August 16, 2017
Technology adoption swerve
8 lessons from 20 years of Hype Cycles looks at how Gartner's predictions of upcoming tech panned out.
Q: Why did the explorers haul a fruitcake to the South Pole?
"You are not Anish Kapoor, you are in no way affiliated to Anish Kapoor"
Previously on Metafilter, British tech company Nanosystems created VantaBlack, the world's darkest color. As a promotional push, they sold exclusive artistic rights to the material to renowned artist Anish Kapoor.
This didn't sit well with painter Stuart Semple and his contemporaries. [more inside]
"We became the party of the status quo."
"Look at the continuing scandals that are pouring out of Wells Fargo, with the most recent headlines about their having sold car insurance to people without any rationale, whatsoever... Lanny Breuer’s articulation of 'too big to prosecute' goes down as, on the one hand, the most honest and also the most disturbing statement made by the head of the Criminal Division in the Justice Department." A two-part interview with former New York governor Eliot Spitzer about antitrust, economic concentration, and regulatory capture.
Ball of Confusion
Dogs who think they're cats. Cats who think they're dogs (there are, like, entire breeds of those). IMHO, the cats have the right idea: dogs are indisputably better than cats, despite the propaganda from Big Cat.
Long Ones, Short Ones, Fat Ones, Skinny Ones...
....Itsy, Bitsy Polychaete Worms: "Leslie Harris, from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, is a taxonomist who specializes in polychaetes. She’s sharing her expertise with the Smithsonian MarineGEO bioblitz currently underway at the Hakai Institute’s Calvert Ecological Observatory." [more inside]
C is for Cookie; That's Good Enough for Me
A Death Growl is the one of the hallmarks of Death Metal. Sometimes referred to as Cookie Monster Vocals. This isn't lost on metal bands. [more inside]
Amazing A Capella by the Beach Boys
Just the vocals of "Wouldn't It Be Nice," showcasing the sophistication of Brian Wilson. There's a lot of info here about the actual construction of the song and the harmonies and the advanced musical methodology used. I've been listening to this song for 40 years or so and was astonished at this a capella version.
Freddy didn't kill the kids on Elm Street, the Manson Family did
Cult actor John Saxon is perhaps best-known for his role as Donald Thompson in the first and third Nightmare on Elm Street films. But in 1987, Saxon also tried his hand as a screenwriter with a bizarre treatment for a prequel to the series in which it was to be revealed that Fred Krueger was an innocent man and the real killer was... The Manson Family? (via Bloody-Disgusting)
Wedding rings don't grow on carrots, you know. Oh wait, they do.
August 2017: Canadian woman finds long-lost diamond engagement ring on a carrot growing in her garden. November 2016: German man finds long-lost wedding ring on a carrot growing in his garden. November 2011: Swedish woman finds long-lost wedding ring on a carrot growing in her garden.
It Isn't Just Me Then
Brilliant writings on the latent queer aesthetic of Carly Rae Jepsen. Respect between gay fans and the pop music artist is mutual. What is the delineating factor between the headcanon and the truthful reading? Gay publications take notice. What's not to love? Carly puts her money where her mouth is. "Carly Rae Jepsen invented gay people," says a very earnest concert-goer.
Palm leaves and cow dung, less common writing surfaces in India and Asia
Paper, textiles and stone have traditionally been used to as surfaces on which to write and paint, but Warli tribal or folk paintings are done on a cow-dung base on textile (though "gheroo," red mud or clay, is more common now). On the other side of India and throughout South and Southeast Asia, palm leaves have historically been used, including for one of the oldest known dated Sanskrit manuscripts from South Asia, and are still used to this day. If you want to try your hand at making or maintaining a palm-leaf manuscript, there are guides, collected on the AIC Wiki, sponsored by the American Institute for Conservation of Art and Historic Works. [historic manuscripts previously, including rolled palm leaf manuscripts in Nepal; indirectly via Dark Roasted Blend]
The kids have gone to the dogs
According to a recent survey, 33% of Americans age 18-36 who purchased their first home did so primarily to accommodate a dog. This exceeds the number purchasing primarily because of a marriage or the birth of a child. [more inside]
Who'd Win?
Elektra or Black Widow? Or rather, of their respective stunt doubles, Lauren Mary Kim or Amy Johnston? Part of the Kali Diary video series that Kim put up on her Youtube channel, showcasing this particular brand of Philipino martial arts.
Chill out and watch ancient tools be made to work again
Hand Tool Rescue is a Youtube channel devoted to repairing old hand tools. Slightly sped up, minimal commentary work; perfect to relax to at the end of the day. Some choice vids include: an antique nail gun, a 1940s band saw tooth setter, or a handpowered wall paper cutter.
Socialists, Tenant Farmers, Native And African Americans Against The War
"The aftermath of the rebellion was a radical change in Oklahoma politics, which included a severe crackdown on the Socialist Party of Oklahoma (which had not been involved in the Green Corn Rebellion) and the Industrial Workers of the World. There was also a crackdown on all forms of dissent against the draft and World War I, and a large scale orientation of Oklahoma politics towards the right — a major change in a state which had once had the strongest and most active Socialist Party in the USA." - Remembering The Green Corn Rebellion 100 years later with contemporary accounts, video, Oklahoma issues, and more
How one man built a $51m theme park for his disabled daughter
A father from Texas realised there were no theme parks where his disabled daughter could play. So he decided to build one.
"We wanted a theme park where everyone could do everything, where people with and without special needs could play,"Gordon Hartman says. [more inside]
My childhood fears realized
On their way through North Dakota, indie rock band Belle and Sebastian made a late-night stop at a Walmart in Dickinson to get some water, and drummer Richard Colburn stepped out to use the bathroom. When he finished, the rest of the band was gone. Not having a phone with him, he spent several hours sitting around in his pajamas before his absence was noticed, but luckily they were able to recover.
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