To the Moon and Back

The story of Apollo 13 as told by the people that lived through it. (via del.icio.us)

The problems were piling up at Liebergot's door. Although his voice is impressively calm throughout the recordings of the voice loops from mission control, Liebergot admits that he was almost overwhelmed when he realized "it was not an instrumentation problem but some kind of a monster systems failure that I couldn't sort out...It was probably the most stressful time in my life. There was a point where panic almost overcame me."

Liebergot gives credit to the endless emergency simulation training for getting him through the moment—as well as to the big handles that flanked each mission control console, intended to make servicing easier and jokingly dubbed "security handles" by the controllers. "I shoved the panic down and grabbed the security handles with both hands and hung on. I decided to settle down and work the problem with my backroom guys. Not to say that the thought of getting up and going home didn't pass my mind," he remembers.

Explicit Content Only

Brilliant. This guy edited out everything in NWA's Straight Outta Compton that wasn't swearing. (NSFW)(via Metafilter)

Candy Garden

The photography of Liz Wolfe. I imagine she had a fun time arranging those octopi. (via Horkulated)

Drunk in the South Pole

The colorful drinking culture of Antarctica.

A recent fad sweeping the stations the last couple seasons is the horrifying practice of snorting gin or vodka up one’s nose. I have no idea what to make of this.

Invading Iraqi Airwaves

Apparently they get some American reality shows, sitcoms, and news in Iraq. Maybe if enough Iraqis watch, they can help save Arrested Development. (via Robotwisdom)

I’ve been enchanted with the shows these last few weeks. The thing that strikes me most is the fact that the news is so… clean. It’s like hospital food. It’s all organized and disinfected. Everything is partitioned and you can feel how it has been doled out carefully with extreme attention to the portions- 2 minutes on women’s rights in Afghanistan, 1 minute on training troops in Iraq and 20 minutes on Terri Schiavo! All the reportages are upbeat and somewhat cheerful, and the anchor person manages to look properly concerned and completely uncaring all at once.

Technological History

Engines of Ingenuity are a series of short commentaries that tell "the story of how our culture is formed by human creativity". There are episodes on how pagodas survive earthquakes, the typograhpical legacy of Albrecht Dürer, blacksmithing, city streets, and the durability of writing.