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SWAP YOUR VOTE Teaming up voters to vote against Trump in the swing states and vote third party/protest votes in safe states. - "A 'dating' site to defeat fascism" Do you live in a Swing State, don't want Trump to win, but can't vote for Harris in good conscience? Go to this site and read! Live in a Safe Blue state and are going to vote for Harris? Go to this site and read! [more inside]
posted by lalochezia at 4:16 PM - 6 comments

The Canadian Journal of Zombie Science is here to make your academic nightmares a little more entertaining.
posted by EvaDestruction at 3:29 PM - 0 comments

"Our hope was to to highlight books that resonate with readers, that may have been overlooked, and that reflect the inclusivity and imagination that speculative fiction is known for."
posted by cupcakeninja at 3:29 PM - 6 comments

"'The Bat' is a three-act play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood that was first produced by Lincoln Wagenhals and Collin Kemper in 1920" which was based on a 1907-08 serialized novel, 'The Circular Staircase.' "The Bat is a 1926 American silent comedy mystery film directed by Roland West and starring Jack Pickford and Louise Fazenda" which in 1959 was (re) made into a movie starring Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. 'The Bat'. (slyt) [more inside]
posted by clavdivs at 2:17 PM - 1 comment

For Hallowe'en: Scary monsters and super creeps/Keep me running, running scared
posted by chavenet at 12:38 PM - 1 comment

Thread Count Doesn't Matter (much) When Buying Sheets. "If the sheets aren't 100% cotton with single-ply weaves, chances are thread counts are either misleading or irrelevant. In fact, some brands may not even specify the percentage of cotton or the ply when you shop, which creates even more confusion. Here's why thread count doesn't matter for other materials...."
posted by storybored at 11:35 AM - 21 comments

The inimitable Poopie details the story of beer, women, and witches [SLYT].
posted by bouvin at 11:21 AM - 6 comments

In an age of overlapping social crises, the 12-foot skeleton is a flamboyant status symbol, and a super-human vector for discussions of privilege, comfort, and wealth.

Foreign Body: On the 12-Foot Skeleton as Supra-residential Memento Mori, a short essay by Anna Soper. [more inside]
posted by Rumple at 11:20 AM - 18 comments

Special effects legend Rick Baker has had a storied career in cinema, dating all the way back to his first (and the first) Academy Award for Best Makeup for his work in the 1981 John Landis-directed cult horror-comedy classic An American Werewolf in London. And though the film had plenty of clever effects work, no scene was a better showcase of his talents than the brilliant, brutal, and bizarrely hilarious transformation sequence. Unlike the simple dissolves of earlier creature features (or the unconvincing CGI of later fare), Baker augmented subtle makeup with an inventive series of practical effects, from reversible hair to a false body-puppet to a collection of ingenious mechanical "change-o" parts layered in lifelike urethane elastomer. And though Baker has since retired from the biz, his work on the film inspired generations of homages and tributes built on old-school practical effects, including BBC TV shows, haunted houses, custom animations, LEGO recreations, and an absurd "demake" parody (starring none other than Landis's son, Max!).
posted by Rhaomi at 11:17 AM - 3 comments

Nazareth, 29AD. A rage-filled fighter becomes an apprentice to a mysterious Carpenter, compelling him to pursue his greatest potential. An adopted viking orphan* becomes a carpenter's apprentice to Jesus. The orphan, Oren, fights as a side hustle. His experience training as a carpenter with Jesus as his mentor changes his lifestyle.

This is a real trailer, for a real movie. (SLYT)

*Who owns a time machine, presumably
posted by PlusDistance at 11:05 AM - 27 comments

The web series Work Is Four Letters usually spotlights people talking about their jobs. But for this week, the stories go in a... spookier direction: Meet Rennie (personal assistant), Liz (skincare influencer) and Vic (researcher and lecturer).
posted by Cash4Lead at 10:34 AM - 3 comments

Some readers may recognize ... the Stoic idea of the “dichotomy of control” – the notion that you ought to confine your concerns to things you can influence, while cultivating detachment from everything you can’t. But to be honest, and perhaps unfairly to Stoicism, I’ve always found this slightly bloodless and intellectual. Hard as I’ve tried, I apparently can’t just divide the world up into these two categories, then use my reason and willpower to decide not to care about one of them. I find it more effective to feel my way into the reality of my finitude. It’s like I’m standing here, on a tiny island of time and space, a miniscule outcrop in the middle of the ocean; and yet for all sorts of reasons, I find myself constantly leaning out over the water, attempting to fiddle with things that are outside my reach – and losing my balance in the process. From The Imperfectionist: How not to freak out about the US election by Oliver Burkeman. [more inside]
posted by Bella Donna at 9:45 AM - 70 comments

Korean a capella group Maytree sings the theme to Psycho [SLYT] [more inside]
posted by zaixfeep at 9:02 AM - 7 comments

Fireside Canada is a podcast by David Williams now in its 4th season and covering Canadian legends, lore, and the history behind them. This season Williams is focusing on legends based in locations that have been abandoned, emptied out or demolished.
posted by donut_princess at 8:45 AM - 0 comments

Come for the shivers, stay for the chills! [more inside]
posted by Kitteh at 7:11 AM - 8 comments

Two short fantasy stories, both published 2024, about taking care of family as & after they transform. Content notes on both, at top of the page. "The Wilding Year" by Jamie M. Boyd: "Erin resists the urge to ask the doctor what he changed into during his Wilding Year." Boyd says it "explores the messiness of parenthood and growing up, the loneliness and friendships we experience during those years, as well as the fear and anxiety that comes with change". "What Good Daughters Do" by Tia Tashiro: "I’m not expecting it when my mother eats the bus driver. My surprise comes mostly because I thought I’d gotten her under control." Tashiro asks: "What happens when the deterioration of your loved one is magnified by a disease as dangerous to others as it to themselves?"
posted by brainwane at 6:00 AM - 5 comments

"The fun's in the fight" is an essay by Molly Ivins (previously), published in Mother Jones in 1993.
posted by box at 5:19 AM - 13 comments

The days of the calendar differ. But it intrigues me that there is a wide swathe of the world which celebrates a holiday marked by sweets, blurred boundaries between the living and the dead, votive candles or bonfires, and costumes. How much can we really know about things like this — cultural patterns which might share a common origin in the distant past, but which have no documented historical connection? from A very deep history of Halloween [ResObscura]
posted by chavenet at 1:36 AM - 11 comments

Tobias (Electrotrucker) quit his job to move to driving electric trucks. Here, he shares the experience of a working week spent driving loads around Germany and Austria in a Scania 40R . We see some of the attractions and some of the challenges. Dubbed in English from the original German.
posted by rongorongo at 1:15 AM - 5 comments

The Fall band talk 'Grotesque'! : the John Robb interview The former members of The Fall have taken control of their back catalogue with a novel rerelease schedule that recreates classic albums with live versions of tracks. They talk to John Robb about this and how they wrote the songs in the first place, dealing with the legacy and working with Mark E Smith. Interview by John Robb with Marc Riley, Craig Scanlon, Paul Hanley and Steve Hanley [more inside]
posted by maupuia at 1:03 AM - 2 comments

Meet Kirsty, Betty and Desmond — the giant rats fighting the illegal animal trade. Scientists say their research shows the rats have a similar sense of smell to dogs, but they're able to fit in tighter spaces.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:35 PM - 9 comments

Combing through excavation material from Mount Zion in Jerusalem, lab director Gretchen Cotter noticed something unusual on an Abbasid-era clay jug
posted by ShooBoo at 9:28 PM - 16 comments

...because I was in a mood:

Blossom Dearie -- Lucky To Be Me [more inside]
posted by y2karl at 4:10 PM - 30 comments

Nationwide, just over a million children, mostly girls, participate in cheer each year (some estimates are even higher), more than the number who play softball or lacrosse. And almost every part of that world is dominated by a single company: Varsity Spirit. It’s hard to cheer at the youth, high school or collegiate level without putting money in the company’s pocket. from How Cheerleading Became So Acrobatic, Dangerous and Popular [NY Times Magazine; ungated] [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 2:08 PM - 21 comments

Poop on Pelosi's desk, a neo-Nazi tiki torch: Mysterious statues are popping up in D.C. Whoever the mystery artist/artists are, they are adding to their collection. [more inside]
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:12 PM - 19 comments

The following file is undergoing active Ethics Committee investigation for violation of the SCP Foundation's Code of Conduct. Information contained therein may not accurately reflect reality and this document should not be considered a reliable source. [more inside]
posted by Why Is The World In Love Again? at 9:55 AM - 12 comments

A balloon that goes where it wants by choosing an air current (if I understand correctly!). Knowledge rather than force; an interesting way to deal with the world. Also, shiny.
posted by clew at 9:45 AM - 11 comments

Mary River cod log trial an absolute dream come true with endangered species already moving in. Using underwater endoscopes, researchers have already discreetly filmed the freshwater cod taking refuge in several of the new purpose-built habitats.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 9:37 AM - 1 comment

Why family medicine in Canada is dying (slTheWalrus) More Canadian healthcare fun inside! [more inside]
posted by Kitteh at 8:45 AM - 63 comments

A sweeping historical-theoretical overview of the ideology of Zionism. Jake Romm: Elements of Anti-Semitism - The limits of Zionism (Parapraxis Magazine) : "David Ben-Gurion before him, the father of the nation, said: “Call me an antisemite, but I have to say it …We are choked with shame from what is going on in Germany, Poland, and America, that Jews do not dare fight back. Can we not be brave anywhere in the world?…We do not belong to that Jewish people. We do not want to be that sort of Jew.” [more inside]
posted by kmt at 7:30 AM - 14 comments

What's so special about the human brain? A popular science article from Nature with fancy statistical graphics about the distinguishing features of the human brain.
posted by Alex404 at 7:12 AM - 10 comments

An artwork is merely a physical token that represents ownership of a ledger entry, and ownership of an artwork is ownership of a security interest in an artist’s brand. from Why I Sued the SEC by Bryan L. Frye [Right-Click-Save] [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 2:18 AM - 54 comments

Generic Entertainment is the YouTube channel of Nathaniel Beardsley. He's best known for short genre-related comedy videos, like the Two Types series (fantasy worldbuilders, sci-fi worldbuilding, alt-history worldbuilding), making fun of specific fans (Dune fans, Wheel of Time fans, hard SF fans, Lord of the Rings fans) and one offs (If Contemporary Fiction Was Written Like Science Fiction, If Toxic Authors Made Video Essays, If Subatomic Particles Could Talk). But he also does indepth book reviews, such as Small Gods, Left Hand of Darkness, Pattern Recognition and Satyricon. But there are a lot more videos.
posted by Kattullus at 2:06 AM - 5 comments

Goose barnacles resembling udon noodles surprise beachgoers south of Adelaide. Beachgoers have been left confused by the unusual sight of thousands of tendril-like stalks attached to shells that washed up on a three-metre column, south of Adelaide (South Australia).
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:06 PM - 13 comments

"The word kishōtenketsu itself defines the four parts that make up the narrative structure it describes, combining the words for each: ki, shō, ten, and ketsu." [more inside]
posted by cupcakeninja at 6:14 PM - 7 comments

Saoirse Ronan shuts down the room on the Graham Norton show.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:23 PM - 54 comments

President Biden issues ‘formal apology’ on behalf of Indian Boarding School Policy

Biden called the 150-year boarding school era “one of the most horrific chapters in American history” and is the first U.S. President to issue an apology. “After 150 years the United States government eventually stopped the program, but the federal government has never, never formally apologized for what happened until today. I formally apologize as President of the United States of America for what we did. I formally apologize. That’s long overdue,” Biden said. “Quite frankly there’s no excuse for this apology that took 150 years to make. The federal Indian Boarding School policy, the pain it has caused, will always be a significant mark of shame, a blot, on American history.”

[more inside]
posted by brook horse at 12:48 PM - 10 comments

When you meet these people, most of the time, you’re going to be disappointed. Either because they’re mean, or they’re just not like what you thought they were going to be like. The Hollywood publicity machine creates a certain image, and it’s very rare to meet a celebrity who is genuinely an amazing, brilliant, kind, humane person to everyone all the time. from What It’s Like Being a Billionaire’s Personal Assistant [The Cut; ungated]
posted by chavenet at 12:35 PM - 63 comments

Teri Garr, the quirky comedy actor who rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star of such favorites as “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” has died. She was 79. [more inside]
posted by Ideefixe at 12:03 PM - 107 comments

Admire the musical chops of Band-Maid - from now on (thx Thorzdad), the kawaii metal vibes of Antimental by STMLT, this live version of Angel Eyes by Spiritbox, in case you missed it when it came out, Nita Strauss - The Wolf You Feed ft. Alissa White-Gluz, and let's end with the growls of Killing Spree - Snake Chamber.
posted by signal at 12:01 PM - 4 comments

Uncovering the mysteries of the deep with a little help from AI. The artificial intelligence used for passport facial scanning is now helping Australian conservationists track elusive sea turtles.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:58 AM - 1 comment

"Something arcane is afoot at Queen’s College Cambridge! Possibly it’s the prestigious conference, with visitors from around the country. Or it could be the 450-year-old monarch, waiting in the dim chapel for someone to listen to her. A novella-length meander into Dark Academia." writes E. Saxey of their fantasy novella "On the English Approach to the Study of History", published last year. "I like the juxtaposition: on the top, petty academic squabbles and bad conference catering; underneath, ancient things, growing monstrous." [more inside]
posted by brainwane at 7:51 AM - 8 comments

"There are many things we can do to reduce our risk of developing dementia. Several research studies have concluded that physical activity is one of the best ways to reduce risk significantly. For example, after analyzing 16 studies on exercise and dementia, the Alzheimer’s Society found that regular exercise reduces the risk of developing dementia by 28 percent and, specifically, AD by 45 percent."
posted by cupcakeninja at 4:21 AM - 61 comments

All media becomes lost without intervention. It only stays at our fingertips if it’s archived, often by librarians and historians, but also amateurs. Preservation is connected to curiosity, a deeply human emotion found in everything from Marco Polo traversing the globe to Lostwavers trawling through old radio archives. Lost media movements are a beautiful testament to humanity’s love for details, chasing the unknown, and writing the history of things once deemed throwaways. from Needles in Haystacks: The Lostwave Story [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 1:32 AM - 9 comments

Shirtless lessons from the king of getting everyone else all hot and bothered. By Jazmine Hughes for The Cut.
posted by latkes at 10:57 PM - 7 comments

Baby crocodile walks 2km [1.2 miles] to remote Aboriginal community in search of water. Remote residents were taken aback to discover a baby crocodile in a woman's front yard. [more inside]
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:10 PM - 4 comments

In a new peer-reviewed study, Ne'Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson outlined 10 ways to solve the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry, including a proof they discovered in high school. As published in American Mathematical Monthly: "We present five trigonometric proofs of the Pythagorean theorem, and our method for finding proofs (Section 5) yields at least five more."
posted by ShooBoo at 8:12 PM - 15 comments

Bad Bunny [:] “I will never forget what Donald Trump did, and what he did not do, when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader. He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.” [hollywoodreporter]
posted by HearHere at 2:21 PM - 142 comments

2024 All Fair Hair Team | Minnesota State Fair, from Pulltab Sports. See also 2024 Minnesota State High School All Hockey Hair Team Presented by Duke Cannon and 2023; 2022; 2021; 2020; 2019; 2018; 2017; & 2016 [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 12:30 PM - 6 comments

What it says on the tin. I'm not sure where I picked this up from this morning, and when I went to check I see it somehow was not MeFi, where I suppose it would be topical, and a perhaps welcome distraction from some other current events.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 11:33 AM - 62 comments