James Powderly's story of his Beijing detention (3)
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4 hours, 21 minutes
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James Powderly, New Yorker and founder of the Graffiti Research Lab, was one of several Americans detained in China earlier this month for attempting to display protest messages related to Tibet during the Olympics. After 6 days in custody, he was released and sent back to the US. He's given a few interviews about his experience, all really interesting. From The Brooklyn Paper: After more than a day of continuous questioning, cops drove the artists ...
MSNBC's hurricane tracker (2)
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From Google Earth to a gold medal (2)
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15 hours, 38 minutes
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Kristin Armstrong, the Olympic gold medalist in the women's individual time trial in road cycling, took a GPS unit along with her when she previewed the road course in Beijing in December 2007. When she got home to Idaho, she d/led the data, put it into Google Earth, and found a similar local loop on which to train. This capability along with having the elevation profile proved invaluable in my preparation for my Gold Medal ...
Kubrick porn (1)
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16 hours, 44 minutes
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Panopticist has a quick round-up (with clips) of a few adult movies inspired by the films of Stanley Kubrick. There have been several other porn films inspired by Kubrick's oeuvre, including Spermacus, 2002: A Sex Odyssey, Thighs Wide Shut, and A Clockwork Orgy. NSFW. (link)
Computer paint gun draws Mona Lisa (3)
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18 hours, 52 minutes
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In order to explain serial computation vs. parallel computation, the Mythbusters guys pit two paintball guns against each other in a art contest...one shoots one ball at a time and the other very much doesn't. (thx, steve) (link)
Taking all the fun out of the playground (5)
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19 hours, 20 minutes
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Children's playground equipment has gotten safer but less fun. When litigation piled up in the early 1980s, the industry responded by raising insurance premiums and adhering closely to safety standards set up by the Consumer Products Safety Commission. Unsurprisingly, few creative ideas made it through these standards, lest any innovations be dangerous and result in more injury. God forbid a child jam his finger or scrape her knee.But what the new, safe equipment is missing, ...
Watch politicians age (6)
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20 hours, 57 minutes
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Video compilations of several months of photos of John McCain, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush. Completely mesmerizing, especially the Bush one. See also: Noah Kalina Everyday and Paris Hilton doesn't change facial expressions on YTMND. (link)
● Koyaanisqatsi (3)
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This is my favorite scene from Koyaanisqatsi. Unaware at first of the camera, she sees it. Then smiles almost imperceptibly and turns away. Then self-consciously looks everywhere but at the camera. And finally, a last contemptous peek at the camera. Rating: 4.0/5.0
Saul Bass on film titles (4)
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Mad Men's Arial gaffe (1)
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1 day, 13 hours
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Mad Men gets a C- for using Arial in the closing credits instead of original-and-still-champion Helvetica. Time for Sterling to have a chat with the art department. (link)
North Korean anti-US posters (6)
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How to be a good intern (5)
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1 day, 17 hours
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How to be a good intern. This list works equally well for advice on how to be a good employee, manager, or CEO. "There are no stupid questions" is good advice no matter what. (via swissmiss) (link)
Love is a ballfield (5)
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1 day, 19 hours
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A poem in which each instance of the word "love" is replaced by "Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Catcher Carlton Fisk". "And know you not," says Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Catcher Carlton Fisk, "who bore the blame?""My dear, then I will serve." (via hodgman) (link)
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neal said:
For all my Red Sox-lovin' friends.
Marc Jacobs profile (2)
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Nice profile of fashion designer Marc Jacobs, creative head of Louis Vuitton, in the New Yorker this week. Jacobs used to be a chunky unfashionable pasty-white kind of guy but has recently started dressing the part and now looks like he could model for one of LV's magazine ads. Jacobs walked outside to the back garden, to take in the evening amid the boxwood. "I like the fact that people are sort of commenting on ...
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Christopher Edwards said:
No. No. Shame is quite obviously an important ethical tool. And keeps is from posing in our underwear for the New Yorker. More shame, less stupidity please.
Movie-going rules (8)
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1 day, 21 hours
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I triple endorse every single one of these 17 simple rules for going to the cinema with me. 9. You will not involuntarily exclaim any of the following, or any derivatives of the following, ten minutes before and ten minutes after the end of the screening: "Oh SHIT! OUCH!", "Woah!", "Oooooooh!", "PAIN CITY!", "Holy [anything]!". Such exclamations are not involuntary. If you are a Tourette's sufferer, you will provide a confirmatory note from a registered ...
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Piers said:
I really need to reading things like this in the office. I just get odd looks from my colleagues.
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Courtney Jo said:
What a quack..
Unobtainium (11)
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2 days, 10 hours
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Unobtainium is any very rare, expensive, or impossible material needed to suit a particular application. Engineers have long (since at least the 1950s) used the term unobtainium when referring to unusual or costly materials, or when theoretically considering a material perfect for their needs in all respects save that it doesn't exist. By the 1990s, the term was widely used, including formal engineering papers. (As an example, Towards unobtainium [new composite materials for space applications], ...
Best TV commercials by movie directors (12)
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2 days, 12 hours
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Ten cool TV commercials done by movie directors. Ridley Scott's 1984 Apple ad makes the list along with spots by Messrs. Jonze and (Wes) Anderson. BTW, Jonze's Ikea commercial is superior to his Gap ad. (via self-employedsandwich) (link)
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Jeffrey said:
Advertising is a totally different product, when it's this good.
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neha said:
these are awesome. take 10 minutes out of your day and watch the BMW one at #2.
LED football game for the iPhone (3)
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2 days, 13 hours
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[To be read in a hyperventilating voice.] They're making a version of electronic handheld football for the iPhone. [Ok, now do the busy fingers gesture and hop from foot to foot.] BB Gadgets has the scant details. Next week! [Make "squee" noise.] (link)
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Dustin said:
I don't know how many hours I spent as a kid playing this game. Wow, this brings back a flood of memories.
$100 rebate on the Kindle (4)
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2 days, 14 hours
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If you can stomach having another credit card, Amazon is offering a $100 rebate on the Kindle if you apply for an Amazon Visa Card (no annual fee). That lowers the price to $259. Please read the restrictions and the fine print.(link)
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Noah said:
It's probably answered somewhere... but can I put the remaining $259 on the Amazon Visa??? :P
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angelchrys said:
OMG, I *wish* I qualified...I so want a Kindle! Anyone, er, want an Amazon Visa Card and my money?
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Guttorm said:
ZOMG. This must be fate...
A list of data visualization blogs you might not know... (2)
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