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Republicans prevented more than 350,000 voters in Ohio from casting ballots or having their votes counted -- enough to have put John Kerry in the White House.
posted by EarBucket at 12:54 PM - 168 comments

The Room: The Movie. Triple-threat (actor/writer/director) Tommy Wiseau made his cinematic debut in 2003 with the The Room (see trailer and various scenes), "a blend between a softcore porn flick and a Tennessee Williams stageplay." Wiseau ("who's not just one of the most unusual looking and sounding-with an unidentifiable Eastern European accent-leading men ever to grace the screen, but a narcissist nonpareil whose movie makes Vincent Gallo's "The Brown Bunny" seem the apotheosis of cinematic self-restraint...may be something of a first: A movie that prompts most of its viewers to ask for their money back-before even 30 minutes have passed." - Variety), allegedly raised $6 million outside Hollywood to cover production and marketing costs of the self-described "black comedy about love, passion, betrayal and lies" (see various rough dress rehersals). Audience members, including comedian David Cross, have been "marveling at the bizarre editing, bad bluescreen, uncomfortably explicit sex scenes and, of course, the enigma of Wiseau himself" as the film played monthly for years in Los Angeles. Available on DVD, diehard "roomies" swear by the theatrical experience, shout out their own commentary, hurl spoons at the screen and singalong to the soundtrack. Some call it "The Rocky Horror of the New Millenium" and stage "Room" parties. If you look at the marketing campaign or survived a screening you might see The Room as "a seminar on how NOT to make a movie." [Inspired by Boing Boing]
posted by boost ventilator at 12:03 PM - 28 comments

Nosheteria including their own Love Theme
Becks & Posh with a new Foodography Challenge
and Mr Cutlets Though not exactly a blog, the book is wonderful (plus his own theme song)
posted by wuakeen at 11:36 AM - 7 comments

On the heels of microscopic jewelry rides golden buckyballs (full text).
posted by Mr. Six at 11:28 AM - 11 comments

Afghanistan: On the Brink - Ahmed Rashid on Afghanistan's precarious situation. Around three thousand of the 23,000 US troops now deployed in Afghanistan are scheduled to return home this summer and Western intelligence officials say several thousand more may depart before November. The start of an American withdrawal in the midst of a vicious Taliban resurgence naturally infuriates Karzai and his government; it is particularly disillusioning for millions of Afghans who, unlike their Iraqi counterparts, still equate a sizable US military presence with security, continued international funding, and reconstruction. In Iraq practically the entire population wants the Americans to leave, however pleased they are about the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. But the survival of the new Afghan government has depended upon the leadership of the US and its ability to convince the rest of the world to rebuild the country. The US needs to contribute money to carry out its promises and show it is willing to stay the course. It is doing neither. Barnett Rubin. International Crisis Group.
posted by russilwvong at 11:23 AM - 31 comments

Federalism and Faith. [more inside]
posted by monju_bosatsu at 10:52 AM - 16 comments

Hannah Arendt's Papers are digitally preserved by the Library of Congress. Read her lectures on Political Philosophy. Browse her correspondence. Here she castigates once-friend, Gershom Scholem, for his poor treatment of Eichmann in Jerusalem. Here she explains forgiveness to the hapless poet she called 'Wystan:' W. H. Auden.
posted by anotherpanacea at 10:32 AM - 17 comments

Version 6.06 "Dapper Drake" of Ubuntu / Kubuntu is released today, featuring many GUI improvements and enhancements. It ight be a good excuse to try out linux if you never have, or upgrade if it's been a while.
posted by milovoo at 10:19 AM - 42 comments

Freezing Blade, Quiet Moon and Bronze Mustache. A tale from modern China of betrayal, vigilantism and general woe in WoW and Real-Life^TM.
posted by grabbingsand at 9:58 AM - 9 comments

Punks, Politicos and Scientists of The World Unite! Depleted Uranium Bill passes the house. To pass the bill, Dr. McDermott took a less traditional route, working with bands like Anti-Flag and speaking to people outside the political sphere.
posted by usedwigs at 9:08 AM - 16 comments

Covers of your favorite Pixes songs, by other famous musicians!*

*All other famous musicians simulated. Your milage may vary. Please don't shoot the messenger.
posted by 40 Watt at 9:07 AM - 76 comments

Clothes for the sophisticated guinea-pig-about town. Don't forget to check out their wide selection of hats.
posted by ozomatli at 8:41 AM - 22 comments

The Wealth of Networks: the seminar. We've talked about The Wealth of Networks before. Now Crooked Timber is hosting a web seminar on the book & the ideas in it. How it works: a bunch of smart guys read the book & write essays on it, then post them for anyone to read & comment on. You can read them all together (PDF) or separately with comments: Norms and Networks, A General Theory of Information Politics, Why Do Social Networks Work?, Whose Networks? Whose Wealth?, Mediating the Social Contradiction of the Digital Age, The Dialectic of Technology & the author's response. And now you can join in too!
posted by scalefree at 8:20 AM - 7 comments

Crashing the Wiretapper's Ball Wired News snuck a reporter into the ISS World Conference, a no-press-allowed conference for companies that sell wiretapping equipment to law enforcement, ISPs, telcos, and repressive governments. Hilarity ensues. via
posted by pithy comment at 7:41 AM - 19 comments

"Emergency Broadcast Network" has been mentioned before (EBN), but you have to see it for yourself: YouTube --> We Will Rock You, Sinatra, Get Up Get Down, Suddenly, Comply, Hello, Documercial, Psychoactive Drugs, and even Homicidal Schizophrenic.
EBN has something to do with MBM.
posted by hypersloth at 3:32 AM - 27 comments

Interesting juggling routine video - set inside an inverted 8 foot tall plexiglass cone, the performer incorporates the curves of the transparent walls around him to unique effect. More by the same guy here.
posted by jonson at 1:30 AM - 50 comments

Cheap 1.7 million yen toy. When Keiko Nakamoto of the Ishikawa prefecture came across an old vinyl robot covered in a thick layer of dust, she had no idea that she had unearthed only the third known specimen of an item described by Tokyo toy dealers as "the most sought-after item in Japan." From ToyboxDX [toy robot goodness].
posted by tellurian at 12:51 AM - 24 comments

Walking on Water: How Water Striders and Meniscus climbing insects use surface tension to walk on water.
posted by dhruva at 11:48 PM - 16 comments

Videofilter: A music video _[via]
posted by delmoi at 11:22 PM - 34 comments

Left wing Australian Blogger / TV writer Ms Fits receives some very interesting fan mail asking for advice. Definitely NSFW if the title didn't give that away. Ms Fits is known for her work as a writer on Neighbours, her short lived TV series Last Man Standing, her blog, and her long running arguments with right-wing columnist Andrew Bolt.
posted by jonathanstrange at 9:03 PM - 16 comments

David Pogue is the rudest man alive! "My wife and I were excited to receive, as [a] very generous Christmas present from a relative, a Magellan RoadMate 300." He then goes on to absolutely obliterate the gift, *on the New York Times website*, for 20 paragraphs, after which he demands, "For the gift-giver: Do your research. Read the customer reviews. Beware outdated products on store shelves." It's a gift! Learn some tact dude.
posted by JPowers at 8:26 PM - 63 comments

How to Buy a $450K Home for $750K - Yes, its true. Low and behold, all the conditions have been met, and it is indeed possible to buy houses for 50% above their market value.
posted by H. Roark at 7:31 PM - 56 comments

"If Miller had his way, America would be nothing but one big fiesta for illegal aliens and homosexuals." [mp3; indirect link] We've discussed his TV ad, but Vernon Robinson's new radio ad takes it to the next level, with shocked gasps, a cheesy voiceover artist, and Mariachi music. Mr. Robinson says he's never done any negative campaigning. [via]
posted by kirkaracha at 7:20 PM - 47 comments

Rebellion: John Horse and the Black Seminoles, First Black Rebels to Beat American Slavery. "Rebellion is a Web documentary that explores the inspiring, true, and largely unknown story of John Horse and the Black Seminoles, a community of free blacks and fugitive slaves who in 1838 became the first black rebels to defeat American slavery." This visually arresting site is a treasure trove of information about the Seminoles, early Florida history, and a largely unrecognized (and successful!) slave rebellion that may have been the largest in American history. The site includes interactive maps, arresting images, and a thorough history of the rebellion. Too bad the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma expelled all its black members in 1990.
posted by LarryC at 6:29 PM - 13 comments

Wanna Fanta? Don'tuwanna wanna Fanta? You don't support the Jews do you? Once the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, German Coca-Cola head Max Keith (pronounced Kite) was no longer able to get Coca-Cola syrup and so invented Fanta out of cheese by-products and apple cider for the Nazis. According to Snopes who went with a report prepared by an investigator commissioned by Coca-Cola to examine Max Keith's actions, it was all quite noble. Of course that doesn't address what was happening before the war. But in all fairness that the Coca- Cola only in rare instances directly endorsed the Nazis.
posted by Smedleyman at 5:42 PM - 54 comments

Aboriginal Australia — AIATSIS's map of aboriginal tribes. For some context, AusAnthrop's " Tribal and language database" can be quite useful. (via Savage Minds).
posted by jefgodesky at 2:07 PM - 18 comments

The MGB Experience : "Why do people purchase Little British Cars (LBCs)? More specifically, of the many vehicles consumers have to choose from, why would anyone purchase an old, unreliable, slow LBC, namely a MG? Is there a logical explanation for owning an automobile that last landed on American soil from the British manufacturer in 1980?" MGB Tech Tips from Motorhead and mgcars.org.uk. And don't forget the britishcarforum for all your LBC (Little British Car) sickness needs.
posted by spock at 1:33 PM - 70 comments

The Pirate Bay has been shut down.
posted by Mean Mr. Bucket at 12:05 PM - 86 comments

Fuck law.
posted by dios at 10:52 AM - 66 comments

Forum: The Pros and Cons of Director Liability. [more inside]
posted by monju_bosatsu at 10:51 AM - 4 comments

This is not resolved! I was depressed that night. I was worried that my girlfriend would leave me. I wanted to kill myself. Whenever I am unhappy, I would call the Samaritans to talk to them in order to reduce the stress. But while I was talking, the passenger behind me tapped my shoulder to tell me not to talk!
posted by klue at 10:45 AM - 43 comments

A new video game from the people behind the Left Behind christian themed novels. It's definitely not the typical faire normally seen in christian publishing.
posted by Dr. Twist at 9:57 AM - 48 comments

'The crowd was chanting "We want Boris" as he limbered up, waving his arms like a slightly rusty blond helicopter. The cheers grew and the cry of "Boris, Boris" became irresistible.': [text, video]. Boris Johnson, blogger. Boris Johnson, British MP for Henley-on-Thames. Boris Johnson, sozzled buffoon and proud of it. Boris Johnson, the man who made it cool to be Conservative?
posted by hoverboards don't work on water at 9:49 AM - 26 comments

Tommy Emmanuel, CGP. Master of fingerstyle guitar. Captain of covers. Alpha and Omega of originals. After watching these videos, you'll have few questions as to why recording and touring partner Chet Atkins bestowed upon Tommy the title "Certified Guitar Player." (pdf)
posted by The White Hat at 9:32 AM - 15 comments

Music video gems and reviews from the spandex era. It's called trashfan although not all of it is trash (Springsteen). But some stuff definitely deserves to be there (Shalamar? Colonel Abrams? Pepsi & Sherley? Eew). And yes, I used to have Junior's "Mmmmmmama used to say" 45 rpm. And you know you liked it too!
posted by keepoutofreach at 9:22 AM - 11 comments

Watch political ideologies emerge and shift over hundreds of years. ANIMATE is an amazing Java app that lets you track graphically the ideological position of all the representatives to the US Congress, European Parliament, or the UN over every roll call vote in history. The really interesting part is that the application uses DW-NOMINATE data that maps the ideology of representatives, and is pretty good at predicting voting patterns. Voteworld is a related Java application that is a little less dramatic, but allows you to really dig into the data (to access DW-NOMINATE data in Voteworld, click the little orange sphere icon in the application).

On the US side:"There are two major lessons to take away from ANIMATE. First, over time, you see less and less motion of individual legislators, particularly after the Civil War. This shows the stabilization of the American political system. Second, after the Civil War you will see the major party clusters growing further apart until the turn of the century, then come together and overlap, and beginning in the 1970s draw apart again. That is, throughout most of the twentieth century, political divisions blurred but in the last quarter one sees the polarization of American politics."
posted by blahblahblah at 8:59 AM - 15 comments

Former Marine disarms 5 attackers They were teenagers, but still, 5 on 1, and two of them were armed? That's one well-trained Marine...
posted by tadellin at 8:43 AM - 112 comments

Waiting For Plastic. Down again. Been down so long, someone started a weblog about it. It's not the first time. Who knows if this is the last? [via]
posted by airguitar at 8:37 AM - 40 comments

The State of the Union Visualizer(java applet) examines changes in the language of the State of the Union address over the past 200 years (Similar to The State of the Union Parsing Tool).
posted by The Radish at 7:31 AM - 10 comments

Photos from the production of Paul Thomas Anderson's next film, There Will Be Blood. Based on the Upton Sinclair novel Oil!, Anderson's film is being shot near Marfa, Texas.
posted by mattbucher at 7:27 AM - 23 comments

This is perhaps the greatest video in the history of music.
posted by sgt.serenity at 7:13 AM - 126 comments

Guitar Virtuosity with feeling and sophistication... I forgot just how good a guitarist Allan Holdsworth is. A similar player is Scott Henderson, who these days is much more in touch with his blues/funk roots. His outside playing is delicious. Notice how they both build up their solos instead of starting off with all guns blazing with nowhere to go.
posted by BobsterLobster at 5:49 AM - 28 comments

The World Challenge aims to find individuals or groups from around the world who have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. It could be you or someone you know. ( via bbc)
posted by adamvasco at 3:42 AM - 5 comments

Tyger [a short movie]. The poem.
posted by tellurian at 12:50 AM - 15 comments

Harry Reid accepted free boxing tickets from the Nevada Athletic Commission says John Solomon of the AP. Solomon implies that Reid might have gotten himself into an ethical dilemma as the NAC opposes the creation of a federal boxing commission, something the Senate was considering at the time. The article also tosses in some digs at Reid by repeating the claim that Reid is involved in the Abramoff scandal.

However, Media Matters points out that Reid did not act in the NAC's favor and instead allowed the passage of legislation that would create a federal commission, in opposition to the giftgiver's wishes. This is not the first time Solomon has attacked Reid. Politics/News-filter
posted by papakwanz at 12:49 AM - 33 comments

Brad, Angelina, and the rise of 'celebrity colonialism' [via A&L Daily]
posted by bukharin at 12:17 AM - 85 comments

1. Discover image of Christ on your food
2. Alert the media
3. ???
4. Profit.
posted by jonson at 10:55 PM - 31 comments

Starlight: a meditation. From the always excellent 3QD.
posted by lalochezia at 9:10 PM - 13 comments

Photos by Richard Seaman. The macro nature ones are my favorite. Check out beetles, spiders, and moths.
posted by danb at 9:06 PM - 21 comments

Find your next favourite author or, use the literature map to see how authors relate.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:44 PM - 26 comments