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Monday, May 30, 2011

Monday, May 23, 2011

AMAZING

I want one.

How to stream music in 1892

 

There really is no such thing as a new invention. Turns out that even something as quintessentially 21st century as iTunes is just the updated version of what people were doing 109 years ago...well, more or less.
Scientific American went through their archive to the July 2, 1892 supplement for a story about the theatrophone, which had been in use for the previous two years in Paris. (I tried to confirm this story by checking io9's own archives from the 1890s, but for some reason I'm having trouble finding them.) In any event, the theatrophone allowed people to call into a theater and hear music played right over their phone.
They could receive calls from the device in their home or make use of them in various public places - lots of hotels and restaurants had them. And, because the theatrophone was basically the podcast of the 1890s, people could actually subscribe to the service so that they would always know when new music was available.
Writing for Scientific American in the here and now, Mary Karmelek explains how the theatrophone worked:
"For 50 centimes, one could listen to five minutes of music. A wicket on the front of the machine displayed the theater from which the music was heard. There was one central station where the Theatrophone Company operated out of, and this was connected to several secondary stations that were placed in the theaters. A series of microphones were set up on the stage and picked up the sound to be transmitted back to the central station.
The theatrophone had 3 cables, 2 used for the transmission of music and the other for an alarm set for 5 minutes, keeping track of the listener's time and changing theaters at each interval. If a listener happened to catch the live performance as it was ending or during an intermission, he would be wired into a different location for the remainder of time paid for. If all theaters were in an intermission, then the listener would be treated to recorded piano music so his money was not wasted."
For more, check out the original article at here.
Image via.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Drinking in Cars not so 'legal' in INDIANA



Class C Infraction for drinking in a moving car: In Indiana a infraction is a minor offence, such as a traffic violation. It is not considered a crime, but a civil violation. The penalties are a fine of up to $500 and court costs.

Works Cited: http://www.in.gov/cji/2389.htm

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Inception Diagram via MacOSX Folders

Your desktop is the scene of the crime.

Boutsta to did passout

Monday, May 9, 2011

Most Expensive Piece of American Comic Art Ever Sold



Guess what you're looking at? Ok, so the title gave it away. This is the single most valuable piece of American comic art ever to sell. The original art from Page 10, issue #3 of Frank Miller and Klaus Janson’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (DC, 1986) was recently brought for $448,125 as part of Heritage Auctions’ May 5 Vintage Comics and Comic Art Auction.

“Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns defined the best of 1980s comics, and has since been universally acknowledged as one of the most important and influential stories ever published ,” said Ed Jaster, Senior Vice President of Heritage Auctions, “and no image from that important comic series is more iconic than this Splash Page. It’s a little surprising, yes, but fitting that this piece is now the most expensive piece of American comic art ever sold at auction.”

"I've always loved that drawing,” commented Miller, when asked before the auction what his thoughts on its imminent sale were. “Danced around my studio like a fool when I drew it. I hope it finds a good home."

Showing the caped crusader with his trusty sidekick soaring high above Gotham City, the drawing is emblematic of the entire Batman storyline.

So who plunked down the almost half a million dollars for this original drawing? The buyer is an anonymous collector. (How fitting.)

Friday, May 6, 2011

Biff from Back to the Future..not a fan of questions.



And apparently it wasn't real manure, the illusion is shattered.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Vin Diesel is rad to the max

Future Jack Donaghy Lives There Too

May the Fourth be with you

Happy Star Wars Day. Here's some kinda cool fan art.


















oh. and this too....


I Declare a Rap Battle! Marky Mark vs. Vin Diesel

Obviously, Marky Mark would win. But that's not really the point of this. What I really wanna point out is that this kinda sounds like James.