Why Birds Sing in Harmony
Why birds sing in harmony [via bb]
« December 2005 | Main | February 2006 »
January 30, 2006
Ultimate Showdown
The Ultimate Showdown [via Mac]
Republicans More Likely to Be Racist
Study shows Republicans more likely to be racist. Shocking! [via Dave]
Importing Audiobooks to iTunes
Advice on importing audiobooks into iTunes [via lee]
Space Shuttle History
An amazing MeFi post on the history of the space shuttle. This is a must-read.
January 28, 2006
MT-Approval
MT-Approval is intended to reduce comment spam [via Jeremy]
January 27, 2006
Car Crash Videos
Not for the weak of heart. Perhaps not even for the strong of heart: car crash videos
Railway Photography
For Antonio: Railway photography from around the world
50 Books For Thinking About the Future Human Condition
The Girl Scout Cookie Equivalency Chart
The Girl Scout cookie equivalency chart helps one find cookies all year-round! [via mefi]
Book Publishing FAQ
Book publishing FAQ [via ml]
January 26, 2006
Tips For Beating Netflix Throttle
Supid Girl
I don't know much about modern pop music, but I like the video for Pink's new song, Stupid Girl — it's a condemnation of the return to traditional sex roles and the vapidity of modern role-models for girls: "What happened to the dream of a girl President?" (And Kris would want me to ask: why, once again, are we calling these women girls?)
ODD & SID
ODD & SID: Tammy's fascinating post on her daugher's psychological testing
My Week as a Waiter
A food critic goes undercover in My Week as a Waiter (NYT login required)
The Secret Life of a Letter to the Editor
The secret life of a letter to the editor is a fascinating look at the sort-of-controversy behind the recent New Yorker article on P.L. Travers [via kottke]
Champagne Chair Contest
The champagne chair contest features lots of little model chairs made from champagne corks. The winner is a model of elegance and simplicity. [via Lisa]
Origins of Phrases
Sayings and phrases, meanings and origins — for example, the whole nine yards or, my favorite, minced oaths
An Atlas of Cyberspaces
An atlas of cyberspaces, topology maps of various networks — kind of cool [via Paul, or maybe AJ]
January 25, 2006
StepMania
StepMania, a free dance simulation game for PC, Mac, and Linux. I've never played one of these games, but they look fun and are very popular. I'm thinking it might do the trick to get me to exercise.
I Don't Support the Troops
Joel Stein: "I don't support our troops." The conservatives are irate, of course, but praise his honesty. That doesn't stop them from sending hate mail. [via Kris, of all people]
Insect Candy
Insect candy — okay, I'm not that adventurous...
LEGO
Ben's LEGO creations, the LEGO knitting machine, the LEGO harpsichord, and LEGO from the sixties and seventies (which are the pieces I remember playing with as a kid) [all via seehere]
January 24, 2006
Mario Unleashed
Must see! This is just about the coolest thing ever: Mario Unleashed: the Super Mario theme played on Marimba at a high school talent show. Apparently the three marimba players practiced this all year during marching band. [via everywhere — this is another one that's been floating around for weeks]
The Nocturnes
The Nocturnes, a night photography web site [via lookit]
A Short History of Rock and Roll
A fascinating short history of rock and roll [via ml]
Top-Selling Comics and Graphic Novels of 2005
Top-selling comics and graphic novels of 2005. I only purchased two of the top-selling comics (All-Star Batman #1 and All-Star Superman #1: I was unimpressed with each), but I purchased (or already owned) mumble of the top-selling graphic novels (where mumble is 21), and I plan to purchase several more. [via airbag]
January 23, 2006
The Numbers
Wow! I love The Numbers, which is apparently a weblog devoted to detailed numbers regarding the film industry.
Maps for Classic Video Games
Shaved Pussy
Snake Befriends Snack Hamster
Cute Baby Squirrel
Birds in Nature
Photography: birds in nature
We Must Learn To Live Together as Brothers or Perish as Fools
A monkey and a cat, friends: We must learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools
West Wing Cancelled
Alas, one of Kris' favorites is coming to an end: The West Wing had been cancelled. Meanwhile, The Office just got picked up for a third season.
January 21, 2006
Teaching Binary Arithmetic to Third-Graders
January 20, 2006
The Dresden Dolls Diary
Hell yeah! Amanda Palmer, part of a duo called The Dresden Dolls (one of my favorite bands), keeps a weblog.
Worst. Newspaper error. Ever.
Tips for Peak Mental Performance
AskMe: tips for peak mental performance. Also: taking notes on big books and what should I learn next? AskMetafilter is one of my all-time favorite web sites, no question.
Giant Jellyfish Invade Japan
Hell
Also haha: the devil welcomes you to hell (a short Rowan Atkinson routine, file hosted locally)
Body Spray for Sick Cats
Haha! Body spray for sick cats, a short Family Guy clip
January 19, 2006
Is Your Computer Killing You?
Feds After Google Data
Holy shit. Feds after google data. This is a Bad, Bad Thing. [via Dave, of course]
Ten Movies Every Photographer Should See
Ten movies every photographer should see (I've seen half of them)
Top 65 Music Videos of 2005
Top 65 music videos of 2005 (including links to downloads) [via waxy]
Forget Your Competitors
Forget your competitors — this brief piece argues that one ought not worry what the competition does. Instead, focus more on making your company the best it can be. [via airbag]
January 18, 2006
Just Say Yes
Dating: Positive Thinking &mash; this woman "[spent] one year responding positively to all flirting and saying yes to literally anyone who asked her out. The ensuing 150 dates included a homeless man, several non-English speakers, 10 taxi drivers, two lesbians and a mime." [via kottke]
Lazy Sunday
Yes, I know this meme is a month old, and yes I know that most of you have probably already seen it. Nevertheless, here is Lazy Sunday, the Chronicles of Narnia rap from Saturday Night Live. This really didn't hook me at first, but I've seen it so many times now that the song haunts me in my sleep. Seriously. This is a 6mb WMV download hosted locally. You may prefer the 2.2mb mp3 of the song. Enjoy! (More: wikipedia entry!, Andy Baio's neice and nephew perform the song, and Slate deconstructs Lazy Sunday as a rap song)
How to Do What You Love
** How to do what you love **
TED
TED, automatic torrent downloader
Mouthy Parrot Reveals Sex Secret
Be careful what you say around talking animals: Mouthy Parrot Reveals Sex Secret
January 17, 2006
Manufacturing Reality
Manufacturing Reality: The Omarosa Experiment is a fascinating article on reality show contestants [via kottke]
The Walrus
The Walrus, a mammoth military blimp in the planning stages [via Dave]
Invisibilia
Invisibilia features photographs that have been digitally altered so that one figure is "traced", as if sketched with ink. It's an interesting effect.
Make You Happy Tonight
For the ladies: Make You Happy Tonight [via bb]
January 16, 2006
Memory Master
A handy reference for people like me: Memory Master
January 14, 2006
Bag End Doll House
Bilbo's home — Bag End — meticulously crafted as a doll house. Amazing.
January 13, 2006
What to Buy Organic
Consumer Reports: when buying organic pays and doesn't, a brief guide [via kottke]
Doctor Who Coming to SciFi Channel
The latest Doctor Who series from BBC (which aired last spring) is coming to the SciFi Channel this March. I've watched most of the thirteen episodes and find them remarkably good while still remaining true to the older material. Check it out. [via aicn]
January 12, 2006
Early Humans Hunted By Birds
Scientists believe that early humans were hunted by birds. Scary!
How to Win Friends and Influence People
A brief guide to Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People
The Parable of the Falling Beam
Dashiell Hammett's parable of the falling beam (from a Sam Spade story) is fascinating [via ml]
The Myth of a Christian Nation
The myth of a Christian nation: "The Religious Right's prevailing myth that our country was founded as a Christian nation has always been just that a myth, a lie, a fable, a story in the same company as George Washington's cutting down the cherry tree." [via ml]
Viable Paradise
Viable Paradise, a science-fiction and fantasy writer's workshop
The Ground Meat Cookbook
The Ground Meat Cookbook: 204 intriguing ground meat recipes (from 1955, and featuring line-drawings of animals cooking) [via bb]
The World's Best (Short) Quotes
January 11, 2006
Monopoly House Rules
An enormous library of house rules for Monopoly [via bb]
Anti-Telemarketing Counter-Script
This is great! An anti-telemarketing counter-script. Turn the tables on the bastards! [via bb]
The Winning Ticket
What's it like to win the lottery? The winning ticket! (Or is it? I hope they at least bought the guy a good dinner.) [via fotw]
Motivation for Weight Loss
Uncle Neptune's Song Factory
Schwing! Uncle Neptune's Song Factory features songs of the twenties performed on a modern ukelele. (Ukeleles were big in the twenties.) I love this music and have a large library of it. I'm glad to find others who love it, too. [via mefi]
The Prejudice Map
The prejudice map makes amusing use of the Google API in ways I don't quite understand. [via waxy]
January 10, 2006
Treating Flood-Damaged Older and Historic Buildings
Cyclops Kitten
Why do things like this cyclops kitten break my heart? [via lookat]
Attribution of Sources
I believe I'm going to begin attributing all the flotch again, identifying where I find each piece. Does anyone care?
Statistical Analysis of Prostitution Costs in Nevada
Oddly obsessive statistical analysis of the rates paid by customers of legal Nevada prostitutes, broken down by sex act, attractiveness, body type and presence or absence of a jacuzzi, among other topics. [via Mefi]
Student Life on Facebook
I'm totally removed from the facebok phenomenom, but still found this study of student life on facebook interesting
Flickr-Enabled Photo Frame
Another sign that the future is here: this wireles Flickr-enabled photo frame presents an ever-present slideshow of the thirty most recent photos in your Flickr photo stream [via Dave]
Flaming Mouse Burns Down Man's House
January 9, 2006
Photography and Privacy Standards in the U.S.
Photoshop Tutorials
Taking Professional Product Photos Without a Professional
Taking professional product photos without a professional (I suspect that much of this can be applied directly to macro photography, too)
She's the Man
She's the Man — you know, this is really like the antithesis of the type of film I usually like from the previews, but I think this actually looks hilarious (ah, and no wonder: an IMDB search reveals it is based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night)
Kitten Befriends Farmyard Animals
January 7, 2006
I Will Teach You To Be Rich
I Will Teach You To Be Rich is a great personal finance weblog
January 5, 2006
AmyJo's From a Corner Table
News flash! AmyJo's foodblog is now operational. Go visit From a Corner Table! Mmmmm... Delicious
The Perfect Hot Chocolate
Can Dogs Smell Cancer?
Can dogs smell cancer? Study shows dogs ability to distinguish breast and lung cancer in people compared to healthy controls.
101 Tips For Improving Children's Behavior
101 tips for improving children's behavior. Also (and probably more useful): Parent Hacks.
Kill All the White People
Kill all the white people! Yeah, right. That'll solve all the problems in the world.
Statistical Analysis of MMORPGs
This statistical analysis of MMORPGs features some intersting data regarding male/female differences in gaming. (Does it surprise anyone that males outnumber females 10:1 in the online gaming world?)
Edward O's Top 100 Singles of 2005
Edward O's top-100 singles of 2005 is an outstanding list of pop music featuring mp3 samples. Absolutely brilliant! (This page is a better entry page, but is probably less permanent than the one I linked to.)
Hiyao Miyazaki Festival
Turner Classic Movies' Hiyao Miyazaki film festival begins tonight and runs every Thursday in January. If you haven't seen his films before, tonight is a great time to start. Spirited Away is magical.
Speedreading Articles, Software, and Tips
Writing Posts on AskMe
All posts tagged with 'writing' on AskMetafilter
FARK's Best Photoshops of 2005
FARK's best Photoshops of 2005, some of which are funny, some of which are not.
January 4, 2006
.
Men's Fashion
Kris would be happier if (a) I were to lose some weight and (b) I were to have a better sense of fashion. The former is all in my head. For help with the latter, one might consult The Morning News' guide to men's fashion, which includes secitons on suits, dress shirts, and pants (as well as a conclusion; also of value are Lance Arthur's weblog entries on man grooming.
Massively Multiplayer Personal Productivity
An idea whose time has come: massively multiplayer personal productivity
January 3, 2006
Flutie Hits NFL's First Drop-Kick Since 1941
I love fun sports stories like this: Doug Flutie hits NFL's First drop-kick since 1941. I love odd plays. (Earlier this year there was a missed field goal returned for a touchdown.) Here's a fun story about Flutie. Does anyone have a link to video of this play?
French Baboons Baffle Zoo Staff
French baboons baffle zoo staff — Zoo keepers in Kent are having to learn French in order to speak to the baboons at Port Lympne wild animal park
The Flight Fantastic
The flight fantastic: the secret, longer life of birds revealed
Fifty Strategies to Make Yourself Write
Fifty strategies to make yourself write [via Josh]
January 2, 2006
Caution: Cat Vomit
Caution: Cat Vomit — this is a must-have for the Roth/Gates household
Nuts About Squirrels
Fantastic flotch: via this MeFi thread comes squirrels-for-you.com — have fun raising squirrels! This site features flash movies of domesticated squirrels. All your nuts are belong to us. Three sites are worthy of special notice: squirrel recipes, Russian squirrel pack kills dog, and, the best of all, the laugh-out-loud Beet Pulp Safety Warning.
Thirteen Things That Do Not Make Sense
January 1, 2006
The Ethicist
I find the New York Times column, The Ethicist, very interesting. [link may require login]
Paul Ford's Yearly Review
Yearly Review by Paul Ford
Early 1960s Motorola Advertising
Here is a wonderful gallery of early 1960s advertising artwork for Motorola depicting near-futuristic life at home. Good stuff.
Best Lifehacks of 2005
Useful: best Lifehacks of 2005 (and the list from the other Lifehack site)
On the Quality of Silver Age Comics
How much of this stuff is actually GOOD? Critical thoughts on reading and collecting comic books from the forum I"ve been frequenting. Great meditations that Dave and Joel might enjoy.