August 26, 2008
middle earth has no monopoly on miming
Seems like China isn't the only country faking performances during Olympic ceremonies.
It's going! It's going! It's ... time to check the video
Starting Thursday, Major League Baseball umpires will use instant replay to review disputed home run calls.
"Science is an integral part of culture"
The Unofficial Stephen Jay Gould Archive, an online library dedicated to the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002). Includes an excellent selection of videos. And The Official Stephen Jay Gould Archive [still under development], which includes two of his books and his Harvard course online. [more inside]
Larry Summers lays it out for the next President
"There are half a dozen [economic] issues today, each one of which is as important as the most important issue at the beginning of most presidential terms." Larry Summers became so well-known during his brief and contentious tenure as President of Harvard that it's easy to forget about his real job, as a much-lauded academic economist with a history of real-world service at the World Bank and in the Clinton Administration. In this month's Harvard Magazine, he summarizes his view of the economy (grim) and what the next president is going to have to do about it (a lot.)
Say Cheese!
So, you've probably heard of Songfight...
So, you've probably heard of Songfight by now. It's a competition in which every week or so, musicians submit a song based on a given title. Anyone can enter. What you probably didn't know... [more inside]
Sexy People
A new kind of application
Like those "going to Berkeley, have an empty seat" bulletin boards on campuses everywhere, but real-time. I think this is a new kind of application, enabled by the iPhone's location awareness and ease of programming.
Last Sunday, encountering traffic in an area not covered by Google's very cool traffic-monitoring service, I thought "gee, I should write an iPhone app that alerts people of upcoming traffic problems, submit new ones, and clear old ones." As the ubiquity of iPhones grows, entirely new categories of social/location-aware applications are bound to emerge.
Sound Collage
The nearest thing to being alive
The Wall of Death is a great song by venerable British folkie Richard Thompson (covered by REM among others) concerning a carnival sideshow attraction involving a large wooden cylinder and at least one motorcycle (previously on metafilter). The Wall of Death is also the latest permutation in mosh pit chaosity.
Indiana Jones' Temple of Doom Theme Song
If adventure has a name, it must have an electric violin solo!
What a beautiful rocketship
US Military Presence Worldwide
Mission Creep: "Bush and Rumsfeld may be history, but America's new global footprint lives on." [more inside]
MeFi: The Game
Playcrafter is now in open alpha. Playcrafter allows you to easily create Flash games with a drag-and-drop online toolkit. Some of the neater ones to play include games like Unstack and Matcheroo, and, of course, my original creation MeFi Plate of Beans. Do you think you can do a better MeFi game? [God, I should hope so.]
Social Engineering in the Facebook Era
‘Forgot your password?’ may be weakest link. Herbert Thompson, chief security strategist of People Security, "asked some of his acquaintances for permission to break into their online banking accounts. The goal was simple: get into their online accounts using the information about them, their families and acquaintances that is freely available online." [more inside]
(Comic) Con Anti-Harassment Project
In the wake of some pretty nasty harassment directed towards women at San Diego Comic-Con, Rachel Edidin from the Inside Out blog at Girl Wonder has established a means of constructively dealing with the problem: the Con Anti-Harassment Project. [more inside]
It tastes like burning
Pixifoods: Any food substance that is highly pleasant to the taste as a child and tastes shockingly unpleasant once you become an adult.
Last days of the old North (of England)
Last Days of the Old North (of England). A fascinating selection of photographs - mostly from the late sixties/early seventies documenting an era when it truly was grim up north. Made all the more interesting by the erudite and comprehensive commentary by the photographer.
Did earthquakes give rise to Rome?
A Jared Diamond-like theory of history - did earthquakes contribute to the rise of ancient civilizations? Thirteen of 15 major ancient civilizations were clustered mostly along tectonic boundaries. "It's not a connection that seems to make much sense at first glance. But you can't ignore the pattern--look at a map, and it just jumps out at you." (Abstract). [more inside]
Making the Wire
Ronsheim's lectures on 20th century music
Course materials and taped lectures (nearly 70 hours worth) from John Ronsheim's classes on 20th century music at Antioch College.
Heareasy
"A national debt will be to us a national blessing." Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of Treasury,1780
Even as I.O.U.S.A, a documentary looking at the United States' $53T national debt, is to be shown at both the Democratic and Republican conventions, economists are beginning to openly discuss the previously unthinkable - should America should default on some or perhaps all it's obligations? [more inside]
Eno/Byrne Everything that happens
After 30 years, a new collaboration between Brian Eno and David Byrne. Stream it all there or download the free MP3.
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