Monday Links from the Bench vol. XCI

[NickFitz]

First links of autumn

• The Lost Boys - "In December 1970 two teenagers disappeared from the Heights neighborhood, in Houston. Then another and another and another. As the number of missing kids grew, no one realized that the most prolific serial killer the country had ever seen—along with his teenage accomplices—was living comfortably among them. Or that the mystery of what happened to so many of his victims would haunt the city to this day." One of the really shocking things about this story is the way police and politicians colluded to lie about the characters of the victims, so as to distract attention from their own failure to stop the killings sooner.
  
  
• 50 Reasons I Reject Evolution - Bobbie Jean Pentecost's satirical take on creationism: "Because if I can't immediately understand how something works, then it must be bulltulip."
  
  
• Cartooning vs. Technology: How Steve Jobs Ruined Comics - "Steve Jobs led the way for elegant and simple device design, and it’s a beautiful thing. But a cartoonist might reach a point where representing something in a super-simplified style when the object itself is already super-simplified becomes increasingly difficult."
  
  
• The Age of Mechanical Reproduction - "When it comes to IVF, in-vitro fertilization, nothing is normal. Your world is upside-down. Your doctor compliments your wife on her monkeys. Then, when every dollar and exertion has gone toward a single hour of hope, it begins to snow." The Fords' struggle to conceive ended up being not just against biology, but also against the elements. (There's a happy ending )
  
  
• SEO for Non-dicks - "I recently read an account of John McElborough’s talk at Brighton SEO 2011, wherein he advocated some ethically questionable SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) tactics... I don’t know John or his work, but this entire side of internet marketing and promotion makes me sad - and a bit angry. I fully acknowledge the value of, and need for, actual SEO; I just think that in many cases, the tactics employed under that title would better be described as Search Engine Manipulation or even Abuse." Matt Legend Gemmell (yes, that is his real middle name) tells you everything you need to know about SEO - seriously, this one short piece completely nails it.
  
  
• London Fashion Week... ON ACID! - "Anything on acid is nuts right? John Lennon is like Paul McCartney… on acid; Lady Gaga is like Cyndi Lauper… on acid; Lindsay Anderson's If... is like Grange Hill… on LOADS of acid! Etc. Well we thought we’d do really scary things on acid, to see if that journalistic cliche had a point. This week: London Fashion Week!"
  
  
• 1 million fps Slow Motion video of bullet impacts made by Werner Mehl from Kurzzeit
  
  
  
  
  
• Why do stars live in galaxies? - "People often remark that the Big Bang sounds like an explosion, or is described as an explosion - and that is a violent, chaotic, destructive event, so why did it produce so much order?" Alice Sheppard explains.
  
  
• The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls - "The Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence, have been digitized and are now accessible online." Handy
  
  
• Mostly Forbidden Zone - "Stuff that has wormed its way into my head." Stuff like:
  
  
  

Happy invoicing!

[thunderlizard]

I like the Mostly Forbidden Zone, but I must "spread some reputation around" before giving you any more. This is a silly rule. Am I forbidden further praise of Duruflé's Requiem until I put in just as good a word for Daphne and Celeste? No I am not.