Activity from doctornemo
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"the sole internationalism—if it existed—had been that of deserters"
The ghouls of No Man's Land James Deutsch explores an urban legend from the First World War, and its decades-long afterlife. (SLSmithsonian)
Bill Bowen, R.I.P.
A major figure in higher education has passed. William G. Bowen was president of Princeton, head of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and helped launch a variety of projects, including JSTOR, Artstor, and Ithaka Harbors. 2012 winner of the National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal, Bowen also found time to write nineteen books, many influential, often on higher education.
Leo Baranek, RIP
"a sought-after acoustics genius" One third of Bolt, Beranek and Newman, which helped build ARPANET, Beranek was an important acoustical engineer. Died at 102.
his unblinking stare
Portrait of a would-be world-changer Who is Sam Altman, the new head of Y Combinator? What does he want to do/for all of us? New Yorker portrait by Tad Friend.
“a rancid, corrupt way to report about science”
"Without the ability to contact independent sources, 'journalists become stenographers'". Scientific American accuses the FDA of manipulating and deceiving the press, the close-hold embargo being a major method, despite the FDA's disavowing the practice in 2011.
Attacks continued to become more frequent, persistent, and complex
Who is trying to see what it would take to shatter the internet's backbone? "Someone is extensively testing the core defensive capabilities of the companies that provide critical Internet services... [T]his is happening. And people should know. " (SLSchneier)
Previously.
Other Schneier on the blue in the past.
Previously.
Other Schneier on the blue in the past.
The desired academy, nine years hence
“What change would you like to see in universities or in your academic field by 2025?” That's the question Heterodox Academy members answer, in honor of their initiative's first year anniversary.
(Previously)
(Previously)
Stone making _Snowden_
He didn’t recall pretending to strangle Poitras. How Oliver Stone's Edward Snowden movie came about, a shambling story of egos, deception, and geopolitics.
(SLNYT)
“It looks like a war zone,” he said. Because it is.
Bill McKibben asks us for a WWII-scale climate change mobilization. Maybe it's time to think of climate change as a war, argues Bill McKibben (founder of 350.org).
Ah, Mister Garibaldi!
R.I.P. Jerry Doyle. He was a star of epic science fiction tv series Babylon-5, then host of talk radio. Dead at 60.
B-5 Great Maker J. Michael Straczynski confirmed this on Twitter and also wrote an obituary.
Humanity has always embraced household gods
“Pray for Kumamoto & Kumamon" What is cute? Specifically, what is kawaii? A long read exploration, ranging from earthquakes to mayonnaise and Satan.
"I define an arbitrary measure of 'Metalness'"
Heavy Metal and Natural Language Processing - Part 1 Consider the lyrics of metal music as a dataset. What can we learn?
Behold a word cloud of an awful lot of metal lyrics, swear words plotted against readability, and a denogram of metal bands' comparative lyrical groupings. Brood upon lists of most and least metal words. Wonder at the term frequency -Inverse document frequency of "Orgasmatron." And don't miss the lurking haikus. (via)
Behold a word cloud of an awful lot of metal lyrics, swear words plotted against readability, and a denogram of metal bands' comparative lyrical groupings. Brood upon lists of most and least metal words. Wonder at the term frequency -Inverse document frequency of "Orgasmatron." And don't miss the lurking haikus. (via)
"All human knowledge is there—so why can’t everybody access it?"
Will we ever realize the dream of everyone having access to all of human knowledge? Glyn Moody summarizes the open access movement.
"Russia has not yet reached the zenith of her power."
One hundred years ago today, an enormous Russian offensive begins. The attack surprised nearly everyone, including enemies and the rest of the Russian command.
The massive assault on Austro-Hungarian forces was intended to aid already or soon-to-be hard-pressed Russian allies France, Italy, and Britain, while also hoping to knock an enemy empire out of the war.
The massive assault on Austro-Hungarian forces was intended to aid already or soon-to-be hard-pressed Russian allies France, Italy, and Britain, while also hoping to knock an enemy empire out of the war.
The new wave of student activism: the case of Oberlin
"On or about December, 2014, student character changed” The New Yorker looks at millennial politics. Nathan Heller talks to many students.
“This was the day, of course, when we learned we were wrong.”
30 years ago today, a fire started near Pripyat. "The time was 1:23 a.m. The world had changed. But those sleeping just downwind had no idea."
The Chernobyl disaster began on April 26th, 1986.
He also heard the Hum
From Zug Island to Bristol to British Columbia, interest in a mysterious humming sound continues. Colin Dickey investigates The World Hum Map and Database Project, its creator, and some recent experiments, including the first Deming box. Stops along the way include TACAMO, tin foil hats, school shootings, Jesse Ventura's tv show, and noise-abatement laws.
Why it's getting harder to prosecute white collar crime.
"They also don’t really have the will. They’re really nervous about it, very trepidatious." Jesse Eisinger outlines why we're seeing fewer successful actions against corporate and white collar misdoings in the United States.
Highlighted is the Thompson memo of 2003.
Highlighted is the Thompson memo of 2003.
100 years ago today, the beginning of the end on WWI's eastern front
"It was an affair that summed up all that was most wrong with the [Russian] army." Largely forgotten by the west, the Battle of Lake Naroch (March-April 1916; Wikipedia) broke the Russian army's will to fight Germans. Eager to help their western allies being slaughtered at Verdun, the tsar's forces attacked a weak spot in the German lines in Belarus. Although the Russian army began with massively greater troop superiority, the offense was a spectacular failure, due to gross strategic and tactical incompetence. The results: awful casualties and no terrain gained.
A crash course in the history of black science fiction.
42 black science fiction works that are important to your understanding of its history. Nisi Shawl has assembled a rich syllabus of novels and story collections, from 1859 to 2015. Some fantasy and horror along with the strictly science fictional.
The fabulous ruins of NASA
Remnants of the American space race, photographed from Florida to California. "There is a spiritual quality to Launch Complex 34. The launch pedestal with its large round opening to the sky gives it the look of some ancient astronomical archaeological ruin, something like Stonehenge."
From a new book.
From a new book.
Reading and rereading Frank Miller, 30 years after Dark Knight Returns
It's hard to imagine Frank Miller anticipating that his story, with that introduction, would ever fall into the hands of an 11-year-old, mixed-race girl. Susana Polo (Twitter) begins with reading Batman: Year One at 11, then follows Miller's output, and her career and life, from there.
(SLPolygon)
(SLPolygon)
"Aristocrat of Science Fiction"
"That's what Life Magazine calls GALAXY!" The Internet Archive presents the complete run of classic sf magazine Galaxy, from 1950 to 1980.
Previously on MetaFilter. (via HackerNews)
Previously on MetaFilter. (via HackerNews)
Melissa Click has been fired.
Controversial prof booted by University of Missouri Board of Curators. Communication faculty member Click rose to fame and notoriety for her role in recent protests against Missouri's administration, where she called for two journalists, one a student, to be blocked or removed from a protest site. Images and video of her circulated widely.
Recently Click was suspended by Mizzou, and also charged with assault by local prosecutors. She ended her appointment with the university's journalism department. A group of state legislators wanted her gone. A similarly-sized group of faculty publicly supported Click.
Recently Click was suspended by Mizzou, and also charged with assault by local prosecutors. She ended her appointment with the university's journalism department. A group of state legislators wanted her gone. A similarly-sized group of faculty publicly supported Click.
Is heavy metal the new form of world music?
Metal's appeal has gone global, and is deepening. Leading nations emitting potent metal sounds now include some in southeast Asia, South America, and the Middle East.
(SLWSJ)
In praise of those we've lost to the literary wilderness.
Lithub commends twenty undeservedly neglected writers to our attention. Stephen Sparks offers two lists: Ten Great Writers Nobody Reads and 10 More Writers Nobody Reads. The authors, men and women, of various races, come from all over: Brazil, France, Britain, Honduras, the United States, the Maghreb, Italy, Germany, and Zimbabwe.
They shall not pass.
One hundred years ago today began the terrible battle of Verdun. The German strategy called not so much for territorial conquest as for simply killing as many Frenchmen as possible, to "bleed France white". The name of the plan was Operation Gericht, as in judgement or, grimmer still, the place of execution. Up to nearly one million casualties resulted.
The battle was the most bloody and destructive of World War One up until that point. It would last for the rest of 1916, continuous fighting lasting for more than 300 days.
The battle was the most bloody and destructive of World War One up until that point. It would last for the rest of 1916, continuous fighting lasting for more than 300 days.
"No wonder that bloke's hiding out on the moon."
Charlie Brooker versus 2015 The creator of Black Mirror and some friends look back at 2015.
(SLY)
The operation's greatest success was the evacuation.
One hundred years ago, the last Allied day at Gallipoli. "The evacuation had been carried out brilliantly, of that there can be no doubt." (Peter Hart) After months of agonized fighting between forces from multiple nations, the Allies withdrew from Gallipoli, ending one of WWI's most remembered and discussed campaigns. One hundred years ago today the last British soldiers left the peninsula, leaving behind booby traps, animals dead and alive, material destroyed and as booty, and the victorious Turks.
The age of uncle books
Why do male authors and subjects dominate history books? Digging into bestselling history books in the United States. (SLS)
The dawn of the Taft Test
The Website Obesity Crisis Maciej Cegłowski calls for downsizing web pages. And "I shouldn't need sled dogs and pemmican to navigate your visual design."
(previously)
Star Trek IP owners sue Star Trek fan production
When lawyers attack The fan-made Star Trek movie project Axanar (previously) raised over $1 million. Despite the producers vowing to never make money off of it, Paramount and CBS raised shields and launched lawyers this week.
"We need to take one last look back at the hideous reality of 2015."
vers le bas avec Tor!
The French government mulls laws to block Tor and public WiFi. Is this what happens when police ask Santa for presents ("liste au Père Noël", according to Le Monde)?.
(via)
Divides over Free Speech and Free Press
A new Pew survey looks at attitudes towards free speech from around the world. It explores how different nations think about free speech and government, the press, religion, minorities, the internet. Also in the report: attitudes towards democracy, religion, and gender.
(SLP)
"Patriotism is not enough."
On this day one hundred years ago, the German army executed Edith Cavell. She was a British nurse who had worked in Belgium before the First World War, and then helped Belgian, French, and British men escape the country during the German occupation. A military court found her guilty of actively aiding the enemy in wartime, and ordered her execution.
"the trade agreement almost certainly will encounter stiff opposition"
Multinational agreement reached on the Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty. Representatives of a dozen nations agreed on the TPP, a wide-ranging trade agreement for the Pacific region, excluding China. Years of discussion and months of intensive negotiating led to this consensus. Opposition continues, based on a wide range of issues.
How does bullying work?
"We should imagine instead a three-way relation of aggressor, victim, and witness" : ruminations on bullying and victimhood from David Graeber.
The creative apocalypse that didn't happen
Steven Johnson looks into concerns that the internet would destroy creators. He finds that while some bad things happened, "economic trends suggest that the benefits are outweighing the costs."
Books that shaped America
From A Curious Hieroglyphick Bible to Our Bodies, Ourselves. In 2012 the United States Library of Congress held an exhibition on what it saw as the most influential books in American history.
(via)
One hundred years ago on the Eastern Front, doom in a forgotten battle
"She was outclassed in everything except bravery" In April 1915 the Russian empire was on the verge of entering Hungary, having taken the great fortress of Przemyśl. But in May a German-led surprise offensive cracked Russian lines, shattering entire armies and causing a 300-mile retreat in what was probably "the greatest victory of World War I by the Central Powers". Nearly one million prisoners were taken. Moscow lost the ruins of Przemyśl and all of Poland. For the next two years Russia will struggle but ultimately lose, tsardom falling to revolutions and the rise of the Soviet state.
Graeber on Gawker, on extractive democracy
"This is a profound transformation, and one we barely talk about. " Anarchist anthropologist David Graeber sees the FBI Ferguson report as a window into how American democracy is changing.
Cats, jihad, satire!
A new genre has emerged, the mock jihadi video. This involves short clips with ISIS-ish sound tracks layered on for shocking and/or comic effect.
The Gallipoli campaign began 100 years ago today.
"The new dawn lights the eastern sky; Night shades are lifted from the sea": British and French ships entered the Dardanelles and opened their attack on Turkish forces, one hundred years ago today. This bold naval assault, planned by Winston Churchill, will falter, leading to the brutal Gallipoli campaign, an Allied defeat and Turkish triumph.
"Enhance 15 to 23."
"By zooming in on high-resolution face photographs, we were able to recover images of unseen bystanders from reflections in the subjects' eyes." Science catches up with Blade Runner.
Looking ahead to 2015 in civil liberties
"some of these prognostications may seem a wee bit hyperbolic, a bit paranoid, maybe even a little nutty" What will American civil liberties look like in 2015? If things take a turn for the worse, they might look a little familiar.
Slate also explored this terrain today, but not at such length.
“Those buildings were taken down not long after I took that picture.”
"Demolished: the end of Chicago's Public Housing" A look back at Chicago's 20th-century public housing high-rises, and how they were taken down. Also an interesting form of web presentation.
(SLNPR)
No single-payer healthcare for Vermont
Governor Shumlin announced he would not pursue single-payer healthcare for his state. Reasons include high costs, high complexity, and Shumlin barely eking out reelection.
Against detoxing
"it’s the marketing equivalent of drawing go-faster stripes on your car." The Guardian slams the detoxing craze.
(SLG)
Is Loon flying?
Google's balloon-based internet seems to be working. After some hiccups, one bad demo, and lots of redesign, Google's Project Loon (previously) is bringing some internet to some people in the developing world.
Fluffier socks play a crucial role. (SLS)
Fluffier socks play a crucial role. (SLS)
When Martian war machines hit the Western Front
This may be the best War of the Worlds movie ever made, and it's barely three minutes long. And it's not exactly doing HG Wells per se. It's a trailer for or clip from The Great Martian War 1913-17, which concerns "the catastrophic events and unimaginable horrors of 1913-17, when Humankind was pitted against a savage Alien invasion."
The video seems to use a mix of reenactors, period film, and f/x.
(SLVimeo)