June 26, 2011
70IN70
Last month, California decided to shutter 70 of its 278 state parks. "70in70 is an attempt to create memories before history outpaces us: 70 state parks are slated for closure this year, and we intend to visit each one within the next 70 days."
Not what it says on the tin
"Any industry would be proud of an average annual growth rate of 34% over ten years and of a global reach from Austria to Taiwan. But the headlong expansion of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which by May this year controlled almost $1.5 trillion of assets (not far short of the $2 trillion in hedge funds), has become a matter for concern among financial regulators. Could ETFs be the next source of financial scandal, or even of systemic risk?" Characterizing the Financial sector "like a hyperactive child" that "can never leave a good thing be", The Economist appears to be wishing for the ETFs to be better regulated because "it would be a shame if reckless expansion spoiled a good innovation".
First she rises, then she hops, and then she eats you.
(Sunday night arthropod terror filter): YouTube user memutic has uploaded several dozen high-quality backyard video recordings of exotic insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and millipedes native to Central America, Southeast Asia, and the US. [more inside]
Distant Reading, or, the "Science" of Literature
On not reading books. Franco Moretti, author of the controversial Graphs, Maps, Trees: Abstract Models for a Literary History, proposes that literary study needs to abandon "close reading" for "distant reading": "understanding literature not by studying particular texts, but by aggregating and analyzing massive amounts of data." He is co-founder of the Stanford Literary Lab, where he and like-minded colleagues have published studies on programming computers to use statistical analysis to identify a novel's genre(PDF) and analyzing plots as networks(PDF). Similar projects are on the way.
What is the title of this post?
92 years young, the delightful Raymond Smullyan is a mathematician, logician, magician, concert pianist, and Taoist philosopher - who also pioneered retrograde chess problems.
Tim Geithner speaks at his alma mater, Dartmouth College
US Secretary of the Treasury, Tim Geithner '83 Speaks at Dartmouth Summer Lecture Series "Leading Voices in Politics & Policy". Geithner's alma mater is Dartmouth College.
I Shall Now Exact My Final Revenge Upon That Jack-Ass Joseph Pulitzer
Satirical newspaper and website The Onion is celebrating its 1000th issue by pushing for a Pulitzer Prize. Its spin-off Americans for Fairness in Awarding Journalism Prizes has garnered support from celebrities as far apart as Tom Hanks and Glenn Beck, as well as a host of geek icons and ordinary people.
Megacities on the move
Forum for the Future, a UK-based non-profit, has produced a series of short videos depicting possible future scenarios for sustainable urban mobility. Titled "Megacities on the move," the series explores "how we will live and travel in the cities of 2040". The four scenarios are (links to Vimeo): Planned-opolis , Communi-city, Renew-abad, and Sprawl-ville. [more inside]
When they sit next to you, they see possibility.
Anatomy of a Writer. "Like the protagonist of 1984, who risked his life to purchase a notebook and signed it away by filling it with words, writers sometimes find themselves huddled in a corner, crouching onto their guilty pleasure protectively, hoping that their spouse, or friends won’t catch them at it."
Just gimmie indie rock!
Henry Rollins talks with Dinosaur Jr. An 18 minute chitchat followed by a loud, rocking show, most of which was also posted:
The Wagon
Out There
Don't
History Cookbook!
Welcome to the history cookbook. Do you know what the Vikings ate for dinner? What a typical meal of a wealthy family in Roman Britain consisted of, or what food was like in a Victorian Workhouse? Why not drop into history cookbook and find out? [more inside]
I Draw Nintendo!
I Draw Nintendo! A Nintendo fanart blog by Zac Gorman.
Reith Lectures Archive
The Reith Lectures are an annual series of lectures by the BBC, started in 1948 and dedicated to advancing "public understanding of significant issues of the day through high-profile speakers." The BBC have just opened a complete archive of them, both as audio and as transcripts. (previously) [more inside]
Follow your heart
Six Second ECG Simulator. "The Cardiac Rhythm Simulator generates 25 of the most common cardiac rhythms for you to explore, review, and play."
Literal Wisconsin Supreme Court battle
Two weeks ago, the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted 4-3 [video] to reinstate the controversial anti-union Budget Repair Bill, which a district judge had declared void due to a law requiring 24 hours' public notice of meetings. The Supreme Court's deliberations were heated. The liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley now says that after she asked conservative Justice David Prosser to leave her office, he put his hands around her neck in a choke-hold. Justice Prosser denies the allegation. [more inside]
snail attack
Snail attack | The Savage Colors of Naked, Toxic Sea Snails . Bonus link: giant slug eats flower. [more inside]
How to Land your Kid in Therapy
Living Off the Land: Sell high, buy low.
Reivestments, surging prices for commodities yield tidy sums for farmers. Midwest farmers seem to playing a system to their advantage. May be of worth to small farms being pushed out by encroaching growth.
Steve Jobs had a plan, see...
Video of Steve Jobs discussing iCloud and other current Apple products, at the 1997 WWDC. Yes, 1997. Via Daring Fireball.
Best Announcer In Lacrosse
I hope they don't cook bacon
Cooking With Beefcake was a VHS cooking show about cooking near naked men. (Warning: Contains butts, feathered hair) (via)
It has a face!
Tajazzle, Rejuvenique and the Almighty Cleanse are just some of absolutely necessary products you can find at Infomercial Hell.
One litre of Big Mac Sauce
Fast Food Lasagna. NSF watching after a meal, frankly.
Golazo, Golazo, Golazo, azo azo azo
Did you see this goal? It's the last goal of this year's Gold Cup, and it's one of the very best I've ever seen. I thought I'd share it. [SLYT] [more inside]
Neolithic Grog!
The Beer Archaeologist. "Biomolecular archaeologist" Dr. Patrick McGovern has unearthed millennia-old alcohol recipes and ancient medicinals, "by analyzing residues in ancient pottery. Now he's working with brewer Sam Calagione, (of Discovery Channel's Brew Masters, (autoplaying video)) whose pub Dogfish Head serves up beers based on recipes that are thousands of years old." (Via) [more inside]
If you were an Eskimo Curlew (and boy, do we wish you were)...
What is Bird Poop? What Do Nesting Birds Do With All That Poop? Poop From The Front End. The Poop Wars of 1879. Poop Week has just concluded at 10,000 Birds, with stories, dirty science and beautiful photos at "the intersection of poop and birding, a fertile precinct if there ever was one." [via The Agonist] [more inside]
Behind the scenes at the Giro d'Italia
Nothing gets this girl excited like a good meat sale!
Better than Mick
One is never too old to rock.
DVR Power Consumption
Which device in the American home uses the most energy? No, it's not the refrigerator or the TV. It is actually the HD DVR cable box.
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