December, 2011

Videogum runs through some of the videos your employers paid you to watch over the past year.

Videogum

A glorious Tumblr emerges.

Via

Gave this a listen last night. You should follow suit.

Download link here.

42 minutes of Gordon Ramsay losing his friggin mind.

Via

SMBC

Marquese “NONSTOP” Scott does his thing on The Great Wall of China to Butch Clancy’s “Russian Lullaby“.

WHZGUD2 | Previously: Raise Your Weapon, Black Widow, Filthy Keys, Pumped Up Kicks

The 6 Most Secretly Racist Classic Children’s Books – [Cracked]

8 Reasons why the Nine of Diamonds is Unlucky – [Neatorama]

7 Things About ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ That You Might Not Know – [Warming Glow]

11 Most Ridiculous Criminals of 2011 – [11 Points]

Skype To Offer Free WiFi this Holiday Season – [Skype]

Great news Skype friends! Skype is setting out to make travel a little more pleasant this holiday season by offering a free hour of Internet access to third-party wireless hotspots within the Skype WiFi hotspot footprint in select airports across the U.S. From December 21st thru December 27th, travelers passing through or delayed in over 50 airports across the country will be able to access third-party hotspots using Skype WiFi and connect with loved ones via a Skype video or voice call for free.

Meet Charles Feeney, Cornell’s $350 Million Donor – [The Atlantic Wire]

The New York Times has unmasked 80-year-old Cornell alum Charles F. Feeney as the anonymous donor who gave the school a $350 million donation to construct a new technology-based satellite campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City. Officials at The  Atlantic Philanthropies, the foundation started by Feeney in 1982, confirmed to the paper last night that he was the one who made the gift for the project, which is expected to generate an extra $1.4 billion in tax revenue for the city, plus 20,000 construction jobs and as many as 30,000 new jobs once the facility is up and running.

Are We Immune To Viral Marketing? – [Wired]

Do your friends influence your taste? Not so much, according to a Harvard University study.

The Harvard researchers tracked college students’ Facebook relationships and measured how taste in music, movies and books spreads through social networks. It turns out that the degree to which your friends’ tastes and yours are connected has more to do with how you became friends in the first place than the force of that allegiance later on.

When it comes to taste, “peer influence is virtually nonexistent,” said Kevin Lewis, a Harvard sociology graduate student who co-authored the study. Lewis cautioned that the experiences of college students on Facebook may not apply to everyone in all circumstances, but the results offer a sobering counterpoint to the conventional wisdom on the ubiquity of taste diffusion. “The extent to which friends’ preferences actually rub off on each other is minimal,” he said.

Top Reasons People Will Unfriend You On Facebook (Infographic) – [Geekosystem]

Pic via

C. G. P. Grey explains how modern Santa Claus came to be.

CGPGrey | Via | Previously: Daylight Savings Time Explained

More deadly accuracy from the creators of the novelty Twitter account.

Via | Previously: Shit Girls Say

The HD trailer for Christopher Nolan’s final installment of his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, has arrived.

The film will have its way with the box office July 20, 2012.