A daily miasma of frivolity by two wanna-be cultural critics. Or: just, like, some good links, dude.

Tag Archives: news

Feb 19 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Western canon to be rewritten as three-volume graphic novel

Western canon to be rewritten as three-volume graphic novel

Alison Flood, The Guardian:

From The Epic of Gilgamesh to Infinite Jest via Dante, Dangerous Liaisons and Dubliners, the western canon is set to be turned into a 1,344-page, three-volume graphic novel.

The ambitious project from New York press Seven Stories is being hailed as the “graphic publishing literary event of the year”. Each of the 189 works of literature covered is being interpreted by a comics artist, with 130 illustrators contributing to the project including Robert Crumb, Will Eisner and Hunt Emerson. The first volume of The Graphic Canon – “From The Epic of Gilgamesh to Shakespeare to Dangerous Liaisons” – is out in April, to be followed by the second (“Kubla Khan to the Brontë Sisters to The Picture of Dorian Gray”) in July and the third (“From Heart of Darkness to Hemingway to Infinite Jest”) in October.

My original reaction to this was going to be “what the dickens,” but then I realized what I did there and shot myself.

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Feb 17 2012
Mark Twain, probably

83 year-old woman got 3D printed mandible

83 year-old woman got 3D printed mandible

3ders.org translation of a story from the Dutch newspaper De Pers:

The University of Hasselt (Belgium) announced today that Belgian and Dutch scientists have successfully replacing a lower jaw with a 3D printed model for a 83 year-old woman. According to the researchers, It is the first custom-made implant in the world to replace an entire lower jaw.

The lower jaw of the elderly woman was badly infected and needed to be removed. Considering the age of the patient, a “classical” microsurgical reconstructive surgery takes too long time and can be risky. Therefore a tailor-made implant is the best choice.

Normally it takes a few days to produce a custom implant, but with 3D printing technology it takes only a few hours.

Medicine is one of the most exciting applications of 3D printers.

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Feb 16 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Resident Evil ‘Revelaitons’ misprint makes it to retail

Resident Evil ‘Revelaitons’ misprint makes it to retail

JC Fletcher for Joystiq:

Capcom made an embarrassing printing error on the spine of the Resident Evil: Revelations box sent to reviewers — one made more embarrassing by the “revelaiton” today that it’s still on the version of the art sent to retailers in advance of Tuesday’s release.

Reader Zach shared this picture of the stock at the Prescott, AZ store, showing “Revelaitons” all the way down — Joystiq has since confirmed the error with the store.

Whoopsie!

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Feb 13 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Douglas County Assemblyman Kite wants to bring back ‘Brianna’s Law’ for 2013 Legislature

Douglas County Assemblyman Kite wants to bring back ‘Brianna’s Law’ for 2013 Legislature

One of the most contentious crimes in recent Nevada history was the murder of Brianna Denison, a young woman who was killed by serial rapist James Biela. In response to the case, a bill dubbed “Brianna’s Law,” which would require anyone arrested on suspicion of a felony (not necessarily convicted) to have their DNA sampled, was introduced in the Nevada Legislature in 2011. It blasted through the Assembly, but it wasn’t taken up by the full Senate largely because of privacy and financial concerns. Samantha Stone wrote up a long piece on the bill for Nevada News Channel if this actually interests you.

The Nevada legislature meets only every other year, so the next time the bill can be reintroduced is 2013. According to Reno Gazette-Journal political reporter Ray Hagar, Assemblyman Kelly Kite of Minden plans to do just that if he’s re-elected:

“My grandson is in Afghanistan right now and they took his fingerprints and DNA and he will never have a chance to get that taken out of the file,” Kite said. “If you are arrested for a felony, I don’t see where you would have more rights than someone defending our country.”

Hey jackass, maybe we should just not treat our veterans like shit, how about that.

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Feb 11 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Ohio building with ties to Wright brothers eroding

Ohio building with ties to Wright brothers eroding

Lisa Cornwell for the AP:

The [Wright] brothers rented space for their first [bicycle] shop from 1892 to 1893 at the site where a vacant building now stands, according to Edward Roach, historian with the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

The city-owned structure — the Gem City Ice Cream Co. building — contains three exterior walls of the two-story building that housed the brothers’ shop, said Roane Smothers, principal planner for Dayton and part of its Landmark Commission staff.

Dayton officials say demolition of the Gem City building might be necessary because it is falling apart and attempts to find someone to provide the money and a viable plan to rehabilitate it have been unsuccessful.

Sad story, but as you can see from the photos accompanying the article, the building is in serious disrepair.

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Feb 10 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Josefina Vazquez Mota bids to become Mexico’s first female president

Josefina Vazquez Mota bids to become Mexico’s first female president

The Telegraph:

Josefina Vazquez Mota, a 51-year-old economist, became the first female presidential candidate from any of Mexico’s major parties when she convincingly won the National Action Party’s primary.

Excellent.

Mrs Vazquez Mota said that she had experienced sexism first-hand during her campaign.

“One of the hardest questions I have been asked is ‘How will you manage the army if you are having menstrual cramps?’” she told a Mexican newspaper.

What.

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Feb 07 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Ninth Circuit rules Prop 8 is unconstitutional

Ninth Circuit rules Prop 8 is unconstitutional

Fantastic news. Here’s Jillian Rayfield of TPM on what’s next for the legal challenge to the 2008 California ballot measure which disallowed same-sex couples from marrying:

Supporters of Prop 8 now have the chance to petition for rehearing en banc — which, if granted, would mean an eleven-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit would hear the case — or to appeal straight to the Supreme Court. The Ninth Circuit can also vote to hear an en banc appeal either way.

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Feb 05 2012
Mark Twain, probably

New Snub-Nosed Monkey Discovered, Eaten

New Snub-Nosed Monkey Discovered, Eaten

Rachel Kaufman for National Geographic News on October 27, 2010:

A new monkey species in Myanmar is so snub-nosed that rainfall is said to makes it sneeze—but that’s apparently the least of problems.

The only scientifically observed specimen (pictured above) had been killed by local hunters the time researchers found it—and was eaten soon after.

The Onion, May 18, 2005:

An international team of scientists conducting research in the Amazon River Basin announced the discovery of a formerly unknown primate species inhabiting a remote jungle area roughly 300 miles from Manaus Monday. According to scientists in Manaus, the new species, Ateles saporis, is “an amazing biological find” and “incredibly delectable.”

“We couldn’t be more thrilled!” German researcher Dr. Jerome Keller told reporters Tuesday. “Very few scientists are lucky enough to discover a new species, let alone a mammal with a palatability on par with a tender, juicy steak.”

“This is a seriously tasty creature,” Keller added.

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Feb 04 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Treasure hunter claims to have found $3 billion wreck

Treasure hunter claims to have found $3 billion wreck

Clarke Canfield, the Associated Press:

A treasure hunter said Wednesday he has located the wreck of a British merchant ship that was torpedoed by a German U-boat off Cape Cod during World War II while carrying what he claims was a load of platinum bars now worth more than $3 billion.

…

Treasure hunter Greg Brooks of Sub Sea Research in Gorham, Maine, announced that a wreck found sitting in 700 feet of water 50 miles offshore is that of the S.S. Port Nicholson, sunk in 1942.

He hasn’t brought up any platinum yet, though, and if he does there’ll surely be some kind of ownership dispute.

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Feb 02 2012
Mark Twain, probably

“Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius commits suicide

“Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius commits suicide

Sad news from Lauren Keiper, Jill Serjeant, and Piya Sinha-Roy of Reuters:

Don Cornelius, creator of the iconic TV music and dance show “Soul Train” that helped introduce Americans to black pop culture, died on Wednesday after shooting himself in the head, Los Angeles officials said.

…

Cornelius was born in 1936 in Chicago and as an adult, became a journalist who was active in the civil rights movement. For a time, he worked at local radio station WVON, and by the late 1960s he had dreamed up the idea of a TV show dedicated to the soulful sounds of African-American music.

“Soul Train” was born with the deep-voiced Cornelius as the host who gave hip kids of the ’70s what “American Bandstand” creator Dick Clark offered TV viewers in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll — a show mixing youth, music, fashion and pop culture.

Soul Train was an amazingly important show in the ’70s and ’80s. Did you know it ran until 2006? It did!

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