June 25, 2012
Lunch
And you know it
Radio Canada International no longer on radio
Due to budget cuts, CBC's Radio Canada International has ceased broadcasting on shortwave; it is now Internet-only and therefore blocked by authoritarian regimes around the world. Mark Montgomery is somewhat emotional about being the last voice on the air
What went wrong during Dave Chappelle’s Austin appearance?
Dave Chappelle, still facing pressure from audiences who want him to do bits from "Chappelle's Show", did not amuse an audience in Austin. Which begs the question: Do we expect too much from entertainers?
Don’t use glossy magazine pages.
Jimmy Carter
"The United States is abandoning its role as the global champion of human rights." - Jimmy Carter [more inside]
"You can find the Beef", she stated, while doing a handstand for no apparent reason.
Tycho Brahe, probably best known for his drinking and pill binge of 1997 was the author of a great number of fantasy works, of which the most influential may have been The Story That Is Built One Sentence At a Time By Those That Read It.
"June Foray isn't the female Mel Blanc. Mel Blanc is the male June Foray."
EYYyyyWWWww
Sound-Word Index — Emotions and their sound can invade our digital messages. Our words become flexible and vibrate according to the volume of our voices, transforming their written form into an expressive and resonating language. Without the help of body language, words can sometimes fall short in our digital conversations. However, sound, volume and rhythm can influence the spelling of our words, helping to translate our emotions hidden behind our screens.
A Portland Time-Lapse
We're here to convert you
Obama evolved. The NAACP evolved. The NCLR has evolved. How do you get your friends and family to evolve into support for LGBT rights?
The Movement Advancement Project's excellent Talking About LGBT Issues series gives research-driven rhetorical and messaging frameworks that work best for meeting reluctant folks where they are. They include warnings about civil rights framings, how to hit emotional marks that emphasize commonality and cover things like adoption, marriage, transgender etiquette and employment protections.
'consider the Geneva Conventions against protecting civilians in wartime “no longer relevant.”'
Last year, Wired reported that 'The FBI is teaching
its counterterrorism agents that “main stream” [sic] American Muslims are likely to be terrorist sympathizers; that the Prophet Mohammed was a “cult leader”; and that the Islamic practice of giving charity is no more than a “funding mechanism for combat.”' (previously)
The FBI pledged reform, but the materials appeared to be deeply embedded. After the President ordered a review, the FBI 'purged' the documents from training materials.
Earlier this year Wired reported that 'U.S. Military Taught Officers: Use ‘Hiroshima’ Tactics for ‘Total War’ on Islam.' [more inside]
The False Allure of Group Selection
Steven Pinker on the "False Allure of Group Selection", with comments by Daniel Dannett, Stewart Brand, and others. Richard Dawkins's take on group selection. Jerry Coyne's take.
Why You Should Feed the Trolls If You Damn Well Need To
As goes the Beeb...
There are fears for the future editorial independence of the BBC after news journalists were ordered to come up with money-generating ideas for the corporation, a leaked email reveals.
BBC bosses have told reporters to think of money-making schemes and present them to their line managers at forthcoming job appraisals – raising concerns that the organisation's prized editorial standards will be compromised by commercial imperatives.
The 2,400 staff working in the BBC's Global News department, including the BBC World Service, have been told that they must now "exploit new commercial opportunities [and] maximise the value we create with our journalism".
Back to the Future
There were 78 episodes of the anthology Science Fiction Theatre aired on TV from 1955 to 1957. The show's plots were much more heavily-weighted to science than others of the time, although some of the premises appear very far-fetched. Many of the episodes are available on YouTube. [more inside]
My God, it's full of squares.
Razzle Dazzle Berry Pie
There's only 3 types of people in the world. There's Gumbel, there's friends of Gumbel, and there's Tight Dave.
Roof Dogs
Dogs on Roofs: a Flickr pool.
I WAS OFF MY FACE ON TARO CHIPS SO I DIDN'T KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG
Gayle is a short weekly web-series about the hyper-competitive upper-middle class mom Gaye Waters-Waters and her relentless attempts to dominate the local chapter of Mothers Against Road Head. Episode one with links to the latest ten. NSFW audio.
The crocodile whisperer
Rather than trying to tame wild stallions, fearless Costa Rican fisherman Chito preferred a playful wrestle in the water with his best pal Pocho - a deadly 17ft crocodile. For several years, the 52-year-old daredevil drew gasps of amazement from onlookers by wading chest-deep into the water, then whistling for his 980lb buddy - and giving him an affectionate hug. Crazy Chito said: "Poncho is my best friend. This is a very dangerous routine but we have a good relationship. He will look me in the eye and not attack me. It is too dangerous for anyone else to come in the water. It is only ever the two of us.
Sadly Pocho died last October, at the age of 50. But his fame lives on.
Blessed Plot
What Britain used to look like from the air (Audio slideshow) From sprawling factory complexes to newly built suburban streets - by way of some of the UK's top sporting venues and seaside resorts. More than 10,000 images from one of the earliest collections of aerial photography are being made freely available on the web.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Today the Supreme Court announced their 5-4 decision for Miller v. Alabama and found that mandatory life without parole sentences for juveniles who commit murder are unconstitutional. [more inside]
It doesn't bark, it roars.
Abine Googlesharing
Stop data collection by Google: Abine introduces Googlesharing for Firefox [beta].
"He was so English I wanted to be him."
Alex Niven reviews Martin Amis' new book, Lionel Asbo: State Of England, mostly by examining the concept of "Cool Britannia", which he describes as "comic-book elegant slumming underpinned by cynical self-interest and harsh economic realism."
What are a few galaxies between friends?
In November 1966, Isaac Asimov wrote an article for TV Guide lamenting the shaky science of Star Trek. Roddenberry replied, arguing that simply knowing about science, and writing sci-fi novels, was not sufficient qualification to criticize television sci-fi. [more inside]
"I broke some laws and made a ton of friends"
The Manhattan Project is an HD timelapse short showing off different aspects of life in New York City. [via]
unnamed soundsculpture
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