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"I have unironically spent hours playing this game"
What this thing is, is an artifact of the sharpening that these apply to the video, where there can become sort of ripples in high-contrast areas. And when you point a camcorder at a TV, there is a lot of high contrast going on. It creates almost terrain-like structures, and if you hold the camera at the right angle, it sort of looks like you're flying through them. It's like a flight simulator, and it's really neat and very weird [...] So yeah, just turn on the TV, make sure it's on the right channel and junk, and then just point your camcorder at the TV, and you'll get a magical game.YouTuber @DeclanDoesCameraThings explains how to turn a vintage camcorder into a hypnotic makeshift fractal flight simulator.
Conserving Energy in a Conservative Town
The Morris Model
Morris, Minnesota is a rural town of about 5,200 in the western part of the state. TFG had a 22% advantage in the county in the 2020 presidential election.
But starting with a solar-powered municipal liquor store, a parthership of academic, civic, and governmental agencies has brought renewable energy and waste management to the town. Over 100 projects were brainstormed, and about half of those have been implemented.
How to Get Better at Finance in Six (?) Easy Steps
I want to spend a year getting REALLY good at managing my finances and understanding money. What should I read/learn? Snowflakes inside.
Listening to Taylor Swift in Prison
Our only source of music was a borrowed pocket radio, hooked up to earbuds that cost three dollars at the commissary. At night, we’d crank up the volume and lay the earbuds on the desk in our cell. Those tiny speakers radiated crickety renditions of Top Forty hits. During that time, I heard tracks from “Red,” Swift’s fourth studio album, virtually every hour. I was starting to enjoy them. [The New Yorker]
This game makes me feel very seen.
Tourist To Your Own Culture By Veerender Singh Jubbal [Gamespot]
“Venba is a game that has been on my radar since its announcement trailer was released in 2020. It comes from a mainly South Asian development team, with its aesthetics, character designs, and sound design drawing its inspiration from the culture to tell a story about a South Asian family trying to reclaim and archive their own underrepresented culture after immigrating to Canada. It is an incredibly ambitious title to pursue when many video games do not try to engage with having cultures or identities outside of the white/western represented. Venba is about trying to figure out your own identity (or sometimes lack thereof) in an all-new environment. This new environment is not kind or accommodating to people who are not considered white, and if you are underrepresented from a culture of color you are swayed and forced to assimilate, leaving what made you unique behind to survive this new place.” [Game Trailer][YouTube]
"It was perfect!"
Simone Giertz visits Mohammad Waheed, a syrian toymaker, for the UNHCR series "We Were Here".
Sip it good
The weather’s getting warmer so I’ve been thinking about fruit soups… We have three soups in regular rotation - watermelon gazpacho, honeydew mint, and a sweet strawberry yogurt soup. I’d love some more! Could be sweet or savory or spicy or…?
Are there self-adhesive motion sensor hallway lights that actually work?
Family is now on a third brand of motion detecting hallway lights similar to these for an elderly relative’s hallway and stairway. All of them are crap - either eating through batteries or the switch suddenly doesn’t work leaving us with a dead light. Has anyone had a consistent positive experience with any brand or model? Requirements are motion detecting, pointing down only so said relative doesn’t get blinded while walking, bright enough to light 2-3 steps each, and no wires or cords, which would add to the tripping hazards. At this point, I’m ok with something we have to mount with screws, tho self sticking is preferred.
50 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time
Another list to argue about! What does Esquire Magazine know about sci-fi? I don't know either, but have at it!
professional women were Type A at work and Type A at home
A typology of household cognitive labor activities:
anticipating a need, identifying options for filling it, deciding among the options, and monitoring the results. Research by sociologist Allison Daminger: in heterosexual couples, husbands who were project managers and surgeons exhibited strong executive function skills at work, but when at home, deferred to their wives' superior ability to plan and think ahead. (Definitely overlapping but not identical to MeFi's emotional labor discussions (the o.g. 2015 thread)!)
Fun outings for visitors with limited mobility
"When I am skimming through the various San Francisco related subreddits, there’s one kind of post guaranteed to get me commenting. It’s when someone asks for tips on where to bring their relatives who are elderly and frail and coming for a visit. The responses are almost uniformly ridiculous." Wheelchair user and disability activist Liz Henry breaks down eight assumptions, and offers ten suggestions for "Fun outings for visitors with limited mobility" plus five ideas for at-home activities.
"our duty of care outweighs such emotional considerations"
"We believe close partners should be candid with each other when misunderstandings occur. As such, we wish to respond to certain inaccurate statements made today by British officials and media regarding our archaeological activities." From MeFi's own adrianhon, a short science fiction story: "The Taking of Stonehenge".
Practising clarinet woes
Am I struggling with cognitive speed and if yes, can I improve it?
I don't understand what's going on but this is cool as hell
The Barnacle Goose Experiment is an abiogensis (wikipedia yeah I didn't know either) body horror idle clicker by Everest Rose Pipkin where you play as a researcher in a biodome tasked with generating a world out of their own body. There is sound so you may want to mute the browser tab.
Solo New Year's Travel
2 years of Covid and a bum knee forced me into being a homebody, and it's time to break out. But I'm stumped. So - I'm looking for a CHEAP idea for where to take myself for the week between Christmas and New Years'. Help?
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is finally complete
After 1500 or so edits, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a film that finally feels properly paced, looks stunning, and, after long last, no longer keeps the viewer at arm’s length.
How Did You, a Formerly Low-Energy Person, Become a High-Energy Person?
I've always been a low-energy person. I would like to feel more energetic. I'm looking for practical ideas for for how to manage this transition. More details about myself inside, but I'd also be happy to have general suggestions.
Salman Toor
Lahore born, NYC based, Salman Toor is quickly becoming one of the most recognizable painters working today.
Recently profiled in The New Yorker, Salman Toor is not just having a moment but a long series of them.
Good resources for setting goals?
I'm looking for some good resources for setting goals. I feel kind of driftless in my life. I work, I help take care of my kids, and at the end of the day I have a little bit of energy to watch TV with my wife before we go to bed. I don't feel like I'm really working towards anything, and that's resulted in me feeling a void in my life. Are there any good resources you can think of to facilitate identifying what a person's goals in life could/should be?
Tell me about your post-work rituals.
I'd like to develop a post-work habit or ritual for as soon as I arrive home. Something that will send a signal to my brain that "work is over, and now you're home." What habits, rituals or environmental changes have worked well for you?
Fiction books to take my mind off a breakup
An intense romantic relationship I was in recently ended and I’m feeling pretty crushed. I’d like to immerse myself in a novel or short stories to get out of my own head. The book should not be about a romantic relationship.
Resources for learning about topics such as handy work and camping
I would like to learn about home maintenance/improvement, landscaping/gardening, and camping/being outdoors. Please recommend good resources for learning about any of these.
Your incredibly absorbing summer reads, omnivore edition 2022
I'm on staycation in a week and want to spend a good part of my time in my backyard, off the internet and social media, with my nose jammed into a book that I can't put down. Y'all have steered me right before and now I'm asking you to do it again.
More wholesome relaxation?
How do you relax at home after a long day without the involvement of screens and cheap dopamine?
Best Winter Camping That Isn’t Wintery? (US edition)
I want to beat the winter blues by planning a hiking/camping trip somewhere sunny in Feb 2023. What are your top suggestions?
Produce Overload
I got a produce box from the local library today with more food than I can eat (they're for everyone, but sized for families). I have ideas for some stuff, but not others.
strapless bra SOS
What's new in the world of comfortable strapless bras for people with large breasts?
The source of all flowers is a stunning manuscript page.
At Islamic Illumination, UK-based Saudi artist Dr. Esra Alhamal hosts the annual Golden Flower Art Challenge! See everyone's completed flowers on Instagram! This year's floral templates are inspired by Mughal manuscript borders. Previous templates included Turkish plates in 2021 and Safavid Iranian textiles in 2020. And, as Dr. Alhamal says, have a creative Ramadan!
the solace of sound
Arooj Aftab, who recently became the first Pakistani woman to be nominated for a Grammy, did a stunningly lovely and tranquil NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert in convent in Brooklyn late last year, singing in Urdu with a chamber ensemble that includes Celtic harpist Maeve Gilchrist, classical guitarist Gyan Riley, violinist Darian Donovan Thomas, and bassist/synth player Shahzad Ismaily.
“The tools would lack something in sophistication”
Cow Tools (previously) is a cartoon from Gary Larson's The Far Side, published in October of 1982. Immediately upon the cartoon's publication Chronicle Features was inundated with queries from readers and newspaper editors seeking an explanation of the cartoon. According to the general manager of Chronicle Features, “the phone never stopped ringing for two days.” “So many people didn’t get it that “Far Side” creator Gary Larson drafted a statement Thursday afternoon, explaining the cartoon’s meaning.”
Today’s internet has finally caught up with Larson’s imagination. A growing flood of cow tools memes has helped modern readers explore the uncharted depths of a 39 year old cartoon: Getting cow tools off the streets. “I guess you’re not ready for that one yet.” For sale: cow tools, barely worn. “hey kid. wanna buy some cow tools.” When mom finds the cow tools. “now I know you were the cow and I was the tool.” “I’d like to borrow two dollars” kicks off a survey thread from Konstantin Boristovich. Readers are “ecstatic to discover there's a FB group dedicated to churning out Cow Tools memes regularly.”
Short Films, Science Fiction Edition
DUST is a YouTube channel featuring short science fiction films. They post a new film every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Most are live action, some pure CGI, and there are a few animated films as well.
Wild swimming in the US
I'm desperately craving swimming outside off an uncrowded and clean beach or a desolate lake that's not so cold that I would need a wetsuit. Happy to hike up to 5 miles to get to such a paradise, but these days in should be in the continental US. Does it exist anymore? What are your recommendations?
Where to go for a hike-and-dine weekend trip in Northern California?
I'm planning a last-minute weekend getaway, a couple hours' drive north or northeast from the San Francisco area (mid Peninsula). We like moderately strenuous hiking, but also want to stay in a hotel and eat dinner at a nice restaurant afterwards. Where should we go?
Greatest podcast episodes of all time
There are simply too many podcasts these days and not enough time in the day. I would like to create a curated playlist of single podcast episodes. Please share with me what you consider to be your favorites. Any genre will do. Any emotion arising after listening will do. All that matters is that I optimize the little time I have and fill my ears with amazing single podcast episodes.
Immensely more interesting than both Chrono Trigger and Persona 4
"Tokimeki Memorial profound 1995-ish narrative tricks genuinely brought me to actual tears, as a 41-year-old man, living in the year 2020. And these were no simple tears. These were weird, deeply interesting tears. Look at the length of this video, buddy. That's how long it's going to take for me to describe these tears." Tim Rogers reviews Tokimeki Memorial.
What do you know about octopuses?
Please tell me the most interesting facts you know about octopuses.
The Winterqueen's Gambit
That Netflix Show may have created a bit of a chess craze in 2020, but back in the fall of 1995 four young chess enthusiasts toured the country, playing the game against thousands of opponents night after night, relaxing between moves by playing some music. After winning the first game, the young men, Jonathon, Michael, Page and Ernest, resigned after losing their queen during the second game at Madison Square Garden on New Years Eve. Yesterday, nearly 25 years after that crushing defeat, in a video featuring noted chess historian Dale Rook, ChD, and a chess playing cat, the four now middle-aged men have demanded a rematch, to be played on-line this New Year's Eve.
Keeping holidays special in COVID-19
I'm sure this must have been asked before, but I can't find anything quite like it, so: my family will not be celebrating Thanksgiving/Hanukkah/Christmas in person, but I'd like to still do something that feels special and tradition-y while celebrating virtually. I'm happy to do some legwork to make this work, so i'd like to start prepping now. What ideas do y'all have?
Imagine putting Fall Guys in a blender with John Carpenter’s The Thing
In Among Us (Windows/iOS/Android), you’re part of a crew working together to complete tasks across a station, but 1-3 players are impostors looking to sabotage the team’s efforts, ideally killing everyone in the process (yes, like Mafia). To survive, the crew needs to figure out who the impostors are. Despite launching in 2018, the game took two years before exploding in popularity, largely thanks to a Twitch stream that went viral. Among Us has inspired plenty of fan art, and is so successful (1.5 million concurrent players!) the devs have cancelled the sequel to focus on the original game.
I want to be a therapist
I want to be a therapist/counsellor, and I've started reading, and planning. If you are a therapist/counsellor can you give me any advice or tips on starting out?
A Cozy Management Game About Dying
Natalie Flores on Spiritfarer, a heartbreaking and heartwarming meditation on life where the player becomes “a ferry master to the deceased whose job is to help them pass on to the afterlife. By caring for them and helping them fulfill their wishes, you allow the spirits to wrap up the loose ends in their lives that otherwise keep them from achieving peace.”
🦄 💩 🌩️🦖🦕: How the Littlest Communicators Use Emoji
"A couple of months ago, NPR reporter Lulu Miller tweeted a question. She knew a 5-year-old who was texting exclusively in emoji, and wondered if were there any studies about kids, too young to read, who used emoji to communicate. People wouldn't stop tagging me in the thread, but we couldn't find any existing studies, so I decided to run a survey and make a small corpus of my own." Gretchen McCulloch, author of Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language: Children Are Using Emoji for Digital-Age Language Learning (WIRED).
My story will be that John Harvard gave it to me.
The first real symptoms were not mine, but my cat’s. Miette, who kisses me on the lips each morning to see if I have become food yet, became deathly ill with a stomach virus two days after my return; my other cats soon contracted it as well. I know what you’re thinking, but please let my husband have this. It pleases him so much to believe that our cats might have had coronavirus “before those cats in Belgium”.
Patricia Lockwood writes a plague diary for the London Review of Books: “Insane after coronavirus?”
Patricia Lockwood writes a plague diary for the London Review of Books: “Insane after coronavirus?”
How Lucy and Desi changed the TV landscape
"CBS wasn’t sure the country was ready for an interracial television sitcom about a fiery American redhead and a Cuban fellow. To quell the studio's concerns, Ball and Arnaz formed their own company and became their own bosses, producing the I Love Lucy show on their own and selling it to CBS." Screen Prism goes on to note that the couple's refusal to shoot inferior quality kinescope (The Jerry Lewis Show 1960 Color Videotape and B&W Kinescope Comparison), set them up to invent the rerun when Lucy was pregnant (Terrence Moss blog). Desilu Productions (Wikipedia) went on to become the the second biggest independent TV production companies of the time. The Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (Wikipedia) lead to The Untouchables [intro], and set up The Twilight Zone with the episode "The Time Element." Also, Lucille Ball is the reason we have 'Star Trek' (Business Insider), another Desilu production.
Looks for books featuring women + folk tale/myth retelling
I've found a formula that really works for me in fiction: strong women characters + a retelling of mythology or folk tales. Some good examples include Circe by Madeline Miller and Spinning Silver and Uprooted by Naomi Novik. What else should I try? Other elements I'm into but are of secondary importance to what I listed above:
witchcraft (women coming into their power), a story that weaves together separate narrative threads mid-way through the book, and longitudinal looks at people's lives. I'm not into hetero romance so much, but I'll put up with a little bit of it if I must. I don't want it to be the main event. Whatcha got?
Family friendly games on Steam
My wife got me a Steam giftcard for Father's Day to buy games to play with my almost 4 and 5-year-old kids. With the Steam Summer Sale ongoing, I'm looking for recommendations on things to buy and play.
Alicia Keys -- Tiny Desk Concert
If you want to be Happy, if you want to feel Joy, if you want a blast of Pure Art and Beauty, see this video.
I'd never heard her name prior to seeing this Tiny Desk Concert mentioned on Kottke.org but I trust that most Tiny Desk Concerts are at least interesting and often spectacular. (Hello Adele.) So I staggered over there yesterday afternoon and my internet connection kept flopping so I downloaded it, watched it just before going out on my bicycle ride, couple hours ago. Alicia Keys had tears coming down my cheeks, just such a great artist. She's beautiful but that's easy, what's not easy is her kind of beautiful, smiles that make it all the way into her eyes. And her band absolutely kicks ass.