Wow, man, like… killing people is heavy.
Death Moose
It got so cold so quickly in this Norwegian bay that it froze a bunch of fish swimming in it
By Will Lerner
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) has put up some striking photos of water off the coast of Lovund, a small island off of Norway. Though it was “only” -7.8°C (18 °F), a sharp eastern wind was enough to freeze a large quantity of fish in place.
This is not the first instance of an animal being caught frozen in a Norwegian body of water. Last week, Inger Sjøberg, came across a moose stuck and frozen in Kosmo Lake. Poor guy. The NRK reports that it is the fourth most common cause of death for moose (also known as European elk) after hunting, traffic, and bears.
Fish Eat Bird
Amiri Baraka Gone
from The New Jersey Star-Ledger
Amiri Baraka, former N.J. poet laureate and prolific author, dead at 79
By David Giambusso/The Star-Ledger
NEWARK — Amiri Baraka, the longtime activist and former poet laureate of New Jersey died today, officials confirmed. He was 79 years old.
A Newark native and resident formerly known as Leroi Jones, Amiri Baraka has published dozens of poems, essays and works of non-fiction. In 1963 Amiri Baraka wrote “Blues People,” an in-depth history of music from the time of slavery throughout the various incarnations of blues and jazz, with integrated social commentary. The book’s 50th anniversary was recently celebrated during an event at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
In 1964, Baraka published the book of poetry, “Dead Lecturer” that marked a significant transition in his career. Also written under the name Leroi Jones, the book featured more traditional poems but also laid the groundwork for the more radical, experimental work that would come to define his later career.
“He was able to put music into the work, even reading the work,” said Maria Maziotti Gillan, a poet and the director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College. “Mostly he was able to capture an audience when he spoke. He was a able to capture an audience through his poetry but also through what he had to say.”
Going hot and heavy over Endgame
Fox Takes James Frey’s ‘Endgame’ In Year’s First 7-Figure Deal With Google In The Mix
UPDATED: 9:48 PM: Fox landed James Frey’s Endgame, and the deal was around $2 million with Temple Hill partners Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen. Details will be forthcoming, but Google is involved. Fox joins sister company HarperCollins, which bought publishing rights. Here is what the book’s about: In a world similar to Earth, there are 12 bloodlines, or races. Each bloodline has a champion between the ages of 13 and 17 who is trained as a warrior and is always ready to do battle. When they turn 18, the teen warrior behind them gets promoted. This has been the case for hundreds of years, but no one remembers why — they’re always ready for some sort of battle to take place, but it never does. But the tradition continues. And then one day they’re called to fight, and all the bloodlines but the winners will be exterminated. They’re fighting to be the last race. WME brokered.
EARLIER EXCLUSIVE, 2:56 pm PST: In the first bidding battle of the new year, Fox and Warner Bros are going hot and heavy over Endgame, a Hunger Games-type young-adult novel by James Frey.
Return Of Frogger
Internet Archive puts classic 70s and 80s games online
Classics like the original Donkey Kong can be found in the archive
Classic video games from the 1970s and 1980s have been put online by the Internet Archive and can be played within a web browser for nothing.
The collection has launched with games from five early home consoles, including the Atari 2600 and Colecovision.
The games do not have sound, but will soon, the Internet Archive said.
“In coming months, the playable software collection will expand greatly,”archivist Jason Scott wrote.
“Making these vintage games available to the world, instantly, allows for commentary, education, enjoyment and memory for the history they are a part of.”
The other machines included are the Atari 7800, the Magnavox Odyssey (known as the Philips Videopac G7000 in Europe) and the Astrocade.
Well-recognised titles such as Pacman, Space Invaders and Frogger are all in the archive – with more consoles and games expected soon.
Niagara Vortex
PICTURE OF THE DAY
The US side of the Niagara Falls pictured from Ontario, Canada. The frigid air and “polar vortex” that affected about 240 million people in the United States and southern Canada is forecast to begin moving on today.
R29: James Frey’s 6 Books You Need To Read This Winter
James Frey’s Reading List: 6 Books You Need This Winter
KRISTIAN LALIBERTE, SENIOR EDITOR
Even if one of your New Year’s resolutions wasn’t to read more, we think we could all benefit from less Bachelor-watching and more Bovary. PS, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was a book first. Jersey Shore wasn’t.
To help you get your literature on during the long, dark winter nights, we turned to author James Frey for a winter-reading hit-list. Whether you’re a fan of Frey or not, we think his six picks, which range from a tale of models-turned-terrorists to a kid’s book you’ll want to steal from your nephew, are the perfect (equally gripping) alternatives to, say, Emily Thorne’s quest for vengeance. PPS: Us Weekly doesn’t count as reading, either.
THE RAVEN (Harper & Brothers, 1884)
From the Rare Book and Special Collections Division
Title: The raven – [Catalog record]
| LC Digital Collections Home | Higher Quality Images |
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| LC Digital Collections Home | Higher Quality Images |
F†ck Record
‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Breaks F-Word Record
Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” is all about excess. From orgies on a plane to cocaine and cash (or “fun coupons” as Leonardo DiCaprio’s character calls them), the financial drama thrives in taking it up a notch.
So it should be no surprise that Paramount’s R-rated film sets the all-time record for the use of the f-word.
According to Wikipedia, the word “fuck” is used 506 times over “The Wolf of Wall Street’s” 180-minute running time. Previously, the record for a non-documentary was Spike Lee’s 1999 film “Summer of Sam” with 435 instances.
In A Manner Of Tuxedo
SMH: Must-read books for 2014
from The Sydney Morning Herald
Next chapter: must-read books for 2014
Jane Sullivan
There’s plenty across all genres to please bibliophiles this year.
There’s a war on in the world of books. It began 100 years ago, and publishers will mark the centenary of World War I with a barrage of history books, memoirs, first-hand recollections and Great War-themed fiction.
But it’s not only old battles being fought out on paper. From Hillary Clinton to Julia Gillard, leaders and former leaders are looking back, taking stock and producing memoirs, collaborating with biographers, or simply writing on something about which they are passionate.
Other highlights are Hanif Kureishi’s first novel in six years, The Last Word (Faber & Faber, February); Emma Donoghue’s Frog Music (Pan Macmillan, March); Alice Hoffman’s The Museum of Extraordinary Things (Simon & Schuster, April); and three titles from Hachette: David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks (September); James Frey’s Il Divino Bambino (June); and Sarah Waters’ The Paying Guests (September)
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[ click to read full article at The Sydney Morning Herald ]
Working Scale-replica of The Ghostbusters Car
HAPPY 2014! The Year of The Perfect Bacon Bowl
One Argument for Why Eagles Should Be Killed
Giant yellow duck explodes in Taiwan…again
Taipei (AFP) – A giant yellow duck on display in a northern Taiwan port exploded Tuesday, just hours before it was expected to attract a big crowd to count down the new year.
The 18-metre-tall (59-feet) duck on show at Keelung burst around noon and deflated into a floating yellow disc, only 11 days after it went on display.
It was the second time that a giant inflatable duck — a bath toy replica created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman — had burst while on show in Taiwan.
“We want to apologise to the fans of the yellow rubber duck…. the weather is fine today and we haven’t found the cause of the problem. We will carefully examine the duck to determine the cause,” organiser Huang Jing-tai told reporters.
The Central News Agency cited an eyewitness as saying the rubber bird might have fallen victim to eagles which scratched it with their claws.
Those Who’ve Got Your Back Are Always The Best
Stevie Ray Vaughan doesn’t miss a note as his roadie seamlessly replaces his guitar mid-song
BY ABRAHAM
When Stevie Ray Vaughan broke a string in the middle of a song, his guitar tech Rene Martinez played his role perfectly…
Books Really Do Make Your Brain Grow
Brain function ‘boosted for days after reading a novel’
Being pulled into the world of a gripping novel can trigger actual, measurable changes in the brain that linger for at least five days after reading, scientists have said.
The new research, carried out at Emory University in the US, found that reading a good book may cause heightened connectivity in the brain and neurological changes that persist in a similar way to muscle memory.
The changes were registered in the left temporal cortex, an area of the brain associated with receptivity for language, as well as the the primary sensory motor region of the brain.
Neurons of this region have been associated with tricking the mind into thinking it is doing something it is not, a phenomenon known as grounded cognition – for example, just thinking about running, can activate the neurons associated with the physical act of running.
“The neural changes that we found associated with physical sensation and movement systems suggest that reading a novel can transport you into the body of the protagonist,” said neuroscientist Professor Gregory Berns, lead author of the study.
“We already knew that good stories can put you in someone else’s shoes in a figurative sense. Now we’re seeing that something may also be happening biologically.”
F†ck you, Captain Tom
from Adrian Belew’s ‘elephant blog’
Anecdote #646 part 1
Uneasy Meetings with Gods part one.
place: a Frank Zappa concert in Cologne, Germany 2/14/1978 – my first tour of europe ever and as a member the frank zappa band. although I wasn’t aware, this night brian eno is in the audience. next day eno calls david bowie knowing david is looking for a new guitarist.
Berlin, Germany 2/15/1978 the following night david comes to the show ostensibly to see me play. there is a break in the show where I normally leave the stage while frank plays an extended guitar solo. as I’m leaving I glance over to the monitor board. I’m shocked to see david bowie and iggy pop! I walk over, shaking david’s hand I say, “I’ve always loved your music”. “great”, he says, “how’d you like to join my band?!” “well, I’m playing with this guy right now…” I stammer, pointing to frank. “yes, I know, but your tour ends in two weeks and mine begins two weeks later.” we agree to meet back at the hotel after the show.
what followed was like something out of a spy film. david and his assistant coco tried to rendezvous with me without letting anyone in on our little “secret”. I suppose the idea was to avoid letting frank know I was being wooed away from his band. I was too dumb to notice. at one point, david, coco, and I stepped into the hotel elevator when no one was around. whispering, coco said, “we have a car out front. we’ll meet you there in ten minutes.”
david wanted to take me to one of his favorite restaurants to discuss my future. he had lived in berlin for several years. so his driver set off with the three of us in the back madly chatting about songs we’d play and places we’d go. we pulled up to a nice looking restaurant and walked in.
at the table right in front of us sat frank and some of the band!
the jig was up as they say.
can you imagine? how many restaurants are there in berlin?
so we invited ourselves to join them at their table.
feeling slightly uncomfortable david tried to engage frank in friendly discourse.
david said, “really enjoyed the show”.
frank shot back, “fuck you captain tom”.
“c’mon frank, we can be adults about this, can’t we?” david replied.
“fuck you captain tom.”
Go You Dirty Dogs!
Having a dog — even a dirty one — may help fend off allergies in young children
By Nathan Seppa and ScienceNews
Dogs that bring outdoor dust into the house might actually be doing a favor for babies in the home. Research suggests that exposure to doggy dust imparts immune protection to infants. A study of mice shows that the benefits derive from microbes in the dust that enter the intestines and improve the microbial mix, steering the immune system toward fighting disease and away from initiating allergic reactions.
The findings present a microbial twist in the hygiene hypothesis, which argues that a less-than-sanitary early life may prime a child’s immune system against overreacting to grass, dust mites and other ordinary substances. Past studies suggested that babies exposed to multiple siblings, day care, pets or farm living grow up to have less risk of asthma or allergy.
In the new study, researchers found that dust from a house with a dog contained more-diverse microbes than dust from a home with no pets. Since human infants ingest at least some dust, the scientists fed one kind of dust or the other to mice that were six to eight weeks old. Although unappetizing, it had the desired effect: Exposure to the dog-house dust greatly toned down reactions in the mice that were exposed to a common trigger, cockroach allergen.
Mice getting the no-dog dust had inflammation in airways. They also had evidence of excess mucus and immune proteins that are common in allergic reactions. But these reactions were virtually absent in mice that had been primed with the dog dust, the scientists reported last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Turing
Alan Turing, code-breaker castrated for homosexuality, receives royal pardon
Castrated code-breaker receives pardon
(CNN) — Alan Turing, a British code-breaker during World War II who was later subjected to chemical castration for homosexual activity, has received a royal pardon nearly 60 years after he committed suicide.
Turing was best known for developing the Bombe, a code-breaking machine that deciphered messages encoded by German machines. His work is considered by many to have saved thousands of lives and helped change the course of the war.
“Dr. Turing deserves to be remembered and recognized for his fantastic contribution to the war effort and his legacy to science,” British Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said in a statement Tuesday. “A pardon from the Queen is a fitting tribute to an exceptional man.”
Turing’s castration in 1952 — after he was convicted of homosexual activity, which was illegal at the time — is “a sentence we would now consider unjust and discriminatory and which has now been repealed,” Grayling said.
Two years after the castration, which Turing chose to avoid a custodial sentence, he ended his life at the age of 41 by eating an apple laced with cyanide.
Complete Star Wars Holiday Special
Becoming That Second Kind of Christmas
America is like that second kind of Christmas
In November of 1959, as a shocked American public were hit with the news that a number of their favourite quiz shows had in fact been rigged for some time, author John Steinbeck wrote the following letter to his friend, politician Adlai Stevenson, and spoke of his concern at such a morally bankrupt turn of events occurring in his increasingly gluttonous country.
(Source: America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction; Image: John Steinbeck, via.)
New York
1959
Guy Fawkes DayDear Adlai,
Back from Camelot, and, reading the papers, not at all sure it was wise. Two first impressions. First, a creeping, all pervading nerve-gas of immorality which starts in the nursery and does not stop before it reaches the highest offices both corporate and governmental. Two, a nervous restlessness, a hunger, a thirst, a yearning for something unknown—perhaps morality. Then there’s the violence, cruelty and hypocrisy symptomatic of a people which has too much, and last, the surly ill-temper which only shows up in human when they are frightened.
Adlai, do you remember two kinds of Christmases? There is one kind in a house where there is little and a present represents not only love but sacrifice. The one single package is opened with a kind of slow wonder, almost reverence. Once I gave my youngest boy, who loves all living things, a dwarf, peach-faced parrot for Christmas. He removed the paper and then retreated a little shyly and looked at the little bird for a long time. And finally he said in a whisper, “Now who would have ever thought that I would have a peach-faced parrot?”
This Is A Christmas F†cking Spectacular, Okay
Rutlemania Redux
The Rutles Parody the Beatles
By MARC SPITZ
The Rutles in the film “All You Need Is Cash”: from left, Eric Idle, Ricky Fataar, John Halsey and Neil Innes.
There’s long been debate over who can truly claim the title “the Fifth Beatle.” The disc jockey Murray Kaufman pursued it. Later, arguments were made for the keyboardist Billy Preston or Yoko Ono. A new graphic novel bestows the honorific on the band’s manager Brian Epstein. However, the Beatles’ most essential partners may be their fictional counterparts: the Rutles, stars of the mockumentary “All You Need Is Cash.”
The Rutles were a hapless but well-meaning band created as both tribute and goof by Eric Idle (of Monty Python fame) when he was appearing on the BBC sketch show “Rutland Weekend Television” in the mid-’70s. The group was given musical voice by Neil Innes (a Python collaborator and member of the comedy rock group Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band). The Rutles were conceived and still exist as inhabitants of a kind of meta-universe where there were no Beatles, no era-defining hits like “Penny Lane,” but rather a carefully created near-sound-alike titled “Doubleback Alley,” and no real revolution.
Each time there’s a swell of Beatlemania and a flood of product, the “Prefab Four” have been there to keep the Fab Four’s myth in check. In the mid-’90s, the multipart Beatles documentary and album “Anthology” inspired new Rutles music, “Archaeology.” In the early 2000s, the real group’s hit album “1” spawned the Rutles’ charming but less sharp mockumentary “Can’t Buy Me Lunch.”
Best YouTube Tutorial Of 2013
Fantasy Dumbasses
Crazed Fantasy Football Fans Threaten Violence, ‘Four Bullets For Each Of You Bit****’
By Ashley Dunkak / @AshleyDunkak
(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
ALLEN PARK (CBS DETROIT) – Ever get death threats over a bad day at the office? Thanks to Twitter, it happens to NFL players on a regular basis.
But it’s not just their play on the field that makes fans fly over the edge — overwhelmingly, the nastiest comments come from how that play affects fans’ fantasy football leagues.
Some tweets go beyond wishing harm on players to actually threatening violence. The following tweet targeted superstar Calvin Johnson and quarterback Matthew Stafford.
I lost my fantasy playoff game by four damn points. That’s four bullets for each of you bitches @Bigplaycj @Staff_9—
Joséf Ronaldo (@RoiJosef) December 17, 2013
Back in October, New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs received several menacing messages on Twitter, and the content concerned him enough to contact NFL security.
Jacobs exposed the fan for terrible remarks that included, “ON LIFE BRANDON IF YOU DON’T RUSH FOR 50 YARDS AND TWO TOUCHDOWNS TONIGHT ITS OVER FOR YOU AND YO FAMILY N—–.”
That tweet was followed by one that said, “FULFILL MY ORDERS STATED IN THE PREVIOUS TWEET OR THATS YO LIFE BRUH AND IM NOT PLAYING.”
Lynching For Art’s Sake
BLACK STUDENT ‘LYNCHES’ TWO WHITE GUYS, CALLS IT ART
An African-American student at Sacramento State University is under fire for her recent work of art – which consisted of “lynching” two white men from a tree on the northern California campus.
The men were reportedly actors and were in no real danger during the project, which took place during the day in early December while students were on campus. The men were hung from a tree with a thick rope.
The senior responsible for the performance art, Christina Edwards, defended her project to Fox 40 News.
Rats With Masks
Al Goldstein Not Gone
Al Goldstein Is Not Dead
By Matthew Kassel
Contrary to what you may have heard, Al Goldstein, founder and former publisher of Screw magazine, did not die yesterday.
Although the website Real Porn Wiki Leaks reported that Mr. Goldstein had died, the news was retracted when Bleeding Cool wrote earlier today that the death could not be independently confirmed.
Author Larry “Ratso” Sloman, who has notably worked with Howard Stern, told Bleeding Cool that Mr. Goldstein, 77, is alive and stable; he is, however, in a hospital in the city.
Though Real Porn reported the wrong information, the website could not be blamed for making up Mr. Goldstein’s death out of thin air.
Last night, magician Penn Jillette, a friend of Goldstein’s, tweeted, “I’m in NYC. Today I visited my hero and friend Al Goldstein as he dies in the hospital, and tomorrow night I celebrate Lou Reed’s Life. NYC.”
A misinterpretation of the present tense, perhaps. Earlier today, Mr. Jillette clarified his message on Twitter: ”My buddy and hero, Al Goldstein is NOT dead,” he wrote. “He is unresponsive and not doing well, but he is alive. Try to stop the rumors. Thanks.”
The Breeze
‘Naturally, J.J. Cale’
Naturally, J.J. Cale: This animated Op-Doc explores why J.J. Cale, who wrote such classic songs as “After Midnight,” “Cocaine” and “Call Me the Breeze,” never achieved stardom.