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Do you feel that science has gone mad? Do you yearn for a time when adventurers were unfailingly courteous and infallibly polite? Well look no further than the adventures of Othar Tryggvassen, Gentleman Adventurer--now available weekly on the radio! Episodes [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]. In case this makes little sense, some background is available here.
posted by vernondalhart at 11:49 PM PST - 5 comments

Multiphonic chanting of the Gyuto Tantric University monks. [more]
posted by nickyskye at 11:30 PM PST - 22 comments

Sprinkle Brigade is brilliant, gross, and kinda NSFW. A comparable project was previously mentioned on MeFi. It would be too funny if certain comments had spurred this new development.
posted by mano at 10:00 PM PST - 31 comments

An experiment recently performed by the AET RaDAL group shows that the gravitomagnetic field produced by a rapidly-spinning superconductor can cause a 1.117 times increase over the Earth's gravity. Gravitomagnetism, a phenomenon predicted by General Relativity, is a poorly understood but promising topic in modern physics. Speculation about harnessing the bizarre, space-warping and gravity-altering effects of gravitomagnetism has already begun. Reactionless space propulsion [PDF] is the most apparent use (previously discussed), with the potential applications far-reaching and nearly inconcievable. The earlier experiment by the European Space Agency involving another rapidly-spinning superconductor earlier this year found a massive increase in strength over the predicted values, but still miniscule by our standards. Things could become very interesting if the results from this latest experiment pan out.
posted by nervestaple at 9:20 PM PST - 47 comments

Obscene anti-Bush folk song. Direct link to very NSFW mp3. Funny? Probably depends on your politics. Another song from Eric Schwartz, discussed previously. This isn't Erik Schwartz the suburbanhomeboy, matzah! rap guy, by the way.
posted by tula at 8:59 PM PST - 28 comments

Bruno Kirby, 57, dies of leukemia.
posted by zardoz at 8:50 PM PST - 48 comments

Tensor, said the Tensor asks and answers the question: "Who's Steven?"
posted by cgc373 at 8:00 PM PST - 7 comments

Thailand video blogs
posted by konolia at 6:58 PM PST - 7 comments

Auroras have had many explanations throughout history. Now, science has answered many questions, thanks to spending a lot of time in Antarctica taking time-lapse films.
posted by MetaMonkey at 6:57 PM PST - 14 comments

Grisha Perelman, where are you? Perelman has quite possibly solved one of mathematics biggest mysteries, Poincaré’s conjecture, but has since disappeared.
posted by kliuless at 6:54 PM PST - 32 comments

Hummer Ad strikes all the wrong notes. Tofu-eater feels insecure upon seeing an unrepentant meat-muncher, goes buys a Hummer to 'Restore the balance' (previous tagline: 'Restore your manhood'.) Somehow the ad agency forgot that you're supposed to get the message of "Feeling Down on Yourself? Buy Our Product, Show it Off, You'll Feel Better!" across subtly, not explicitly.
posted by Firas at 3:13 PM PST - 107 comments

Alt Anti- Bizarro NoNewsFilter
posted by wendell at 3:04 PM PST - 39 comments

Who needs boots when you can have steel-toed tabi? An overview of Japanese worker clothing.
posted by oneirodynia at 2:58 PM PST - 29 comments

Say Goodbye to Carrying Around 8+ Different Discount Cards - Put Them All Onto One Card [via mefi projects]
posted by boo_radley at 1:56 PM PST - 46 comments

When Library and Archives Canada placed online images of the 1901, 1906 and 1911 census, Automated Genealogy provided opportunity for volunteers to transcribe names into a database. Now the two early documents (1901, 1906) and most of the 1911 are fully indexed and searchable with links to the original image pages. Further projects are underway to link names between the documents and to other online sources, such as The Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance and the British Home Children.
posted by TimTypeZed at 1:22 PM PST - 8 comments

An online version of The Chicago Manual of Style is scheduled for release in September 2006. A test drive will be available next month; there's a Quick Tour [PDF] with screenshots and more info.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:09 PM PST - 51 comments

Bored with that same old business meeting? Why not try a dinner in the sky? But if it's a view you're after, you could probably take a few of your clients here for the same price. (flash & sound alert; film clip on main site is slow to load)
posted by madamjujujive at 11:51 AM PST - 14 comments

Spider web construction gallery is a collection of diagrams of the path a spider takes when constructing it's web. The diagrams are colour coded by construction phase. [VIA MoFi's very first post.]
posted by Mitheral at 11:10 AM PST - 24 comments

Hopefully this will put an end to the interminable AskMe questions: Adam Cadre has written a complete retrospective and review of William Sleator’s young adult science fiction.
posted by Iridic at 10:56 AM PST - 16 comments

Are you a Winning Writer? Although the site is largely geared toward entering writing contests, there's quite a bit of po ems and short stories that have won various contests. You can also have your poetry critiqued or visit one of the websites for poets and writers. Some services, such as the poetry critique, are only available if you subscribe to their free newsletter.
posted by owhydididoit at 10:35 AM PST - 44 comments

Due to recent fires, Dell is recalling over four million laptop batteries manufactured by Sony and sold worldwide in the past two years. Pictures of computers on fire (as well as their charred remains) circulated widely online, not allowing the company to easily dismiss the problem as an isolated incident. Other companies claim their products aren't affected by the same issues, but the nightmare might not be limited to Dell. The future of laptops on airplanes is not looking so good.
posted by kyleg at 10:30 AM PST - 50 comments

Digital Maoism: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism. An essay by Jaron Lanier.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:55 AM PST - 70 comments

The Toronto Globe and Mail on climate-change denial in Canada. Includes a description of how donations from oil companies to anti-Kyoto groups like Friends of Science are laundered through the Calgary Foundation and the University of Calgary's Science Education Fund. Previously.
posted by russilwvong at 7:52 AM PST - 67 comments

Ernest and Bertram --short film, formerly one of the best films you can't see after debuting at Sundance in 2002, with Sesame's lawyers then cracking down and forcing it to be pulled--now on youtube.
posted by amberglow at 6:49 AM PST - 27 comments

What If ... 9/11 Never Happened? "The broader culture would have gone its own way, 9/11 or no 9/11—progressing effortlessly from the obsessions of Gary Condit and Survivor in summer ’01 to Brangelina and American Idol in ’06. The Oliver Stone project of August ’06, however, would not be World Trade Center, but, with exquisite timing, Fidel."

One possibility from many in a collection of "could've-beens" compiled by New York Magazine. Other contributions of note: Tom Wolfe, Fareed Zakaria, an alternate-future blog by Andrew Sullivan, and perhaps best of all, a simple sketch from Ex Machina's Brian K. Vaughan.
posted by grabbingsand at 4:59 AM PST - 118 comments

Lists of the best places in the United States assume their expert can choose the absolute best place to live, or to work, or to raise a family—for everyone. Wouldn't a better way to find great places to live in America be based on your unique priorities and preferences?
posted by CodeBaloo at 3:51 AM PST - 42 comments

Congratulations! Pepsi-Cola's first woman CEO is anointed on the eve of her country of birth's Independence Day. As the US warns India not to ban Pepsi-Cola implying it may impede future economic progress, and India celebrates Independence from the British under heightened security alerts, one wonders how Indra Nooyi will navigate this press relations nightmare?
posted by infini at 1:52 AM PST - 38 comments

Romance 2.0 : Jan-M. Studt's writing/directing debut. "Businesswoman Sarah Townsend looked back on a successful day when a promising, unknown man called on her 3D-holophone. Too bad the holophone technique isn't very advanced yet. And men are not what they used to be..." (German with English subtitles.)
posted by Orb at 1:13 AM PST - 14 comments

The INA is a project out of Princeton's Sociology dept, focused in part on gathering data sets regarding globalization & making the information more publically digestable. Towards that end, these seven amazing infographics are provided covering the following topics: the Global Arms Trade, the US goverment as Employer, Transportation, The Coming Water Wars, The International Tobacco Industry, The Movie Business, and the prevalance & impact of McDonalds & Starbucks.
posted by lilbrudder at 12:11 AM PST - 19 comments