Every day, the interwebs is filled with an interminable supply of crap and one cool thing. Like a jet-powered bloodhound, this blog seeks out and posts that one thing. On occasion, nothing interesting is added to the internets. In that case, something old is posted.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Learn Something Every Day
They ask for submissions (fact@learnsomethingeveryday.co.uk) and the best fact is be made into a super special poster at the beginning of each month, with the winner getting a free poster. The site runs on Cargo (web publishing and community-building platform.)
(From Peggy Feed)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Blogs.com Top Ten
Blogs.com Top Ten is a running list of top ten lists. That's right. They feature lists such as: "Top 10 Web 2.0 Blogs," "Top 10 Trading and Investing Blogs," and "10 Popular Blogs about Blogging."
Whoa. Think about that. This is so meta it's practically evolved cognition.
(From Justin, who's on fire!)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
World Science Festival 2009: Notes & Neurons, Part 4 of 5
In their own words,
"Is our response to music hard-wired or culturally determined? Is the reaction to rhythm and melody universal or influenced by environment? Join host John Schaefer, Jamshed Barucha, scientist Daniel Levitin, Professor Lawrence Parsons and musical artist Bobby McFerrin for live performances and cross cultural demonstrations to illustrate music’s note-worthy interaction with the brain and our emotions."In my friend Justin's words, "music + neuroscience + a capella + audience participation = awesome. (This is part 4 of 5 - with the other parts being either music theory heavy or neuro heavy.)"
Enjoy!
(From Justin)
Friday, August 28, 2009
Pregnant Women are Smug
Pregnant Women are Smug is a cracked.com video showing a singing duo Riki "Garfunkel" Lindhome and Kate "Oates" Micucci. It takes a jibe at clichés women use when they're pregnant.
This song is true.
Excep for my friend Lolita. She's a warrior.
(From mjg)Thursday, August 27, 2009
Death to All But Metal
Death to All But Metal is a music video by Steel Panther. I'm just posting it here because of 1) why stop the juvenile jokes and 2) the Sarah Silverman bit at the end.
According to wikipedia, Steel Panther (formerly known as Danger Kitty, Metal Shop and Metal Skool), is,
"a Los Angeles, California parody glam metal band.
Originally formed as Metal Shop, they have the longest running heavy metal show on the Sunset Strip. Onstage, the band both pays tribute to and lampoons the heyday of 80's glam metal. The band's between-song comedy includes jests at conflict between band members, discussions of drugs, sex, and improvised humor with the crowd."
(From mjg, bb, rl )
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Because everything's funnier. In The Butt.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
OMG, how embarrassing: Lamebook
OMG, how embarrassing: Lamebook is an entry on the omgblog that is probably fake but entertaining nonetheless. Basically, a schmoe replies to all and admits infidelity to a string of acquaintances.
(From Buzzfeed Week)
Monday, August 24, 2009
Awkward Jamie-Lynn Sigler Interview
Lazy day, I'll let Buzzfeed explain:
"This ABC reporter decided to interview Jamie-Lynn Sigler about her Entourage plotline (in which she dates Turtle, the 'fat' guy), not knowing that she is dating Jerry Ferrara (who plays Turtle) [in real life]. This is the most entertaining thing Entourage has yielded in 4 seasons."(From More Buzz)
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Personas
For me, nothing came up, but it pegged several of my more accomplished friends rather well. You can also try it with famous people.
(From Justin)
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Health Care Explained on the Back of a Napkin
(From Buzzfeed)
Friday, August 21, 2009
If The Internet Named Movies
Lovely.
(From Buzzfeed)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
In B flat
In B flat is a collaborative music and spoken word project that utilizes YouTube videos tiled side by side. You can play them all at once or set them in motion individually. Very interesting. And soothing.
According to the authors,
"In Bb 2.0 is a collaborative music and spoken word project conceived by Darren Solomon from Science for Girls, and developed with contributions from users. The videos can be played simultaneously -- the soundtracks will work together, and the mix can be adjusted with the individual volume sliders."
The instructions for video submissions were as follows:
-Sing or play an instrument, in Bb major. Simple, floating textures work best, with no tempo or groove. Leave lots of silence between phrases.-Record in a quiet environment, with as little background noise as possible.-Wait about 5-10 seconds to start playing.-Total length should be between 1-2 minutes.-Thick chords or low instruments don't work very well.-Record at a low volume to match the other videos.-You can listen to this mix on headphones while you record.-After you upload to YouTube, play your video along with the other videos on this page to make sure the volume matches.Enjoy!(From Guy )
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Stolen Lyrics
Today on the (Musical) Interwebs presents Stolen Lyrics. The site plays out like Post Secret but mainly with the emo postcards that make you say, "Oh, that's sad, but pretty." The big, obvious twist is that Stolen Lyrics utilize lyrics to add a one-line kick to the images. It's cute, it's kitsch, it only has 16 entries at this point in writing, but some pictures will bring a small smile to your face. Plus it's always fun to play the "Which Song Is This?" game. So far, I'm at 7/16.
And now back to your regularly scheduled Today on the Interwebs...
(From Buzzbands.LA.)
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
I Am Friends with Sluts [NSFW]
Choice comments include,
Enjoy!
(From Buzzfeed. More specifically, Peggy. Whenever I really like a link, it's usually by Peggy. )
Monday, August 17, 2009
King of Crayons
This brings me back memories of 2nd grade, when, newly arrived in the U.S., my ESL teacher yelled at me for coloring "wrong." I thought the soldiers looked good in green-mustard camouflage. Turns out civil war garb was not that advanced. And teachers can be mean. I'm looking at you, Ms. Kaiser.
(From I forget, sorry.)
The Guild - Do You Wanna Date My Avatar
As my friend Justin almost cogently explains,
"Felicia Day + Music + Video Game References + Whedon Blood = Awesome... i mean "4\/\/350/\/\3"
Enjoy!
(From Justin)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The 35 Worst Celebrity Tattoos
Special mention to Kate's Pooh tattoo (bad taste AND bad execution), Reggie Miller's faux belly button hair, Dennis Rodman's FTM fantasy, Hayden Panettiere's lack of Italian proofreading, and Eminem's furious daughter.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
How NOT to Make Kids Costumes
(From Buzzfeed)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Google Opt-Out Village
(From Buzzfeed)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
23 Movie Plots That Could Have Been Solved in Minutes
(From guy)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Is Google Voice a Threat to AT&T?
(From the NYT)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Steepster
Steepster is a rating and community website for tea drinkers.
If you've noticed the quality has gone down the last couple of days it's because 1) yesterday was my birthday and 2) I'm supposed to get the Internet today leading me to 3) pre-write way ahead of time. Sorry, and things should be better soon!
(From Metafilter)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Today on the Interwebs: IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY
Correction:
This entry on Crisostomo Design is the best thing on the interwebs today. It's full of inside jokes, so I think it's only really funny to me. :) :( :)
Pixel
Comes with bonus pixely-sounding electronic intro music, and exciting drum music later on. It's more fun than that picture looks.
PS: Yeeeeeey birthday! (From Kottke)
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Mary Roach: 10 things you didn't know about orgasm
According to TED,
" 'Bonk' author Mary Roach delves into obscure scientific research, some of it centuries old, to make 10 surprising claims about sexual climax, ranging from the bizarre to the hilarious. (This talk is aimed at adults. Viewer discretion advised.)"
(From my love of TED)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The Last Abortion Doctor
The Last Abortion Doctor is an Esquire magazine article by John H. Richardson about the last late abortion doctor left in America (Dr. Warren Hern). Pretty dramatic words. I usually try to keep it light on TOTI, but I think we can all agree you shouldn't shoot doctors.
Exerpt:
"The young couple flew into Wichita bearing, in the lovely swell of the wife's belly, a burden of grief. They came from a religious tradition where large families are celebrated, and they wanted this baby, and it was very late in her pregnancy. But the doctors recommended abortion. They said that with her complications, there were only two men skilled enough to pull it off. One was George Tiller, a Wichita doctor who specialized in late abortions.
They arrived in Wichita on Sunday, May 31. As they drove to their hotel, a Holiday Inn just two blocks from the Reformation Lutheran Church, they saw television cameras. They wondered what was going on, a passing curiosity quickly forgotten.
But when they got to their room, the phone was ringing. Her father was on the line. 'There was some doctor who was shot who does abortions,' he said.
They turned on CNN. Dr. Tiller had just been killed, shot in the head as he passed out church leaflets. In their shock, they mixed up the clinic and the church: We were supposed to be there. What if it had happened while we were there? What if he couldn't complete the procedure?
Now there is only one doctor left.... This is the day he sees patients for the first of three visits, giving them the seaweed laminaria, which slowly dilates the cervix, and his normal caseload has been doubled by Dr. Tiller's patients — including two with catastrophic fetal abnormalities and a fifteen-year-old who was raped, all in the second trimester, all traumatized by the assassin who calls himself pro-life, a phrase he cannot utter without air quotes and contempt. "
(From the web )
Friday, August 7, 2009
Slaughter Your World
(From my cousin D.)
Thursday, August 6, 2009
How Different Groups Spend Their Day
According to Jen, who sent this in:
"This is a prime example of an interesting reseach question, as well as a lesson on graphic design. I don't dispute the results, or the design, just the color choice.
Honestly, the colors chosen represent what I imagine to be the inside of a septic tank, mixed with a barren dessert, and then a dark blue. Still, if you can get past the lack of catchy colors, it's worth looking at."
I loved clicking around. Good find.
PS: I was disappointed to find that "Not in lab..." was not actually about the 5% of time scientists are sleeping at home.
(From JenK)
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
C'est la vie
In her own words:
I graduated from UCLA in June 2004 with a BA in history and art history and have no idea what I’m going to do for a living. Currently, I'm a graduate student at NYU's Institute of Fine Arts studying Ancient Egyptian art history. I'm hoping that by continuing my education, I can buy some time before I find a "real" job.
While enrolled at UCLA, I wrote “C’est la Vie” for the university newspaper, The Daily Bruin, where it was discovered by Universal Press Syndicate in its first year of publication. “C’est la Vie” as it exists today is a result of the partnership between me and UPS, in the hopes of creating a feature that could be embraced by a wide audience. I signed a contract with Uclick, the online division of UPS in March of 2005, and "C'est la Vie" is now a daily feature on www.ucomics.com.
(From Guy)
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
There, I Fixed It
You can contribute pictures of your handiwork to thereifixedit@gmail.com.
(From Rolf)
Monday, August 3, 2009
Baby pictures in lost wallets increase the chance they will be returned
Baby pictures in lost wallets increase the chance they will be returned is an article on Boing Boing explaining that Edinburgh researchers report that "lost" wallets which included baby pictures had the highest return rate, with 88 per cent of the 40 wallets being sent back.
I would print out and place this very picture in my wallet right now, if only I hadn't just burnt my father's new printer due to my forgetting that the printer is 110V, and the wall plugs here are 220V. WHOOPS.
(From Boing Boing, picture from here.)Sunday, August 2, 2009
Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success
I like it, but maybe I just have a thing for the accents. Bonus: 3 funny literary jokes in there. Enjoy!
(From my ipod)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
'Fountains of Wayne Hotline,' by Robbie Fulks
Spinner epxlains the tune:
"In 'Hotline,' Fulks imagines himself calling a telephone crisis line where panicked songwriters and producers in a pinch can get access to Fountains of Wayne-sanctioned operators. The pop technicians on the other end proceed to talk the distraught songsmiths down from their musical ledge, suggesting solutions such as "employ the radical dynamic shift" and "slather the holy hell out of the thing with a semi-ironic Beach Boys vocal pad." All this is set to music, including an announced "slightly distorted melodic solo," that would fit snugly on the Fountains' resplendent 'Welcome Interstate Managers' album from 2003 (with Fulks twisting his usual twang into a dead ringer for FOW's Chris Collingwood)."The whole thing kind of caters to musicians and Fountains of Wayne enthusiasts. The telegraphed vs. gratuitous inside joke is explained by Metafilter reader unSane:
"The ninth is a whole tone above the octave, so a C9 would be C-E-G-D (usually with a Bb thrown in there) and a CAdd9 would be a straight C-E-G-D. In either case the D is the ninth. A telegraphed ninth would mean the D had been established as a strong tone before the ninth chord was hit whereas gratuitous coloration would be a ninth chord where the D had never featured as a significant tone in the melody before.Now you know, and it's probably not funny anymore. Oh well.
It's an insidery joke because most non-musicians (and a lot of musicians) would have no idea whether the ninth had been telegraphed or not, but to anal harmonizers it would be equally obvious whether the ninth was a throw-in or if it was an integral part of the melody.
I can remember an similar bitch-session in the pages of either NME or Melody Maker where Roddy Frame was ripping Edwyn Collins a new one for simply moving a diminished shape up the neck of the guitar, which is kind of a neat trick the first time you discover it but gets old pretty fast even if you are only about 17 at the time, as Roddy must have been."
(From Metafilter)