lightcastle

Some sensuous photography from Zhang Jingna (the site has some very nice things)

On the motion picture side of things, Chromakey is everywhere

I sort of knew they did a lot of CGI background work, but had no idea just how extensive it is even for seemingly mundane shots.

The shot lengths in movies are approaching the pink noise ratio of 1/f - a ratio found in many parts of nature and possibly the rhythm of the brain, according to a recent study. This may help make them more grippy, even if it doesn't make them better.

And as long as we are talking movies, an argument in favour of piracy.

Finally, a series of gender-swapped superheroes from the annual calendar at PortalComic, assessed by the people at Comics Alliance.

Some are fun, and the line about Rebel being "like if Shawn Michaels got super-powers in 1992" is very funny. But for me, the crowning glory of the piece is definitely Cross-gender Asterix and Obelix!!

That is probably a somewhat misleading title, but it is 1:11 AM (make a wish).

Still, in this mash-up culture in which music and images and thoughts are recycled and recombined into something new, you often end up in places you didn't anticipate.

As exhibit A I ask you,

When you think of the awesome Placebo cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)", I suspect the first thing you think of is *not* wrestling promo video, is it?

I doubt I'll be writing anything deep through New Year's.

Some views - both good and bad - on sex in the US-Canada culture.

Horrifying sex toys. I am not always a fan of Something Awful, but there are some good ones in here.

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Greta Christina decides to take off her cranky pants and put on her optimist hat concerning how much better things are now concerning sex in our society, which is the kind of thing one should blog pantsless when you think about it. (She of course still acknowledges how much more needs to be done.)

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An interesting post on coping with herpes.

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And we end with the Pessimism.

Cop stops stripper, masturbates all over her, gets acquitted by jury because "obviously she was asking for it".

Fuck people depress me sometimes.

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Aimai explains negotiation 101, and how Obama seems to have failed that class. (Again, always assuming he wanted a serious reform bill and wasn't aiming for what we appear to be getting all the time.

Mark Kleiman uses BATNA to explain further.

Ed Kilgore discusses ideological differences in the American center-left and Greenwald explains how so much of what is going on involves corporatism.

Meanwhile, Bernacke seems to want 10% unemployment to continue to fight imaginary inflation. Krugman calls it absurd.

I think this ad is making a comment about precision engineering.

Some interesting speculation on the apparent bimodal distribution of bisexuality. I do agree that cultural factors shape the curve and expression of sexuality, but I also think it likely it there are biological factors that tend to steep it toward a certain double-peak structure - just not as pronounced a one as we see due to our particular cultural hangup.

"Never make someone a priority to whom you are only an option."
One of those relationship tips that comes up often, (sadly too often among people I know). I think people love to think they can get around this one, though. I'm kind of fond of it as a guideline since it applies no matter how many people you think you should be involved with.

From a while ago, Gawker reports that researchers in Montreal trying to study the effects of pornography on male sexuality had to give up because they couldn't find a control group of males that hadn't consumed porn.

(Press Release)

"We started our research seeking men in their twenties who had never consumed pornography. We couldn't find any," says Simon Louis Lajeunesse, a postdoctoral student and professor at the School of Social Work.

Speaking of pornography: it seems only a small proportion of teens are 'sexting'.

First, some interesting photos of actors reprising/echoing some of their iconic roles.

Then, a
shallow appeal to the "hot geek babe" stereotype.

I've mentioned my profound shallowness, yes?

Popular Science puts out a gorgeous gallery of the year's best science pictures.

Finally, Jesus and Mo

Have not been feeling up to snuff the last couple of days. Hopefully the final bureaucratic hurdles to the renewal of my health care card are being cleared and I will soon have the advantage of the social safety net here.

Meanwhile, the health insurance reform debate has kicked into high gear in the Senate. I still remain skeptical of much good coming out of this, but am hoping to be surprised.

Meanwhile, DARPA may have simulated a cat brain with computers. Or not, depending who you ask.

If they have, can it do this?

On the radio this morning here in Montreal, they discussed the need for more economists to take the role of public intellectuals and seriously talk about economic issues. Economics has been unduly and unfortunately focused on the financial markets, causing a serious distortion in the debate and policy. Outside of that, you mostly get the uber-glib "contrarian" approach of the Freakonomics-style crowd, which tends to be deeply unhelpful as well. The two economists discussing this pointed out that in Quebec it is a problem compounded by the fact that almost all the economists they can get to talk come from universities in the US or France, which puts them at a remove from a Quebec perspective.

These look neat: Lichtenberg Figures

A sunset.

A light echo.

I am clearly in an unjustifiably cranky mood. Not sure why.

Therefore, you get links.

* How to punk rightwingers.

"Robert Erickson" goes to a teaparty rally and rails against immigrants and demands that all those illegal European immigrants get rounded up, leading a chant of "Columbus Go Home".

Sadly, the

The wonderful sex-ed website Scarleteen is calling for donations. (Besides the normal costs of running a high-quality website, some health care bills knocked the woman who maintains it for a loop.

Given the sorry state of most sex ed in North America, keeping sites like this alive is a good deed.