Secret underground cinema discovered in Paris under
Secret underground cinema discovered in Paris under the streets of the 16th arrondissement.
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Entries for September 2004
Authentication of the Lincoln Portrait Daguerreotype
Authentication of the Lincoln Portrait Daguerreotype.
Online Sumerian dictionary
Online Sumerian dictionary. Dictionary makers put it online after discovering fast and loose is often preferable to slow and exhaustive.
Unix for the Gameboy Advance
Unix for the Gameboy Advance. Nerdy, nerdy, nerdy, nerdy, nerdy, nerdy, nerdy, nerdy, nerdy, nerdy, nerdy.
Logo RIP, a commemoration of dead logotypes
Logo RIP, a commemoration of dead logotypes. Where design nerds go to mourn old logos, including Enron, Paul Rand’s work for UPS, and the swastika.
50 essential music tracks from 1900 through the 90s
50 essential music tracks from 1900 through the 90s. Looks like they missed some of the hippie music in the 60s/70s. And no disco? Still, what an impossible task…
Franz Ferdinand wins the Mercury Music Prize,
Franz Ferdinand wins the Mercury Music Prize, the top UK music award.
Some Ken Jennings news
Warning: spoilers. I received a tip about Ken Jennings this morning which I have pasted below in black-on-black text. If you don’t want to spoil your enjoyment of Jeopardy for the next few days/weeks, don’t read it. If you want to read it, just highlight the text in your browser. Those reading the site in newsreaders, you’ll just have to close your eyes or something. So here’s the scoop:
“I was at the taping today of Jeopardy. He lost during his 75th game and eventually won 74 games. He ended up with 2.5M. He got a standing ovation by the crowd. I asked the studio if this was supposed to be a secret but they said we could spread the news. Spread the news. The show should air around the end of October.”
Don’t know how accurate this is because it’s uncorroborated, so grain of salt, etc. Thanks to Phillip for the tip.
Update: I’ve got independent corroboration from another reader on the above news, so I consider it to be correct. Thx Carol. TV Week and Newsday are reporting it as well. But you heard it here first, baby!
Update #2: Posted some information about the airdate of Ken’s loss.
For the first time
Even after almost two years of living in NYC, returning here after being out of town still makes me feel the wonder and novelty of a tourist. The lights of the Empire State and Chyrsler Buildings from across the river. Crossing Manhattan past the residences on the long blocks and downtown past the bodegas and restaurants lining the avenues. The three 80s-style heavy metal chicks filming a commercial. Hipsters with bags laden with hummus hailing cabs in Chelsea. And an impromptu puppy gathering on the front steps of my building; more soft fur than any one town deserves for itself.
Ken Jennings back on Jeopardy and continues to win
Ken Jennings back on Jeopardy and continues to win.
Did the First Americans Come From, Er, Australia?
Did the First Americans Come From, Er, Australia?.
TiVo and Netflix are teaming up to offer downloadable movies
TiVo and Netflix are teaming up to offer downloadable movies.
The WaPo on Kobe’s strange apology and
The WaPo on Kobe’s strange apology and the “disagreeable conclusion” to the court case.
Flying Triangles
There’s a strange article on space.com right now about the continued sightings of Flying Triangle UFOs. A man familiar with the sightings says the sightings of the triangles are akin to those of the then-secret stealth fighter and bomber back in the 80s:
But it does not appear to be consistent with the covert patterns of deployment we saw with the F-117 and B-2 prior to their acknowledgement. This is open, even brazen.
Which makes sense. Maybe the DoD is testing out a new hover aircraft. But people have been sighting these things in populated areas and adorned with unusual lights:
The vehicles sometime fly with easily noticeable bright lights — either blinding white lights, or have “bright disco lights” that usually flash combinations of red, green or blue.
Bright disco lights? Is it a mobile wedding DJ transport? Sony’s new PlayStation Mega platform with built-in Dance Dance Revolution? Old movie props from Close Encounters of the Third Kind? I thought space.com was a serious journalistic organization. Stay tuned for next week’s headline: “Moon made of cheese, says National Institute for Believing that the Moon is Made Out of Cheese (NIBMMOC)”.
Paul Graham on the writing of essays
Paul Graham on the writing of essays. I liked this bit: “so the main value of notebooks may be what writing things down leaves in your head.”
Paul Ford is going to “collect as
Paul Ford is going to “collect as much data on the U.S. government as [he can], convert it to RDF, and build a site and a web service that make it possible to explore that data”. This first column of the Hacking Congress series is called “Screenscraping the Senate”.
Austrian physicists were able to teleport photons
Austrian physicists were able to teleport photons over 600 meters across the Danube.
QTVR panoramas of the main RNC protest march in NYC
QTVR panoramas of the main RNC protest march in NYC.
Humiliated, Angry, Ashamed, Brown.
Humiliated, Angry, Ashamed, Brown.. A photo student get hassled repeatedly by the Seattle PD and federal agents about taking pictures. The Homeland Security guy’s 9/11 speech is nauseating.
Kerry Rocks: “John Kerry plays guitar, George
Kerry Rocks: “John Kerry plays guitar, George Bush was a cheerleader. You decide.”.
Wow! The charges against Kobe Bryant were
Wow! The charges against Kobe Bryant were dropped because “the sole victim at this time is unable to go forward”. Read Bryant’s odd apology. I wonder what the real story is here…I hope she didn’t bow out due to any pressure or because she was making it up. Either way, what a mess.
Meow meow meow, meow. Meow meow. Meow! Meow!
Meow meow meow, meow. Meow meow. Meow! Meow!. Meow, meow, meow meow?
Fake but plausible NYC subway map to
Fake but plausible NYC subway map to hand out to RNC delegates.
On the Webster Apartments, one of the
On the Webster Apartments, one of the last women-only apartment buildings in NYC. Maid service, no men allowed in rooms, 2 meals a day.
Sofia Coppola’s next movie will be a Marie Antoinette bio-pic
Sofia Coppola’s next movie will be a Marie Antoinette bio-pic.
Ruff! Ruff ruff ruff ruff, ruff ruff. Ruff Ruff, ruff.
Ruff! Ruff ruff ruff ruff, ruff ruff. Ruff Ruff, ruff.. Ruff ruff ruff ruff, ruff ruff. Ruff! Ruff! Ruff! Ruff ruff.
Do you really need a real estate
Do you really need a real estate agent to buy/sell a house? Perhaps not at 5% commission.. May real estate agents rot in hell with the NYC apartment brokers.
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