akawil

bnewman posting in

Opinions within the gamer community differ widely regarding the ethics of emulation — copying old games onto modern computers where they can be played by using software tools to mimic the behavior of older console hardware. Most video game publishers are strongly opposed of course, and fans agree that the people who make our games should be able to profit from them. But, because of their dependence on aging hardware, games are one of the least-well-preserved of all media types. Allowing pieces of our culture to vanish forever because their "owners" didn't find it profitable to preserve them, for generation after generation, doesn't "promote the progress of science and the useful arts".

And then of course there's this terrible pun.

lyrics by Benjamin Newman

ttto: "Message in a Bottle" by The Police

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bnewman posting in

bn_songbook

The Eagles' original has been crying out for this pun for a long time, and I'm certainly not the first to think of it or mention it, but I may be the first to expand it into a complete story-song. This is a shapeshifting huntress's tale in the vein of "Velvet" or "Golden Eyes".

lyrics by Benjamin Newman

ttto: "Lyin' Eyes" by Don Henley and Glenn Frey

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bnewman posting in

bn_songbook

This one began with just the pun(ch) line, but when I realized what piece of media it could be about, it grew (ahem) into something deeper. Miyazaki's Nausicaa, like Frozen's Elsa, is a bold heroine who discovers a dangerous secret, an inner connection to an unstoppable natural force, and her own sense of purpose on the edge of the wilderness.

lyrics by Benjamin Newman

ttto: "Let It Go" from Disney's Frozen by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez

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bnewman posting in

bn_songbook

If you're at all familiar with action adventures or comic books, you've surely heard Justin's name before, but did you know he has a twin brother? This concept was a long time in preparation, and finally took shape in something of a Les Barker x Tom Smith form.

by Benjamin Newman

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bnewman posting in

bn_songbook

Hekate is a mysterious and complex goddess, associated with magic and witchcraft, liminal spaces, and threes — such as places where three roads meet; or the upper, middle, and lower worlds. I know Her primarily through Her supporting role in the story of Persephone, about Whom more is written elsewhere. Speaking with Hekate around the time of Sukkot, a Jewish (not Hellenic!) holiday which involves the gathering and waving of a bundle of symbolic plants, She suggested to me this trio of weeds, all of which grow wild in my neighborhood. Poisonous nightshades have long been Hers (and bittersweet nightshade is poisonous), and mugwort and goldenrod are associated with the dream realm and abundance respectively.

lyrics and music by Benjamin Newman

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bnewman posting in

bn_songbook

In Hebrew, "chochmah" means "wisdom", and "kavanah" means "intention", often particularly referring to a statement of intention or mystical formula recited before the main part of a prayer or ritual to set an appropriate tone — so a "chochmah kavanah" would be a mystical formula to invoke wisdom. Of course it also sounds like a certain classic lounge song...

lyrics by Benjamin Newman

ttto: "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow

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bnewman posting in

bn_songbook

According to a meme that has been going around, the name of OpenAI's flagship product sounds especially funny if you know French.

lyrics and music by Benjamin Newman

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bnewman posting in

bn_songbook

Having disposed of certain people's ambitions of Mars colonization, let's plant the seeds of a more egalitarian vision for our future on the red planet — a future we can build together if only we keep ~~marching~~ Martian.

lyrics by Benjamin Newman

ttto: "Bread and Roses" by James Oppenheim, set to music by Mimi Farina

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bnewman posting in

bn_songbook

Avinu Malkeinu (Our Father, Our King) is a solemn hymn chanted on the holiest days of the Jewish year, reminding us of the G-d before whom we stand. Modern progressive Jews vary in their relationship to those particular metaphors. This new, um, translation, reveals a surprisingly modern and scientific view of the Source of Life in the coming together of simple organic molecules under geothermal heat.

lyrics by Benjamin Newman

ttto: "Avinu Malkeinu", trad. Hebrew

listen to this song

Amino volcano

Molecular tango

Amino volcano, molecular tango

That gave rise to all living beings

They say the dawn-soup

Thickened when heated

They say the dawn-soup thickened when heated

And out of that soup we all grew

denise posting in

dw_news

Hello, friends! It's about to be December again, and you know what that means: the fact I am posting this actually before December 1 means

karzilla reminded me about the existence of linear time again. Wait, no -- well, yes, but also -- okay, look, let me back up and start again: it's almost December, and that means it's time for our annual December holiday points bonus.

The standard explanation: For the entire month of December, all orders made in the Shop of points and paid time, either for you or as a gift for a friend, will have 10% of your completed cart total sent to you in points when you finish the transaction. For instance, if you buy an order of 12 months of paid time for $35 (350 points), you'll get 35 points when the order is complete, to use on a future purchase.

( The fine print and much more behind this cut! )

Thank you, in short, for being the best possible users any social media site could possibly ever hope for. I'm probably in danger of crossing the Sappiness Line if I haven't already, but you all make everything worth it.

On behalf of Mark, Jen, Robby, and our team of awesome volunteers, and to each and every one of you, whether you've been with us on this wild ride since the beginning or just signed up last week, I'm wishing you all a very happy set of end-of-year holidays, whichever ones you celebrate, and hoping for all of you that your 2026 is full of kindness, determination, empathy, and a hell of a lot more luck than we've all had lately. Let's go.

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Reading

Sending out a NES OS

Lion Eyes

Let The Spores Rain Down

Justin and Nick

Goldenrod, Mugwort, and Bittersweet

Chochmah Kavanah

Chat, J’ai Pété

As We Go Martian

Amino Volcano

Look! I remembered to post before December started this year!

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August 2017

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