French magician Yann Frisch performs one trick. Very well. He practices it, iterates it and improves it. And with his latest version, just won the top prize of the Beijing International Magic Convention.Don’t blink.
Golden Vault [Video]
How much gold does the vault at the Bank of England hold? Find out in this awesome video.
Kurt Vonnegut on Violence [Letters of Note]
These are two letters from Kurt Vonnegut. The first is to his son’s conscripting officer, supporting his son’s denial to join the army in Vietnam. The second was written in the context of censorship,in Canada, of one of his books.
Imagine Music from Guns [Article]
A Mexican artist has converted a stockpile of weapons into musical instruments, currently on display at the Istanbul Design Biennial. Titled Imagine, Pedro Reyes wonders what the logic behind Hollywood movies is, where actors cannot smoke cigarettes but can carry guns and appear sexy for it.
Flight safety [video]
You may be amused, or terrified, if this lady made the flight safety announcements.
Lincoln’s barber [Article]
William Johnson was the 16th US President Abraham Lincoln’s barber. He was also a black man. This brief article by Matthew Bell explores the impact that this unknown figure in history would have had on Lincoln’s Barber “It’s conjecture, but it’s not entirely out of line to venture that Johnson and Lincoln had the same kind of rapport you have with your barber today. In fact, it could well have been more intimate, given the expanse of Johnson’s duties. Regardless, this much is clear: Johnson served as Lincoln’s most personal and direct connection to black America at the time.”
I love June Carter, I Do. [Letters of Note]
Being married for 35+ years, Johnny Cash & June Carter were inseparable. These two notes, written by Johnny – one on the occasion of her 65th birthday (1994), & the second shortly after her death in 2003 wouldn’t have been around if it was a text message, I guess.
Evil’s architect [Article]
This fascinating examination of the life of Albert Speer, the genius architect of Adolf Hitler’s empire, asks, especially engineers & technicians, is Speer so different from us? “How many of us would be willing to compartmentalize our emotions, suppress our consciences, almost to sell our souls, for the opportunity to work on the grand projects that Speer was involved in? How many of us are so focused on solving a technical problem that we fail to contemplate where that solution might lead?”
Excessive exposure [Article]
Andrew Sullivan, quoting from Melik Kaylan, relives the trauma he faced as a H. I. V positive, gay person.
A Web That Can Entangle And Expose Us All is an alarm over the loss of privacy in the Internet age.
In lhe context of the Environment [Article]
Context is everything, says Charlie Stross, while talking about our fascination about “Saving the planet”. Certain to antagonise the environmental protection types, but the facts he presents are worth considering. And the comments make for spectacular discussion on the theme too. Not to forget the George Carlin rant on the same subject.