Yay photos!

Boo mystery meat navigation. :(

Does this remind no one else of Space 1999? Big lunar outposts? Explosions? Anyone?

Lilorfnannie @ #10: I think it helps to remember that this isn't Hitler himself, it's an actor (Bruno Ganz, I think?) portraying Hitler in a film. You're already at least one step removed from reality at the get go, and many more by the time this scene gets remixed. I don't think that's waht makes it funny, but it does make it tolerable. I'm not sure this would work as well with footage from the Nuremberg Rally... Besides, trying to understand what makes something funny is a losing proposition.

To wit, Franko @ #22, are you sure it's not the absurdity that makes it ironic?

Like Riffer @ #1, I was going to point out how this reminds me of the Silophone project, which, as it turns out, is itself inspired by similar transformations:

This project takes cues from transformations of similarly imposing industrial sites in Europe such as La Fonderie in Brussels, Belgium and Emscher Park in Germany’s Ruhr, both of which reactivate abandoned sites by appropriating the mandates of existing cultural programs in their surrounding communities. The Silophone project aims to raise popular awareness of the building and to catalyse activity that will eventually result in the discovery of an appropriate new function for the abandoned elevator.

None of which takes away from either the Silophone’s or the Battery Maritime Building’s coolness factor.

Anybody but me remember something similar at Alcatraz?

Also, CountD @ #9: +1

Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson’s Crystal Fire: The Invention of the Transistor and the Birth of the Information Age has been on my To Read list forever:

Just as fascinating as the scientific background, though, is the story of the brains and events behind the invention of the transistor. The collaboration and rivalry of the three men credited with the invention—the brilliant John Bardeen, the likable Walter Brattain, and the appallingly driven William Shockley—hold center stage. However, authors Riordan and Hoddeson make it clear that the unique organizational resources of Bell Labs, the furious course of the war effort, and the random twists and turns of historical accident played equally important roles.

Sparks and Noyce are also covered, among others.

Cranky Old Woman @#23:

Don't mean to nitpick, but are we listing the originals or interpretations? All by Myself as originally written and performed by Eric Carmen surely deserves inclusion on its own, erm, merits. But you knew that.

Not that I'm defending my compatriot Céline, mind you. I haven't read The Inferno in a while, but I'm pretty sure her version of this has its own circle of Hell.

In kinda the same vein, check out Moresukine, part diary, part webcomic.
http://tokyoblog.livejournal.com/

Free Birdsky!!!

And they say animals are dumb. Jerry there has not only figured out how to reload the machine, he also knows it won't throw the ball until the mechanism cocks the launcher.

Kestral, it's only a matter of time until Jerry figures out how to program it himself.

Nevermind endless dog play, I could watch that all day.

I love food names that plainly state their nature. "Space Food Sticks" is genius!

Then again, it reminds of one time at a Waffle House® where I watched the cooks liberally coat the waffle irons with an industrial sized can of "Food Release Aerosol." Mmmmm!!

Ha, the copy goes by so fast in #3 that I misread it as "Fatally Overclocked!" the first time around.

Sadly, this design aesthetic (?) isn't limited to overclocking circles. For your consideration:

http://www.intego.com/virusbarrier/zoom.asp?screen=vbX5_count_big.png

Seriously Intego, WTF?

And here’ the retraction:

Torture awareness manual 'wrongly' lists Cdn allies, to be rewritten

Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier found himself backtracking Saturday over his department's training manual that lists the U.S. and Guantanamo Bay as sites of possible torture - alongside such countries as Iran and Syria.

Why do I fear this is the end of the world in the making?

Paper airplane hits piece of space junk, knocks it off orbit. Piece of space junk hits micro meteor, alters its trajectory. [...] Giant meteorite hits planet Earth, kills all life forms.

Hooray for science?

@Rajio (#3): “Good for Canada.”

Sorry, but this sounds more like something that got slipped into a document than a policy statement.

Foreign Affairs has an appalling record when it comes to assisting Canadians abroad accused of crimes they may or may not have committed. Look up William Sampson, for example.

The 2nd paragraph under the picture is tellling. Foreign Affairs asks the torturers if they’re abusing detainees, the torturers say “Of course we’re not,” and Foreign Affairs says “Well, we’re satisfied everything’s okay.” God help you if you’re a Canadian abroad caught up in some nasty business, because Foreign Affairs sure won’t.

Reminds me of Springfield under glass, only less glassy and more geodesic...

I’ll tell you what Jesus would do... He’d typeset his apostrophes correctly, that’s what. Jesus sweats the details.

Also, Anonymous @ #18: +1

It "may be" dangerous, you say? Nope, I don't see how using this could possibly go wrong...

You had me at "Tempura"