Alone
Photos from places we feel alone.
posted by willt at 4:52 PM - 4 comments

My words in your inbox.
For the past decade or so I've been off-and-on sending out various writing projects to subscribers' inboxes. I've now merged my mailing lists into one and have re-opened subscriptions, which had been closed since 2010. [more inside]
posted by dobbs at 8:17 AM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Taking a Horse_ebooks approach to gifmaking  
I love Horse_ebooks and I love gifs, so I decided it would be interesting to try for a visual equivalent of the Horse_ebooks twitter account. Mostly this involves a lot of attempts at randomization and restriction of video frames. [more inside]
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 8:03 PM - 7 comments

3500: An Autistic Boy's Ten-Year Romance with Snow White
Last June I wrote a series of six blog posts about my autistic son's experience during the final night of operation for Snow White's Scary Adventures at Walt Disney World (MeFi Projects page, posted on the Blue). I was encouraged to write a novel about my son's entire experience, and as of this morning the novel has launched and is available through my website in signed and standard print editions, as well as through Amazon in both print and Kindle editions. [more inside]
posted by Lokheed at 7:46 AM - 5 comments

Phone/tablet interface for Harvard's digitized special collections
Our default display interface for digitized books and manuscripts uses frames (I know) and worked very poorly on mobile devices. We've just released an interface that autodetects visits from these devices and routes them to an alternative interface that is much more usable, and offers orientation awareness and gesture based page-turning and zooming . To try it, follow this link on your touchscreen device. Try it out, and please leave me any feedback you have about your experience.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 7:32 AM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

The Gospel According to Judas
This is the beginning of a book I’m working on. I’ve linked first to where it starts from the beginning and not the reverse chronological order that the main site shows, the normal link. Right now it’s the roughest possible draft, jumping around to whatever comes into my head, having experienced just recently some intense stuff, the inspiration for this book. I know there is already a book out there with the same title, totally different idea. To comment you must register, wanted to make sure that you couldn’t comment unless you really wanted to. It’s an ongoing affair, hopefully I’ll update it every day with a little tidbit.
posted by paladin at 12:11 PM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Sauna Sounds Cover Album
Hey MetaFilter, I have put together an 'album' of short covers I recorded between 2009 and 2011. Most of them I have posted to Music MetaFilter in the past, but I thought it would be fun to wrap them together a bit and hopefully it will inspire me to record more again. Includes guitar, bowed banjo, pump organ, harmonica, piano, whistling etc. [more inside]
posted by Corduroy at 2:02 PM - 4 comments

From Beyond
is a LEGO stop-motion adaptation of the HP Lovecraft short story. I voice the mad scientist Crawford Tillinghast.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 2:02 PM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

BUNK - a rock video for Nardwuar + the Evaporators  
BUNK is a rock-video I recently directed, produced and helped animate for a fellow known as Nardwuar The Human Serviette (who the world really should have heard of by now). His band is called the Evaporators and their sound is best thought of as Ramones-ish old-school punk by way of Saturday morning cartoons ... hence the old-school cut + paste non-digital (for the most part) animation. [more inside]
posted by philip-random at 10:50 AM - 4 comments

PITH: Extremely short stories
I wrote a book of 100 very (very) short stories. Each story is around 100 words. They're mostly all dark/strange/grim, but some of them are funny, too. I self published and released it this week. It's available as ebook, paperback or free PDF download and released under Creative Commons license.
posted by soplerfo at 2:21 PM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Music of Harry Partch (on original instruments!)
I've completed the creation of Newband's Official YouTube page. Newband is the custodian of Harry Partch's complete instrument collection and performs concerts across the country. I've been performing with Newband since 2005 and it's one of the most fun and rewarding projects I'm involved with. [more inside]
posted by ReeMonster at 7:41 PM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Resilient Brainforest: Comics by people who don't (usually) make comics
1. Everyone has stories to tell. 2. Anyone can make a comic (even if you can't draw) 3. People often surprise themselves by rising to a creative challenge. THUS: A monthly comic book (PDF) comprising comics I've solicited from friends and acquaintances. If that's not sufficient impetus to investigate, I'll add that the latest issue's theme is "Sex", and the resulting comics are appropriately NSFW.
posted by Jonathan Harford at 3:14 PM - 2 comments

x ~. < .~ < ~ ~< < <~~ < ~ ~ < . . < ~ .. . ~ <
I made AN EXPERIMENTAL INDIE 1D ROGUELIKE called YOU ARE DEAD [more inside]
posted by [@I][:+:][@I] at 8:45 PM - 1 comment

Slow Paparazzo
Whenever I see a celebrity, I take a picture of where they just were. 100% For Reals. [more inside]
posted by dontoine at 12:59 PM - 8 comments

Bird Presidents
I am drawing all of the US presidents as birds, or maybe vice versa? Bird Presidents, in any case. I'm doing about one a day and drawing them in order.
posted by cortex at 12:12 PM - 10 comments

Cold Cat (animated short)
A freezing cat seeks the warmth of a woman, but ends up having to rely on city infrastructure. Along the way, there's a bit of Gangnam Style, a hot-tub scene of sorts, and a very brief bedroom dalliance. [more inside]
posted by edlundart at 11:02 AM - 6 comments

Our Curious Obsession With the Ridiculous
For its ten-year anniversary, online magazine The Millions has kicked off its new series of shorter-form ebook originals with: Epic Fail: Bad Art, Viral Fame, and the History of the Worst Thing Ever. [more inside]
posted by cmaxmagee at 7:15 PM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Oscar Contest 2013  
I've just launched my ELEVENTH annual Oscar "Pick 'Em contest over at my website. Every year the winner receives a custom, one-of-a-kind sock monkey creation. (Previously: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.) This year's prize is an unprecendented FOUR Avenger Monkeys: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and Incredible Hulk. They took me FOREVER to make, and I can't even begin to think how I'll top it next year. (No, brain, we are not making 12 dwarves and a hobbit.) Everyone is welcome to enter the contest!
posted by web-goddess at 2:53 PM - 3 comments

Directing Hamlet -- a pre-production and production blog
My NYC-based theatre company will be producing Shakespeare's "Hamlet" in April, and I've decided to post my notes about the process online. If you'd like to read from the beginning, start here. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 11:07 AM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

gifwriter
A distracting online writing tool [more inside]
posted by raisindebt at 4:09 PM - 8 comments

JailbreakQA
JailbreakQA is a question-and-answer forum for people interested in iOS jailbreaking (applying exploits to remove restrictions on iOS devices in order to be able to install a wider variety of software). It provides reliable answers for almost any question people can think up about this stuff, and part of its goal is to provide a safety net of helpful problem-solvers for anyone who runs into a problem with a jailbroken device. I'm the head moderator (and FAQ writer) for this forum, part of my work on coordinating ways to make jailbreaking more accessible and friendly instead of seeming confusing and sketchy. Along with value-based reasons for why people care about jailbreaking, it's also a neat opportunity to tinker with making a well-loved device even better through the interface tweaks and customizations developed by the jailbreaking community, and I'm lucky to professionally work on something I care about like this.
posted by dreamyshade at 5:52 PM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

D I C K H A N D  
For the past few years, I have been trying to learn how to do all the various creative and technical things that go into making a video game - programming, graphics, interface, writing, gameplay design - in addition to music and sound, which I do for a living. The 2013 Global Game Jam was this past weekend, and over two sleep-deprived days I completed my first solo project: A game for OS X and Windows where you punch spaceships with your dick. [more inside]
posted by jake at 11:22 AM - 1 comment

15by7
A simple web toy for creating absurdly-crude tweetable pixel art. Warning: squinting may be required. [more inside]
posted by malevolent at 9:17 AM - 9 comments

Nametrix: Doctor or Dancer?
Nametrix is an iOS app I created initially for baby naming, but it ended up being way cooler than that. It uses public data on millions of people (US census, US campaign contributions, Wikipedia) to determine what professions, political parties, and other affiliations each name tends toward. For example, Ellen is a disproportionately common name for 1) psychotherapists, 2) librarians, and 3) activists. Ellens also overwhelmingly lean toward the Democrat party and have tended to be most popular in the northeastern part of the US. As far as I know, nobody else has made anything remotely like this... Pretty fascinating stuff, right? What other kinds of metrics would you like to see?
posted by hodgebodge at 11:13 PM - 18 comments

Must Read  
On Must Read, you choose the one article you think everyone should read—right now—then share it with a note explaining why. Follow people who post great must-reads, and your timeline becomes a command center for vital reading; you see their current must-reads, and nothing else. [more inside]
posted by defenestration at 9:22 AM - 14 comments

Random Article.  
When I am bored, I hit "random article" on Wikipedia. These are the oddities, murky byways, and amazing facts I have discovered.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 8:39 AM - 2 comments

PrepaidAfrica Discussion Series
The Prepaid Economy: African edition began as a means to track notes on the rise of Africa as an investment opportunity back in January 2010. Today it has over 28,000 readers on Tumblr, engaging an audience of young Afropolitans. We will be beginning a new series of discussion posts where engagement from our readers is encouraged. This Friday (25th January) we will be having our very first moderated conversation and the topic at hand will be “China’s presence in Africa.” If there are any particular article links or thoughts that you would like to see addressed in the discussion, feel free to share them and we’ll be sure to integrate them into the post. We look forward to hearing your input and hosting a productive conversation on the effects of China’s presence in Africa. Your moderator will be Beulah Osueke, currently Masters Degree student at LaSalle University, Philadelphia
posted by infini at 8:39 AM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

blindsketch.com
blindsketch is a little drawing game for desktop and iOS devices (Android users proceed with caution) where you draw without looking. Use your mind's eye to render a complex and beautiful masterpiece, or just sketch a little doodle, but either way, you can only see your drawing when you are finished. Choose free draw or take the daily drawing challenge if you're feeling competitive. Today's challenge is a video challenge. (note that the images in the gallery section are not censored in any way, and that yesterday's drawing challenge was "NSFW", just so all the jokers can get the inevitable phallus drawing out of their system.)
posted by chriscollins at 10:35 AM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Cat Context Podcast (video games)
Cat Context is "smart talk about PC games" served every other week by two women and one feller, all three in our mid-30s and full of sass. The most recent episode is about violence and video games, including modern challenges for parents, the quality of non-combat games, and the ESRB. [more inside]
posted by jess at 10:28 AM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Environmentalism and Conservation Discussion on Facebook
Hi! I've made a Facebook Page that is meant to become a community space where folks can present and discuss issues in environmentalism and conservation. It's brand new, and I'm trying to build a nucleus of informed, friendly, intelligent (not to mention attractive and charming) folks who find the subject interesting and might want to post and comment on the topic. [more inside]
posted by Scientist at 5:15 PM - 3 comments

Mission Cleaners Books
Listen to a guy read his poetry to you by phone from a crowded bar in Chicago. Watch a 1960s educational film posing as a trailer for a poetry book. Welcome to Mission Cleaners Books.
posted by roll truck roll at 5:56 PM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Us Weekly Digest
Quick funny video summary of the celebrity gossip nonsense from Us Weekly.
posted by jayfrosting at 3:05 PM - 2 comments

2nd City Zoning
Interested in the Chicago zoning ordinance? No? Well then, how about Sim City 2000, the classic computer game cherished by millions? You love it? Well have we got an app for you! [more inside]
posted by kakarott999 at 8:36 AM - 1 comment

Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School: The Documentary
in 2010 I (along with many others) were interviewed for a documentary on the formation of the world-wide life-drawing cabaret show I helped found. After two years on the festival circuit, it is now available for all and sundry on Vimeo. Interviews with Akynos, Gal Friday, Amber Ray, Molly Crabappple, and more. NSFWish video and audio. Directed by Peter Bolte (14 min)
posted by The Whelk at 8:36 AM - 2 comments

Macaronics: improve your ability to read & write real Japanese
This a site I created as a hobby, to help my own self-study in Japanese, inspired by a trip to Japan last year. If you signup, it'll send you a regular translation assignment by email, with a sentence in Japanese to translate into English (and, as a friend pointed out, there was no reason not to allow the reverse, so you can also choose to get sentences in English and translate those into Japanese). [more inside]
posted by dpapathanasiou at 10:08 AM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Piquant - Discreet reads for Discerning readers
There is an enormous amount of free erotic writing on the internet, so signing up for a newsletter might seem a bit redundant. However, I thought there would be some advantages to a text only newsletter, so I developed one. (Note: some of the images on the website may be NSFW where you are). [more inside]
posted by Megami at 8:31 AM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Derek Draws Derek
I made myself laugh really hard a couple of days ago trying to draw a self-portrait, so on Cortex's suggestion I am going to do (at least) one drawing of myself a day until I die or become disinterested.
posted by cellphone at 9:02 PM - 3 comments

GROKTAR
I'm looking for feedback on a guitar learning website I've been working on. First of all, it turns guitar tabs you find on the internet into music. Second, it's a general scratchpad for playing around with chords or scales and learning the fretboard. Third, you can share music and lessons with your friends. [more inside]
posted by big friendly giant at 7:19 PM - 9 comments

Record your answers to silly questions about clones.
I've put seven questions together on the topic of clones. There is a tool on the website that lets you record your own answers to these questions. The answers will be edited into the first episode of the Machine Court Podcast, an audio program with sketch comedy and interviews related to technology and ethics. [more inside]
posted by ErikH2000 at 9:43 PM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Jodycast
A freeform podcast that's influenced by WFMU/Henry Rollins/John Peel/John Schaefer and often celebrates "new music," the avant-garde, and underheard and/or underappreciated sounds from around the world.
posted by mirepoix at 3:28 PM - 2 comments

Gruntwhore - Mutation (NSWF)
Last year I acted in a video for the first single by Mutation, a new band spearheaded by Ginger Wildheart and featuring contributions from Shane Embury (Napalm Death), Hawk Eyes, Exit International, Mark E. Smith, Jon Poole, Paul Catten, Tom Spencer, Merzbow, Rich Jones, Dom Lawson and many more.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 8:29 PM - 2 comments

Twitov, a generative text bot based on your Twitter history
Twitov takes the Twitter history file some lucky folks have been given access to (Twitter says: Rolling it out "slowly" to everyone) and turns it into the brain for a Markov chatterbot. The results are slightly deranged and slightly stupid, but sometimes pretty funny. [more inside]
posted by zerolives at 4:31 PM - 3 comments

BROKEN JOHNNY - SHOWDOWN AT INMICONDO CANYON
In this saga of regret and redemption, Johnny West (a Marx toy) defends his town from marauding banditos but must deal with the consequences of his choices against the backdrop of a desolate, unforgiving landscape. Using low tech effects and found object puppetry, this short film explores the epic western genre on a diminutive scale. AKA - A five minute western we shot on the floor of my condo. Hope you like it!
posted by AlanHoratio at 5:28 PM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Subdue Metafilter Titles
A new Greasemonkey script that keeps the titles visible but makes them less (in my opinion, and no offense) obtrusive. It moves them down to after the main body, and just before the "posted by" line, in italics and the same font size as "posted by". It works on the blue, the green, and the gray. Screenshot here.
posted by Flunkie at 5:28 PM - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Model 100 upgrade
I've designed a new mainboard for the Tandy / RadioShack TRS-80 Model 100, one of the very first tablet computers. The machine turns thirty years old this year and, amazingly, many of them still function! My upgrade replaces the Model 100's 2.4 MHz 80C85 with the more modern 16 MHz AVR AT90USB1286 on a Teensy++ and adds new features like VT100 emulation and the potential to increase the storage from the original by a factor of one million. [more inside]
posted by autopilot at 6:05 PM - 1 comment

Goalfinger
Goalfinger is a simple website that aims to help you decide what to do with your life.
posted by bwerdmuller at 3:14 PM - 9 comments

Japanese Woodblock Print Database  
A database and visual search engine of over 200,000 Japanese woodblock prints. Starting in the early 1700s and exploding in popularity throughout the 1800s, Japanese woodblock prints depicted the fantastic world of Kabuki actors, courtesans, warriors, and nature. The style of the prints feels particularly modern and vibrant, even today a couple hundred years later. This project aggregates prints from a number of museums, dealers, and auction houses into a single searchable resource. [more inside]
posted by jeresig at 12:13 PM - 16 comments

Metropho.rs
Metropho.rs is a geographic metaphor map that plots "X is the Y of Z" tweets by putting the "Y" label on the "X" location. Some nice coverage by the Atlantic Cities blog here. [more inside]
posted by creade at 12:07 PM - 3 comments

Houndton Tabby  
In anticipation of the season 3 premiere of Downton Abbey, I've begun a series of portraits based upon the memorable characters from the show. Depicted as dogs and cats, naturally. I am selling them as prints in my Etsy shop.
posted by Lou Stuells at 11:08 AM - 7 comments

18 genuine Victorian gallows ballads recorded by today's musicians   
Well, it’s taken me over a year to do it, but I’ve now managed to persuade modern rock, folk and blues musicians to record all 16 of the genuine Victorian gallows ballads which I started researching back in 2011 (Projects previously). You’ll find a Soundcloud set compiling the whole "album" linked above, and details of the individual songs below. Each track is a collaboration across more than 100 years, as singers and bands from Britain, America and Australia add their own music to the original 19th century lyrics. Each track's Soundcloud entry has a link taking you to the true story behind that particular ballad. [more inside]
posted by Paul Slade at 10:36 AM - 3 comments