Assassins

Foreign Policy has an article discussing the legality of targeting Qaddafi, begging the question: why aren't leaders targeted more frequently?

The article shrewdly points out that no leader is particularly interested in crossing that line, leading, as it would, to reprisals and increasing the threat felt by all leaders. But pop culture and entertainment (and, depending on how far into conspiracy theories one ventures, history) is full of stories of shadowy organizations and figures who play the game of diplomacy using rather direct measures. The term 'assassin' itself is derived from the Arabic term hashishi, roughly translated to 'rabble'. It was adopted to describe the first group of assassins, famously lead by Hasan-i Sabbah, or The Old Man of the Mountain.

A few funny things

1. This is funny. 
2. This is interesting.

Good night.

The Tyler Cowen

1. Adjacencies and the 9/11 memorial. I wish I had this program back two years ago when I needed to create a matrix to satisfy just two requirements. Via Infosthetics.
2. Haunting footage of Japan's wreckage, albeit with an epically poetic news anchor narrating. Via Gizmodo.
3. Though this is a few days old, it's a great video. Humor makes political statements so much more effective.
   

The Tyler Cowen

1. Last.fm getting us to do their work them. Thankfully, their work is really cool. Via Infosthetics.
2. The future, via Gizmodo. I'm saving up for this bad boy if he can get some decent gyroscopes to keep me from flipping over.
3. Depressing but unavoidable realities of humanitarian aid and the numbers they use to ask for support.
4. Two amazing videos from Gizmodo. One of base-jumping (it's a watch ad yes, but still breathtaking), the other of a funny, scary TED Talk. (Second is after the break.)

Covers

Are covers cool? Some people think yes, some think no, some think only if the band puts their unique stamp on the song, others think only if the band does a faithful recreation. I think covers are cool in any regard, particularly this one:

Wye Oak covers Danzig

The Tyler Cowen

1. A photo essay on North Korea and an accompanying article about the unlikelihood of its imminent collapse.
2. Music video. Via Infosthetics.
   

Motion Control

We're pretty tired right now so this might not be the most focused post, but after watching the entirety of Microsoft's event at E3, the cringe-inducing awkward ants are crawling all over my skin. Some of the worst offenders:

The Tyler Cowen

1. Jesus. That was fast. One day after requesting it here, up crops this video giving me exactly what I want. Thank you internet.
   
2. Some fun infographics today. Crime maps, bike accident maps, and expat quality of life maps to name a few.
3. Obscure but hilarious attack on one comic artist's abilities. 
4. Slow motion car commercials featuring things getting destroyed. 

A good idea

We love us some time-lapse video here at Bag of Hammers. Our swiftly tilting planet surely is a thing of beauty. However, particularly as with night time-elapse videos like the one below, the effect is Earth-centric. The frame makes the mountain ranges and telescopes stationary while the stars dance and wheel above us. I would love to see someone figure out how to make the stars stationary while the Earth in the foreground circles around. While everything is relative, it would be an interesting perspective that would highlight our movement through the cosmos. Imagine the scene at 4:06 with the mountains twisting around in the foreground.


Via The Awesomer.

The Tyler Cowen

1. China's next generation.
2. Poverty in context.
3. Doomsaying to the contrary, this guy thinks weather-related deaths are declining. Via Marginal Revolution.
4. Ah the bizarre ways in which our need for a human connection manifests itself. Via The Browser.
5. Creepy proof that Facebook is creepy. Via Gizmodo. (I dare you to try it.)