an egg-basket in a centrifuge

Dubstep Flying Superhero Kittens | The Mary Sue

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 21:03:24 +0100

Dubstep Flying Superhero Kittens | The Mary Sue

"My friend Teresa Nielsen Hayden has pointed out to me that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is actually..."

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 15:16:00 +0100

“My friend Teresa Nielsen Hayden has pointed out to me that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is actually a very pretty movie, and if you switch the DVD to Italian and pretend it’s opera, it’s rather enjoyable, too (this only works if you don’t speak Italian).” ”

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— Cory Doctorow: Why Science Fiction Movies Drive Me Nuts | Locus Online Perspectives

Kate Bush - Pi (via YouTube user mourna)

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 14:47:19 +0100

Kate Bush - Pi (via YouTube user mourna)

Did Women Duel Topless? | Women Of Action Network

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:50:06 +0100

Did Women Duel Topless? | Women Of Action Network:

Just once. Over a flower arrangement.

Via [Kirsty](http:\twitter.com\kirstymhall).

Brain in a Dish Flies Plane | Discovery News ‘For the...

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 20:55:27 +0100

Brain in a Dish Flies Plane | Discovery News

‘For the recent project, Thomas DeMarse, a University of Florida professor of biomedical engineering, placed an electrode grid at the bottom of a glass dish and then covered the grid with rat neurons. The cells initially resembled individual grains of sand in liquid, but they soon extended microscopic lines toward each other, gradually forming a neural network — a brain — that DeMarse says is a “living computational device.” ‘

‘Scientists say the research could lead to tiny, brain-controlled prosthetic devices and unmanned airplanes flown by living computers.’

I think this came via Reddit. Sorry.

Parkinson’s sufferer arrested in Leatherhead for ‘not smiling’ | This is Surrey

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:25:49 +0100

Parkinson’s sufferer arrested in Leatherhead for ‘not smiling’ | This is Surrey:

‘Mr Worsfold, who had been doing a Taekwondo demonstration in Red House Gardens, said officers told him he was arrested because he was not smiling – and he added that his face can seem expressionless due to his Parkinson’s disease.

“I was sitting minding my own business,” he said. “Before I knew anything the police grabbed me off this seven-foot wall, threw me to the floor and cuffed me so all I saw of the cycle race was between the feet of people from the pavement.”’

‘Chief Superintendent Gavin Stephens said: “In the interests of public safety, officers acted quickly and decisively based on the information available to them.” ‘

Probably via @catvincent as usual.

Olympics Wifi Police | Neatorama ‘@SadaoTurner posted...

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 10:41:35 +0100

Olympics Wifi Police | Neatorama

‘@SadaoTurner posted this image of Olympics wi-fi police, who seek unauthorized wi-fi signals and shut them down. Why go through all that trouble? Because Olympic partner BT runs some 1,500 paid hotspots at the event.’

Gorilla Youngsters Seen Dismantling Poachers’ Traps—A...

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 22:27:03 +0100

Gorilla Youngsters Seen Dismantling Poachers’ Traps—A First | National Geographic

‘On Tuesday tracker John Ndayambaje spotted a trap very close to the Kuryama gorilla clan. He moved in to deactivate the snare, but a silverback named Vubu grunted, cautioning Ndayambaje to stay away, Vecellio said.

Suddenly two juveniles—Rwema, a male; and Dukore, a female; both about four years old—ran toward the trap.

As Ndayambaje and a few tourists watched, Rwema jumped on the bent tree branch and broke it, while Dukore freed the noose.

The pair then spied another snare nearby—one the tracker himself had missed—and raced for it. Joined by a third gorilla, a teenager named Tetero, Rwema and Dukore destroyed that trap as well.’

‘Silverbacks in the Kuryama group have occasionally been caught in the snares, so Vecellio thinks the juveniles would have known the traps are dangerous.’

Via @helenfirebird.

Screw you Brand Police | Reddit If you’re at a loss to...

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 22:56:13 +0100

Screw you Brand Police | Reddit

If you’re at a loss to understand what is going on here, read this BBC article.

Young Pirates Evicted From Festival For Giving Out Free Waffles | TorrentFreak

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 22:13:34 +0100

Young Pirates Evicted From Festival For Giving Out Free Waffles | TorrentFreak:

‘People are being pushed – no, shoved – out of their comfort zones. The waffle makers at this festival obviously viewed these youth (not of their social group) who were giving out free waffles as a social problem, for which security guards could be involved, and not a business problem, which would be their own failure’

Via, of course, the inestimable @catvincent.

"Arrest without crime – the truth of a royal wedding overreaction" | Comment is free

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 11:38:08 +0100

"Arrest without crime – the truth of a royal wedding overreaction" | Comment is free:

‘I was in fancy dress on the day. That was it. One minute I was in a Starbucks near Soho Square with four other people who’d come for a zombie flashmob. Four hours later I emerged from a police cell with handcuff marks still visible on my wrists. If it can happen to a boring, middle-class white girl like me, it can happen to anyone.’

‘In the case of the Ratstar squat they came with a warrant for stolen bike parts yet seized no bikes. They did, however, take all the toothbrushes in an apparent sweep for DNA. In the case of Grow Heathrow the police came with a warrant for paint bombs. They found none, but seemed more interested in ascertaining the identities of everyone on the site.’

‘The high court’s decision to dismiss all four judicial reviews gives tacit approval for the police to use these oppressive tactics time and time again at the Olympics and beyond. Apparently the smooth running of state pageantry is more important than citizens’ rights to free speech and free assembly.’

Via @catvincent.

Graffiti Raids Across London As Police Sanitise City Ready For Olympics | The London Vandal

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:10:58 +0100

Graffiti Raids Across London As Police Sanitise City Ready For Olympics | The London Vandal:

‘Some of the people who were arrested had stopped painting graffiti without prior permission over a decade ago, and now paint commissioned artwork for corporate clients, while others haven’t touched a spray can at all in many years. For both types of ex-graffiti enthusiast, a knock on the door from the British Transport Police was the last thing they were expecting.’

‘These men have told us that they are not currently involved in painting illegal graffiti. These men are living law-abiding lives, but can no longer travel on public transport or enter large areas of London due to harsh bail conditions. In addition, laptops, mobile phones and other devices were taken into evidence by police. How these men are supposed to work and look after their families under these conditions, they are not sure.’

Via Beware of Unreal Things (proving the aptness of their blog name yet again IMO).

Stubbs, A Cat That Has Been Mayor of An Alaskan Town for 15 Years | Laughing Squid

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:00:31 +0100

Stubbs, A Cat That Has Been Mayor of An Alaskan Town for 15 Years | Laughing Squid

Teen girl from Egypt has just reinvented space travel | MSN Now

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 20:59:56 +0100

Teen girl from Egypt has just reinvented space travel | MSN Now:

‘Space is filled with a billowing sea of quantum particles that jump in and out of existence, and Aisha Mustafa proposes using thin silicon panels, spaced closely together, to trap these particles and then move against them, creating a propelling force. This innovation would make space exploration lighter, safer and cheaper than the traditional “blast off” method.’

‘Dynamic’ Casimir Force. Casimir Force is real enough. Sorry, can’t remember where this came from: either Reddit, or Cat again, I should think…

Ironic. | Criggo

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:40:14 +0100

Ironic. | Criggo

Ukraine: Clashes in capital over use of Russian | Houston...

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 22:21:49 +0100

Ukraine: Clashes in capital over use of Russian | Houston Chronicle

‘Opposition protesters spray tear gas against riot police in front of the Ukrainian House in central Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 4, 2012.’

Via @catvincent.

In which an Objection proves futile | Wondermark

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 21:43:38 +0100

In which an Objection proves futile | Wondermark

Dissidents airdrop hundreds of free-speech teddybears over...

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 20:17:07 +0100

Dissidents airdrop hundreds of free-speech teddybears over Belarus | Boing Boing

‘“Belarus is usually referred to as the last dictatorship in Europe. The opposition is jailed and tortured. The freedom of speech is non-present. Yesterday morning a small airplane entered the restricted Belarusian airspace, heading for Minsk. Flying on low altitude to avoid radar, the plane reached Minsk early morning releasing it’s cargo of 800 plush teddybears with protest signs demanding free speech. The plane was able to return to Lithuania without being detected. Later the same day day the Belarusian minister of defense denied anything or anyone entered Belarusian airspace.” And if not for the small detail that we filmed everything our guess is that no one would have believed this ever took place. The only thing a dictator can’t really survive is when the people are laughing at him, and this is what we people will do when a plane was able to circle over Minsk airdropping teddybears and get away with it.” ‘

Austerity creates an organlegging bubble | Boing Boing

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 20:11:23 +0100

Austerity creates an organlegging bubble | Boing Boing:

‘The sale of “kidneys, lungs, bone marrow or corneas” is rampant in former Soviet states, but it’s also booming in Spain, Italy and Greece — countries where mandated austerity has stripped away the social safety net at the very moment in which the economy has collapsed and unemployment has spiked’

So, Larry Niven was right after all.

Def Leppard cuts off Universal Music, re-records "forgeries" of its own hits | Boing Boing

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 20:09:40 +0100

Def Leppard cuts off Universal Music, re-records "forgeries" of its own hits | Boing Boing