Tag: fridaylinky

On Billy’s blog: on the dangers of sympathetic magic when choosing one’s national animal. This made me laugh and laugh and laugh.

“Sexism”, the 1971 board game.

Mark Hamill appears to relish opportunities to sign old Star Wars trading cards.

Film Noir: explained via infographic. (“explained”)

The challenges of using itunes for classical music. (Really this is an article about metadata.)

Interview with the writer of legendary 80s horror flick Fright Night

Via Pearce, a troubling overview of research showing how men react to women in the workplace. As a bonus, the url is golden.

Via Peaseblossom: a girl’s guide to gaming. (Really nicely done, this.)

Reflections on Peanuts: Charlie Brown & Snoopy needed each other.

Psychologists highlight a bunch of academic terms that should not be used. There’s some good’uns here. Well worth a look.

Via Robert, a great story of massive, complicated, self-organising co-operation. By slashfic writers, of course.

Via Lisa B, whose new novel is now available at a bookstore near you: How to think about Islamic State.

And finally, via Pearce: Jerrys, and Etsy, and via Billy, Shia and Shias

Amazing Key & Peele bit imagining a world where teaching was treated with the reverence we have for sports. (Plus bonus Ghostbusters easter egg.)

Two instances of 90s youth culture and its immediate co-optation by the mainstream media machinery:
First, Dangerous Minds has found the complete ’96 doco “HYPE” about the grunge scene – I watched this doco back on cinema release and I remember it being pretty good. The “guide to grunge slang” story DM talk about is priceless.
Second, there was a network-TV sitcom pilot based on Clerks? It is pretty close to unwatchable even when you’re watching to see just how bad it is.

via Hugh Dingwall – a great video breaking down what the heck was up with that Gamergate thing, what it was, what it meant, why it was, etc. Brings it all together in a very concise and often entertaining way, while resisting the temptation to mock. It’s part four, but on Hugh’s suggestion I started here, and it worked fine for me.

Remember that film Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow? I do! Well not that I ever saw it, but I remember it being a thing. Say, what did those guys do next? Answer: nothing. It’s an interesting story.

Loads of people have been sharing this book excerpt on how the end of capitalism has begun. I am fascinated by all the facts discussed here, even though I remain completely unconvinced by the argument he’s trying to make with them.

Some vintage Star Wars I’ve never seen before: a warning against drink driving filmed in the Cantina set using all the familiar aliens.

A sharp, funny, scathing account of the state of the web: Web design, the first 100 years

This feature has been talked about everywhere, but not linked to so much, so I’m linking to it even though I can’t bear to read it: 35 of Bill Cosby’s accusers tell their stories.

What are the defining ingredients of the cuisine in each country?

Via Anoushka, a West Wing fan created an infographic love letter to standout episode “17 People”. (Disclaimer: I have never watched an episode of The West Wing.)

And finally, via Jenni: SECRET INGREDIEEEENT!

Short film about following a Youtube tutorial to summon a demon. Starring dear friend of this parish Johnnie Ingram!

Related: writer/director/producer of the above, Hugh Hancock, posts on Charlie Stross’s blog about “geek Cthulhu” as a genre. (Although he fails to mention Ghostbusters, which is probably the ur-text of any geek-Cthulhu subgenre.)

Time management is only making our busy lives worse! There’s some smart summary in here of how time is a social construct and overmanaging it can be counterproductive.

On the NYT: what it’s like to face a 150mph tennis serve.

Via Dylan, a comic that breaks down what’s going on with peak oil

Great profile on Ta-Nehisi Coates, who is everywhere right now on the back of his recently-published book.

Reddit can’t be saved – linking is not endorsing but I find this pretty persuasive…

Two good pieces on cultural appropriation.

Pride & Prejudice mixed with Onion headlines works rather well

Amusing & brief summary of the Marvel cinematic universe to date

And finally, the Marvel Dubsmash War – super cute. (Ignore all the text on this page, just watch the clips.)

Via Maire, stop telling women that they can fix their problems by changing how they talk. This article feels like the long-awaited second half of a psyc class twenty years ago about gendered language, which introduced some of these ideas but didn’t seal the logic and consequences down like this does. Highly recommended.

Via hix, a (mostly) gender-swapped live reading of the script for ep 1 of Dawson’s Creek. Feat. showrunner Kevin Williamson, Dawson alum Kerr Smith covering Michelle Williams, Arrested Development’s Mae Whitman in the Dawson role, and other semi-familiar faces. I enjoyed the heck out of this because after all I just blogged about Dawson.

Via Cal: father vs. daughter beatbox contest. She kills it.

Piketty tells Germany where to get off in their condemnation of Greek debt. This interview is great – both sides so blunt with each other.

Not the typical “I lost lots of weight” story. A thoughtful account of losing weight, interrogating motives, gender, privilege, a bunch of other stuff. For the most part, a rebuke to most other weight-loss stories, which as a genre are… problematic.

37-minute video breaking down why Ghostbusters is really that good. Via someone on G+, if this was you, thanks.

The Shining boardgame

The great John Clarke explains New Zealand. Of a key incident in the 70s when NZ rugby was told they couldn’t visit apartheid Sth Africa: “They saw this action by the government as a direct threat to the way the country was run.” So good.

Via Dylan Horrocks, on McSweeneys: Nobel Prize-winner Peter Higgs regrets fielding your physics-based Dungeons and Dragons questions.

And finally, a shovel plays Nirvana

Via Steve Hickey. Very clever.

This one via Billy; click on image for the story.

Action Man Battlefield Casualties by Veterans For Piece: wow. Watch the fake-80s commercials. Jawdropping.

Also on Dangerous Minds, freaky collection of early arcade games advertised by scantily clad women.

I expect you’ve heard about the Colbert public-access TV guest host interview with Eminem. It’s… unique.

Via Jenni – YouTube compilations of every word spoken by a person of colour in a given film. Most of them are very, very, very short.

Also via Jenni, HitFix celebrates the 30th anniversary of the scariest kid’s film of all time, Return to Oz. Scared the crap out of me.

Via Theron, giant 800-track 90s playlist focused on alt/indie stuff.

Via Joel, Canadian dance moves

Oh man, we’re losing London? London: The City That Ate Itself via Cory Doctorow’s post on why he’s leaving London.

Buuut…. Hadley Freeman on how super-much London sucks.

Virtual Trebuchet. If you are a certain type of person, this will take up the entire rest of your day. You know who you are.

What I learned leading tours about slavery at a plantation.

The Satanic Temple political art project is not blinking yet: they built their giant statue of Baphomet.

Via Bruce Baugh, a review of a Hot Wheels car that is Chewbacca. I don’t know man. Society should be over by now I guess.

Also via BB, images of 3D-model of ancient Babylon.

Via AndyMac, a great comics explainer about the TPPA.

And finally, also via AndyMac, BROTHER

This kid-made Jurassic Park remake is delightful.

Computers are making weird artworks when they try and draw things. (Via Mike Upton, and indeed the rest of the internet as well)

A history of movie trailers and a guide to the typefaces of classic film posters.

Pippin Barr’s made a free flash game to highlight human rights issues in the host country for the European Games.

I had no idea the Joy of Sex was illustrated by consummate spaceship painter Chris Foss. Lovely article by the BBC on those famous illustrations.

Sweden’s anti-Russian-sub defence strategy is… interesting.

Vulture gives an overview of Marvel’s “ultimate comics” imprint that prepared the ground for the Marvel movie juggernaut, then burned itself out.

Bloomberg presents an article about economist Paul Krugman’s arguments against austerity policies as a classic arcade beat-em-up.

The challenges of translating the very wordy, very culturally-specific Seinfeld

Rich people are jerks: the statistical proof

James Horner has died. The composer’s work on my favourite Aliens was messed with and he was chucked off the movie, creating a long-standing rift with Jim Cameron. But there are pieces of the score that I love. So here’s a film soundtrack site writing in extensive, sometimes scathing detail about Horner’s music for this film.

US Supreme Court Justice Kagan claims to be a comics fan, and her latest judgement was seeded with Spider-Man references.

Via Svend, my new fave board game site Shut Up & Sit Down has a great, eye-opening article about a poker tournament.

And finally… Congrats, you have an all-male panel!

Via Cal, this home interiors magazine delivers a surprising message in an extremely clever way. Much respect.

Via Pearce, what your sleeping positions *really* say about your relationship

Lena Dunham interviews Lorde

I still haven’t watched this black-and-white mashup of Prometheus and Alien but maybe some day I will.

Eight-minute “video press kit” from 1986 for Jim Cameron’s Aliens. Some lovely behind-the-scenes stuff I’ve never seen before, like Cameron rehearsing the marines for their entry into the colony. Plus, nerd trivia alert, the narrator twice calls the planet “Acheron”, a name never used in the actual film.

Via @mlle_elle, a great Vulture piece on the rise and rise of Amy Schumer, with a particularly potent final couple paragraphs. (Judging by the Trainwreck trailers, Lebron James may have failed to win an NBA title this year, but he definitely beats Michael Jordan in one statistical category: on-screen charisma. And I say this as a fan of Space Jam.)

Wil Wheaton’s Tabletop webseries has spun off a new series where some LA actory types play a D&D-type game on camera. It’s called Titansgrave, and it’s worth a look if you’re curious. (It feels exactly like every beer-&-pretzels game I’ve ever participated in.)

The original article about Sherlock Holmes that gave us the idea of “canon”, and how it might be just a parody of Catholic theological debate.

Will your automated car drive you off a cliff if it would save two other lives? Some interesting questions will need to be answered as these systems approach reality.

The Guardian hosts another voice in the ongoing pushme-pullyou debate over whether microfinance is a good thing or not. The writer here argues compellingly that it’s a bad idea. There’s some good stuff in the comments too – yes, sometimes there is good stuff in the comments, it is possible.

Velociraptor Disney Princesses

Adorable zookeepers are recreating Chris Pratt’s moves in Jurassic World

The AV Club pays due respect to the music of the wondrous Josie and the Pussycats movie.

And finally, via Urs: death metal cover of John Cage’s 4’33”. My favourite thing about this is that it’s only about 90 seconds long, because death metal covers are always at a faster tempo.

My buddy Steve has just released his game Soth – a story game about cultists in a small town who are thiiiis close to summoning the dark god Soth. Check out the trailer:

Find out more here!

Moby Dick, each chapter read by an appropriate famous-type person (via Grant Stone)

These portrait-style photos of Mongrel Mob members are quite striking

How to check if your 20-sided die is off-balance

Great look at those “please report this error” requests you get when your computer fails, and how they have contributed to a turnaround in Microsoft – have you noticed that Microsoft are actually making kinda good software lately? Even Windows 8 is hated for its user experience, not its unreliability…

Slate rips the lid off the divine internet parody site Clickhole, and then confuses me by publishing an apparently serious literary takedown of the Poky Little Puppy.

And finally, I’ve caught up on The Comic Strip That Has A Finale Every Day. The last week of strips have been pretty amazing. So sad to see it end.

Wire tautology supercut:

NZ John Oliver takes on our media, via Angus.

Via d3vo, writers talk about obscure(ish) words they love

Neat graph charting sequels that exceed expectations from their first instalments, via Allen Varney.

We’ve been watching Top Gun wrong all this time: Iceman was right. And he wasn’t alone.

A glimpse at China’s renowned/feared university entrance exam.

The Hobbit film trilogy, recut so it’s just the Gandalf bits.

Via Jamie N, online game randomises the race of player avatars, and the predictable but still depressing thing happens!

NY Mag has a great, engaging account of how a massive scientific fraud was uncovered – you might have heard the stunning research that gay political canvassers could change people’s minds after a very short conversation? Turns out it was indeed too good to be true.

Kinda related, via Ivan: how a transparently fake diet science story ended up being reported all around the world as fact. Sorry, chocolate doesn’t help you lose weight.

Star Wars prequels – part of a genius hidden plan by George Lucas? Or is that guy just falling victim to the allure of confirmation bias & pattern recognition? Yeah, I think the second one, but this link is getting spread everywhere too.

Some kids in the 70s made their own versions of Jaws and Aliens, and they’re marvellous.

This Predator fan film, set in the Dark Ages, is really very good indeed.

And finally, via Pearce, the surprising thing that wrecked the economic viability of a Lego online game: the penis cost.

Twin Peaks pinups – the men!

Vox does an explainer on the theory that lizard people control the world

Kiwi cartoonist Toby Morris went seriously viral with this lovely little piece about how many tiny inequalities add up to real differences of opportunity. It has generated many, many point-missing comments. I particularly enjoy the ones from people who have no idea Toby’s writing from New Zealand. Here’s a favourite: “We don’t see Richard’s immigrant ancestors who were Paula and her parents. This is misleading.”
Toby has followed up with some reflections on this piece going viral and what he’s trying to achieve with it.

Another great comic about the awkwardness of working out how to greet people in different cultures!

Evil Dead/Marvel Zombies mashup short:

I somehow think the photographer behind these portraits of purity ball fathers-and-daughters is not being entirely genuine when he talks about his respect for the subjects. Evidence: the bloody great oil pump in the background of the headline shot.

Via Michael U: why we love repetition in music. (In Mike’s tweet he especially recommended listening to the speech-to-sound illusion tracks, and I repeat that recommendation. I repeat that recommendation. I repeat that recommendation.)

Way back when, I wandered into a record store (kids, ask your parents about those) and saw a young woman doing a lovely acoustic set. I bought the CD (kids, ask your parents about those) the minute she was done. Anika Moa has been a consistently delightful person since then, but she reveals an unexpected (by me) comedic talent in her incredible interview series for the Herald. Check out her chat with the NZ Bachelor about his experience on the programme. Kiwi as, and I laughed like a buffoon.

I’ve seen lots of smart & savvy people sharing this Jacobin piece about recent trends for “natural foods” and the history of eating. It’s well-researched and full of surprising little facts, and it seems to be resonating with lots of good folks. But I really, really disliked it. Linking it anyway because it’s definitely getting attention, but I’ll also link to Phil Sandifer’s very brief reply.

My lovely friend Jaimee’s publicising her fascinating longitudinal research into patterns of bullying, with some genuinely fresh insights, like: if you were a bully to others but were never a victim, you’re marked for trouble down the line.

And finally, via Mat Gritt: Catalog Living, a glimpse into the exciting world of people living in your catalogs