Links posted in January 2009
January 31, 2009
And it wasn't Galileo.
Despite his innovative work, Harriot remains relatively unknown. Unlike Galileo, he did not publish his drawings. Unlike Galileo, Harriot is not being widely celebrated during 2009, dubbed the International Year of Astronomy as a commemoration of the telescope's 400th year.
This has been another episode of Publish or Perish.
January 30, 2009
Perfect Balance
.
Another fun game at Kongregate!!
[more inside]
January 29, 2009
John Martyn dies aged 60, though he surprised many by making it this far after some hard living, interspersed musically with some beautiful songs, an album of searing emotional honesty and a willingness to experiment.
January 28, 2009
Yakushima
is a beautiful island off the southern tip of Japan. Its ancient forest, including many cedars over 1000 years old, inspired Hayao Miyazaki's film Princess Mononoke. For one photoblogger, a short visit led to a three-day trek over the island's peaks.
[more inside]
BubbleQuod!
.
Evil level 39.
ARRRRRRRAAGH!!!
[more inside]
Animal Kingdom Gets a New Root.
January 27, 2009
A Meyer Whedon crossover I can get behind.
January 26, 2009
Smile for the Camera, Chimpy! The NYTimes asks some chief wire photo editors to choose the best photos of W's era. Really, the common ones are just as interesting as the divergent ones.
93 year old man freezes to death inside his own home. Pay your damn bills if you live in Bay City, Michigan!
An artistic bent(o) More here and here, and a how-to here. [more inside]
How to Memorize Scripts . Ken Levine asks around.
Nuclear slide rules
.
Try the EZ calculator!
Don't touch me there
January 25, 2009
Japanese Government Banning Used School Girl Pantie Vending Machines. No, Virginia, there is no way to snark on the original title. [more inside]
Hypothetically, what would happen if you combined ghost nurses, NSFW content (you have been warned), and, uh, inspired? dialogue. Behold.
Hypothetically, what would happen if you combined Doctor Who, Eminem and Benny Hill? OMG, only the best thing ever!
January 24, 2009
Hawkman of the Himalayas. British falconer Scott Mason and friends have combined paragliding and falconry into the art of parahawking. [Via]
Time Magazine has a slideshow of a 1980 photoshoot, when the freshman Barack Obama was asked if he would mind posing for a classmate of his. via
January 23, 2009
January 22, 2009
Human Spaceflight Should Drive Evolution. [Via]
World's oldest sample of weapon's grade plutonium has been identified - retrieved from a rusty safe at the bottom of a waste pit during clean up excavations.
January 21, 2009
A new Grow! Latest in the series of charming wee Flash games.
Kindling: New Works on Paper and Canvas by James Jean. [Via]
January 20, 2009
Glass models of tiny aquatic creatures made in the late 19th century, discovered gathering dust in a drawer in a Wisconsin museum. More here and here.
Hail to the chief! Who's watching the inauguration right now? If you don't already know, CNN has live streaming video. Here is the transcript of Obama's inauguration speech. [more inside]
Two men were found alive, floating in an Esky in the Torres Strait. They had been there for about 25 days, after their boat sank a couple of days before Christmas. Eskies - don't leave home without them.
Objects of Desire. The art of Alex Sandwell Kliszynski. [Possibly NSFW, via grinding.be]
January 19, 2009
Today is Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday. The day has already been marked in traditional manner by the appearance of three red roses and half a bottle of cognac on the great man's grave, courtesy of the mysterious Poe Toaster. To celebrate, you could check out this excellent slideshow of his works and letters done by the New York Times; or check out his complete works on this site, complete with handy list of unusual words. [more inside]
January 18, 2009
DRUM SOLO - well, not really, but it might as well be. SLYT, sorry.
The natural order of things. "Matt Ridley says that Darwinian selection explains the appearance of seemingly ‘designed’ complexity throughout the world — not just in biology but in the economy, technology and the arts." [Via]
Exclusive Exclusivity -- Non-American non-Royals need not apply. Apparently for people who think American Express' "Black Card" is not exclusive enough. [more inside]
January 17, 2009
The wonder of a Woolly Monkey.
January 16, 2009
Best and worst movies of 2008 ... [more inside]
Our world may be a giant hologram.
January 15, 2009
Curious Sideshow George I'm looking for information about old-fashioned circuses, carnivals and traveling shows. [more inside]
“There’s only three things I’ve ever been afraid of: electricity, heights, and women.” (video)
Patrick McGoohan's number has been retired. One of my favorite actors of all time has passed away at the age of 80.
Typewriter ribbon tins
are now collectibles.
via lovelypackage
Czech Traditional Puppets as presented (in Flash) by the National Museum of Taiwan.
January 14, 2009
Ricardo Montalban has died. As well as being Capt. Kirk's nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, in a classic Trek episode and the movie The Wrath of Khan, he was known for playing the tall guy who ordered Tattoo around on Fantasy Island. He will be swaddled in rich, Cordovan leather for his burial, provided by Chrysler.
One to keep an eye on opening in two days or so -- whatever it may be. Looks like a Flash-based "Decorate the Oval Office" game by Ikea.
Entropa is causing some commotion. The supposedly collaborative piece has been installed in the headquarters of the European Council of Ministers in Brussels. Bulgaria complained about its depiction as a toilet, prompting Czech artist David Cerny to admit that it's a big hoax. [more inside]
Book Is Rallying Resistance to the Antivaccine Crusade. "Paul A. Offit sees a fiery debate on autism as being hijacked by vaccine opponents peddling false hope."
January 13, 2009
Obama's Playlist It's been confirmed that President-Elect Obama's first foreign trip as President Obama will be to Canada, reinstating a long tradition. While visiting Presidents have often given speeches to the Canadian public (tv and radio clips), this time we're going to give the President a little musical education, and you can help by voting for the top 49 songs to showcase Canada. [more inside]
We have identified the man to blame for the current global financial crisis and apparently it's David Bowie.
Human Hunters Genetically Shrink Their Prey. Animals hunted by humans are evolving faster than any other animals of their kind in the wild, becoming progressively smaller.
January 11, 2009
NASA Detects Mystery Booming Sound In Deep Space, Origin Unknown.
The story of the NS11 , a record-breaking airship which met a disastrous end. [more inside]
January 10, 2009
It's the bicentary of Louis Braille inventor of the writing system for the blind. But does it matter?
My Genome, My Self. "In the coming era of consumer genetics, your DNA will have much to tell you about the biological bases of your health, your physique and even your personality. But will this knowledge really amount to self-knowledge?"
January 09, 2009
A prenatal test for autism would deprive the world of future geniuses. [Via]
January 08, 2009
The Odyssey retold as part choose-your-own-adventure, part amusing multiple choice quiz. Test your classical knowledge or just ask yourself "What would Odysseus do?" [more inside]
January 07, 2009
Russia has agreed to cut gas supplies via Ukraine, claiming Ukraine have been siphoning off gas. Unfortunately, the Ukraine pipeline also supplies Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, France, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. 100% of Slovakia's gas is supplied via the pipeline and they have declared a state of emergency.
On the Wings of Love: At Temple's Aviary, Problem Birds Find Feathered 'Friends'. [Via]
January 06, 2009
Google has a new year's present for Mac users. Picasa for the Mac is finally available (in beta, like all Google products). Now I can finally wave goodbye to iPhoto. (I am doing a happy dance right now.) [more inside]
Best fiction of 2008. I haven't read a single one of these. Have you? What else would you recommend from last year's new books?
How would you feel about a half-human half-chimp hybrid?
January 05, 2009
The Uninvited
- how to seriously disconcert the new guy in the building.
If you need help with your costume let me know, I have made mine by wrapping a black t-shirt around my face with a hooded jacket and cut finger holes in black socks for the gloves. I do not have any black pants so will spray paint my legs on the night.
Child elopers' Africa plan foiled Bless.
Singapore in 1938. The Singapore Grand Prix then and nowish.
Curious, George: Paypal Customer Service? Asking for a friend-filter. Buddy bought a refurb Xbox Elite for his kids on Ebay. Worked for a few days, then red circle of death. Tech looked at it and determined that he'd been sold a modded POS with a non-Elite motherboard, and either it failed or MS detected and bricked it. [more inside]
How the city hurts your brain ...And what you can do about it.
January 04, 2009
'I expected an ambulance, but a donkey cart carried the injured.' Ewa Jasiewicz is one of the only international journalists on the ground in Gaza. Here is her account of a week spent trying to document the attacks.
January 03, 2009
Hunter S. Thompson Motivational Posters. [Via]
January 02, 2009
The Secrets of Walrus Nookie Exactly how walruses reproduce is a big unknown to scientists, but at Six Flags they're eagerly trying to understand. They've even created an artificial vagina in an effort to arouse the mysterious 2,100 pound Jocko.
Burglar scared off by man dressed as Thor
Vintage photography in slide form. Well, online copies of slides. Kitschy, some with great back stories, all very retro-American.
Monkeys categorize objects in the same way as humans.
January 01, 2009
Bill of rights? My Monkeyfilter Bill of Rights [more inside]
Churchyard Entertainment. An extract from Meredith Monk's "Book of Days" (SLYT).
