Recently by Memeticians

Nature's Best Photography Magazine is an excellent resource for amazing nature photos. The above photo of Cameron Creek in Wateron Lakes National Park, Canada, was taken by Lawrence Steinke. jmj

In 2001, mixed race British couple Dean Durrant and Alison Spooner defied science by giving birth to twins with completely different skin tones. Last week, they did it again. jmj

Stanely Fish of the New York Times ranked the ten best American movies of all time this past Sunday, ranking only the first 2 in order, the remaining 8 are tied for third. What surprises me the most on this list is that there is only one film listed that was made since 1980's Raging Bull, and it's a dooooozy!

WIth Steve Jobs not attending this week's MacWorld Expo for health reasons, will Apple have any surprises this year?

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher JC Romero has been suspended 50 games at the start of the 2009 season for using a banned substance. Only he isn't guilty. MLB's substance policies are a maze of confusion for every player. Romero has effectively been railroaded. eab

Ever wonder how much to tip as you travel the globe? Wonder no more. (I got this from somewhere but I can't remember where.) eab

Fake profits, Real Bonuses. The problem with Wall Street. eab

Is Wall Street one big Ponzi scheme? eab

Two parents didn't report their son missing for 10 years. Strange. eab

Check out TIME Magazine's 50 Top Ten lists of 2008. Line in the Sand, taken by Anthony Suau, came in at #4 on the Top Photos of 2008 list. jmj

On January 19, 2009, Edgar Allen Poe will celebrate his 200th birthday. On the east coast, 5 cities who claim Poe as their own will battle over his legacy as they honor him on this day. jmj

Santa battle royal. jmj

I was in the Apple Store last night, and it was PACKED. In my eyes, this is even more reason for Microsoft to feel the pressure to deliver with their new OS, Microsoft 7. jmj

The most difficult part of Christmas? The BBC's Clive James says that it's not buying gifts, it's wrapping them. jmj

TIME Magazine named Barack Obama Person of the Year yesterday. To honor this, they also presented Obama-themed art from the web's top photo-sharing site, Flickr. jmj

For all those baking holiday cookies this season. From the NY Times, the secret of butter. eab

This is an older article but pretty interesting. Warren Buffet has disowned his son's adopted daughter, an artist in California. eab

NPR Second Stage host Robin Hilton picks his 10 Best Unknown Musical Artists of 2008. jmj

The 1981 murder of 6 year-old Adam Walsh, son of America's Most Wanted creator John Walsh, has finally been solved. John Walsh created the television show in honor of his son, profiling the nation's most notorious criminals and inspired changes in how authorities search for missing children.jmj

By now we've all seen the video of the Iraqi journalist throwing his shoes at President Bush. Two things immediately came to mind:

1. G.W. has cat-like reflexes.
2. How the hell did the reporter manage to throw both shoes before being beaten into submission?
3. Who throws a shoe? Honestly? jmj

When comparing cognitive and mechanical skills the opportunity to receive a bonus for performance affects outcomes. Though in a way you may not have assumed. Could the corporate bonus structure be all wrong? eab

Robert Reich asks, "if a company is too big to fail, maybe - just maybe - it's too big, period." (via snark) eab

Maybe the biggest irony today is that Washington policymakers who are funneling taxpayer dollars to these too-big-to-fail companies are simultaneously pushing them to consolidate into even bigger companies.

The West Philly Hybrid X Team is an organization based out of West Philadelphia High School. "One of the most disadvantaged areas of the city." Could this and organizations of this kind be the jumping point to a new automotive revolution in America - if the Big 3 fall apart? (via Mark Tomizawa) eab

I know a lot of people my age that have never been on an actual "date." The generation before us finds that odd, but what they don't realize, is that dating is outdated. jmj

The Chinese government has been on a foreign website banning-spree, including the BBC China. jmj

High pesticide levels have been found In fruit-based drinks in some countries outside United States. jmj

An advertising twist on the Charlie Brown Christmas. Funny stuff. tjc

The American Coal Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity has launched a clean coal campaign ad for the holidays. Clever, but complete bull. jmj

Dubner over at Freakonomics ties the current situation involving Blagojevich in Chicago with the sumo wrestlers who fixed matches and how the the situational similarities may lead us to a less corrupt political climate moving forward. At least in the short term. eab

Following the Blagojevich situation, Marginal Revolution, after coming across how much a Senate seat is actually worth, asks, doesn't 500K$ seem a bit cheap? eab

And to finish the trifecta of Balgojevich related pieces - The NY Times reports that this sort of corruption has quite a long history. eab

Continuing with Tim's notes on intelligence from Monday, we are now entering the age of mass intelligence. (via kottke) eab

Highlighted by CC Sabathia's record-breaking deal with the New York Yankees, 11 Major League Baseball players were either traded or signed with new teams yesterday bringing the Winter Meetings total to 29 players. The hot stove is on fire! jmj

Reusable food delivery containers. You simply swap clean ones kept at your house with the delivery guy when he drops off your food - keeping the cycle going. Somewhat reminds me of the neighborhood umbrella share (Dutch Umbrella) that my neighborhood has. Many of the local restaurants, pubs, stores and coffee shops keep umbrellas on hand that you can take if necessary and then return to any other participating establishment. A movement that has succeeded so wonderfully that many other parts of the city now participate. eab

A new study shows that people who carry a variant of the FTO gene, which is linked to obesity, eat an average of 100 extra calories per meal. jmj

To network and industry insiders the NBC-Leno deal is symptomatic of bigger problems that the network and industry are facing. But does the deal actually relegate the network to second tier status? eab

Today is the 27 year anniversary of the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner. His murderer, Mumia Abu-Jamal, is still on death row in the most controversial murder trial in United States history. jmj

How is determining just how good a college quarterback may be in the pros like evaluating a teacher. Gladwell enlightens, in the way only Gladwell can. eab

Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 was released to the public Monday, but Mozilla is already targeting Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 for a February 2009 release. jmj

I've been enamored with the abilities of the touch pad on my new MacBook. The NY Times though breaks down the wonder that is our own touch pads if you will. eab

Just like everything else, the iPhone will soon be coming to Wal*Mart. jmj

Chuck Klosterman takes aim at the long delayed, greatly hyped, Chinese Democracy in the context needed for a proper review. eab

After 23 seasons with 355 victories and a record 18 Gold Gloves, pitcher Greg Maddux officially retired yesterday. jmj

I was particularly interested in the De La Hoya / Pacquiao fight this past weekend. Being a Pacquiao fan more so then a boxing fan I was hoping Pac Man would pull the upset. For those of you who don't know much about why this fight was a big deal check out the pre fight breakdown and take note of the weight and size disparity between the two fighters. And don't forget to check out the post fight recap to read about Pac Man's dominant performance. eab

Hilarious self defense video. (via cynical-c) eab

Congrats to Paste Magazine, which celebrated its 10th birthday yesterday. jmj

Rick Reilly plunges average NFL players into the depths of the rule book to see if Donovan McNabb was the only one deficient in that area. Answer: not even close. tjc

More on this later I think: when art and science collide. eab

Speaking of problem solving, Ted Leonsis has some ideas for how to fix America. (via MG) eab

I am definitely behind the eight ball on this, but I think it's worth mentioning that the boys over at Fire Joe Morgan have called it quits. jmj

I like Bill Richardson. Personally, I thought he would have made a great Secretary of State. Either way, he's a witty conversationalist. And I like that. Here's a very quick read: Richardson in Esquire on how Obama saved his ass in one of the debates and how he made no apology to Saddam. And here are two statements from that I couldn't disagree with more and one that is spectacularly true (for Arizona, too). tjc

Every elegant man should have a nice fountain pen and a nice watch.

Artists have said that New Mexico's biggest asset is the color of the mornings and evenings. It spurs creativity.

Brace yourself, Indonesia, another major earthquake may be on the way. jmj

Chris Landry, a writer for Sportsnet.ca, has been stealing segments of articles written by Mike Lombardi and Andrew Brandt over at NotionalFootballPost.com. A smoking gun has emerged. (via with leather - potentially NSFW)eab

Then, Brandt (a former high-level employee of the Packers) points out the striking similarities between two mid-November 2008 columns from Lombardi and Landry. The problem? Brandt says that Lombardi's column was posted on November 17. And that Landry's was posted four days later.

In a plagiarism case, it's the closest thing to a smoking gun. And coupled with the extensive similarities between the two writers' work product documented in our prior stories, it's enough evidence to lead a reasonable person to develop the opinion that Landry has on multiple occasions this season copied concepts, words, and phrases from Lombardi (and, on at least December 1, Andrew Brandt).

There's more. Landry's archive at Sportsnet.ca has been altered to omit all columns written by Landry after January 28, 2008.

Lost in the whole steroids shuffle: Pedro Cerrano. For that gem and other letters to Timothy McSweeney's Internet Tendency, go here. tjc

Date: Tue, 15 January 2008

From: Brad Millar

Subject: Lost Mitchell Report

I believe another example has missed the auspicious gaze of Mr. Andrew Bridgman: That of one Pedro Cerrano. Possibly one of the most powerful power hitters in Cleveland Indians history, Cerrano couldn't hit a curveball to save democracy. Instead of getting his eyes checked for depth-perception problems--an option he was clearly aware of, as his teammate and friend Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn's natural skill was also hampered by vision problems--Cerrano instead opted for the help of Jobu, a voodoo deity. The combination of prayer and cigars indeed helped the big Cuban cure his bat of sickness. Although the 1989 World Series win was clearly a team effort, without the help of Jobu, the storied Cleveland Indians franchise quite clearly would have ended up in Miami, Florida.

Brad Millar

I have a new MacBook ... it is AWESOME! eab

Another Sunny video...if memetician Timothy J. was to crack up and lose his marbles, this is what it would look like. jmj