September 23, 2010
Whatsupdocyou'redispicablebeepbeepsufferinsuccotashthatsallfolks
The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down (a SLYT 40 years in the making) showing one frame from every Warner Brothers theatrical cartoon made from 1930-1969 (thankfully at a rate of about 3 per second). See the evolution of animation! Porky Pig's successful diet in '37! Michigan J. Frog's memorable single appearance! And illegal alien Speedy Gonzalez replacing American toons in the '60s! (via M.E.)
A man with a new idea is a crank…… until he succeeds.
A chair that can diagnose depression and bipolar disorder and calibrate medication. Solar paint that turns every surface into solar power collection material. A infinitely variable geared transmission that never loses the sweet spot. A tool for microscopes that can detect bacteria quickly and cheaply using flashed light. And a power plant the size of a room that can turn out 10kw power from low grade heat. These five inventions were finalists in the Australian science show The New Inventors. And the winner is... [more inside]
Global air pollution maps
NASA has some new maps showing air pollution around the world. It shows PM2.5, that is, Particulate Matter less than 2.5 micrometers in size, small enough to get past normal bodily defenses and cause health problems. [more inside]
Operation Ivy Bells
Operation Ivy Bells was a joint US Navy/NSA effort to tap into a Soviet communications cable deep under water and bring back recordings of military communications traffic. [more inside]
The books are gravy
i wanted to call him up and tell him his notes are funny, but then i realized he DIED A MONTH AGO. bummer. Craig Fehrman traces the post-mortem dispersion of writers' personal libraries: in particular, David Markson's personal library and the way in which his fans are using Facebook to reconstruct the range of Markson's reading.
The Great-ish American Novelist
Tao Lin on the cover of The Stranger. The Stranger gives us a parody of the Jonathan Franzen Time Magazine Cover featuring unadjectiveable novelist, Tao Lin. Then Tao Lin profiles himself.
Everyday Is A Good Day
Walter Breuning reminisces about his life in three centuries. As the oldest man in the world and in celebration of his 114th birthday on September 21, Mr. Breuning agreed to this exclusive interview. Questions were gleaned via the internet from individuals around the world.
Everything about Science!
Well, I dreamed I saw the silver spaceships flying / In the yellow haze of the sun
Science Strikes Again.
The Best American Science Writing has a diverse set of offerings for this year, including five articles already featured here on the blue.
Starting off with Benedict Carey - Surgery for Mental Ills Offers Both Hope and Risk (The New York Times) [more inside]
DC rolled out largest bike share program in US
DC just rolled out largest bike share program in US this week, Washington DC's and the Arlington (VA) County's bikesharing programs joined forces to create Capital Bikeshare with regional service of over 1,100 bikes and 114 stations throughout the area, with plans to include several other nearby Virginia and Maryland counties in the near future. [more inside]
The Library of Dream
This is all rooted in a vision I had, of William S. Burroughs as a CIA agent, and Philip K. Dick as his young henchman, going head-to-head with notorious gangster and pervert Adolf Hitler somewhere in Hamburg to find out where Hitler is shipping all the computers he can get his hands on. - In another world Charles Stross wrote this sprawling work of Alternate History instead of the Merchant Princes books. Fictional books are of course themselves a common them in Alternative History stories, from The Grasshopper Lies Heavy in The Man in the High Castle to Adolf Hitlers pulp novel Lord of the Swastika in The Iron Dream. Stanisław Lem was particularly enamoured with the idea of the fictional book, and wrote two volumes of reviews and introductions for them, lovingly described here by Bruce Sterling.
Hip Hipstamatic
Hipstamatic is one of the coolest camera apps for the the iPhone. Photojojo is one of the coolest photography blogs. World's collide: Photojojo's Ultimate Hipstamatic Guide in which pictures are taken with every possible hipstamatic film/lens/flash combination. [more inside]
Get off your asphalt!
The city, it vibrates.
Ciudad de Mexico. A capital in motion.
Nostalgia meets (meats) the modern age of gaming
8BITS is a short, very violent film about nostalgia for 8-bit video games. Well, maybe 'about' is a strong word.
As reports of false memory increase, you realize that you were not, in fact, molested.
In
"My
Lie" author Meridith Maran reveals her own painful history with
recovered memory: she accused her own father of molesting her, and
years later learned that her recollections had been false.
Interviewed today on NPR,Maran
equates her journey through the recovered memory movement to the
persistent political lie that President Obama is a Muslim. [more inside]
The Passion of David Bazan
David Bazan was the lead singer for a band called Pedro the Lion, who were big on the Christian rock circuit. A few years ago, Bazan began questioning his faith, and ultimately left Christianity. He has found understanding from his fans.
Icarus' Dream Finally a Reality
The dream of Icarus has been one shared by many throughout history. University of Toronto Engineering students made history this week when they successfully flew a human-powered aircraft with flapping wings continuously. The flight of the Snowbird is beautiful to watch. [more inside]
28 Days Later
Justin and Stephanie are travelling from Philadelphia to Auckland on the Cap Cleveland, a 220m long container ship. [more inside]
Chewbacca's Origins: not Lucas' dog
Though George Lucas said Chewbacca was based on his dog, an intrepid fan tracked down a different origin story. [more inside]
Sesame Street is brought to you by the letters T and A.
'Sesame Street' Pulls Katy Perry video from show. Sesame Workshop, which produces the long-running PBS children’s show “Sesame Street,” said on Thursday morning that it would not show a music video planned for the coming 41st season of the series that features the pop singer Katy Perry, citing in its decision the outcry of viewers who had seen the suggestive video online. The video features Ms. Perry singing a parody of her song “Hot ‘N Cold” accompanied by the “Sesame Street” character Elmo. Via NYTimes.com
Push pineapples
When pop goes bad: novelty records The excruciatingly catchy novelty song was a hallmark of the 1980s. Is it back? And how do you write one? Dave Simpson talks to the experts [more inside]
Chili Pepper Time
It's Chili time in NM! This NYTimes story on hot peppers is full of good stuff(if Capsicum and heat are your thing). Some experts argue that we like chilies because they are good for us. They can help lower blood pressure, may have some , antimicrobial effects, and they increase salivation, which is good if you eat a boring diet based on one bland staple crop like corn or rice. The pain of chilies can even kill other pain, a concept supported by recent research. There is evidence that by 6,000 years ago domesticated Capsicums (hot peppers) were being used from the Bahamas to the Andes. [more inside]
Continuous Chest Compression CPR
Continuous Chest Compression CPR is a hands-only CPR method that doubles a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. It’s easy and does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, making it more likely bystanders will try to help, and it was developed at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. YT link for the video. The Mayo Clinic Presentation.
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