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Stage 9, named after the Paramount location used to film episodes of several Star Trek shows, is a Unreal Engine 4-powered recreation of the USS Enterprise D, inside and out. You can download it now!
posted by selfnoise at 3:07 PM PST - 56 comments

The stirring story of how Alberta became the first place in the world to banish the rat (and the twelve thousand page Wikipedia edit war about it)
posted by Etrigan at 1:51 PM PST - 61 comments

Context in courtship: how do singing mice decide when to sing? [via mefi projects]
posted by sardonyx at 1:23 PM PST - 6 comments

In honor of National Dog Day (previously), here's a heartwarming story of hunger and determination. [h/t joycehealy]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:57 PM PST - 25 comments

The ‘double empathy problem’ The author asks other authors and their readers to realize that most portrayals of this minority are from the outside and "research" done on characters use the equivalent of the orientalist gaze. Never allowed to speak for themselves, their behaviours are itemised, but not actually understood. The observer, meanwhile, is assumed to be neutral, authoritative and wise. This creates a simulacrum of the Orient, packaged for the consumption of the West. If it happened only once, it would barely be a problem; but reproduced endlessly, each skewed representation gives life and context to the next. The literary trope of autism has that same kind of memetic contagion. [more inside]
posted by RuvaBlue at 12:40 PM PST - 48 comments

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction is the best place on the internet.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:24 AM PST - 10 comments

Neil Simon well known for excellent comedy works passed away.
posted by CRESTA at 10:15 AM PST - 61 comments

If Social Media is a part of your life but you're also sickened by nazis you've probably considered Mastodon as an alternative. But rather than a straight-up Twitter clone based on the open standards Mastodon has some real and significant differences that may be confusing at first. Fortunately this video should help get you up to speed: Intro to Mastodon 101
posted by Artw at 8:28 AM PST - 132 comments

Many of the show’s guests came from the Tri-State area of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, she told me, and they had had success with hiring PAs from that area. ... In short, the guests were my people, and I would be able to communicate with them effectively. I knew their ways. They would trust me, and I would betray them, as I had been betraying them for years.

At the AV Club, Katie Rife recalls her time working on the Jerry Springer Show.
posted by Johnny Assay at 8:02 AM PST - 17 comments