisconsin union members and protesters.
Two hours of my life gone forever
What really happens at a London Fashion Week show. (via Vicestyle) (Sidebar contains ladies' bosoms, may be NSFW) [more inside]
"What do I have to plant inside their heads?"
Gay Black History Month
February is Gay Black History Month. [SLYT]
Hollywood puts out some of the best trash I've ever seen.
Oscar The Grouch picks the Oscars. (1m28s)
The most godawful game ever
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is generally regarded as the worst video game of all time. So bad that Atari eventually had to bury over 5 million copies in a landfill.* One of the reasons may have been that Atari rushed to have it available in time for Christmas. But how bad was it really? Let's Play E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial! [more inside]
You'll be sucked right in.
On July 25th 1997, Davor Jordas and a group friends turned up at Raspadalica to take part in the first ever Croation powered paragliding competition. The day was fine, with warm sunshine and scattered puffy clouds. The only sign of what was to come was a dark cloud over the beautiful mountains of Ucka. But it was twenty miles away, and downwind, so the paragliders took to the air. To put it mildly, that turned out to be a mistake. [more inside]
Assange to be extradited
Just saying no
The number of young people taking drugs has fallen by 30% in 15 years How the British fell out of love with drugs
Go Beavers!
The Caltech men's basketball team beat Occidental College today 46-45, winning its first conference game in 26 years and snapping a 310-game losing streak. The court was subsequently stormed. More photos and videos from the Caltech athletics department. [more inside]
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