Adorable Duet of the Day: Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie and Kermit the Frog perform “Life’s a Happy Song” — the opening number from the upcoming Muppets movie.
McKenzie, who served as The Muppets’ music supervisor, wrote and/or produced all of the movie’s original songs.
[toplessrobot.]
Happy song!
(via evangotlib)
Source: thedailywhat
Helicopters have been swarming lower Manhattan for three days straight. Four now outside my window, and these are not from the press. The metaphor of panopticon comes to mind. The constant rotar rumbling is psychological — there to remind citizens that they are watched. The implication here is that something “wrong” is happening at OWS. In reality its been peaceful protests — citizens doing their duty of voicing political dissent.
Hmm. One might think that in a Utopian environment Law Enforcement might try to encourage protest. It appears that with OWS Law Enforcement is whipping it into a frenzy with their ineptitude. What a depressing failure on their part.
Source: georgp
(via Kacper Kowalski aerial photography / zdjecia lotnicze Kacpra Kowalskiego)
Cool! Look at all the dimensions and negative space!
Source: kacperkowalski.pl
Since container ports are efficient, industry didn’t need to locate near them, and they became vast box parking lots in otherwise empty areas. The “left-behind” cities not only faced a loss of their port-based economies, but also saw their industrial base flee to the hinterland. Cities like New York and San Francisco had to rethink their entire raison d’etre, figure out what to do with abandoned shorelines, and reinvent themselves as centers of culture and information work.
Cool! Transitional economies based on container shipping! Who knew!
(via cacioppo)
Source: ribbonfarm.com
Source: oldhollywood
Boats, oars, night on Lake Champlain
Perkins Pier - November 13. 61 degrees F - 6:00PM
wnyc:
HOUSE FOR SALE
location: ANYWHERE—standing seam roof
—insulated, double pane windows with tempered glass
—removable and adjustable desk that can be lowered as a seat, or completely removed
—shower and low flush RV toilet
—1 bedroom (loft) with opening window and skylight
—closet with removable shelving
—kitchen: fridge/freezer, 2 burner stove top, sink, custom cabinets/drawers/shelving
—mini fireplace with dual exhaust (brings in air from outside)
—air conditioner$53,997
More photos here —A.P.
Source: tumbleweedhouses.com
Beautiful spade by Vermont Smith Lucian Avery of Hardwick
Artificial intelligence: Difference Engine: Luddite legacy | The Economist
In his analysis, Mr Ford noted how technology and innovation improve productivity exponentially, while human consumption increases in a more linear fashion. In his view, Luddism was, indeed, a fallacy when productivity improvements were still on the relatively flat, or slowly rising, part of the exponential curve. But after two centuries of technological improvements, productivity has “turned the corner” and is now moving rapidly up the more vertical part of the exponential curve. One implication is that productivity gains are now outstripping consumption by a large margin.Another implication is that technology is no longer creating new jobs at a rate that replaces old ones made obsolete elsewhere in the economy. All told, Mr Ford has identified over 50m jobs in America—nearly 40% of all employment—which, to a greater or lesser extent, could be performed by a piece of software running on a computer. Within a decade, many of them are likely to vanish. “The bar which technology needs to hurdle in order to displace many of us in the workplace,” the author notes, “is much lower than we really imagine.”OK, The Economist is now trying to discuss a fact that we futurists have been talking about for many years: technology will, as it once did to farmers and later industrial workers, replace even knowledge workers and dramatically change our world (again). Unemployment will therefore be relatively high until we redefine what we mean by employment or have gone through the structural and value changes that comes from reorganizing society around a different center of gravity than the traditional factory modelled institution.
As a futurist I am of course wondering: is it now time to leave these issues to the politicians and change our focus to things more far ahead into the future…?
A drastic reorganization of society when we agree that the purpose of life is not toil, but art?
Yes. Art.
Source: futuramb
Scientists discover most relaxing tune ever
Sound therapists and Manchester band Marconi Union compiled the song. Scientists played it to 40 women and found it to be more effective at helping them relax than songs by Enya, Mozart and Coldplay.
Weightless works by using specific rhythms, tones, frequencies and intervals to relax the listener. A continuous rhythm of 60 BPM causes the brainwaves and heart rate to synchronise with the rhythm: a process known as ‘entrainment’. Low underlying bass tones relax the listener and a low whooshing sound with a trance-like quality takes the listener into an even deeper state of calm.
Dr David Lewis, one of the UK’s leading stress specialists said: “‘Weightless’ induced the greatest relaxation – higher than any of the other music tested. Brain imaging studies have shown that music works at a very deep level within the brain, stimulating not only those regions responsible for processing sound but also ones associated with emotions.”
The study - commissioned by bubble bath and shower gel firm Radox Spa - found the song was even more relaxing than a massage, walk or cup of tea. So relaxing is the tune, apparently, that people are being Rex advised against listening to it while driving.
The top 10 most relaxing tunes were: 1. Marconi Union - Weightless 2. Airstream - Electra 3. DJ Shah - Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix) 4. Enya - Watermark 5. Coldplay - Strawberry Swing 6. Barcelona - Please Don’t Go 7. All Saints - Pure Shores 8. AdelevSomeone Like You 9. Mozart - Canzonetta Sull’aria 10. Cafe Del Mar - We Can Fly
Source: shortlist.com
Technoccult: Nassim Nicholas Taleb: End Bonuses for Bankers
it’s time for a fundamental reform: Any person who works for a company that, regardless of its current financial health, would require a taxpayer-financed bailout if it failed should not get a bonus, ever. In fact, all pay at systemically important financial institutions — big banks, but also…
Hedge Fund wizard with a good idea
Source: technoccult
Ye olde sugar shack.
