quoting the metafilter post here...
"In February of 2009, a Canadian teen cut a scathing diss track from the depths of his Batman-and-South-Park bedecked crib calling out 50 cent for his lack of street cred."
mr fifty cents has responded.
Entered by taylor wagen on 07.03.2009 at 8:46
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Sears Tower unveils 103rd floor glass balconies
The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet in the air and jut out four feet from the building's 103rd floor Skydeck. Their transparent walls, floor and ceiling leave visitors with the impression they're floating over the city.
Entered by jeremy carter on 07.02.2009 at 10:55
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a new, 13 story apartment building in shanghai fell over this past saturday. it wasn't occupied yet fortunately.
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.30.2009 at 11:25
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80's sax solos, collected and rated. the only A went to omd's 'if you leave', which coincidentally was my graduation song (though it was reasonably old by that point).
for those of you who didn't live through the 80s, maybe you could gain some insight on the 80s sax solo with a few videos:
icehouse's electric blue (the whole video is pretty incredible, but the sax starts at about 2 min in).
duran duran's rio (sax starts at 3 min in).
i really wanted to include the sax solo from 'better off dead', but couldn't find it.
via metafilter
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.26.2009 at 15:17
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another shipment of beats, delivered fresh but bruised from their rough handling by mister internet. but don't complain kids, it makes you seem ungrateful.
Chris_Isaak-Dubbed_Out_Games_trentemillers_unreleased_mix.mp3 nice dub version of everyone's favorite chris isaak song.
Shannon_Stephens-In_Summer_In_The_Heat.mp3 mellow girl folk by genre, this is the first of her tracks that's had me pause to listen. i appreciate that it doesn't reach too high. more available: 1, 2
Rubies-Diamonds_On_Fire_pyramid_dub_version_by_sorcerer.mp3 arguably too boring, but this light epop tune was working next to the other downloads i heard it next to. some of the transitions in the song fail, but at other points it works for me in a 'same-but-different' way as the tough alliance. more available: 1
De_La_Soul-Big_Mouf.mp3 de la soul is back with an album for nike+ run; it moves pretty well, and keeps the old skool feel without sounding 'yo mtv raps'.
Fever_Ray-Traingle_Walks_rex_the_dog_radio_edit.mp3 we debated about how many people would like this, and in the end, it's on the fence enough to work. it's kind of new-wave indie dance by genre... more available: 1
Animal_Collective-Daily_Routine_phaseone_remix.mp3 nice remix that adds some more pop feel to animal collective. more available: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
AA_Bondy-The_Devils_Loose.mp3 mi amigo rocky enjoyed the previous aa bondy album quite a bit, so i'm nodding this one to the front page so everyone has a chance at the download. frankly, the melody never quite comes together for me, but it's not bad either. more available: 1, 2, 3
The_Raveonettes-Last_Dance_demo.mp3 looks like the raveonettes are back; this track is a bit brighter than their debut album. apparently the song is about 'how drug addiction interferes with love'. more available: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.26.2009 at 12:50
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new restrictions are in place for cigarette marketing; pentagram design has some suggestions on a new look.
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.26.2009 at 12:31
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more research on the usefulness of short, intense interval training in a short nytimes article from their well blog. if you're new to hiit/tabata workouts (high intensity interval training), check the wiki; the basic idea is to have an extremely short workout that is extremely intense (all-out). we usually do them in 8 sets of 20 sec sprint, 10 sec jog for a total of 4 minutes (it's terrible).
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.25.2009 at 9:38
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"It may make you furious, but it won't make you poor."
Entered by neil on 06.25.2009 at 0:28
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spock helmet.
yoda dance.
sesame street fighter.
class of 1969.
wow ninja skills.
support group.
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.23.2009 at 8:42
Comments : 0            

funny clip
this is a funny clip about how everything is amazing ... but, nobody is happy.
Entered by jon hurley on 06.18.2009 at 13:43
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monks, with fire on their heads, riding segways, playing philip glass.
disclaimer: i'm not sure if they're legitimate monks.
via metafilter.
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.18.2009 at 9:20
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nice editorial pic of iran's problems.
update: don't miss kim jong il's twitter feed either.
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.16.2009 at 10:08
Comments : 1            

just how healthy is it to take the stairs (or to have a house with, say, 3 stories)?
pretty dang good for you, per the nytimes. "The Harvard Alumni Study found that men who average at least eight flights a day enjoy a 33 percent lower mortality rate than men who are sedentary — and that’s even better than the 22 percent lower death rate men earned by walking 1.3 miles a day."
yup folks. *harvard alumni*.
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.15.2009 at 14:50
Comments : 1            

stop.
king of bluff.
barbie foosball.
you funny kid.
father and son.
aaaand?
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.15.2009 at 9:43
Comments : 0            

"A friend of the Smiths was driving through Prague when he spotted this picture of her family splashed across a storefront advertisement.
Jeff and Danielle Smith sent a photo of themselves with their two young children to family and friends as a Christmas card, and posted the image on her blog and a few social networking websites.
Then, late last month, a friend of Mrs Smith's was driving in his neighborhood in Prague when he spotted the Missouri family's smiling faces in the window of a local supermarket. He snapped a few pictures and sent them to a flabbergasted Mrs Smith."
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.15.2009 at 8:17
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good piece on a 4 day stakeout in laredo, texas, watching drug cartel assassins.
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.11.2009 at 13:17
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i've read about the runway at princess juliana airport in st maarten a number of times, but this picture really drives it home.
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.09.2009 at 10:21
Comments : 1            

barney.
lumberjack fail.
do not mess with elephant.
total eclipse of the heart, literal video version (danke josh).
do not get lost.
sith-lings
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.09.2009 at 10:11
Comments : 0            

now it is summer, and time for the classrooms to empty. time for kids to form bands and try real hard, at least until jimmy quits and jody gets married. these will be the best days of their lives.
Yo_La_Tengo-Periodically_Double_Or_Triple.mp3 nice mellow track their upcoming album. mellow and mildly quirky, it's nice listening. more available: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
The_Cave_Singers-Beach_House.mp3 alt folk; i was surprised by how nicely the song worked for me. super simple construction, with vocals that would annoy the heck out of me in some circumstances - but here the interaction between the vocal melody and the guitar counter is fantastic.
Yacht-Psychic_City.mp3 this has some carmen miranda like noises in it, which entertains me; it's fun, a bit odd, and catchy. more available: 1, 2, 3, 4
Doveman-Breathing_Out.mp3 more of the quiet, mellow acoustic stuff doveman puts out; this time a simple piano line grounds the tune. should be easy enough for most folks to like. more available: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Damian_Lazarus-Dr_Whiskers_Theme.mp3 nice mellow song built on an acoustic bass riff; maybe too much of that loop, but backgrounds enough that you stop noticing after a while.
The_Bavarian_Druglords-Goldsoul.mp3 alt rock, a la some of the british alt bands 10 years ago. a bit lacking in the melody department, but the feel/sound is good.
Nickodemus-Sun_Children_ft_the_real_live_show.mp3 hip hop pop stuff here, but on the alt end which saves it a bit maybe. it's summery and full of little jazzy touches, but it'll annoy you after a bit so don't repeat it too much.
Elizabeth_And_The_Catapult-Taller_Children.mp3 mellow indie girl track; kind of underwhelming, but it did get stuck in my head. spinner compared it to bird and the bee, which i wasn't following until the bridge.
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.05.2009 at 16:29
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captain crunch was recently sued in california by a consumer who had purchased captain crunch with crunchberries under the impression that crunchberries were, in fact, real berries. the plantiff, janine sugawara, apparently bought the cereal for 4 years under this confused state. the judge dismissed the complaint.
the plantiff had previously sued fruit loops (unsuccessfully) as their fruit loops were not actually loops of fruit.
via metafilter
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.05.2009 at 12:18
Comments : 3            

blender defender; a home hack to turn a blender and strobe light on whenever the cat jumps on the counter, including videos of the terrified cat. way more bester than the old "squirt the water bottle" routine.
metafilter!
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.05.2009 at 9:05
Comments : 1            

the big catch
i don't know that I will ever achieve manhood like this.
Entered by jeremy carter on 06.04.2009 at 20:50
Comments : 1            

The LA Times has an article about the American Indian Public Charter School, a school which advertises for teachers with the following: "We are looking for hard working people who believe in free market capitalism. . . . Multicultural specialists, ultra liberal zealots and college-tainted oppression liberators need not apply."
via metafilter
Entered by Jonathan Reibsamen on 06.01.2009 at 9:52
Comments : 0            

"This part happens all the time: A construction crew putting up an office building in the heart of Tysons Corner a few years ago hit a fiber optic cable no one knew was there. This part doesn't: Within moments, three black sport-utility vehicles drove up, a half-dozen men in suits jumped out and one said, "You just hit our line.""
what happens when construction runs into unmapped, secret government utilities.
via slashdot
Entered by taylor wagen on 06.01.2009 at 9:06
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The WSJ has an article about the woes of rappers in an age of economic downturn, particularly in how it affects their "bling" purchases. Turns out orders for cubic zirconia are on the rise.
Notice how the journal also relishes in telling the reader the rapper's given name.
Entered by Jonathan Reibsamen on 05.27.2009 at 23:13
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the bad ol' days of medicine
a short essay on civil war medicine. "A good surgeon could remove a limb in around ten minutes, far faster than trying to piece together a shattered bone that might develop an infection anyway and lead to an amputation at a later date."
Entered by jeff ronk on 05.22.2009 at 14:22
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fascinating nytimes article looking at why some people maintain mental acuity at old age when some don't, focusing in on bridge players at a retirement home in california. fascinating reading; the separation between self and mental ability that accompanies aging is hard for me to understand.
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.22.2009 at 10:03
Comments : 1            

belarus' recent eurovision performance included a steadicam shot that is pretty intense. the steadicam operator rolls in on a segway, then jumps on to the stage ramp with his assistant running next to him the whole way.
equally interesting is the crazy guitar pop of the belarus song.
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.21.2009 at 17:12
Comments : 0            

moonwalking bird (towards the end; pretty slick).
kick it, kick it...
venn diagram.
tricks mash up (more).
tomorrow's parenting tricks.
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.21.2009 at 11:32
Comments : 2            

pick up some awesome shirts from amazon. the three wolves shirt especially seems to have some really amazing customer reviews, but the breakthrough wolf shirt is nothing to sneeze at either. shocking, the dragon shirts don't seem to have the same level enthusiasm in the reviews.
(metafilter linked the 3 wolves shirt today; a few other sites have hit it over time, adding to the large numbers of reviews).
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.20.2009 at 11:08
Comments : 0            

For those who want a different type of hotel experience, there is a hotel in the Netherlands made out of wine barrels.
Entered by marco perez on 05.18.2009 at 20:59
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review of the new honda insight hybrid
"I would have hoped, therefore, that Honda had diverted every penny it had into making hydrogen work rather than stopping off on the way to make a half-arsed halfway house for fools and madmen." a review of the new Honda Insight 1.3 IMA SE Hybrid from across the pond. heads up, carter! he makes mention of the cvt that drives this thing.
Entered by jeff ronk on 05.18.2009 at 15:26
Comments : 1            

local boy jefe ronk has hit the big time in the ft worth star-telegram piece by bill miller about jefe twittering their hunting trip.
Jeff, who lives in Austin, would be using his iPhone to snap photos, write his tweets and upload all of it onto the Internet. Indeed, the man has skills.
He’s the guy in the operating room who makes sure you stay asleep while the surgeons work on you.
But he’s also pretty good at swatting cans with well-place rounds from his .357 Magnum.
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.18.2009 at 15:06
Comments : 2            

inspirational posters, crafted from the words of:
teddy roosevelt
mark twain
winston churchill
hunter thompson
kurt vonnegut
mike tyson (my fav).
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.18.2009 at 10:26
Comments : 0            

read another one of those popular science lite articles that people trot out at parties! this time, stay abreast of the latest cutting edge research on love, in which the author compares his brain in an fmri while looking first at pictures of his wife, then at angelina jolie. winningly, the author is more attracted to his wife.
can't resist a bit of commentary here...i'm all for measuring brain chemicals. but it seems a bit silly to label them the cause of attraction, commitment, and everything else - the presence of chemicals is itself caused by something else, and at some point you may end up needing to invoke human volition and personal choices.
via slashdot
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.18.2009 at 10:01
Comments : 1            

the wsj covers a lawsuit in which donald trump is suing an author who valued his net worth at $250 million. mr donald trump says his net worth is closer to 4-5 billion, though the article gives some humorous examples of his exaggeration:
"in a November 2007 Wall Street Journal interview cited by Mr. Ceresney, Mr. Trump said he had sold out units at an eponymous condo-hotel project in Hawaii. "The building is largely owned by me," he said in the interview. But in the deposition, Mr. Ceresney produced the licensing agreement for the project. Mr. Trump wasn't a major equity holder in the project, it showed, a fact Mr. Trump didn't dispute.
"Because this is such a strong licensing agreement that I consider it to be a form of ownership," Mr. Trump said. "I'd rather have this than own the building," he said. Moments later he said: "I would say that it could be interpreted to be a form of ownership in the building."
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.18.2009 at 9:12
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harper's takes a look into the world of the oil fixer, the people that help oil companies make deals with governments through bribes, gifts, and connections.
via metafilter
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.15.2009 at 16:05
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wired has some pictures of flight 1549, the flight that ended up in the hudson river, after the crash. follow the plane out of the river and onto a truck in the set.
via metafilter
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.14.2009 at 10:32
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new yorker double feature today:
first, read malcom gladwell's article on how david beats goliath (short answer, by not playing according to expecation).
second, peruse jonah lehrer's article on self control, especially as observed in children presented with a marshmallow that they can eat immediately...but if they wait 15 minutes to eat it, they will be given 2 marshmallows. choice quote:
Mischel’s conclusion, based on hundreds of hours of observation, was that the crucial skill was the “strategic allocation of attention.” Instead of getting obsessed with the marshmallow—the “hot stimulus”—the patient children distracted themselves by covering their eyes, pretending to play hide-and-seek underneath the desk, or singing songs from “Sesame Street.” Their desire wasn’t defeated—it was merely forgotten. “If you’re thinking about the marshmallow and how delicious it is, then you’re going to eat it,” Mischel says. “The key is to avoid thinking about it in the first place.”
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.13.2009 at 14:22
Comments : 3            

toro-fu.
everybody buckled?
breaking news (the magic).
star trek!
ooohh..woah
Entered by taylor wagen on 05.12.2009 at 13:52
Comments : 1