The era of constant photography
Photography “not as capturing a moment in realtime but sometime later, during the editing process.” There are cameras everywhere, and the photographer’s job is to pick images from their stream. Like all those art projects using Google Maps images.
Egypt: A Mere Coup After All
Crazy:
the mysteriously consistent economic problems Egypt had been facing since the election of Mohamed Morsi just sort of evaporated once he was removed from power. Electricity has started working again, police have come out into the streets to re-impose order, and line-ups at the gas stations have eased.
Since the military owns the gas stations (and much more, including bakeries), and the non-military state bureaucracy remains incredibly powerful, people were already starting to suspect that the fix was in: the army essentially went on strike during Morsi’s tenure without being so polite as to tell anyone, leaving Morsi holding the bag for economic chaos the military was causing.
8 things to consider about the Scarborough Subway
Lame vote-buying by the Liberals.
The CIA and a secret vacuum cleaner
In order to try and keep them sane after years of psychological abuse in black sites, the CIA encouraged its high-value detainees to take up hobbies. Khalid Sheik Mohammed, mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, designed a vacuum cleaner.
How to talk to little girls
“For the love of Christ, engage them about something other than their physical appearance.”
As a followup to the previous post.
•Twitter twister: why did 'Sharknado' take a huge bite out of the internet?
Because the mere concept brings delight. (Full disclosure and/or a little plug: I work for Space, which is airing Sharknado tonight at 9e 6p!)
Must have missed this back in March.
•[Update] Report: Skype Monitoring Began In Early 2011, No Changes In 2012 Under Microsoft Ownership
Skype hands over call audio to the NSA. The Xbox One’s chat tech is ‘powered by’ Skype, and its microphone cannot be turned off. Bad combo! (thanks Steve)
The revolution will be crowd-funded
Interview with comics legend Alan Moore (via).
<blockquote> <p>The waves of discontent and outrage — whether in the Arab countries, or in Brazil, or in America and Europe over the degrees to which its citizens are being monitored — are not separate phenomena. They are phenomena of an emergent world, and the existence of the Internet is one of its major drivers.</p> </blockquote>
The Dissolve
Launches today.
Lookin’ good and massive. 135 comments were left as I viewed the video.
•Chasing the Whale: Examining the ethics of free-to-play games
The argument is essentially that the free-to-play business model relies on cultivating and then profiting from the addiction of a handful of players (the “whales”). Similar issues to those around legal gambling.
Tile
$20 low-power Bluetooth thing for keeping track of stuff. Trying to figure out if this would really help with bikes or not. (via)
David Lynch: The Big Dream
Advance stream of Lynch’s new album on Pitchfork.
Toronto Hipster heatmap
Mentions of the word “hipster” in Yelp reviews. (via)
Monday's storm was officially epic
“The wettest moment in Toronto’s history”. I have a question: how many times can the Don Valley Parkway flood before it’s structurally unsound? This is the second time this year.
Battle of the Butter Tarts
Two rural Ontario communities are locked in a life-or-death struggle for a crown made of butter, brown sugar, lard, and flour.
Give me liberty: 'Restore the Fourth' rallies take online protests over NSA spying to the streets
Why the City of Miami Is Doomed to Drown
Oh dear.
<blockquote> <p>But the unavoidable truth is that sea levels are rising and Miami is on its way to becoming an American Atlantis. It may be another century before the city is completely underwater (though some more-pessimistic- scientists predict it could be much sooner), but life in the vibrant metropolis of 5.5 million people will begin to dissolve much quicker, most likely within a few decades. The rising waters will destroy Miami slowly, by seeping into wiring, roads, building foundations and drinking-water supplies – and quickly, by increasing the destructive power of hurricanes. “Miami, as we know it today, is doomed,” says Harold Wanless, the chairman of the department of geological sciences at the University of Miami. “It’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.”</p> </blockquote>
New jam from good ol’ Maestro. My ringtone is still “Let Your Backbone Slide”.
•A beginner’s guide to hip-hop collective Native Tongues
A great primer on the East Coast rap movement that links the first albums from The Jungle Brothers, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest to Common and J Dilla.
Paris transit plans eclipse Toronto
Boy, do they. Although, it’s a similar issue to Toronto: how to increase the reach and quality of public transit in the suburbs.
Egypt's “Revocouption” and the future of Democracy on the Nile
Juan Cole:
Egypt’s future stability and prosperity now depends on whether the officer corps and youth are mature enough to return to pluralist principals and cease persecuting the Muslim Brotherhood just because Morsi was high-handed. Their media has to be free and the 300 officials have to be released unless charged with really-existing crimes on the statute books. And it depends on whether the Muslim Brotherhood is wise and mature enough to roll with this punch and to reform itself, giving up its cliquish and cult-like internal solidarity in favor of truly becoming a nation-wide, center-right, democratic opposition party.