1. A troll talks about his time on Metafilter:
there was a group of people who used the site for earnest discussion because they were having their emotional needs met by reality, and then the rest of us.Via.
I've seen some negative reviews criticizing the movie as dumb, but I'm not sure what movie those people were expecting. The plot of the first JJ Abrams Star Trek was incredibly stupid, and certainly far worse than this.
Into Darkness is a solid, entertaining movie - - kind of like Wrath of Khan crossed with 24. And Cumberbatch is an alltime terrific villain. (Not sure what was up with Pike's ridiculous sideburns, though.)
1. Marrying your cousin: good for you and your family, bad for the world?
2. "Rich Families Cutting Lines at Disney World By Hiring Disabled Guides." (What does it take to get rich? An ability to spot loopholes and the willingness to take advantage of them.)
3. Another one:
Army officials say the manager of the sexual assault response program at Fort Campbell has been arrested in a domestic dispute and relieved of his post.4. Doctor Who 3.7" action figures available for preorder.
Lt. Col. Darin Haas turned himself in to police late Wednesday on charges of violating an order of protection and stalking.
Skrulls by James Brouwer for a cancelled video game.
Locke & Key: Alpha #1 cover by Gabriel Rodriguez. Via.
The Colour out of Space (by Lovecraft) available at Amazon. Via.
How to make glowing Converse All-Stars. Via.
My favorite covers form the Marvel Comics solicitations for August 2013:
UNCANNY X-FORCE #10
SAM HUMPHRIES (W) • DEXTER SOY (A)
Cover by KRIS ANKA
THUNDERBOLTS #14
CHARLES SOULE (W) • Jefte Palo (A)
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #29
JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV (W) • CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO (A)
Cover by MICHAEL KOMARCK
IRON MAN #14
KIERON GILLEN (W) • GREG LAND (A/C)
*Buy Psylocke toys at Amazon.
1. "The Army is investigating Sgt. 1st Class Gregory McQueen, a sexual abuse educator at Fort Hood, Texas, for running a small-time prostitution ring and for the sexual assault of another soldier, senior military officials have confirmed." Via.
2. Gizmodo:
One year ago, a team of researchers traveled deep into the Honduran rainforest in search of Ciudad Blanca, the legendary lost city of treasures. Yesterday, they revealed images—uncovered by lasers—of structures that they believe to be the White City itself.3. Two great baseball gifs: pathetic slide by Ian Kinsler; Mariano Rivera shatters a bat.
The legend of the White City has captured explorers' imaginations for centuries; Hernán Cortés detailed his interest in the purportedly gold-laden metropolis as far back as 1526. But the Mosquitia region where it was rumored to exist is densely packed with rainforest, and the conquistadors never penetrated deep enough to claim their prize.
The Burma-China pipeline project has hit a snag just a few months before completion, Burmese officials report. Because the pipeline crosses territory where the state is battling armed independence armies, the pipeline won’t become operational for some time.
The delay highlights the importance of the Strait of Malacca for energy-hungry Asian countries. The sheer amount of oil that goes through the strait is remarkable: 75 percent of the oil consumed by Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan and 37 percent of China’s demand travels through this 1.5 nautical mile-wide stretch. The pipeline through Burma would ease China’s reliance on the strait somewhat.
Dead End Thrills posted a big batch of Bioshock Infinite wallpapers.
Chris Buzelli.
Antonio Caparo.
Becky Cloonan gets advice from Paul Pope.
Last Exit to Nowhere's latest tees is The Rabbit in Red Lounge, inspired by Halloween, and Stay on Target.
*Preorder Paul Pope's Battling Boy at Amazon.
1. Living in the jungle and studying monkeys:
It took about 30 hours for the teeny tiny ants to discover my opened box of frosted flakes. I thought sealing up the bag with a hair tie would be an effective measure against their invasion, but I was wrong. I got back from the field and found they had fit their tiny bodies into the big Styrofoam box I keep my food in, and were busy invading the cereal. So I put off my hunger and went to work on getting rid of them because there is no way I'm throwing the cereal out, food is too precious here.(Yes, she figures a way to separate the ants from the cereal.)
Byliner's latest: Eduardo Galeano's Soccer in Sun and Shadow:
One of the great sports books of our time, “Soccer in Sun and Shadow,” by Uruguay’s legendary novelist and journalist Eduardo Galeano, is now available for the first time as an e-book. Brimming with wit and charm and the kind of insight only a true fan could bring, it “stands out like Pelé on a field of second stringers,” says “The New Yorker.”
Originally appearing in Spanish in 1995, now revised and thoroughly updated, “Soccer in Sun and Shadow” traces the sport from its roots in China to the Brazilian slums where the dance form capoeira reshaped it into a soccer “made of hip feints, undulations of the torso, and legs in flight,” and finally through the great moments of a century’s worth of competition in all corners of the globe.
These stories come addictively fast and furious, as vignettes that have the searing impact of great photographs. And as would be expected of one of our great historians, Galeano sets every one of them against a greater context: the wars being waged, the cultural shifts transforming societies, and what inflames him the most: the inexorable influences of money, sponsorship, television, and any form of cold, hard calculation that aims to place winning for its own sake above the beauty and glory of the game.
“[I am] a beggar for good soccer,” writes Galeano. “I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’ ” The past century’s great players, from Di Stéfano to Cruyff to Maradona, reward him with such moves, and we are all the richer for it. At times hilarious, at others heartbreaking, one thing it never lacks is humanity. “Soccer in Sun and Shadow” is a fan’s book, and it’s much more. Featuring original artwork by the author, it has been called by the “San Francisco Chronicle” “a loving tribute to the game and its culture, and a celebration not only of soccer but also of life.”
"One of the Top 100 Best Sports Books of All Time.” —Sports IllustratedYou can download a copy at Amazon and the usual locations.
.JPG)
Hands down, my favorite series to read to my boys is Tales From Lovecraft Middle School. I have FIVE advance review copies of book three in the series, Teacher's Pest, to give away. These are paperback versions and don't have the super cool lenticular cover.
To win a copy, comment on this post and include your email so I can contact you if you win. USA residents only, please. Giveaway over.
Cover for the album Endless Fantasy.
16 new Monsters Inc. tees at Threadless.
Fallout Vault hoodie for sale.
Brave and the Bold villain Crazy Quilt as a custom action figure by Xysma the Warhorse.
Skateboard deck by WBYK. Via.
*Buy Monsters Inc. toys at eBay.
Head to iTunes, choose view in iTunes, and you should see a play/listen now button on the RAM album cover. You can stream the entire album.
Update: Or just follow this link and skip iTunes (and more easily avoid the Moroder spoken word track).
Subscribe in a reader
