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November 30
Does relativity have any practical significance? In fact, relativity had to be
taken into account by the designers of the Global Positioning System. The GPS satellites are affected both by
special relativity (since the satellites are moving, clocks aboard them appear to run slower as seen from the ground), and by
general relativity (since the satellites are farther away from the mass of the earth, clocks appear to run faster as seen from the ground). The net effect of both is that clocks aboard GPS satellites would gain 38 microseconds per day relative to the ground, if relativistic effects were not corrected for--a figure which can be confirmed by using
Google calculator.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:33 PM PST - 26 comments
Sacred Sites. Martin Gray is an anthropologist and photographer specializing in the study of sacred sites and pilgrimage traditions around the world. Traveling as a pilgrim, Martin spent twenty years, visiting and photographing over 1000 sacred sites in eighty countries. 1000s of photos, Atlas of Sacred Sites, travel journal, etc..
posted by stbalbach at 7:24 PM PST - 19 comments
Selkie Goes to the Airport
"This morning, I arrived at the airport with an hour to make my flight. I kissed my fiancee, wiped off the tears, and queued up for the TSA checkpoint with my laptop out, my shoes off and my identification in my hand. There were three people in front of me; I had plenty of time." It goes down hill from there.
posted by FunkyHelix at 7:19 PM PST - 99 comments
Here is the story of Hsuan Tsang / A Buddhist monk, he went from Xian to southern India / And back--on horseback, on camel-back, on elephant-back, and on foot. / Ten thousand miles... / Mountains and deserts, / In search of the Truth...
Traversing rivers and deserts, scaling mountains and
passing through desolate lands with no traces of human habitation,
7th century Chinese monk
Hsuan Tsang made his journey in 627 AD from Changan to India for religious purposes.
His detailed travel journal is believed to be among the
earliest reliable sources of information about distant countries whose terrain and customs had been known, at that time, in only the sketchiest way.
He travelled over land mostly on foot and horseback
along the Silk Road, west towards India. The Buddhist scholars pilgrimage (627-645 AD) contributed enormously to the cultural flow between East and West Asia. His "Hsi Yu Ki" or "
Records of the Western World" is considered the most valuable book source for the study of ancient Indian history and culture. Italian explorer
Marco Polo, whose
travel writings fired the imagination of Europeans for centuries, was believed
to have used Hsuan Tsangs travelogue as a guide during his travels in the 13th century. More than 1,300 years after Hsuan Tsangs
historical journey, Taiwanese magazine
Rhythms Monthly embarked on
a project to retrace Hsuan Tsangs 19-year pilgrimage through a road that,
today, belongs to 11 different countries.
more inside
posted by matteo at 5:20 PM PST - 20 comments
The Anti-Booty Call Cell Phone
Because good judgment, heavy intoxication and raging libidos rarely go hand in hand, a new phone from Virgin will allow you to selectively "turn off" phone numbers you might be likely to dial while in a drunken and horny stupor. Thus saving you the embarrassment of calling your ex and instead sending you over to her place because you think her phone's busted.
On second thought, maybe this phone isn't such a great idea.
posted by fenriq at 2:43 PM PST - 22 comments
Apartheid Dies Second Death
A South African court has declared marriage discrimination to be unconstitutional, and has registered the union of Marie Fourie and Cecelia Bonthuys. Henceforth, marriage in South Africa will be defined as "the union of two persons to the exclusion of all others for life."
posted by expriest at 2:35 PM PST - 37 comments
"Libraries
are rich, deep, resources for preserving cultural heritage and indispensable resources for the communities they serve.
OCLC, a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization, has compiled a list of the
top 1000 titles owned or licensed by its 50,000+ member libraries. There are sublists by subject, a cross listing with a
banned books list, and some
fun facts, including the supremely annoying one that the highest listed living author is Jim Davis of Garfield fame (#18).
posted by donnagirl at 1:31 PM PST - 16 comments
...when Jesus appears in your texture maps.
Ok, this is old news (been there since 1996), but from my own game programmer point of view, this site is hilarious, in a bittersweet way.
It's been down for a while, only available through the
wayback machine, but recently got online again.
It might even be informative for all nerdy mefis, since latest news prove games programming stay as a
modern slavery icon.
Might be NSFW if you're working on 'in trouble' game project.
posted by denpo at 12:47 PM PST - 11 comments
The 20 X 20 Expedition
is an experiment in photo format showing you what's great about ordering a 20 patty cheeseburger (with 20 pieces of cheese) at The In and Out Burger.
Not exaclty pleasant (so you were warned). Bon appetit!
posted by E_B_A at 12:45 PM PST - 31 comments
"The MP3 Experiment
is the worlds first live theatrical performance that audiences will experience exclusively through headphones. There are no actors. There is no host. Audience members will download an mp3 track from the shows website in advance, load it onto their portable players, and bring it with them to the show.
The lights go down, a video projection cues the audience to
press play on their mp3 players simultaneously, and the
show begins. The mp3 track is an intricate mix of music
and instructions from an unknown voice." Produced by Improv Everywhere, also mentioned
here.
posted by turbodog at 12:20 PM PST - 29 comments
Beer Frame
and
Dishwasher
and
Murder Can Be Fun.
My top 3
Zines of all
time (here's a
list of
more). There was a used record/comics store near where I worked.
They had lots of Zines and I would frequent them just to see if new
issues were in. Weeks of waiting were sometimes rewarded with
a new issue. Almost always worth the wait. Anyone have a favorite?
Any good Zines around anymore? [more inside]
posted by e40 at 8:45 AM PST - 37 comments
Red Cross Finds Detainee Abuse in Guantánamo The International Committee of the Red Cross has charged in confidential reports to the United States government that the American military has intentionally used psychological and sometimes physical coercion "tantamount to torture" on prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The finding that the handling of prisoners detained and interrogated at Guantánamo amounted to torture came after a visit by a Red Cross inspection team that spent most of last June in Guantánamo. The team of humanitarian workers, which included experienced medical personnel, also asserted that some doctors and other medical workers at Guantánamo were participating in planning for interrogations, in what the report called "a flagrant violation of medical ethics." Doctors and medical personnel conveyed information about prisoners' mental health and vulnerabilities to interrogators, the report said, sometimes directly, but usually through a group called the Behavioral Science Consultation Team, or B.S.C.T. The team, known informally as Biscuit, is composed of psychologists and psychological workers who advise the interrogators, the report said. From the Red Cross :
The ICRC's work at Guantanamo Bay - Related: From Association of the Bar of the City of New York, a pdf:
Torture by Proxy: International and Domestic Law Applicable to Extraordinary Renditions-- Representative Edward J.]
Markey pledges battle on rendition practice
posted by y2karl at 7:50 AM PST - 85 comments
Erwin, TN
. My hometown, small and wholly unremarkable. Unremarkable, of course, except for our history of
elephant hanging.
In 1916, after
Mighty Mary killed one of her handlers, the circus had to put her down. The problem: they couldn't poison her and they couldn't shoot her. The solution:
hang her from a railroad crane.
The story has become one of
local folklore. Any of your hometowns have strange histories worth sharing? (inspired by
MoFi)
posted by ruddhist at 5:44 AM PST - 62 comments
Gnod's new music-map
is a big improvement over the old UI. Looks like
gnod was listening
two years ago. The new UI still isn't as pretty as
musicplasma's Flash design, or convey as much information, but it's pretty nifty to see the band names jitterbug around as mountains of historical user preference data is correlated. Anyway, I'm more interested in which site has better data. I'd guess the old
gnoosic UI is being retired, as there's not even a link to the new URL there.
posted by JParker at 12:52 AM PST - 10 comments
November 29
Now there's a time but I say none like now:
After the eastern cantilever span of the
Oakland-Bay Bridge collapsed in the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, CalTrans engineers recommended
replacing it with a
cable-stayed bridge. The estimated cost was roughly 1 billion and would be completed in 2003--that is, until the Mayors Brown got involved.
Then-SF-Mayor Willie Brown objected to the
new design, saying the abutment at Yerba Buena island would interfere with his planned condominium development. Brown coaxed the Navy--who owned the land on which the foundation would be built--into preventing CalTrans from performing soil-engineering tests, saying the new bridge wasn't safe, making references to
other bridge disasters, and interviewing engineers all over the Bay Area until he
finally found one who agreed with him.
Jerry Brown--
former governor of California and current mayor of Oakland--
voiced his opposition, calling the design a "bland viaduct" and proposing an international competition to design "a world-class bridge." When CalTrans told Brown his objections were a year late, he dug up an
old Frank Lloyd Wright design and asked CalTrans, "Say, can we
put trains on it, too?" The delays and design changes have increased the cost to over five billion, and its completion date is anyone's guess.
According to Governor Schwartzenegger, this is the Bay Area's problem, not California's. (Fine then! Can we have
our water back?) Fifteen years, two audits, and
one angry architect later, the questions remain: how and by whom will this new bridge be funded,
what will it look like, and
will it be finished when the
The Big One hits?
posted by fandango_matt at 11:12 PM PST - 18 comments
Canadian authorities have arrested US President George W. Bush and charged him with offences under Canada's War Crimes Act.
Says (Canadian Prime Minister) Paul Martin:
This decision was not made lightly. But, it was also a decision that was impossible not to make. The United States is not outside the rule of law, and cannot expect to get an unlimited free pass. This decision puts a grave strain upon both our nations, and I urge calm and restraint from our American neighbours, as well as from Canadians. I have met with the cabinet, and with our colleagues in the House. This is a time of great crisis for us as a nation. But as people, we will survive this test. Earlier I enacted the Emergency War Powers Act. This is necessary to guarantee our domestic security. This is not a time for panic, for lawlessness, for anything other than a responsible and sobre focus on what lies immediately ahead.
posted by 327.ca at 2:22 PM PST - 75 comments
Tin Foil hat time!
Here is the letter that Sibel D. Edmonds and 24 other former federal employees signed and are prepared to tell all to a grand jury. 24 - that sounds like a TV title. Or a group of people who've seen something that concerns them. 24 more than the
last time the blue talked about Mr. Edmonds. Now go scooby out the truth you meta-filter sleuths!
posted by rough ashlar at 6:55 AM PST - 41 comments
The Art of Celia Calle
Dismiss any preconceived ideas of fine art as you step into the mindset of Celia Calle. Calle's art aesthetic is strangely alluring and undeniably powerful. Her awesome images are ominous, commanding, sometimes warped, but always spiced with a generous injection of humor, in keeping with the artist's effervescent personality.
My favorites are
this,
this,
this and especially
this
posted by Hands of Manos at 5:04 AM PST - 33 comments
November 28
This .pdf
(accessible to laypersons) from the labor-backed Economic Policy Institute suggests that a falling dollar is probably very bad news for Europe.
The euro area is one of the slowest growing economic areas in the world, yet it will bear much of the burden of relieving the pressure of the U.S. trade deficits. This will deprive the euro area of demand for domestic products at a time when such demand is necessary to forestall a full-blown recession.Via Marginal Revolution.
posted by trharlan at 8:18 PM PST - 38 comments
For all those late nights spent wide awake, trying to wrestle with that most cursed of all questions, "How would The Stooges sound if they played trombone, tuba and drumset?",
your quest will now be fulfilled.
[preceding text written by the trombonist]
posted by kenko at 6:50 PM PST - 11 comments
Professor Irwin Corey, the world's foremost expert on EVERYTHING, has quite a good
website. Special highlight for lit geeks: the
text of his acceptance speech on behalf of Thomas Pynchon when
Gravity's Rainbow received a National Book Award citation, and an
audio extract thereof.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 10:06 AM PST - 4 comments
The new video for "Rockin' In The Free World" by Neil Young
The new video for "Rockin' In The Free World" directed by filmmaker Michael Moore is now posted on the Warner Reprise site as reported by Baron on BNB.
The video intercuts footage from the film Fahrenheit 9/11 and performance footage of Neil Young and Crazy Horse performing the song on the 2003/4 Greendale tour. Much of the audience footage appears to come from the May 18, 2002 broadcast of the Rockam Ring Festival in Nurburgring Racetrack, Eifel, Germany.
posted by Postroad at 9:42 AM PST - 24 comments
File under surreal tapes.
Despite being essentially a links/tips page about music/film/art,
Panache is most known for its downloadable mixtapes in realaudio. There are over seven eclectic hours worth of new, old, wellknown and obscure music ranging from brazilian sambafunk, dreamy japanese 70s exotica, modern electronic wizardry to dialogue from films and novelty records etc. Some of the tapes have a rather dreamlike quality - which I believe - is the siteowner's intention.
posted by iwanttobuild at 9:06 AM PST - 3 comments
"A glance at this list, and at the daunting array of actors who have worked with him over the years, many repeatedly, suggests that Mr. Nichols is not only smart but also the cause of intelligence in others. One of the reasons his movies reliably yield pleasure in spite of their limitations is the quality of the acting on display."
It seems that Mr. Nichols is also able to inspire profoundly
interesting reviews such as this one in the NYT.
posted by semmi at 8:38 AM PST - 3 comments
Another EXTREEM! version of christianity.
But this one's funny because it trades in The Clash's imagery and denies it. Contrast the in-your-face, Jesus-to-the-max logo with
Westway to the World, a documentary about The Clash (the title sequence in the film has the "roughened" quality of the church logo).
Naturally, a church this hardcore and bullshit free has to have a way to reach the kids. That vehicle is
Clash Radio, which is not to be confused with
Radio Clash. To be fair, it does look like this radical pastor's done some
hard livin'. Every cheap hood strikes a bargain with the world, right?
posted by Mayor Curley at 8:13 AM PST - 34 comments
The terror of a trapped mind is difficult to describe.
Have you ever awakened to complete immobility? If so, you probably suffer from
sleep paralysis, a condition that afflicts 25% of the American population. Such episodes, which usually only last for a few minutes, can frequently be accompanied by
bizarre hallucinations, and some believe the phenomenon is responsible for
alien abduction,
"Old Hag Syndrome", and the
incubus myth. Although most believe the disorder is genetic,
explinations vary.
Are you an experiencer? Then you understand how
frightening it can be. Luckily, you can
fight it.
(This is my first FPP in 3 years of reading, so comments and criticisms are very much appreciated.)
posted by baphomet at 1:14 AM PST - 102 comments
MadeInMTL
is a rich media application site that enables the user to explore the city through 15k photographs, 400 texts, 50 hours of video, 40 sound bits, as well as 25 short films that truly capture the spirit of Montreal in a virtual experience." {it be flash and I found it at netdiver}
posted by dobbs at 12:47 AM PST - 9 comments
November 27
"I'm having a little get together with some of my friends...."
I found this bizarre and disturbing little flash-movie a few months ago. The first link is actually the
second installment in what is now five episodes. There's more (including the first through the fifth) on
his site.
The music is phenomenal- bits of spookiness from
sigur ros and
aphex twin.
When you're all done, there's an interview with the author regarding Salad Fingers
here. People are still trying to figure out exactly who the character is and where he's from. If you look and listen carefully, there are literary references, anagrammed names, etc.
If you liked Salad, you might also like
"Hell"(non-flash)
posted by exlotuseater at 10:16 PM PST - 21 comments
Overqualified: A new letter every Tuesday
Joey Comeau wrote cover letter after cover letter, listing the same store bought traits in the same wording, day after day, hoping to find another job. And then one day he just snapped a little. He sat down to write a cover letter, and something entirely new came out. So he sent it anyway, but also publishes them on the web. (Or at least
he used to.)
posted by anastasiav at 9:27 PM PST - 19 comments
The Dawkins FAQ.
Interesting Q&A session about evolution, biology, genes, etc with an
expert. Dawkins claims no final answer on the "gay gene" or a Darwinian explanation of homosexuality.
posted by skallas at 12:01 PM PST - 56 comments
Water Cooler Games
is a blog devoted to "video games with an agenda. It is about games that go beyond entertainment."
They cover pretty much all you would expect from the recent furor over
JFK Reloaded to
Russian plans to create "patriotic video games in hopes to replace the popular DOOM".
Along the way they found time to play the single most unsafe for anywhere anyone might conceivably see what you were doing game -
orgasm girl (link goes to the blog discussion, not directly to the game).
posted by thatwhichfalls at 9:32 AM PST - 10 comments
I've often looked at
Magnetic Poetry in gift shops and thought, "There's no way I'm paying that much." Fortunately, there's a
free alternative, albeit a digital one. (Includes a bookmarklet that allows you to pull a word set from any webpage, and the option to save your masterpiece to show your friends.)
posted by robcorr at 3:52 AM PST - 25 comments
November 26
Just in times for the holidaze, Google adds
wishlists to Froogle. I added tinfoil to mine.
posted by keswick at 10:08 PM PST - 7 comments
Bush Seeks Money for Abstinence Education
President Bush's re-election insures that more federal money will flow to abstinence education that precludes discussion of birth control, even as the administration awaits evidence that the approach gets kids to refrain from sex.
Congress last weekend included more than $131 million for abstinence programs in a $388 billion spending bill, an increase of $30 million but about $100 million less than Bush requested. Meanwhile, a national evaluation of abstinence programs has been delayed, with a final report not expected until 2006.
posted by Postroad at 7:38 PM PST - 63 comments
Everybody needs free music
"Welcome to Comfort Stand Recordings, a community-driven label where all releases are free with artwork and liner notes. We strive to bring you recordings that we find interesting, compelling and downright enjoyable." Inspired by Dydecker's post about the Thinner music netlabel, I would like to speak up for
Comfort Stand - legally free music in many tastes. I particularly like
Very Proper Dragonflies and
The Apartment.
posted by SpaceCadet at 1:01 PM PST - 15 comments
Making
fun
[banner ad may be NSFW] of
Furries
sure is fun, isn't it? Pointing out
over
and
over
again some of the worst examples of what the the fandom has to offer seems to be an activity almost as old as the Internet. In the rush to
point and laugh
, though, it's easy to miss entirely
some
of the more
beautiful
and
amusing
examples
of what the culture's emphasis on art and imagination has wrought upon the world. And even if you aren't impressed by the
talent on
display, someone is --
Further Confusion, one of the largest Furry conventions in the world, has had for two years running an art show bringing in
over $60,000 each year, with portions of the convention's proceeds going to organizations such as the
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
, the
Coyote Point Museum
, and the
Oakland Zoo.
posted by wolftrouble at 10:11 AM PST - 74 comments
"Salt rising bread
is, when at it's best, as if a delicately reared, unsweetened plain cake had had an affair with a Pont l'Eveque cheese."
There's even a
mystery to go along with your (cheese-flavored) bread.
posted by scrim at 1:26 AM PST - 10 comments
November 25
Learn to make sushi
with online videos. Chef Hyday, professional sushi chef, & amateur tv personality will guide you through step by step. You will learn everything from how to
prepare the raw fish,
proper manners,
different types of sushi, (win media links) and of course how to make rolled sushi.
He covers it all, from the California roll to the complicated rainbow roll, he'll guide you through every step. I almost feel guilty watching it, its almost like revealing the secrets to a magic trick.
An invaluable resource for anyone who might be interested in learning to roll their own sushi at home.
posted by joelf at 11:31 PM PST - 13 comments
Virtual Reality Panoramas of Slovenia.
This virtual guide is an attempt to present world landmarks with the point to - Slovenia. The goal of this project is to display the cultural and natural heritage of our planet with interactive Virtual RealityPanoramas. The project started in 1996 and is updated almost every week, so welcome to check it On-line!
This presentation is a part of work in progress. Today it consists of 3610 Virtual Reality Panoramas, 1283 high resolution full screen QTVR-s and more than 16.000 photos (also wallpapers in three standard resolutions), which is about 80 % (hm..?) of the project (Slovenia Landmarks only) .
By Slovenian artist
Bostjan Burger.
posted by jokeefe at 10:03 PM PST - 9 comments
The Virtual Museum of Canada
has funded or collaborated on almost
150 virtual exhibits, mostly relating to Canadian History and Culture. There is great diversity, among my favourites are
Nk'Mip Nation Aboriginal Childrens' Art from the Inkameep day school (a welcome counterpoint to the
residential schools tragedy), the historic re-photography and soundscapes of
Montreal, Haida Culture
documented , and also compared to
Inuit Culture, Inuit (Eskimo)
games and
3-dimensional (VR) sculpture, a history of the
Canadian Trucking Industry, a splendid overview of
Canadian documentary film making, Canadian
design in the late 20th century, and the
Shipwrecks of Vancouver Island. There is also a searchable
image gallery. The only thing missing is a historical
whodunnit or
two (or
three). All sites available in both French and English, and some in other languages too.
posted by Rumple at 8:30 PM PST - 17 comments
Husband Wanted.
Girl looking for husband in Nashville, TN, puts picture on billboard. "I just want one man driving by this billboard who wants to marry me." Is this a Red state thing?
posted by metaforth at 6:14 PM PST - 59 comments
New
Canadian music is infiltrating your culture with its
neo-retro ways, and you may not even know it!
Hot Hot Heat is too dance-rocky for it's own good, Joy Division-loving
the Stills are constantly mistaken for New Yorkers (thanks to touring with Interpol), and certainly
Stirling are too epic to be anything but Cure-loving Brits! Watch out for the seditiously warm synth-pop of
Stars and the society-destroying rock-folk of lesbian siblings
Tegan and Sara. While you're at it, keep tabs on Toronto super-supergroup
Broken Social Scene and the quirky, danceable girl-rawk of
Metric. This is the cell of the retro rock revolution you really need to pay attention to. The Strokes and their ilk have nothing on the Canucks.
posted by Kleptophoria! at 3:56 PM PST - 146 comments
