Archive for May, 2011

Lights Out: William Tapley, also known as the Third Eagle of the Apocalypse and co-prophet of the End Times, presents a thoughtful analysis of phallic symbols found in public art at Denver International Airport.

[reddit.]

Today On TDW: Geek –

• Above: Portal (Ninja of the Night Chell): A live-action Portal stage production. See Also: Outside Aperture: A Portal fan film.

• World Health Organization labels cell phone radiation “a possible carcinogen.”

• Pentagon says certain hacks constitute “act of war.”

• OS X 10.7 Lion, iOS 5, iCloud to be discussed by Steve Jobs at WWDC 2011.

• Sony announces PSN/Qriocity services back in full by end of the week.

• Activision launching subscription-based Call of Duty online portal.

• DC rebooting 52 comic book titles.

• Possible Doctor Who spoilers.

• Mostly likely fake video shows alleged hack of Fox News ticker.

• MacBook owner allegedly uses Hidden app to stalk his laptop’s thief.

This x That:

Know This:

• House votes down measure to raise debt ceiling.

• Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announces amnesty for protesters, investigation launched into alleged torture of 13-year-old.

• “Virginity checks” performed on arrested female protesters, admits senior Egyptian general.

• Mladic extradited, arrives in The Hague to await war crimes trial.

• RIP: Jonas Bevacqua, co-founder of LRG, dead at 34.

Read This:

• Birther book a bestseller despite debunking.

• Woman brings alleged would-be rapist’s member to police station.

• Senior citizens stepping in to help stabilize Fukushima nuclear plant.

• Winnipeg Jets returning home after 15 year absence.

• Hangover Part II writer hired to pen threequel.

• Naomi Campbell claims Cadbury ad is racist.

• Hosts of Fox News late night show Red Eye claim Jay Leno stole their joke.

The Other:

• NewsFeed: Double the Fun? Coachella 2012 Will Span Two Weekends.

• Tea x Time List: The top 5 regrets people make on their deathbeds.

• Above: Kota Nezu’s “Planetary Parasol” tells you the time, direct you where to go.

How About That of the Day: Richard and Mayumi Heene, orchestrators of the infamous Balloon Boy hoax, are putting up the eponymous saucer-shaped balloon up for auction.

In an interesting twist, however, the two are not looking to get rich off the sale of the flying saucer. According to the couple, 100% of the profits made at auction — the “purchase now” price has been set at $1m — will go to benefit victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

As their word is pretty much worthless, an attorney has been hired to ensure that the Heenes keep their promise.

[tmz / video: fsfs.]

Heartbreaking Hedgehog Story of the Day: Betty the bald hedgehog developed a mysterious skin condition that has caused her to lose her spines. Without her spines, six-week-old Betty is defenseless against predators and can’t keep herself warm during the winter months.

Worst of all, her smooth body has made her too self-conscious to associate with other hedgehogs.

“She’s healthy, but it’s sad,” Tonia Garner of the Foxy Lodge Wildlife Rescue is quoted as saying. “She lives alone in an enclosure indoors. We hope the spines will come back so she has a normal life.”

[metro.]

Supercut of the Day: Harry Hanrahan of The 100 Greatest Movie Insults of All Time and The 100 Cheesiest Movie Lines of All Time ransacks a mess of classic films to find the 100 greatest movie threats of all time.

(sNSFW, strong language.)

[pajiba / thanks jimmyy!]

Powerful Photo of the Day: Chief Raoni, of the Kayapo tribe native to the Brazilian state of Pará, weeps upon learning that Brazil’s newly elected president Dilma Vana Rousseff has authorized the construction of the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam despite hundreds of thousands of petition signatures, letters, and e-mails begging the government to reconsider.

From Etcetera:

[A] death sentence [for] the peoples of Great Bend of the Xingu river [has been] enacted. Belo Monte will inundate at least 400,000 hectares of forest, an area bigger than the Panama Canal, thus expelling 40,000 indigenous and local populations and destroying habitat valuable for many species – all to produce electricity at a high social, economic and environmental cost, which could easily be generated with greater investments in energy efficiency.

To learn more and sign a last-ditch petition, go here.

[ver2go / thanks telemonz!]

UPDATE: I may or may not have caused Amazon Watch to crash. Sorry about that. So here’s an alternative link to the petition (thanks joanna!). Site’s in Portuguese, so here’s a link to the Google translation.

Water Ski Fail-Win of the Day: Totally meant to do that.

[bestofyt.]

Pickle of the Day: Snooki was spotted walking around Florence in a neck brace a day after crashing a car into her own police escort, injuring two officers. No alcohol was reportedly involved.

Snooki, who is in Italy with her castmates to film the fourth season of MTV’s hit reality show Jersey Shore, initially refused medical treatment, which led to a few raised eyebrows when she emerged a day later sporting the notorious lawsuit accessory.

Speaking of which, Us Magazine is reporting that, while Snooki will likely avoid criminal prosecution, she may face a civil action suit brought against her by the injured officers.

Snooki had her license suspended following the accident — per Italian law — and the officers, who sustained minor cuts and bruises along with whiplash, have up to 90 days to make a decision concerning the suit.

[usmag / popeater.] 

Life Imitates Ben Affleck of the Day: A pair of bank robbers paid homage to Ben Affleck’s Boston-based crime thriller The Town by holding up a Chicago-area bank while dressed as nuns.

The robbers, possibly a man and a woman, entered the TCF bank in Palos Heights brandishing guns and proceeded to conduct a “takeover-style” heist, ordering a teller and the branch manager to fill up a Nike duffel bag with cash from the bank’s vault.

No shots were fired and no one was injured. The FBI field office in Chicago is investigating the crime, but has few leads at this time.

[abcnews / mediaite.]