February 9, 2018

Burn the land and boil the sea. You can't take the [canon] from me.

Firefly canon to expand with series of original books: "EW can exclusively report that Titan Books and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products have teamed up to publish an original range of new fiction tying in to Joss Whedon’s beloved but short-lived TV series Firefly. The books will be official titles within the Firefly canon, with Whedon serving as consulting editor. The first book is due in the fall." [more inside]
posted by not_the_water at 11:42 PM PST - 73 comments

Enjoy your electric village experience!

Paradise OS
posted by Cash4Lead at 10:13 PM PST - 9 comments

“I was liking all of Maxine Waters’s tweets and lost track of time.”

He calls me into his office and closes the door… to promote me. He promotes me again and again. I am wild with ecstasy. New Erotica for Feminists (SLMcSweeny’s)
posted by supercrayon at 7:19 PM PST - 36 comments

Telescope Building with John Dobson

Telescope Building with John Dobson
posted by loquacious at 2:24 PM PST - 24 comments

“I didn’t know they would name a school after someone like that.”

The school board of Salt Lake City Utah has voted to rename (Andrew) Jackson Elementary in honor of Mary Jackson, one of the NASA engineers featured in the book/film Hidden Figures with wide support from students, parents, and the community.
posted by vespabelle at 1:57 PM PST - 16 comments

"To watch Robin is to sense the complete control he has over his body."

I admit that, as a skater, when I’m watching I just go, ‘For God’s sake, just slow down.’ When I was competing and choreographing for competitors, my whole thing was, if you fell on every jump or if you took every jump out, would your routine still be interesting to look at? I want to bring the beauty back.

As the 2018 Olympics kick off and figure-skating fans settle in for ‘quad watch’, let’s take a moment and revisit the artistry, musicality, and graceful athleticism of Robin Cousins. [more inside]
posted by myotahapea at 1:37 PM PST - 12 comments

Maybe there's nothing natural about motherhood

IVF, adoption, and questioning why what's "natural" is what's thought to be best. (SL TheCut)
posted by stillmoving at 1:27 PM PST - 11 comments

Photographs from any aerial platform are welcome

The winners of the 2017 SkyPixel Photo Contest have been announced.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:12 PM PST - 2 comments

Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Autism, Depression disorders share genes

Second breakthrough in two years for humankind's commonest mental illnesses. Published in Science today, Gandal et al. show correlations in gene expression between Schizophrenia and three other major mental illnesses: 70% for Bipolar disorder, 45% for Autism spectrum disorder and 30% for Major Depressive disorder. This research comes exactly two years after Sekar et al. published an in-depth discovery that a known gene from the immune system was over expressed in the brains of Schizophrenics. 'Complement Component C4' gene flags connections between neurons for destruction in a late-adolescent process that called "synaptic pruning" and which is devastatingly overactive in Schizophrenia (previously). In the years ahead will these two findings merge into a scientific picture that our brains are profoundly shaped by our immune systems in late childhood?
posted by dongolier at 12:01 PM PST - 31 comments

"I'm not sure what Walt would think..."

They stroll through Disneyland in packs of 20 or more, motley crews that resemble a cross between the Hells Angels motorcycle gang and a grown-up Mickey Mouse Club with their Disney-themed tattoos and their matching denim vests strewn with trading pins and logos.

Disneyland social clubs, by most accounts, are harmless alliances of friends and family who meet up at the park to share a nerdy obsession for all things Disney. With club names such as Tigger Army and Neverland Mermaids, how threatening can they be? "It's all about the shared love for Disney," said Mark Drop, Jr., 39, who founded a club called Flynn's Riders, after a character in the Walt Disney animated film "Tangled."

But a lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court has revealed a dark undercurrent to the pastime. The head of one club has accused another of using gangster-like tactics to try to collect "protection" money for a charity fundraiser at the park.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:22 AM PST - 59 comments

The sound of an extinct bird

The huia is an extinct New Zealand bird whose last confirmed sighting was in 1907. There are no audio recordings of an actual huia. And yet we know what it sounded like. [more inside]
posted by compartment at 11:01 AM PST - 11 comments

Rice and Racing in Luzon

The Banaue RiceTerraces are on the UNESCO Heritage list and are spectacular. Added to the now-annual Imbayah Festival are the scooter races. Mind you, these are hand-carved wooden scooters with no brakes, coming down the mountain into the town full of festival goers. Watch this: Racing Wood Scooters
posted by MovableBookLady at 10:56 AM PST - 4 comments

No, you won't see the Tesla Roadster

ORBIT - A Journey Around Earth in Real Time [SLYT]
posted by gwint at 9:04 AM PST - 6 comments

happy friday everybody

corgi riding a pony
posted by griphus at 8:46 AM PST - 32 comments

Life inspires art inspires life: the anime

As the Japanese figure skating duo of Suzaki Miu and Kihara Ryuichi started their routine, some very recognisable music started playing... [more inside]
posted by MartinWisse at 8:18 AM PST - 10 comments

Most of the world loves Ed Sheeran

See the most popular song in 3000 world cities. This visualization with clickable links allows you to explore the biggest hits from last month globally. There are some to be expected like Perfect and Havana but some fun surprises like Troll in Russia.
posted by k8t at 7:10 AM PST - 16 comments

One Woman A Day in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Drawing upon the films, books, comics, and more, Amy Richau is determined to highlight one woman a day for a year who has been featured in some way in Star Wars. [more inside]
posted by Atreides at 7:10 AM PST - 5 comments

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