August 5, 2005
Ben Stiller is as funny as a dead christmas puppy
I Don't Like You In That Way is a celebrity mocking gossip blog written by the former head writer of TheSuperficial.com; very similar in style, layout & sense of humor. May not be everyone's cup of tea, but it frequently makes me laugh out loud.
I am become death, the destroyer of worlds
It has now been 60 years since the awesome terror of nuclear weapons was revealed to the world. Whether the decision to use such a fearsome weapon was right or wrong is still being debated. Much of that debate now centers around the intercepts of Japanese communications under the Ultra [British code name] or Magic [US code name] program and whether Japan was ready to surrender under acceptable terms. Some of these intercepts can be read here and here.
... to the M*taF*lter...
Found in translation: Much more than / Hip hop Chaucer, and it don't stop /
Hip hop Aeschylus, and it don't stop /
Hip hop Shakespeare, and it don't stop / Yeah [3.4MB .wmv], and it don't stop, and it don't quit.
Super-Apes and Fruit Pies
The serendipitous web
Ever had one of those days when you want to look at web sites but don't know which ones you want to look at? A perl script on this page will show you a random web site. It's a great time-waster!
Air Pirates On Line
Mickey Mouse Meets the Air Pirates Funnies. The book on the ensuing legal fracas was previously discussed on Metafilter here, but now you can read the whole first issue as Dan O'Neill intended it. See also the Communique. Via BoingBoing
Not something you see every day...
The only Known Venomous Lagomorph......the Cutting Hare of South Asia. Check out the tongue envenomation spurs in the photo. Very cool even for us non-biologists.
Lucid Dreams
Heavy Metal Wonder Woman
"Heavy Metal Wonder Woman" [nsfw] With Wonder Woman being rumored to be in pre-production with Joss Wheadon at the helm, the character of Wonder Woman and Lynda Carter seem to be seeing a steady interest if not resurgence from feminist film installation artists and fans of the William Marston idealistic comic character.
What do you do with a drunken sailor?
This sucks gas
Gapfillers not included
Build your own space station (requires printer, paper, scissors, glue and a lot of patience).
Coldplay Rip Off U2... Again
Sometimes You Can't Fix You On Your Own. (Quicktime and Windows Media.) If there has ever been doubt about Coldplay's burning ambition to be U2, let it be put to rest.
GI Propaganda Pamphlets
Pamphlets for the G.I.s during WWII. There was a belief by many in the War Department that social discontent among enlisted personnel would foster problems at home after the war was over. A series of pamphlets was commissioned to help get their minds right. Titles included: What Is Propaganda?, How Far Should Government Control Radio?, Do You Want Your Wife to Work After the War?, and Our Russian Ally.
With insomnia, nothing's real. Everything is far away. Everything is a copy of a copy of a copy.
Deep into Sleep. "While researchers probe sleep's functions, sleep itself is becoming a lost art." [Via Mind Hacks.]
Audrey Kawasaki
Audrey Kawasaki paints pretty pictures of pretty girls. [note: linked pages sfw, but much stuff on site nsfw]
Facts without agendas
The Iraq Index is a statistical compilation of economic, public opinion, and security data. An extensive collection by the Brookings Institue of indicators outlining the security situation, the economy and quality of life, as well as polling and politics data. (One downside is that it is a pdf file). Also from the same source is a comparable compilation for Afghanistan
Don't Look or...?
Even a cat can look at a king...but... According to the Daily Texan when GWB arrived in Texas Wednesday, residents close to where the President was going to be landing were told not to look out their windows. Why? ....more inside...
Best. Self-Portrait. Ever.
Astronaut Steve Robinson took a picture of himself that Escher would've loved, when out fixing the Space Shuttle Discovery. Available in hi-res, too (not safe for dialup).
Proteus: a nineteenth century vision
Ernst Haeckel: Die Radiolarien (1862) : a microscopic, single-celled organism, the radiolarian extrudes the silica it draws from seawater to forms a dazzling web of crystalline, concentric shells; even more amazing, each of the 5000 known species of radiolarian forms its own unique pattern. "Proteus" is a new documentary of a 19th century biologist/evolutionary theorist/artist's fascination with these creatures. (Oh, Haeckel is also the guy who coined "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny". And he lied.)
I copied the first sentence.
How to Recognize Plagiarism. (From Indiana University Bloomington.)
Here's some examples of malfeasance in case you, like me, flunked the test.
Here's some examples of malfeasance in case you, like me, flunked the test.
Mind the bombs
Mind the bombs - Do your part in the war against terrorism. (Not that tasteless, though on second thought, I suppose it is.)
A Practical Explanation of the Principles of Healthful Cookery
Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project "...an online collection of some of the most important and influential American cookbooks from the late 18th to early 20th century." Includes scanned, searchable, and downloadable copies of such titles as "The Virginia Housewife, Or, Methodical Cook," "Practical Sanitary and Economic Cooking Adapted to Persons of Moderate and Small Means," and "Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent."
photographs of your suicide
On September 15, 1959, student Bill Thomas witnessed the bloody aftermath of a bomb going off at Poe Elementary School. "This was an extremely upsetting event for me and my fellow six-grade students, but no consideration was ever given to the treatment of our trauma. In fact, nothing much was even said about it when we returned to school the next day." Decades later, he deals with what happened by taking photographs of himself in which he's seen committing suicide in a variety of convoluted ways.
Friday fun
Bridges. Friday, er, Java, Fun
Now entering nerdspace.
A Brief History of Game: A nine-part review of the major highlights in rpg history. Other interesting if generally unrelated pieces on the history of gaming, pen & paper or otherwise: "Where Have All the Demons Gone?", discussing the history of Magic the Gathering; A somewhat flippant piece by GameSpy; and some obligatory RPG theory regarding the historical popularity of various styles of RPG.
The Union Makes Us Strong
The Union Makes Us Strong. Articles on British trade union history.
Banksy and barrier
Genesis 1:3
Electrical lighting conspiracy theories can be paranoid, downright bizarre, or actually pretty reasonable.
Pro bono for homos.
"A Souter in Roberts clothing" was the accusation made by Ann Coulter in one of her recent screeds. Maybe so. In 1995, Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. worked behind the scenes for gay rights activists. His legal expertise helped them persuade the Supreme Court to issue a landmark 1996 ruling protecting people from discrimination because of their sexual orientation. A ruling Lamda called the "single most important positive ruling in the history of the gay rights movement." In the blistering dissent, Scalia, joined by Rehnquist and Thomas, said "Coloradans are entitled to be hostile toward homosexual conduct." Thanks to John G. Roberts, the U.S. Supreme court decided that no, Coloradans are not so entitled. The National Legal Foundation (supporting the Biblical foundations of America's Laws) called it "the worst decision in the history of the court." Will Robert's nomination now be opposed by the Christian Right? In any case, watching the GOP cat fight will be fun!
Uncyclopedia
It's Uncyclopedia, featuring articles on sports, geography, science, history, popular culture (may be NSFW), and a host of other topics. See also: Uncyclopedia's Wikipedia entry, Wikipedia's Uncyclopedia entry, this page of templates, and Uncyclopedia's Metafilter entry.
PingMag: art, design, technology in Tokyo
PingMag is the name of a new art and design-focused online magazine from Japan. They have many interesting articles on art and design in Japan including an interview with ELM Design (on their work for Yamaha), Monolake talking about their network music projects, Eto Koichiro talking about some of his art/programming projects, a profile of Japanese production house Little More, and a lot more in both English and 日本語。
National Sandwich Month
August is National Sandwich Month and some people are dead serious about their love for the sandwich, keeping track of every one eaten this month (and for 2004 and 2003). Clearly, we could all be doing much more to celebrate and support the sandwich.
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