From Michael:

Africa for Norway – New charity single out now!

NASA Johnson Style is a volunteer outreach video project created by the students of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. It was created as an educational parody of Psy’s Gangnam Style. The lyrics and scenes in the video have been re-imagined in order to inform the public about the amazing work going on at NASA and the Johnson Space Center.

via Neatorama

Learn about NASA: http://www.nasa.gov
Learn about the International Space Station: http://www.nasa.gov/station
Sign up to get space station sighting information sent to you: http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

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The 2012 Ig Nobel Prize winners were announced and introduced on September 20 at a gala ceremony at Harvard University.

From How-to Geek: Here’s video of the entire ceremony (jump to around the 50:00 mark to skip the setup phase):

From Improbably Research:

The Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative — and spur people’s interest in science, medicine, and technology. Every year, in a gala ceremony in Harvard’s Sanders Theatre, 1200 splendidly eccentric spectators watch the winners step forward to accept their Prizes. These are physically handed out by genuinely bemused genuine Nobel laureates.

Here are the awards:

PEACE PRIZE: The SKN Company [RUSSIA], for converting old Russian ammunition into new diamonds.

ACOUSTICS PRIZE: Kazutaka Kurihara and Koji Tsukada [JAPAN] for creating the SpeechJammer — a machine that disrupts a person’s speech, by making them hear their own spoken words at a very slight delay. (more…)

From James: For those interested in finance and filosophy

From Erin:

Omar Get Your Shotgun: The Wire Musical You Never Asked For Is Here
by Neetzan Zimmerman
Gawker
June 5, 2012

Sing along with all your favorite Wire stars — Michael K. Williams (Omar), Sonja Sohn (Kima), Larry Gilliard, Jr. (D’Angelo), Andre Royo (Bubbles), and Felicia “Snoop” Pearson (Snoop) — as they take the stage to perform a musical adaptation of HBO’s much-loved police procedural.

You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! You’ll wonder why! But most of all, you’ll pray that this never, ever becomes a real thing.

Moderator’s note: This won’t be the first time a satirist co-opted official letterhead to make a statement (see Joey Skaggs’ Brookyln Bridge Lottery Hoax, done in 1992), but it may be the last!!

Dane County DA considers charges against cartoonist who sent fake news
by Sandy Cullen
Wisconsin State Journal
March 14, 2012

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said Wednesday his office is considering whether to file a felony charge against a political cartoonist who reproduced the letterhead of state Rep. Steve Nass on a phony press release sent to a Madison newspaper.

Ozanne said Capitol Police have asked his office to determine whether Mike Konopacki of Madison should be charged with violating a state law that makes it a felony for someone who is not a public officer or public employee to act in an official capacity or to exercise any function of a public office.

The Class I felony is punishable by up to 3½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Ozanne said his office has the discretion to file a different felony or misdemeanor charge, or to not prosecute.

Konopacki, 60, said Wednesday he believes his parody — which makes fun of Nass, a Republican from Whitewater, for his role in canceling an art exhibit related to last year’s protests at the state Capitol — is protected political speech.

He said he sent the fake news release to the editorial page editor at The Capital Times, which posted an erroneous story on the paper’s website and on Capital Newspapers’ website, madison.com, on Feb. 25. It was removed a short while later after the paper learned the source document was a fabrication.

Konopacki, who specializes in labor issues, has drawn editorial cartoons for The Capital Times for many years on a freelance basis, the paper said in an online statement.

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From Brian:

F**k Everything (Jon Lajoie)

Submitted by the Fresh Juice Party:

Fresh Juice Party “Pepper Sprayer”

Sacha Baron Cohen Oscar Ban: Admiral General Aladeen Responds After Academy Award Tickets Revoked
Huffington Post
February 24, 2012

How many pun-filled dictator jokes can Sacha Baron Cohen fit in a minute-and-a-half video? A lot, apparently.

After rumors surfaced that Cohen was banned from walking this year’s Oscars red carpet dressed as Admiral General Aladeen — the satirical despotic character from his upcoming movie “The Dictator” — the Academy Awards released a statement claiming that no such decision had been made regarding the star’s tickets. (He is — was? — originally coming to this year’s show in support of his role in Best Picture nominee “Hugo.”)

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‘Ben Hurt’: Portland bike warriors smash and crash
by Nigel Duara & Terrence Petty
Newsday/AP
February 21, 2012

Portland, Ore. — Looking like punk gladiators, teams of young adults on junk bikes pulling chariots made of junk parts frenetically chased each other around a makeshift arena, slamming each other and swinging away with foam clubs.

Spectators tossed beer cans, flour and smoke grenades. Firecrackers popped and obscenities flew during the battle, called the “Ben Hurt Chariot Wars.”

And then, toward sundown, the grown-ups arrived. Seven police cars pulled up and told all 400 or so people they had to leave because they were trespassing on railroad property. They complied. But the contest was over anyway.

Victors had already emerged: Jon Penfold and his teammate Nick Schlabach. Falls, collisions and smashed wheels eliminated the other teams. Penfold’s and Schlabach’s chariot, armored with a bubble-shaped metallic cage, was the last one still able to maneuver.

“You attack, and then run. Attack, and then run,” said Penfold, 29. “It’s a war of attrition.”

Asked later on how he felt after winning, the 26-year-old Schlabach said: “I wanted to puke.”

Read the rest of this article here.

From Deborah:

NOT SEEN ON THE TV BROADCAST – During a commercial break at the 2012 Grammy Awards, pop singer Adele sings a new version of her Grammy-winning hit “Someone Like You” trashing Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.

EXCLUSIVE – Adele Trashes Newt Gingrich at the Grammys!

Produced by Venga Productions

The adventures of Milk Man – the worst super hero in the world!

by freddiew: Just some cool dudes making sweet vids with rad FX!

via: GeeksAreSexy.net

Submitted by Ben: Not too late to vote!

From the “Lesser Known Presidential Candidates Forum”, Manchester New Hampshire, Saint Anselm College, December 19, 2011, which aired on C-Span:

From Marsha:

All I Want For Christmas – HMS OCEAN, from TwoSixTV

After lots of time away last year (214 days) — planned for 7 week deployment exercise with other nations. Diverted to Libya and further operations; Back 9 Dec after 7½ months away – 225 days with 176 at sea.

The ship’s company made a Christmas DVD when they heard they would be home for Christmas.

400 people onboard (at peak during the amphibious exercises just under 900 onboard but approx 650 during Op Ellamy); Steamed just over 40,000 miles; Burned approx 6,000 tonnes of fuel; Operated 16 different type of aircraft off the deck.

Realities of deploying:

15 babies born while the ship has been away (fathers did get home to see mum and baby); 5 people were sent home so they didn’t miss their own weddings; 1 sailor whose son’s third birthday is on homecoming. Family meeting ship

Ships company have missed:

Summer holidays; Children’s exam results; Children finishing school and starting university; The Padre missed his daughter’s graduation.

Submitted by artist Stephen Barnwell who just won a design competition to make the official Protest Currency for the Occupy Wall St. Movement.

Occupy Wall Street Official Protest Currency

On October 22, 2011, Stephen won a design competition to create the official protest currency of the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Immediate plans for the design are for currency notes and tee shirts, but it may be used for a variety of materials.

The reverse of the note is ghosted out to allow for people to sign the notes, so that each note will be a unique and personalized document. The vignette is of the NY Stock Exchange building grafted onto the US Capitol building.

For details of Stephen’s design process, check out the artasmoney.com blog.