LLAP

"Tuning '77"

"Tuning '77" - a seamless audio supercut of an entire year of the Grateful Dead tuning their instruments, live on stage.

Chronologically sequenced, this remix incorporates every publicly available recording from 1977, examining the divide between audience expectation and performance anxiety.

https://archive.org/details/gd1977-12-31_505

FW: Breaking News: Leonard Nimoy, Spock of 'Star Trek,' Dies at 83

| BREAKING NEWS ALERT NYTimes.com | Unsubscribe

BREAKING NEWS Friday, February 27, 2015 12:12 PM EST

Leonard Nimoy, Spock of 'Star Trek,' Dies at 83 Leonard Nimoy, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut "Star Trek," died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83. His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Mr. Nimoy announced last year that he had the disease, which he attributed to years of smoking, a habit he had given up three decades earlier. He had been hospitalized earlier in the week. READ MORE » http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/arts/television/leonard-nimoy-spock-of-star-trek-dies-at-83.html?emc=edit_na_20150227

  

Bible into LOLCat speak

Not sure if you've seen this already, but apparently people on the internet have way too much time on their hands and decided to "translate" the Bible into LOLCat speak.  It's kinda impressive, while kinda pathetic at the same time.

Sample:

1 Ceiling Cat iz mai sheprd (which is funni if u knowz teh joek about herdin catz LOL.)
 He givz me evrithin I need. 
2 He letz me sleeps in teh sunni spot 
 an haz liek nice waterz r ovar thar. 
3 He makez mai soul happi
 an maeks sure I go teh riet wai for him. Liek thru teh cat flap insted of out teh opin windo LOL. 
4 I iz in teh valli of dogz, fearin no pooch,
 bcz Ceiling Cat iz besied me rubbin' mah ears, an it maek me so kumfy. 
5 He letz me sit at teh taebl evn when peepl who duzint liek me iz watchn. 
 He givz me a flea baff an so much gooshy fud it runz out of mai bowl LOL. 
6 Niec things an luck wil chase me evrydai
 an I wil liv in teh Ceiling Cats houz forevr.
 
 I'll never read Psalm 23 the same way again.

 http://www.lolcatbible.com/index.php

At start, no has lyte.

An Ceiling Cat sayz, i can haz lite? 

Happy Birthday, Abe Vigoda. Yes, he's still alive.

The actor is best known for playing Det. Phil Fish on TV's "Barney Miller" in the 1970s as well as Sal Tessio in "The Godfather." In the 1980s, People magazine mistakenly reported his death, and his status as alive or dead has turned into a pop culture joke over the years, perpetuated by the actor himself on late-night talk shows with David Letterman and Conan O'Brien.

And the Internet has taken up his cause, with the website www.abevigoda.com, for instance, which simply gives his life status.

Today, he's alive.

---

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/the-list/os-abe-vigoda-is-alive-and-hes-94-20150224-post.html

A Million Random Digits

 A Million Random Digits with 100,000 Normal Deviates is a 1955 random number book by the RAND Corporation. The book, consisting primarily of a random number table, was an important 20th century work in the field of statistics and random numbers.

At 1 min 11 seconds, the narrator in this video presents a fascinating "review" of the "plot."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y8Wa10Lm7c#t=75

Your useless trivia for the day

from IMDB's trivia section

---

 

Actor Dick Shawn is thought to be the first person to execute the iconic "High Five."

In the movie The Producers (1967) the character of Hitler (played by Shawn) sent for Goebbels (played by David Patch), and instead of putting his hand in front of him for the "give me five," Shawn held it up and Patch slapped it. It would not become popular until many years later.

Hippo Bacon

 

In the early years of the last century, the U.S. Congress considered a bold and ingenious plan that would simultaneously solve two pressing problems — a national meat shortage and a growing ecological crisis. The plan was this: hippopotamus ranching.

Hippos imported from Africa and raised in the bayous of Louisiana, proponents argued, would provide a delicious new source of protein for a meat-hungry nation. In the process, the animals would gobble up the invasive water hyacinth that was killing fish and choking off waterways. It would be an epic win-win. A bill was introduced in Congress, and newspaper editorials extolled the culinary virtues of "lake cow bacon."

---

full at

http://www.wired.com/2013/12/hippopotamus-ranching/

Dad is so tech-savvy

Computer-generated love poem for Feb 14th

Internet Classic

More than a little late, but more than a little funny...

=====

 

        LOVEMAKER V3.1
Welcome to the LoveMaker.  (v3.1 Erosoft Industries, (C) 1993)
At the prompt, please enter your response.
 
I am the LOVEMAKER. A personalized, interactive poetry assistance program.  What is your name?
>JOHN
 
What a nice name, JOHN.  You must be a man.
>YES
 
How nice for you.  Who is your poem for, JOHN?
>SHEILA
 
How nice for SHEILA.  She must be a woman?
>YES
 
SHEILA must be very special to you, JOHN.  Is she?
>YES
 
What is the occasion, JOHN?
>VALENTINE'S DAY
 
SHEILA is a very lucky woman.  I will need information about SHEILA for a poem that best reflects your deep feelings for her, JOHN.  What colour are her eyes?
>BLUE
 
Thank you, JOHN.  But could you be more specific?  Are they blue like the sky after a clearing storm?  Are they the icy blue of the far flung fjords, shrouded in mist and mystery?  Are they the steely blue of Walter Gropius's later Bauhaus sketchbooks?  Are they a cornflower blue that speaks of Sunday picnics in simpler times?
>THEY LOOK KIND OF GRAY WHEN SHE'S ANGRY
 
Thank you, JOHN.  What about SHEILA'S hair?
>BLOND
 
Thank you, JOHN.  But could you be more specific?  Is it ash blond with some auburn like the silky tresses of Rapunzel?  When the sun hits it in a certain way in the late afternoon does it look like spun gold?  Is it the hard, cheap blond of the streetwise trollop or the dazzling, brilliant satin of Renaissance cherubim?
>I THINK SHE DYES IT
 
Thank you, JOHN.  Are there any other characteristics we should mention in our poem to SHEILA?

JOHN, are you still there?
>SKIN
 
Thank you, JOHN.  But could you be more specific?  Is it fine and alabaster and tightly grained like antique porcelain, slow-fired by master craftsmen?  Or is it pink and lustrous like the hand-burnished silver one's Grandmother might be found polishing with gentle, loving strokes on a rainy Sunday afternoon?
>SHE TANS TWICE A WEEK
 
SHEILA must be very special to you, JOHN.  You must have deep feelings for SHEILA to write her a special VALENTINE'S DAY poem.
>YES
 
How nice for you, JOHN.  What kind of poem do you think SHEILA would like?
>?


My MENU offers the following styles.  At the prompt, please choose ONE:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Couplet | Triplet | Quatrain | Eclogue | Pastoral |  Sonnet  |  Elegy
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Epic    | Ballad  |  Lyric   |   Ode   |  Idyll   |  Haiku   |   ???
---------------------------------------------------------------------


>?
 
That's O.K., JOHN.  How do you see yourself?  Please choose ONE:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Laureate   |   Bard     |  Sonneteer   |  Troubadour  | Meistersinger
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Jongleur   |  Versifier |  Rhapsodist  |   Lyricist   |    Other
---------------------------------------------------------------------
>OTHER
 
Can you be more specific?
>I GUESS...


Perhaps if you briefly shared your innermost dreams and desires, JOHN?
>
>
>
>
JOHN?
>I'M THINKING
 
May I make a suggestion, JOHN?
>SURE


Perhaps you imagine yourself a hopeless romantic, JOHN.  A man who lives and loves with passion and desire and appetite.  A man who grabs great platters from the groaning board of this world and eats his fill. A man who takes what he wants the moment he sees it and makes it his own.  A man who kneads fate in his strong hands, shapes it and commands it.  A man with a reckless bent and the courage of fire.  A man who sees beauty in a raindrop and all the truth of the universe in the eyes of a child. A man with needs and wants aflame within him.  A man of power and means of influence, JOHN.  A man destined to be the envy of other men.  A man whom few can ever understand and fewer still will have the guts to love. A man of whom it might be said...
     Would that Alexander in his age
     had but half the measure
     of his strong stout heart
     or clear hawk's eyes undimmed and true,
     pooled with azure purpose.
     No earthbound mortal he,
     but master o'er each and all..
Would this describe your self-image accurately, JOHN?
>YES
 
I thought so.  I'll use my random SEARCH MODE to choose an appropriate style for you, JOHN.  One that truly expresses your deep feelings for SHEILA on VALENTINE'S DAY.  Please wait.  To print poem, please enter command Alt+P at prompt.
>Alt+P
 
 
        Dear SHEILA,
        Roses are red
        Violets are blue
        Your hair is blond
        and your eyes are gray (when angry)
                        JOHN

Thank you for using LOVEMAKER v3.1 from EROSOFT

Remember, it's the Year of the Sheep, so stop writing "Year of the Horse" on your checks.

 

Now *that's* a sandwich!

 

 

"Never eat anything bigger than your head."

  - Kliban 

The price of math illiteracy

 http://ifunny.co/fun/KjBYi0Mh2

The Westminster Dog Show Look-Alike Quiz

Some people believe dogs look like their owners. To put this theory to the test, we asked Fred R. Conrad to photograph Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show entrants with their prize pups. See if you can match the dog to its owner

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/02/16/sports/westminster-dog-show-quiz.html

And of course it comes tied up in a bag.

 

 

 Fifty Shades of Grey® Bear

http://www.vermontteddybear.com/SellGroup/fifty-shades-of-grey-bear-with-red-velvet-gift-packaging.aspx 

Seen on Twitter

 

Danny the Infidel:
North Korea is so absurd that I sometimes suspect it's an elaborate art installation.

Ye Olde Periodic Table

.

The long-lost Apollo 11 artifacts discovered in Neil Armstrong’s closet

That's one small step for man... and some small stuff for my pocket.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/02/09/the-long-lost-apollo-11-artifacts-discovered-in-neil-armstrongs-closet/

This Guy Built a Millennium Falcon Quadcopter and It’s Awesome

 

Quadcopter enthusiast Olivier_C transformed his RC helicopter into the iconic Millennium Falcon from Star Wars using polystyrene and LED lights. The builder posted the step-by-step process on reddit and Imgur.

Aside from the cost of the actual drone and radio, which he estimates at 1000€, the remaining materials were incredibly cheap: 10€ for the 2 foam planks and 12€ for the front and rear lights. The paint was leftover acrylic he had lying around and he used a few sticks of glue for the glue-gun (source). Due to the weight of the materials, Oliver says the top speed is barely 35% of what the raw quadcopter can do (90km/h+).

Below you will find progress pics of the build along with videos of the finished product in action. You can see the complete gallery on Imgur and find out more information on Olivier's other RC projects on RC Groups.

video (and more on the story):

http://twistedsifter.com/2015/02/the-millennium-falcon-quadcopter/

Dog Shampoo Instructions

Connect the Dolts.

 

Monty Python for Millennials

CUSTOMER: This content is dead.

SHOPKEEPER: No it's not, it's resting.

CUSTOMER: Resting? Now look here, I clicked on this content not two minutes ago and was assured by your headline that I would receive, and I quote, "6 Reasons Why Topanga from Boy Meets Word Will Always Be Your Biggest TV Crush."

SHOPKEEPER: Lovely headline.

CUSTOMER: Lovely it may be. But having secured my click, your article, far from delivering any thoughtful or humorous insights into Ms. Topanga's unique appeal, simply put forth a few lines of predictable drivel about how attractive the actress is. I won't stand for this claptrap!

SHOPKEEPER: Well she is pretty.

CUSTOMER: Of course she's pretty—any 19-year-old blogger could tell me that! The observation that she's good-looking does not itself constitute "content." This article has passed on! It has ceased to be! It's lifeless, intelligence-insulting, tenth-rate clickbait of the lowest order! This is ex-content!

SHOPKEEPER: I'll have to replace it then. How does "4 Cats in Sweaters" sound?

more at:

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/monty-python-for-millennials

King Arthur, Argument Clinic, Cheese Shop...

Coffee Horror: Parody Pokes At Environmental Absurdity Of K-Cups

Hachey is CEO of Egg Studios, a video production company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Earlier this month, his firm released a 2 1/2-minute mock horror film featuring a giant, Godzilla-like creature constructed entirely of K-Cups.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRGiGbX9lIo

Harper Lee's new novel : anagrams

 

@edyong209: 

Time for "Go Set a Watchman" anagrams! 

"Cat Women Aghast." 

"Want Same? Gotcha!" 

And of course, "Megawatt Nachos."

Viewing Gorgeous Comet Lovejoy

 

The peak time for viewing should be around Feb. 6 and 7.


Observers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other northern countries should look pretty much straight up, Berman said.


"Go from Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus; draw a line from there to the Pleiades; extend that an equal distance, and beyond it — that'll take you to near where the comet is," Berman said.


"Sweep that area with your binoculars, especially when the moon is absent, and you'll be in for a treat."



http://www.space.com/28416-comet-lovejoy-closest-sun-approach.html


Photographer Alan Dyer's Jan. 6 picture shows Comet Lovejoy with a circular green-hued coma around its small, icy nucleus, and a long bluish tail pointed away from the sun.

Ouch.

 

Lost chunk of pioneering Edsac computer found

 

An original part of one of the UK's pioneering computers has been found in the US.

The part is a significant chunk of Edsac - a machine built at Cambridge in the late 1940s to serve scientists at the university.

Edsac, the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator, ran its first programs in May 1949 and through its working life aided many scientists by analysing data generated by many different experiments.

Before now, it had not been known what happened to the parts of Edsac after it was decommissioned and dismantled in the 1950s.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31100014

Burroughs 101

 

This American Life host Ira Glass was never into William Burroughs. Didn't get why people love his writing so much. Then he heard this radio story that changed all that, partly because it wasn't very reverential about Burroughs. For Burroughs 101st birthday, we hear that story. 

Iggy Pop, the documentary's narrator, begins by listing some of the artists and artistic movements influenced by Burroughs: Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Steely Dan, Kurt Cobain, Lou Reed; punk, heavy metal. We hear from director John Waters on the impact on him of Burroughs' open homosexuality and frankness about sex. Others talk about Burroughs' heroin addiction and obsession with guns and weapons. Burroughs shot his wife to death in what he said was a terrible accident. (35 minutes)

Iggy Pop picks up the story of Burroughs by explaining "Cut Up" — Burroughs habit of randomly jumbling, repeating and re-assembling words and phrases in his writing. David Bowie and others picked it up. We hear about Burroughs' privileged childhood in St. Louis and his lifelong critique of exactly the world of power and money he grew up in. There's archival footage of Burroughs and others reading his sci-fi stories, and finally Burroughs appearing on Saturday Night Live. (19 minutes) 

Download podcast at

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/546/burroughs-101

note: link only active for one week

From "Tampopo" : How to eat ramen

 

How to Eat Ramen - from the Japanese Movie "Tampopo ...

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9m6FoSw4jE