The quality of mercy is not punk'd

[substitute]

1. Wow, these people slowed light down to 245 meters per second. (PhysOrg)
   
   
2. Lithium batteries that last 12 years may be pricy, but when the device is inside your skull who wants to keep popping it open? (PhysOrg)
   
   
3. A French schizophrenic carved sad, fearful rants into his floor. The 24x9 foot oak object is now being exhibited at the National Library (sample here and wider view here), and some people are pretty upset about it. For aficionados of French schizophrenia the entire text is here.
   
   
4. The Slacktivist wishes us a good St. Francis of Assissi Feast Day.
   
   
5. Various maniacs have attempted to create a vocabular for describing interpersonal relationships.
   
   
6. And to top it all off, have some extremely unfortunate books and records (Flickr photoset).

Comments

[do-not-lick.livejournal.com]

I like this quote from the first link:

"Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have made a dramatic advance in their quest to slow light down for applications in speedier communication networks."

It seems to me that they're going about things the wrong way. :)

WTF

[nosrialleon.livejournal.com]

The Life and Times of Mr. Jiveass Nigger?????????????
geebuzz

Re: WTF

[nosrialleon.livejournal.com]

er...Loves; whichever. The mindblown-ness stands.

Also

[nosrialleon.livejournal.com]

I'm sure the Heloise/Xaviandra Hollander crossover seemed like a good idea at the time, but is hopelessly dated now.

best book review evar

[stimps.livejournal.com]

"Brown's best-selling The Life and Loves of Mr. Jiveass Nigger, published in 1969, was a picaresque novel à la Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, infused with a Black Power sensibility." ---Scott McLemee

[srl.livejournal.com]

Notably missing from the relationships vocabulary:

isExOf (slightly different than enemyOf, sometimes)
isFuckbuddyOf (isUmfriendOf? isBonking?)
isExtendedFamilyOf / isChosenFamilyOf

I'm sure there are more I haven't quite thought of...

[tuliphead.livejournal.com]

"... a spokesman for the Bristol Myers Squibb pharmaceutical company which owns Jeannot's Floorboards..."

why does BMS own this guy's floorboards? did they buy them from the estate? for mental health education purposes?

weird.