Yet more keen links one might want to share

[BigV]

http://imgur.com/gallery/7Lsjz for the pitchurs.

http://www.voyageoftherascal.com/ for the story

[xoxoxoBruce]

From V's first link...

Lots of folks from the US came to visit me during my time in Mexico. It felt great to be able to share my new life, and the days I spent with friends were some of the richest of the voyage.

So as nice as the freedom before the mast is, hanging with friends is better. Maybe just when you're the center of attention.

[xoxoxoBruce]

The Slow Death of Heavy Metal.

Although I read today Detroit has more lead in it's water than Flint, this is about other metals, like Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Slayer.

These are strange days for classic heavy metal.
Many godfathers of the movement are in their 60s, some close to 70 years old, including members of Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. Several hard rock and metal luminaries—Ronnie James Dio, A.J. Pero (Twisted Sister), Jeff Hanneman (Slayer), Lemmy and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor (Mötorhead)—have passed away recently. Concert sales for some acts are still strong, others are waning. OzzFest is long gone, and the final nail in the coffin for the annual Mayhem Fest likely landed this past summer. Music sales overall have declined, and over the past decade the Billboard charts, radio airplay and music award broadcasts have been dominated by anemic pop music and hipster rock.

‘People listen to music differently now. They don’t have time to sit down and put the record on and give it 30 minutes…who will be the next giant metal band, I don’t know.’—Rob Halford

To top it off, Brent Hinds, guitarist for old school-style headbangers Mastodon, told Guitar Player earlier last year that he hates playing heavy metal, while KISS bassist Gene Simmons proclaimed that “rock is dead” two years ago.

Considering that many of the genre’s godfathers, who still inspire younger bands and dominate European festivals, will likely retire in a few years, where do things will go from here? Will we see heavy bands on the superstar level of Metallica and Iron Maiden ever again? Will that classic sound become a nostalgic relic relegated to oldies bins? Or will it mutate into something else?

Damifino?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Europeana Collections

Josh Jones of Open Culture says, "Of all the archives I’ve surveyed, used in my own research, and presented to Open Culture readers, none has seemed to me vaster than Europeana Collections, a portal of '48,796,394 artworks, artefacts, books, videos and sounds from across Europe,' sourced from well over 100 institutions such as The European Library, Europhoto, the National Library of Finland, University College Dublin, Museo Galileo, and many, many more, including contributions from the public at large."

[Gravdigr]

Ooh, that sounds like a site one could kill some serious time in/at/on/wtfe.

I ain't even taking a peek right now.

Bookmarked, though.

[fargon]

Me too.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I have no interest in basketball, amateur, collegiate, or pro, but every once in awhile I read numbers thrown around about sneaker deals that make me shake my head in wonder. This short article explains the types, who gets them, and the strings.

To start, there's a common misconception among casual fans that only star players have shoe deals. When I tweeted out last month that Nick Young was signing a new shoe deal with adidas, the first response was, “Why is adidas giving Nick Young his own shoe?”

The truth is, only 10 players currently have their own signature shoe with a U.S.-based brand, but literally every player in the league has some level of relationship with a footwear brand.

From the brands’ perspective, they have an infrastructure in place to begin scouting and interacting with those players early on, and by the time known prospects turn pro after a year or two of college, they've already been scouted for as much as five years. Brands are spending increasingly more money at the high school level, sponsoring schools and AAU teams alike, to get their products worn by the top players, and in turn get access to a relationship with phenoms who’ll soon be pros.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Join the campaign against sex robots, don't give a fuck.

[xoxoxoBruce]

OK, time to edumacate you in the basic social skills...

How to photograph running water.

How to read poetry aloud.

How to slurp ramen noodles.

How to make wood gears.

There, now you're ready for your debutante ball.

[Gravdigr]

I lasted 59 spins.

[fargon]

I made it 145. But I cheated.

[Gravdigr]

If you carry a pistol in a soft (non-rigid) holster, or, no holster, you might want to read this.<---A few not-too-bad graphic pics of a man's ass with an extra hole in it. BONUS: In one shot, you can see right through the wound, like it's a tunnel.

In a nutshell, dude bent to sit down in his car, and shot himself in the ass. There's a lesson in there, somewhere.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Should have quit when he was half shot in the ass.

[Clodfobble]

"Right up main street!"

[sexobon]

Bunch of assholes.