~metafilter | Bookmarks (957)

The human body is almost always at the centre of artist Joyce Lee's work, often transformed into psychedelic penis-shaped mushrooms or vulvic flowers exuding sticky pearls. These surreal metamorphoses move the viewer away from reality and into imaginary spaces, where desire and the body's experience of pleasure are the main focus. Over-the-top sexuality is combined with visual gags to lend the images a bizarre...

William Shakespeare on mass deportation, performed by Ian McKellan On May 1, 1517 — now referred to as Evil May Day — riots broke out in London as a response to an influx of immigrant workers. A young Sir Thomas More spoke to the crowd, and Shakespeare (a few decades later) wrote his version of that speech.A more polished version can be found here...

The Facebook of Margery Kempe.Margery Kempe (c. 1373 – after 1438) was an English Christian mystic, known for writing through dictation The Book of Margery Kempe, a work considered by some to be the first autobiography in the English language. Her book chronicles her domestic tribulations, her extensive pilgrimages to holy sites in Europe and the Holy Land, as well as her mystical conversations with...

British Columbia goes to the polls [Global]. A rather complicated situation in BC: the old opposition party, BC United, quit (or at least its leader did)[CBC], and handed things over to the Conservatives. A bunch of BC United's candidates are running as independents [CBC]-- this includes five incumbents. So the Right-wing vote is split. Meanwhile, the Green Party seems to be doing okay (14%...

"Andy Capp is often dismissed as nothing but the exploits of a wife-beating drunk," Paul Slade says. "It deserves better." ... The Redemption of Andy Capp is an appreciation of Andy Capp's creator, Reg Smythe and his skills as a world-class cartoonist. There was far more to the strip than people realise today." [via mefi projects]

On the University of Michigan's DEI initiative. Nicholas Confessore (previously) reports on UM's diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy. (Gift link; X/Twitter thread introduction)A critical response by Dr. Tabbye Chavous, Vice Provost for Equity & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer. R/Professors discussion. In discussing his article, Confessore recommends two recent articles on state universities.

Earlier this week, Paramotorist Alex Lang was flying around the Giza plateau when he spotted an unexpected sight - a dog frolicking on of the Great Pyramid barking at birds. Don't worry, the dog proved they knew what they were doing!

How future-proofing Victoria's forests could help save the state's iconic emblem. A Victorian emblem — the lowland Leadbeater's possum — is dangerously close to extinction, with only a few dozen left in the wild in a small forest patch in the Yarra Ranges.

The update offered some improvements! I appreciated the vertical orientation of its scientific mode, because turning your phone sideways is so 2009; the continuing display of each operation (e.g., 217 ÷ 4 + 8) on the screen until I asked for the result; the unit-conversion mode, because I will never know what a centimeter is. But there also was a startling omission: The calculator's...

A Blood Moon (YT 16:29) - A Legend of Zelda short film about the war from the point of view of a bokoblin soldier, by Dan Weller. [trailer (YT 1:54)]

What happens when a 16thC manuscript page from the diary of Philip Henslowe (~1550 – 1616) is pushed in front of a math-wonk who a) recognises a problem in modulo arithmetic b) finds an error in the protocol? A card trick that stitches together Arts, STEM and edutainment.Henslowe who he? An impressario and producer "do you think it's funny?", owner of The Rose playhouse,...

The History of Red Hot, the Pioneering Social Change Organization, in 8 Great Songs Ahead of Transa, a new project for trans charities featuring Sade and André 3000, Red Hot founder John Carlin talks about wrangling Nirvana through Kurt Cobain's babysitter and accidentally releasing the first-ever Wilco song.

Ontario premier Doug Ford--who is really just a series of corporations in a skin suit--to send out $200 cheques to ALL Ontarians. The issue? Looks like he's planning to call an early provincial election not long after the cheques are sent out."Ontarians see right thorough these stunts," Stiles said, before calling the government "out of touch, out of gas, and clearly — out of...

Was Saizeriya really designed by a lost Italian who got trapped in a Japanese convenience store for days, subsisted on a highly modified Italian diet, then came out the other side with low cost yet tasty Italian food? Sadly the truth is much more mundane. from Saizeriya's Secret to Survival [Hidden Japan]See also: The Italian-American-Japanese (Mario) Effect

Doctor Fukushi Masaichi And The Art Of Preserving Tattooed Skin. Tattoos have different meanings across cultures, ranging from sacred symbols to marks of rebellion. In Japan, tattoos are part of a broader subculture called irezumi, an intricate form of body art with its own set of unique designs, imagery, and symbolism.

Queensland to trial koala doggy doors to reduce roadkill rates. A unique collaboration in south-east Queensland will introduce one-way escape hatches so the marsupials can travel to their breeding spots without doubling back into traffic.

Robert Roberson Will be Executed Because It's Legal to Execute Innocent People in the U.S. Tonight, Texas was scheduled to execute Robert Roberson, who would have been (will be?) the first person executed based on the shaken baby syndrome hypothesis.While at the time of this posting, it's unclear what will happen in Mr. Roberson's case, two things are clear: 1) individuals with strong claims...

Simon Stålenhag is a Swedish visual artist renowned for his beautiful, unsettling works combining pastoral landscapes and neglected, nostalgic locales with the striking presence of massive retro-futuristic technology. While most of his works come in the form of concept art, vignette series like Tales From the Loop (adapted into an underrated Amazon Prime anthology), and the occasional music video [previously], his most narratively compelling...

Toni Vaz, stuntwoman who started the NAACP Image Awards, dies at 101 "Beginning with uncredited roles in movies like "Tarzan, the Ape Man" (1959), in which she appeared opposite a roaring lion, she worked on more than 50 films and television shows, always as an extra or stuntwoman. Dangling from a helicopter, falling out a window or flying down the road in a runaway...

Constructed entirely of archival footage, the short documentary Balloon Boy tracks the news story via the breathless hours of coverage news channels across the world gave to the peculiar spectacle, both during the flight and long after the balloon had landed. Directed by the US filmmakers Arlin Golden and Brian Gersten, and produced by the US filmmaker Nathan Truesdell, who is known for tragicomic...

"She sparked a movement and changed the face of pay equity forever" [ap] rest in peace Lilly Ledbetter

Student in Bristol, Britain finds scorpion crawling inside Shein parcel. Sofia Alonso-Mossinger found the creature in a bag of boots which she had ordered online.

Bots placed in chat room invent meme religion! (SL YouTube) Thank God they chose one of the more auspicious memes, and yes, I mean goatse.