Friday, March 21, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
ENTERTAINMENT - And Vinyly Presses Your Ashes Into Vinyl When You Die
by Olivia Solon/Wired UK
Music lovers can now be immortalised when they die by having their ashes baked into vinyl records to leave behind for loved ones.
A UK company called And Vinyly is offering people the chance to press their ashes in a vinyl recording of their own voice, their favourite tunes or their last will and testament. Minimalist audiophiles might want to go for the simple option of having no tunes or voiceover, and simply pressing the ashes into the vinyl to result in pops and crackles.
How does it work? The process of setting human ashes into vinyl involves a very understanding pressing plant. Basically the ashes must be sprinkled onto the raw piece of vinyl (known as a “biscuit” or “puck”) before it is pressed by the plates. This means that when the plates exert their pressure on the vinyl in order to create the grooves, the ashes are pressed into the record.
And Vinyly also offers personalised RIV (Rest In Vinyl) artwork — the simple version just carries your name and your life span, or you can have your portrait painted by artist James Hague, using your ashes mixed into the paint.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
CULTURE/SOCIETY - Everything You Know About St. Patrick's Day Is Wrong
St. Patrick's Day is almost upon us! Typically, we associate the holiday with drinking, drinking, and drinking. Oh, and being Irish.
But there's a lot more to St. Patrick's Day than most people know. Truthfully, you've probably been living a lie. When you learn all the facts, this holiday actually kind of... sucks.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but here are 10 brutally honest facts about St. Patrick's Day.
8 St. Patrick's Day was invented in America.Really?! Catholic University's Irish American expert, Timothy Meagher, explains that St. Patrick's Day celebrations began in the 18th century in American cities with large Irish immigrant populations."It becomes a way to honor the saint but also to confirm ethnic identity and to create bonds of solidarity," Meagher explained. Really.4 St. Patrick's Day used to be a dry holiday.Today's booze-bags look to the holiday as a great excuse to start drinking Guinness at 9 AM. Until 1970, however, all pubs in Ireland were closed inobservance of the religious feast day.2 There are more Irish people living in the U.S. than Ireland.The population of Ireland is about 4.2. million. In contrast, there are around 34 MILLION people of Irish descent living in America.Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!
Saturday, March 15, 2014
SPIRITUALITY/RELIGION - Radiolab: After Life
This hour: Radiolab stares down the very moment of passing, and speculates about what may lie beyond.
What happens at the moment when we slip from life...to the other side? Is it a moment? If it is, when exactly does it happen? And what happens afterward? It's a show of questions that don't have easy answers. So, in a slight departure from our regular format, we bring you eleven meditations on how, when, and even if we die.
ENTERTAINMENT - This Was Discovered in the Middle of the Egyptian Desert. … And It’s Stranger Than You Could Imagine.
If you ever happen to be wandering through the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, you may come across a surreal sight that’ll leave you scratching your head. It might even make you question your sanity. Or theirs.
Hundreds of movie theater seats sit at the bottom of a random mountain range, as if they were dropped in the middle of the Egyptian desert. They aren’t a mirage or art installation, and Estonian photographer, Kaupo Kikkas, has proof. It’s simply one of the most random outdoor theaters in existence: The End of the World Cinema.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Thursday, March 06, 2014
CULTURE/SOCIETY: Report: Mom’s Got Her Thing Tonight
BLOOMFIELD, MI—Noting that she had left earlier and would probably be gone for most of the evening, household sources confirmed Wednesday that local mother Diane Walsh has got her thing tonight.
According to Walsh family members, this is the same thing that Mom had mentioned something about at breakfast yesterday. Several reports also indicated that Mom usually goes to the thing with her friends from high school or maybe those ones from work.
“She’s usually there for a few hours,” said daughter Christina Walsh, 15, adding that tonight’s thing is definitely different from that other thing she does once in a while. “It’s at the community center or YMCA or something like that.”
http://www.theonion.com/articles/report-moms-got-her-thing-tonight,35446/
Sunday, March 02, 2014
HUMOR - How The Media Will Report The Apocalypse
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tomphillips/how-the-media-will-report-the-apocalypse
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
In early 2014, a series of devastating catastrophes bring about Armageddon. Papers of record like the New York Times soberly report this news.
The Guardian tries to provide comprehensive live coverage of the end of days.
Of course, there’s still plenty of celebrity news to keep people occupied.
Others look for a positive message amidst the gloom.
…and naturally, NPR goes on a pledge drive.
