Andrew Sullivan

Photo

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:17:16 -0400

fotojournalismus: Union Square station. New York City,...

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:26:20 -0400

fotojournalismus:

Union Square station. New York City, 1966.

[Credit : Danny Lyon]

Making Money: The Fruit Vendor

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:54:02 -0400

newyorker:

Video: Rahman Khandker describes being a fruit vendor as part of The New Yorker’s “Making Money” series, which documents the different ways people throughout New York City make a living: http://nyr.kr/19FhSCk

thebittersweetdistractor: Download two brand-new Liars tracks...

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:15:49 -0400

thebittersweetdistractor:

Download two brand-new Liars tracks “I saw you from the lifeboat” and “Perfume Tear” by heading to this site and entering an email address.

::Watch the Official video for “I saw you from the lifeboat” here.

sunfoundation: Why does the IRS regulate political groups? A...

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:14:52 -0400

sunfoundation:

Why does the IRS regulate political groups? A look at the complex world of campaign finance

sunfoundation: 1955 Map Shows No-Go Zones for Soviet Travelers...

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:45:25 -0400

sunfoundation:

1955 Map Shows No-Go Zones for Soviet Travelers in the U.S.

If you were one of select few private Soviet citizens granted permission to visit the United States in 1955, you could take in a Cubs game or ski Jackson Hole, but if you wanted to sample Memphis barbecue or check out the factories in Youngstown, Ohio, you’d be out of luck. That’s because a National Security Council directive had, on Jan. 3, 1955, allowed some “Soviet citizens in possession of valid Soviet passports” into the country, while extending controls previously placed on visiting Soviet diplomats and official representatives to apply to their travel.

nprmusic: Woody Herman was a soulful reedman, an amazing talent...

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:42:44 -0400

nprmusic:

Woody Herman was a soulful reedman, an amazing talent scout for decades and a bandleader of one of the country’s most popular acts. Born in 1913, Herman led “Thundering Herds” that were both big draws and well-respected by the likes of Igor Stravinsky. For his 100th birthday, here are five recordings which still sound fresh today.

Photo: William Gottlieb/Library of Congress

nprmusic: wbezmusic: chirpradio: neil-gaiman: butcherbilly: ...

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:31:46 -0400

nprmusic:

wbezmusic:

chirpradio:

neil-gaiman:

butcherbilly:

The Post-Punk / New Wave Super Friends by Butcher Billy

Who are your heroes?

Reblogged purely to make Amanda smile.

!!!!!!!!!

LOVE

The Best.

Ian Curtis as Batman, of course. —Lars

explodingdog: something is different

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:53:01 -0400

explodingdog:

something is different

ilovecharts: Recurring Developments - An interactive...

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:36:24 -0400

ilovecharts:

Recurring Developments - An interactive visualization of running jokes in Arrested Development episodes

nprmusic: Happy 65th birthday, Brian Eno! Hear the innovative...

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:42:54 -0400

nprmusic:

Happy 65th birthday, Brian Eno! Hear the innovative artist and producer join All Songs Considered to spin some of the music he’s most passionate about — from the hallowed doo-wop records that caught his fancy as a child to newcomers such as Anna Calvi.

guardian: Hand-drawn maps are enjoying a renaissance as...

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:59:08 -0400

guardian:

Hand-drawn maps are enjoying a renaissance as contemporary artists use their imagination, creativity and humour to breathe new life into the traditional craft of cartography. Here are 10 of the best

Photograph: Jenni Sparks

guardianmusic: HAPPY 28TH BIRTHDAY LOW-LIFE In celebration of...

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:52:48 -0400

guardianmusic:

HAPPY 28TH BIRTHDAY LOW-LIFE

In celebration of the fact that New Order’s Low-Life album was released 28 years ago today, here’s the album’s melodica-powered opener, Love Vigilantes. CS

explodingdog: Crazy Monster sings the best song.

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:29:07 -0400

explodingdog:

Crazy Monster sings the best song.

we-are-star-stuff: Who says North is up? Upside Down maps (also...

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:22:32 -0400

we-are-star-stuff:

Who says North is up?

Upside Down maps (also known as South-Up or Reversed maps) offer a completely different perspective of the world we live in.

Technically speaking, even referring to the earth with words like “up” or “down” or comparing places with words “above” or “below” is flawed, considering that the earth is a spherical body (it’s actually slightly “fatter” at the equator) and flying through 3 dimensional space with no reference of up or down. However, the issue of “up” and “down” does become an issue when viewing the surface of the earth projected onto a flat piece of paper (a map). And the effect of the orientation of a map is more significant than you might realize.

As all maps require orientation for reference, the issue of how to layout the map orientation is as old as maps themselves. As map orientation is completely arbitrary, it is not surprising that they differed throughout time periods and regions.

The convention of North-up is usually attributed to the Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy (90-168 AD). Justifications for his north-up approach vary. In the middle ages, East was often placed at top. This is the origin of the term “The Orient” to refer to East Asia. During the age of exploration, European cartographers again followed the north-up convention…perhaps because the North Star was their fixed reference point for navigation, or because they wanted (subconsciously or otherwise) to ensure Europe’s claim at the top of the world.

In modern times, reversed maps are made as a learning device or to illustrate Northern Hemisphere bias. Different from simply turning a north-up map upside down, a reversed map has the text oriented to be read with south up.

The famous “Blue Marble” photograph of the Earth taken from on board Apollo 17 was originally oriented with the south pole at the top, with the island of Madagascar visible just left of center, and the continent of Africa at its right. However, the image was turned upside-down to fit the traditional view.

While the orientation of a map might seem harmless, it can have a significant effect on one’s perception of the world, and the relative importance of the different place in it.

In speech, we often refer to places being “above” or “below” others. Think of how you would say you’re about to travel to the state or country to your north or south (to go “down” to Kentucky from Indiana, or “up” to Canada from the US). Without even mentioning geography, ask any grade school student whether Mexico is “above” or “below” the United States. We’re all familiar with the “land down under”. As we often correlate importance to relative height (think how a citizens of a country will fly their flag higher than all other flags), the north-up convention reinforces the idea that northern bodies are more important than their southern neighbors. Suddenly, traveling “down” to the South might have an inference much deeper than geographic location.

After looking at the map more closely, you may realize that the South-Up orientation may change your perception of the relative status of different places. For example, South America suddenly looks to have more prominence, and Africa and the Middle East completely dwarf Europe. Likewise, tucking Northern Europe, Canada, and Russia away at the bottom of the map, subconsciously takes away their status.

To summarize, unconditionally accepting the north-up map convention without at least appreciating the effect stands at odds with viewing all people and places within the world equally. x x

flavorpill: Joseph Heller’s chart outline for Catch-22. Check...

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:18:56 -0400

flavorpill:

Joseph Heller’s chart outline for Catch-22. Check out the full gallery of Famous Authors’ Handwritten Outlines.

guardian: Mwitwa Musumali in action - when skateboarding hit...

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:37:44 -0400

guardian:

Mwitwa Musumali in action - when skateboarding hit Britain in the 1970s, it gave an unexpected new lease of life to a disused space under London’s Southbank centre. Now the undercroft is viewed as one of the best unplanned skate parks in Europe: thousands of visitors to the South Bank of the Thames stop to admire tricks being performed against a constantly evolving backdrop of graffiti and street art. But the Southbank Centre wants to relocate the skaters in 2014 to provide commercial space to fund a major refurbishment of the Festival Wing (the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward gallery). An online petition against the move has gathered 30,000 signatures. We asked some of the skaters, a BMX-er and a few Southbank onlookers how they feel about the change

Photograph: Andy Hall

colchrishadfield: Chesapeake to Cape Cod to Lake Huron - in a...

Sun, 12 May 2013 11:26:25 -0400

colchrishadfield:

Chesapeake to Cape Cod to Lake Huron - in a glance, so much history, geology and geography.

discoverynews: insiderimages: The final piece of the spire at...

Fri, 10 May 2013 21:49:24 -0400

discoverynews:

insiderimages:

The final piece of the spire at One World Trade Center is lifted into place in New York, May 10, 2013. The tower now rises to a symbolic 1776 feet, making it the tallest building in the western hemisphere. INSIDER IMAGES/Gary He (UNITED STATES)

To license these images and more, click here.

Beautiful skyline.

free-parking: Nam June Paik, Magnet TV, 1965

Fri, 10 May 2013 14:33:58 -0400

free-parking:

Nam June Paik, Magnet TV, 1965