Joshua, Boy 7

thedailywhat: BAMFers of the Day: Forget river rafting, thrill...

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 22:33:29 +0300

BAMFers of the Day: Forget river rafting, thrill seekers Robert Pokovec and Dominik Hernler hit Slovenia’s Bled Gorge and Soca River for some extreme wake boarding. As if that wasn’t enough, they get their kicks going upstream, rather than ride with the current.

[devour]

Photo

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 14:15:52 +0300

landofmaps: The United Kingdom and Ireland: Visualized by...

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 08:00:57 +0300

landofmaps:

The United Kingdom and Ireland: Visualized by distance to the nearest McDonald’s [960x1140]

awlmusic: Jive BabeMikhael Paskalev

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 07:38:35 +0300

awlmusic:

Jive Babe
Mikhael Paskalev

sunfoundation: Radiohead Songs Chart

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 09:48:11 +0300

sunfoundation:

Radiohead Songs Chart

Transitions Online has new-ish Tumblr.

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 08:55:59 +0300

Transitions Online has new-ish Tumblr.

futurejournalismproject: Graphing the Influence of Thinkers and...

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:26:02 +0300

futurejournalismproject:

Graphing the Influence of Thinkers and Ideas Throughout History

Brendan Griffen has graphed a network of all people on Wikipedia with who they’ve influenced and who they’re influenced by.

Via Griff’s Graphs:

For those new to this type of thing: the node size represents the number of connections. In short, I used a database version of Wikipedia to extract all people with known influences and made this map. The bigger the node, the bigger influence that person had on the rest of the network. Nietzsche, Kant, Hegel, Hemingway, Shakespeare, Plato, Aristotle, Kafka, and Lovecraft all, as one would expect, appear as the largest nodes. Around these nodes, cluster other personalities who are affiliated (depends on distance). Highlighting communities by colour reveals sub-networks within the total structure. You’ll notice common themes amongst similarly coloured authors.

Griffen’s influence is Simon Raper who recently graphed the history of philosophy.

The tools used are similar too:

First I queried Snorql and retrieved every person who had a registered ‘influence’ or registered ‘influenced by’ value (restricted to people only so if they were influenced by ‘anime’, they were excluded).

I then decoded these using a neat little URL decoder and imported them into Microsoft Excel for further processing (removing things like ‘(Musician)’ and other annoying syntax).

I then exported these as a csv and imported into Gephi and proceeded as usual. Fruchterman-Reingold algorithm followed by Force Atlas 2. I then identified communities using ‘Modularity’ and edited the rest in Preview. Due to the size, I’ve had to zoom up and take snapshots on regions of interest.

The csv file containing all of the data can be obtained here so you can make your own maps.

And yes, as Griffen notes, the information and visualization is biased towards Western ideas and cultures since Wikipedia skews heavily toward English speakers.

Meantime, we’re absolutely gobsmacked.

Read Griffen’s post on the project. Check out zoomable version. Get yourself a pretty print.

Images: Partial screenshots of Graphing Every* Idea in History, by Brendan Griffen. Select to embiggen.

H/T: Flowing Data.

denverpost: Colorado’s Great Places: Great Sand Dunes National...

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:12:48 +0300

denverpost:

Colorado’s Great Places: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, designated in 2004, is one of the newest national parks in the nation.

The highest dune, the 750-foot Star Dune, is the tallest dune in North America.

From spring into early summer, Medano Creek runs through the national park at the base of the dunefield. It forms a popular “beach” where vistors relax and explore.

The 30 square mile dunefield is surrounded by snow-capped mountain peaks—some rising 13,000 feet.

Also, check out a video of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve by Denver Post staff photographers.

futurejournalismproject: Mexican drug cartels’ spreading...

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:08:03 +0300

futurejournalismproject:

Mexican drug cartels’ spreading influence

Via National Post:

Far from being a south-of-the-U.S.-Mexico-border problem alone, at least 1,000 U.S. cities reported the presence of at least one of four Mexican cartels in 2010. Meanwhile, south of the border, the machinery of drug creation and facilitation grinds away, spitting out addicts in the U.S. and more than 50,000 dead bodies in Mexico since 2006. The cartels are looking to spread their tentacles wider.

If you’re not following National Post, definitely do so. They. Are. Awesome.

Image: Detail from Invasion of the Drug Cartels, via National Post.

Movie poster for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 12:19:00 +0300

Movie poster for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

americanroutes: (via My Dust Road Boxed Set, Rounder...

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 21:16:22 +0300

americanroutes:

(via My Dust Road Boxed Set, Rounder Records)

Woody Guthrie’s business card from his time at KFVD Los Angeles as co-host of the Woody and Lefty Lou show.

Video

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 19:20:26 +0300

Photo

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 23:14:57 +0300

garretthaas: Daily Travel. Cleveland, OH—2012

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 23:02:17 +0300

garretthaas:

Daily Travel. Cleveland, OH—2012

wnycradiolab: supersonicelectronic: Michael Mapes. Rather...

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:39:20 +0300

wnycradiolab:

supersonicelectronic:

Michael Mapes.

Rather striking, no?

Mariachi El Bronx @ Tiny Desk Concert

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 14:03:00 +0300

Mariachi El Bronx @ Tiny Desk Concert

Once Upon a Time in the West

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 13:36:06 +0300

Once Upon a Time in the West

explore-blog: Absolutely gorgeous minimalist infographics of...

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 15:58:28 +0300

explore-blog:

Absolutely gorgeous minimalist infographics of when fruits, vegetables, and herbs are in season, also available as prints.

(↬ Chartporn)

thedailywhat: America the Beautiful of the Day: This view of...

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 15:33:48 +0300

thedailywhat:

America the Beautiful of the Day: This view of the United States (rotated to fit) observes national internet access in a positively breathtaking manner. The image comes from a new PBS miniseries, America Revealed, that “explores the hidden patterns and rhythms that make America work.”

There are more stunning pictures, as well as a free full episode online (for US residents only).

[core77]

thedailywhat: R-Rated Children’s Books of the Day: An artist...

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 15:29:30 +0300

thedailywhat:

R-Rated Children’s Books of the Day: An artist from Pixar has turned R-rated movies into delightful children’s book-style illustrations in an actual print collection (currently sold out). Check out the whole gallery!

[buzzfeed]