April 10, 2013
Science and beauty converge. A treasure of anything to do with birds.
NestWatch offers all kinds of interesting information about birds and their nests with beautiful pictures of the birds, their nests, clutches, broods, and fledglings. An example: the Indigo Bunting. Each page about a particular bird includes their often beautiful songs and sounds. There is a related Flickr NestWatchers site, as well as an extensive community with links about places for bird watching in each state. It's part of the fabulously encyclopedic website of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology with its own rich archive of superbly organized recordings and videos at the Macaulay Library. [more inside]
Hugh Hefner's Playboy Philosophy and Richard Nixon's My Six Climaxes
On this date in 1963, the most influential comedy theater to ever emerge out of the Bay Area - The Committee - opened its doors at 622 Broadway in North Beach. Thus began a full decade of widespread cultural influence, with multiple studio albums, appearances on The Tonight Show and The Dick Cavett Show, and a feature film. The Committee's provocative and confrontational style, influenced equally by Chicago's Second City and the radical politics of the era, set the stage for much of the comedy to follow. The Groundlings was a direct descendents (Gary Austin came from Committee workshops) and the improv structure known as Harold, basic arithmetic in the halls of IO and the Upright Citizens Brigage, was birthed at The Committee under the direction of Del Close.
To celebrate this anniversary, I'd like to present a recently unearthed recording of their Satirathon from 1968, from the archives of the late Peter Bergman. Featuring, among others, Garry Goodrow, Carl Gottlieb, and Chris "The Egg" Ross, an improv genius who succumbed to an overdose, in 1970, at the age of 25.
"More like Statue of Watery, right?"
This is fucking awesome
Let's say you're a drummer, and you have seven mates who play brass instruments. What do you do? Cover Thrift Shop (by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis). Broken Brass Ensemble have three more demo tracks on Soundcloud, if you dig their mix of traditional New Orleans brass with hiphop, balkan, funk, fanfare, and more. Or you could just listen to a ton of brass band cover songs on YouTube, if that's you're thing.
"We have entire streets of Roman London in front of us."
An archaeological excavation led by the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) has been quietly uncovering a site on the now-lost Walbrook River which they have dubbed the Pompeii of the north. [more inside]
Autism Is A Gift
Paging Umberto Eco
When Dickens Met Dostoevsky. "So now the meeting between two literary giants had led me to two names with very little behind them: Stephanie Harvey, who had written only these two articles, and Leo Bellingham, whose chief claim to fame may be that he was once compared by Stephanie Harvey to Doris Lessing." [more inside]
WHY'D YOU PUT THE COFFEE ON THE TABLE!
Got 15 seconds? Then you can watch an animation of Serj Tankian ordering coffee at a Starbucks. [more inside]
“Shopping is so ritualised that we walk around like zombies,”
Sian Jarvis, the supermarket’s head of corporate affairs, had undermined her claims to care about the health of her customers and let slip one of the secrets of a multi-billion-pound industry ... she revealed that one in three Asda checkouts “are what we call guilt-free checkouts”. Jarvis insisted “guilt-free” was merely “a term that’s commonly used in retail”. But it was too late, and her “guilt” gaffe quickly invited scorn in the industry and among public health professionals. Whatever the damage, she had already opened a door to the arcane science of supermarket psychology. To the designers of the modern store, shoppers are lab rats with trolleys, guided through a maze of aisles by the promise of rewards they never knew they sought The Secrets Of Our Supermarkets[more inside]
Teaching philosophy in prison
"Tell you what, Case, if I never meet another psychopath again as long as I live, it'll be far too soon." And I knew that I had lost the stomach for the whole damned business. If I carried on in prison, I would have to do it differently; I would have to admit that it was prison.
The bigger they are, the harder they will crush your bookshelf
Sebastião Salgado, whose past photographic topics have included workers, migrations, and Africa, is unveiling a new exhibition: Genesis.
The supporting catalogue is available in a special extra-large edition, with 2 volumes measuring 46.8x70cm (18.4"x27.6"), and shipped in a box weighing a total 59kg (130 lbs). [more inside]
Brains have never looked so pretty
Karl Deisseroth and his team at Stanford University [previously] have developed a completely new technique to make a brain perfectly see-through. They call it CLARITY, and the result has to be seen to be believed. [more inside]
In which we discuss the politics of the Mario Universe.
...Although as he self-styles himself "King Koopa," it is apparent that he claims (or is seeking) parity of esteem with Princess Peach; that is to say that he does not regard himself as a "terrorist," but as a "freedom fighter" or entitled ruler in his own right.
On the hook for Mom & Dad
Your parent's nursing home bill may soon be your responsibility. In response to the US recession and aging population, long-dormant state filial responsibility laws are being upheld. Use this handy chart to find your state laws. [more inside]
"Sexism is over!"
An Orange Prize nominee speaks out about her experience as a woman in literature: weakened titles, pink covers, snubbed for reviews. [more inside]
Check the Belt Buckle
Have you ever wondered if you might be fucking... but you weren't sure? Reggie Watts clarifies. SLYT, NSFW
The True Shape of Snowflakes
Snowflakes in freefall "The classic image of a snowflake is a fluke. That flat, six-sided crystal with delicate filigree patterns of sharp branches occurs in only about one in every 1000 flakes. And a snowflake seen in 3D is another beast entirely"
"'Spitzer! You’re Governor Spitzer!'"
Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin’s Post-Scandal Playbook (Spoiler: The disgraced Congressman is likely running for Mayor of New York City. SLNYT, Via)
Who Needs Society? (Except to Steal From)
A Maine hermit went into the woods at age 20, survived for 27 years by pulling off 1,000+ robberies, then finally was caught last week by game wardens using hidden cameras.
What is "satire" anyway?
Last Monday, New Inquiry blogger Aaron Bady audited the word satire and made it clear. He wrote, "If something is not taken to be satire, it fails as satire. [It's] an effect, and everything depends on how the joke is received, what the author intended, what the circumstances were in which it was made, and so on."
It's an interesting definition, both for the way it's made and the assumptions on which it relies. He establishes criteria for the existence of satire based on its audience, citing people who mistake The Onion and The Daily Currant for real news as evidence for the genre's fragility, tying satire's ontology to whether it achieves food for thought for the permanently slackjawed. Leaving aside the fact that a satire's being mistaken for reality is often a satirist's dream, basing the existence of something on the perception of idiots is a powerful argument. [more inside]
Faster, Empire! Strike! Strike!
If Russ Meyer had directed Star Wars instead of George Lucas, and had gender-flipped all the characters, what would the action figures have looked like? At last, the answer can be known. [via] [more inside]
By this time next year, coffee will no longer work.
The Secretary of Agriculture stepped forward with a big briefcase. "Sir, I’ve spent years working to develop a synthetic coffee substitute for just such an emergency." He pulled out a big test tube filled with liquid. "This little concoction is the answer. It’s just as good as real coffee."
The room was silent.
"It’s orange," said the President.
"Yes. That can’t be changed."
"Does it have any other shortcomings?"
"It has been known to cause occasional... body-death."
The room was silent.
"But it tastes like coffee?" the President finally asked.
"Moderately so."
Everyone in the room nodded solemnly. It would have to be.
The Day Coffee Stopped Working, by John Bailey Owen.
The room was silent.
"It’s orange," said the President.
"Yes. That can’t be changed."
"Does it have any other shortcomings?"
"It has been known to cause occasional... body-death."
The room was silent.
"But it tastes like coffee?" the President finally asked.
"Moderately so."
Everyone in the room nodded solemnly. It would have to be.
The Day Coffee Stopped Working, by John Bailey Owen.
Splattered Ink
“All I can say is, we had no good taste, no good decorum, and no good style. There almost wasn’t anything that was off limits.”
Gameological speaks to the minds behind Data East's Tattoo Assassins.
Ta-da!
It's The Claw
Documenting the absurd finger acrobatics required to Save For Web in Adobe software (SLTumblr)
Fixie Nascar
The Mini Drome is one of the smallest cycling tracks in the world. Fixed gear cyclists ride the 51 foot velodrome(Velodromes are typically 1 kilometer in length) without any brakes. The Mini Drome is pretty much a fixed gear version of Nascar.
Cats in games: does exactly what it sounds like
Do you like cats? Do you like videogames? Then you'll love cats in videogames (SLTumblr).
First They Came For The Cunning Hats...
Ten years after cancellation, FOX finally starts caring about Firefly. Well, Fox's lawyers at least, who recently started going after the no doubt lucrative Jayne's Hat cottage industry.
End Extreme Wealth
Many of these people live in a very limited environment. They have never been outside the finance district, gated communities, or the typical holiday resorts of the extreme wealthy.Do they know it's Christmas? [more inside]
Class-Divided Cities
Beginning with New York and wending its way through to Detroit, The Atlantic Cities has just completed a series of posts exploring geographic class divisions in a dozen cities (actually metro areas) in the U.S., with help from American Community Survey data. [more inside]
"Your dad's a nutter! A skinhead priest!"
Perfect for that breakfast on the go, and creeping out your friends.
This webpage will be held to regulate the service
"North Korea is a not a state, it's a cult."
A former top female North Korean spy gives an exclusive interview, saying Kim Jong-un is posturing on the world stage because he is too young and too inexperienced to gain control of the military. [more inside]
« Previous day | Next day »