Photography as a Weapon (nytimes)
As almost everyone knows by now, various major daily newspaper published, on July 10, a photograph of four Iranian missiles streaking heavenward; then Little Green Footballs (significantly, a blog and not a daily newspaper) provided evidence that the photograph had been faked. Later, many of those same papers published a Whitman’s sampler of retractions and apologies.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Amazing footage of a 1916 boardtrack motorcycle race. This is the only known footage of this now extinct racing style.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Constructivism: the ism that keeps on givin'
In the west, a few designers have sought to exploit Constructivism for more than just its easily imitated style. For them, there is genuine affection for a look associated so closely with political idealism. Their hope is that through a kind of ideological osmosis their work communicates their belief in a cause. “It doesn’t hurt that there was a political component to the movement,” observes New York designer Alex Isley. “People believed in something that was radical in its day. That’s seductive.”
In the west, a few designers have sought to exploit Constructivism for more than just its easily imitated style. For them, there is genuine affection for a look associated so closely with political idealism. Their hope is that through a kind of ideological osmosis their work communicates their belief in a cause. “It doesn’t hurt that there was a political component to the movement,” observes New York designer Alex Isley. “People believed in something that was radical in its day. That’s seductive.”
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
One man's vision to recreate an Excelsior board track motorcycle from scratch. Be sure to click the next page links and look at the lengths he's gone through to handmake every part of a motorcycle that was originally designed over 90 years ago. Truly inspiring for anyone interested in the glory days of American manufacturing.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Soundchaser is an interesting analog music format. No worries about DRM on this.
Also check the fingerplayer!
Monday, August 04, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Friday, August 01, 2008
Deranged Bush Administration psychopaths recently met in Cheney's office to discuss ways to provoke a war with Iran.
You know, because the last one turned out so great.
There was a dozen ideas proffered about how to trigger a war. The one that interested me the most was why don’t we build — we in our shipyard — build four or five boats that look like Iranian PT boats. Put Navy seals on them with a lot of arms. And next time one of our boats goes to the Straits of Hormuz, start a shoot-up. Might cost some lives.
You know, because the last one turned out so great.
There was a dozen ideas proffered about how to trigger a war. The one that interested me the most was why don’t we build — we in our shipyard — build four or five boats that look like Iranian PT boats. Put Navy seals on them with a lot of arms. And next time one of our boats goes to the Straits of Hormuz, start a shoot-up. Might cost some lives.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Where's the outrage? (WSJ)
Should you pity your extremely progressive friends -- after all, they're more miserable than you, aren't they? Maybe not. In fact, anger does not translate very well into lower levels of happiness. In fact, extreme liberals were more likely than moderates in 2008 to say they were "very happy" about their lives (28% to 25%). This is of a piece with a growing body of political research which finds that people on the extreme left (and extreme right) tend to be quite a bit happier than those with more moderate views.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
There's Something About Mary: Unmasking a Gun Lobby Mole
But these two Marys share a lot in common—a Mother Jones investigation has found that McFate and Sapone are, in fact, the same person. And this discovery has caused the leaders of gun violence prevention organizations to conclude that for years they have been penetrated—at the highest levels—by the NRA or other pro-gun parties.
(mojones)
But these two Marys share a lot in common—a Mother Jones investigation has found that McFate and Sapone are, in fact, the same person. And this discovery has caused the leaders of gun violence prevention organizations to conclude that for years they have been penetrated—at the highest levels—by the NRA or other pro-gun parties.
(mojones)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Radiohead just released a video for "House of Cards". In this video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes. They're sharing the capture data on google code for people to make their own animations using the same data.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Salon has uncovered new evidence of post 9-11 spying on Americans
"If we know this much about torture, rendition, secret prisons and warrantless wiretapping despite the administration's attempts to stonewall, then imagine what we don't know," says a senior Democratic congressional aide who is familiar with the proposal and has been involved in several high-profile congressional investigations.
"You have to go back to the McCarthy era to find this level of abuse," says Barry Steinhardt, the director of the Program on Technology and Liberty for the American Civil Liberties Union. "Because the Bush administration has been so opaque, we don't know [the extent of] what laws have been violated."
I wonder if Obama will proactively move to pardon these criminals as well?
"If we know this much about torture, rendition, secret prisons and warrantless wiretapping despite the administration's attempts to stonewall, then imagine what we don't know," says a senior Democratic congressional aide who is familiar with the proposal and has been involved in several high-profile congressional investigations.
"You have to go back to the McCarthy era to find this level of abuse," says Barry Steinhardt, the director of the Program on Technology and Liberty for the American Civil Liberties Union. "Because the Bush administration has been so opaque, we don't know [the extent of] what laws have been violated."
I wonder if Obama will proactively move to pardon these criminals as well?
E-Z Bake DNA
The scientists say the artificial DNA acts like the real thing, and even forms right-handed duplexes with complementary artificial strands. They hope to one day use their discovery to create a new biological information storage system that functions outside the cell. Artificial DNA could be advantageously used instead of natural DNA due to its stability against naturally occurring enzymes and its structural diversity
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
An Obsessive Compulsion toward the Spectacular
Dutch Architect Rem Koolhaas interview in Spiegel
The expression ["junk space"] describes the effect commerce has on architecture, how it affects the beauty, authenticity and acceptance of a building. The irony is that in the West, of all places, an overemphasis of the economic forces us into permanent chaos. In the past, an airport could be proud of the fact that its paths, from the airport entrance to the gates, were short and direct. Nowadays the large numbers of shopping areas have turned airports into labyrinths. In other words, starting at the paradigm of clarity, it has taken us only 20 years to end up in a paradigm of chaos.
Dutch Architect Rem Koolhaas interview in Spiegel
The expression ["junk space"] describes the effect commerce has on architecture, how it affects the beauty, authenticity and acceptance of a building. The irony is that in the West, of all places, an overemphasis of the economic forces us into permanent chaos. In the past, an airport could be proud of the fact that its paths, from the airport entrance to the gates, were short and direct. Nowadays the large numbers of shopping areas have turned airports into labyrinths. In other words, starting at the paradigm of clarity, it has taken us only 20 years to end up in a paradigm of chaos.
Frank Gehry interview in Gabion: It's Not Just Plop
As for keeping the weather out - summer storms traditionally greet the unveiling of the Serpentine pavilions, and they usually leak, sometimes spectacularly - well, Frank asked about that. "I said - what about keeping the rain out? Julia (Peyton-Jones, director of the Serpentine) said, no problem. Then she phoned me later and said - 'but Frank, I have one little problem. It rains a lot'". He raises his eyes heavenwards and makes a strangulated noise of frustration. "This one is meant to leak. Everyone should bring an umbrella."
As for keeping the weather out - summer storms traditionally greet the unveiling of the Serpentine pavilions, and they usually leak, sometimes spectacularly - well, Frank asked about that. "I said - what about keeping the rain out? Julia (Peyton-Jones, director of the Serpentine) said, no problem. Then she phoned me later and said - 'but Frank, I have one little problem. It rains a lot'". He raises his eyes heavenwards and makes a strangulated noise of frustration. "This one is meant to leak. Everyone should bring an umbrella."
Health insurance plans kick off Health Care Reform Campaign
Probably one of the most unintentionally hilarious headlines ever.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
WTF?!
This jerk isn't getting another dime from me. Telecom execs who authorized illegal, unconstitutional wiretapping against law-abiding American citizens should be doing hard, long, soul-destroying prison time. There is no excuse for this.
This jerk isn't getting another dime from me. Telecom execs who authorized illegal, unconstitutional wiretapping against law-abiding American citizens should be doing hard, long, soul-destroying prison time. There is no excuse for this.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Is it really justified that Fox is allowed to use the word 'News' any longer?
More on the same.
"It wasn't a hit piece," Sifton told E&P. "It was straight news. This was a hit piece by Fox News. It is beneath comment." Asked if the paper planned to respond to Fox's actions, he said no: "It is fighting with a pig, everyone gets dirty and the pig likes it."
More on the same.
"It wasn't a hit piece," Sifton told E&P. "It was straight news. This was a hit piece by Fox News. It is beneath comment." Asked if the paper planned to respond to Fox's actions, he said no: "It is fighting with a pig, everyone gets dirty and the pig likes it."
Monday, June 30, 2008
If your investment portfolio is sagging in the face of a stagnant U.S. economy, you may want to go long on stocks representing the military-industrial complex. In a final, farewell F.U. gesture to American taxpayers, the Bush administration is apparently prepping for activity in Iran. When Lockheed goes to $200 in late '09, don't say I wasn't thinking of you in the summer of 08.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Years ago I posted on an woodcut print made with a car. Here's one made with a steamroller.
Some cool facts and video on the Taipei Mass Damper - a 728 ton stabilizing steel ball, used to minimize the building's sway during earthquakes. It worked on May 12. (via metafilter)
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
A big day for renewable energy! Delaware signs contract for the first U.S. offshore wind farm. I can't wait to see these things go up!
At the national level, Republicans have been stonewalling and blocking renewable energy legislation with a religious fervor, so it's nice to see the states (esp. an east coast state) step up and do the right thing in the face of the outgoing administration's adversity.
At the national level, Republicans have been stonewalling and blocking renewable energy legislation with a religious fervor, so it's nice to see the states (esp. an east coast state) step up and do the right thing in the face of the outgoing administration's adversity.
Matt dances all over the world, and when Matt dances, people join in. (yt, wherethehellismatt)
Alert the pentagon: Denon sells a $500 ethernet cable.
Apparently for increasing the quality of those bits. Those 1s somehow have more 1-ness, and the zeros are way more zeroey. Boing-Boing discusses.
Add one to the voodoo list (or, pair it up with a $700 "cable cooker" for optimal break-in!)
Apparently for increasing the quality of those bits. Those 1s somehow have more 1-ness, and the zeros are way more zeroey. Boing-Boing discusses.
Add one to the voodoo list (or, pair it up with a $700 "cable cooker" for optimal break-in!)
Friday, June 20, 2008
Reuse of British Sea Forts (WebUrbanist)
Ocean and sea forts are few and far between and with good reason: only in fairly extreme circumstances is their expense deemed justifiable. Since being decommissioned, many of these have gained strange second lives as everything from luxury resorts and private retreats to micronations and pirate radio stations. It sounds extreme, but be honest: wouldn’t you want a sea fort of your very own?
Chickenshit, ineffectual, patsy Democrats give the Bush administration everything they want on domestic spying, wiretapping, telecom amnesty
Martian soil, on the rocks.
Dice-size crumbs of bright material have vanished from inside a trench where they were photographed by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander four days ago, convincing scientists that the material was frozen water that vaporized after digging exposed it.
"It must be ice," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it's ice. There had been some question whether the bright material was salt. Salt can't do that."
Dice-size crumbs of bright material have vanished from inside a trench where they were photographed by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander four days ago, convincing scientists that the material was frozen water that vaporized after digging exposed it.
"It must be ice," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it's ice. There had been some question whether the bright material was salt. Salt can't do that."
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
This is a landmark day in the history of journalistic integrity. The Washington Post announced a ban on the utterly ridiculous AP, due to the latter's claims of infringement in fair-use blog citings.
So here's our new policy on A.P. stories: they don't exist. We don't see them, we don't quote them, we don't link to them. They're banned until they abandon this new strategy, and I encourage others to do the same until they back down from these ridiculous attempts to stop the spread of information around the Internet.
NYTimes article with some background on the issue here.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Gore Vidal weighs in on Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment and, as usual, pulls no punch.
Naturally, I do not want to sound hard, but let me point out that even a banana Republican would be distressed to discover how much of our nation’s treasury has been siphoned off by our vice president in the interest of his Cosa Nostra company, Halliburton, the lawless gang of mercenaries set loose by this administration in the Middle East.
Naturally, I do not want to sound hard, but let me point out that even a banana Republican would be distressed to discover how much of our nation’s treasury has been siphoned off by our vice president in the interest of his Cosa Nostra company, Halliburton, the lawless gang of mercenaries set loose by this administration in the Middle East.
A New Yorker piece on the amazing, always spot-on, my-hero Keith Olbermann
Olbermann suddenly had another sensation, unrelated to neurology—a feeling, he later recalled, that was “like being hit by lightning.” He sat down at his computer and began to write. After an hour, he had the first draft of a lacerating indictment of Bush, a twelve-minute-long (eighteen pages in teleprompter script) j ’accuse, addressed personally to the President.
Olbermann suddenly had another sensation, unrelated to neurology—a feeling, he later recalled, that was “like being hit by lightning.” He sat down at his computer and began to write. After an hour, he had the first draft of a lacerating indictment of Bush, a twelve-minute-long (eighteen pages in teleprompter script) j ’accuse, addressed personally to the President.
Propamanga (salon)
The context: In August, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington will sail into Yokosuka Harbor, the first nuclear-propelled ship to be "forward deployed" in Japan. Some Japanese, having a certain history with the U.S. and matters nuclear, are believed to feel anxiety about the prospect. So the Navy commissioned two Japanese artists to create a graphic novel/comic book -- known in Japan and by consumers of Japanese pop culture worldwide as "manga" -- in an effort to assuage nervousness by portraying daily life aboard the USS George Washington.
The context: In August, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington will sail into Yokosuka Harbor, the first nuclear-propelled ship to be "forward deployed" in Japan. Some Japanese, having a certain history with the U.S. and matters nuclear, are believed to feel anxiety about the prospect. So the Navy commissioned two Japanese artists to create a graphic novel/comic book -- known in Japan and by consumers of Japanese pop culture worldwide as "manga" -- in an effort to assuage nervousness by portraying daily life aboard the USS George Washington.
Note to self: I seriously need to update my blog template. 2 stylesheet overhauls in 10 years is just laziness, plain and simple.
'Daily' and 'Jive' are 1350th and 48456th respectively in frequency, at least according to WordCount
The ghost mall in South China (probably needs some ghost pop being piped through their speakers)
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
A nice video introduction and detail info on The Chicago Spire - a new residential skyscraper on Lake Michigan.
Kucinich introduces Bush impeachment articles
About time. Let's see if the vaporspines that pass for Democrats these days step up to support it.
About time. Let's see if the vaporspines that pass for Democrats these days step up to support it.
"Resolved," Kucinich then began, "that President George W. Bush be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate. ...
"In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and to the best of his ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has committed the following abuses of power..."
Friday, June 06, 2008
Adah Menken: The First Broadway Star (popmatters)
Straightaway, Menken put Sarony on notice, “All attempts to photograph me have been failures.” Sarony took eight poses of her. According to Sarony, the finished product caused her to squeal with delight: “Oh you dear, delightful darling little man! I’m going to kiss you for that.” Sarony recorded his opinion of Menken after she died: “Adah Menken was the most remarkable mingling of angel and devil that ever wore petticoats.”
Straightaway, Menken put Sarony on notice, “All attempts to photograph me have been failures.” Sarony took eight poses of her. According to Sarony, the finished product caused her to squeal with delight: “Oh you dear, delightful darling little man! I’m going to kiss you for that.” Sarony recorded his opinion of Menken after she died: “Adah Menken was the most remarkable mingling of angel and devil that ever wore petticoats.”
Booby trap that Diet Coke with a mentos bomb. I'm not sure who your victims will be, but I'm sure they'll deserve it.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
How We Read (sciencedaily)
Now ground-breaking research by cognitive psychologist Professor Simon Liversedge and his team at the University of Southampton has shown that this is not actually the case. They found that our eyes are actually up to something much more exciting when we read - our eyes look at different letters in the same word and then combine the different images through a process known as fusion.
Now ground-breaking research by cognitive psychologist Professor Simon Liversedge and his team at the University of Southampton has shown that this is not actually the case. They found that our eyes are actually up to something much more exciting when we read - our eyes look at different letters in the same word and then combine the different images through a process known as fusion.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
The 10 most Incomprehensible Bob Dylan interviews of all time
(nymag)
But who can blame him? I wish I had a dime for every time I said:
"Carelessness. I lost my one true love. I started drinking. The first thing I know, I'm in a card game. Then I'm in a crap game. I wake up in a pool hall. Then this big Mexican lady drags me off the table, takes me to Philadelphia. She leaves me alone in her house, and it burns down. I wind up in Phoenix. I get a job as a Chinaman. I start working in a dime store, and move in with a 13-year-old girl. Then this big Mexican lady from Philadelphia comes in and burns the house down. I go down to Dallas. I get a job as a "before" in a Charles Atlas "before and after" ad. I move in with a delivery boy who can cook fantastic chili and hot dogs. Then this 13-year-old girl from Phoenix comes and burns the house down. The delivery boy — he ain't so mild: He gives her the knife, and the next thing I know I'm in Omaha. It's so cold there, by this time I'm robbing my own bicycles and frying my own fish. I stumble onto some luck and get a job as a carburetor out at the hot-rod races every Thursday night. I move in with a high school teacher who also does a little plumbing on the side, who ain't much to look at, but who's built a special kind of refrigerator that can turn newspaper into lettuce. Everything's going good until that delivery boy shows up and tries to knife me. Needless to say, he burned the house down, and I hit the road. The first guy that picked me up asked me if I wanted to be a star. What could I say?"
(nymag)
But who can blame him? I wish I had a dime for every time I said:
"Carelessness. I lost my one true love. I started drinking. The first thing I know, I'm in a card game. Then I'm in a crap game. I wake up in a pool hall. Then this big Mexican lady drags me off the table, takes me to Philadelphia. She leaves me alone in her house, and it burns down. I wind up in Phoenix. I get a job as a Chinaman. I start working in a dime store, and move in with a 13-year-old girl. Then this big Mexican lady from Philadelphia comes in and burns the house down. I go down to Dallas. I get a job as a "before" in a Charles Atlas "before and after" ad. I move in with a delivery boy who can cook fantastic chili and hot dogs. Then this 13-year-old girl from Phoenix comes and burns the house down. The delivery boy — he ain't so mild: He gives her the knife, and the next thing I know I'm in Omaha. It's so cold there, by this time I'm robbing my own bicycles and frying my own fish. I stumble onto some luck and get a job as a carburetor out at the hot-rod races every Thursday night. I move in with a high school teacher who also does a little plumbing on the side, who ain't much to look at, but who's built a special kind of refrigerator that can turn newspaper into lettuce. Everything's going good until that delivery boy shows up and tries to knife me. Needless to say, he burned the house down, and I hit the road. The first guy that picked me up asked me if I wanted to be a star. What could I say?"
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Just an question I'll throw out there: Does anyone on earth doubt the legitimacy of anything that former Whitehouse spokesman Scott McLelland claimed in his new book? Why is Bush even reacting?
And just because he's finally telling a watered down version of the truth about the utter villainy that went on in the Bush administration doesn't mean he should be forgiven. This guy was complicit in the treachery and subversion of democracy that Bush inflicted upon American citizens for 8 years. He fed the public lies, greased the skids for the enormous paydays that administration insiders are still enjoying, and should be remembered as a crook and a liar.
And just because he's finally telling a watered down version of the truth about the utter villainy that went on in the Bush administration doesn't mean he should be forgiven. This guy was complicit in the treachery and subversion of democracy that Bush inflicted upon American citizens for 8 years. He fed the public lies, greased the skids for the enormous paydays that administration insiders are still enjoying, and should be remembered as a crook and a liar.
Canadian border guards to check for ipod infringement?
The federal government is secretly negotiating an agreement to revamp international copyright laws which could make the information on Canadian iPods, laptop computers or other personal electronic devices illegal and greatly increase the difficulty of travelling with such devices.
The federal government is secretly negotiating an agreement to revamp international copyright laws which could make the information on Canadian iPods, laptop computers or other personal electronic devices illegal and greatly increase the difficulty of travelling with such devices.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
A Milk Bottles collection.
If you're looking to start a collection yourself, there are still plenty of dairies who use glass milk bottles today. Or if you live in rural PA, you could just get Mr. Milkman to deliver to your door.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I've got Detention anxiety. The Last Roundup (Radar)
"There exists a database of Americans, who, often for the slightest and most trivial reason, are considered unfriendly, and who, in a time of panic, might be incarcerated. The database can identify and locate perceived 'enemies of the state' almost instantaneously." He and other sources tell Radar that the database is sometimes referred to by the code name Main Core. One knowledgeable source claims that 8 million Americans are now listed in Main Core as potentially suspect. In the event of a national emergency, these people could be subject to everything from heightened surveillance and tracking to direct questioning and possibly even detention.
"There exists a database of Americans, who, often for the slightest and most trivial reason, are considered unfriendly, and who, in a time of panic, might be incarcerated. The database can identify and locate perceived 'enemies of the state' almost instantaneously." He and other sources tell Radar that the database is sometimes referred to by the code name Main Core. One knowledgeable source claims that 8 million Americans are now listed in Main Core as potentially suspect. In the event of a national emergency, these people could be subject to everything from heightened surveillance and tracking to direct questioning and possibly even detention.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Winds of Change (Salon)
A stunning new report just issued by the Bush administration finds that for under 2 cents a day per household, Americans could get 300 gigawatts of wind by 2030. That would:
A stunning new report just issued by the Bush administration finds that for under 2 cents a day per household, Americans could get 300 gigawatts of wind by 2030. That would:
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by 25 percent in 2030. Reduce natural gas use by 11 percent. Reduce cumulative water consumption associated with electricity generation by 4 trillion gallons by 2030. Support roughly 500,000 jobs in the U.S.
The report doesn't mention that this would require adopting policies the Bush administration opposes. But that's what elections are for.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The people who have traditionally waged war in meat-space are becoming increasingly interested in online attacks against. And vice-versa.