The Secret Origin of Windows, recollections of the development and release of Windows 1.0 and 2.0 by its project manager Tandy Trower (via)

Nella Cordelia: A Birth Story (warning: sound)

Anarchism and Science Fiction: A Reading List

Though the District of Columbia just welcomed its first same-sex married couple under its new marriage equality law, neighboring Virginia is dealing with the possibility of further restrictions to GLBT residents. The newly-minted state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is advising (read: instructing) Virginia's public colleges and universities that, because the state assembly has refused to add sexuality to its classes of discrimination, that for public colleges and universities to use discrimination policies which include gays and lesbians would be beyond their authority. Gov. McDonnell rescinded previous executive orders from Govs. Kaine and Warner in order to remove sexuality from the list of discrimination protections, but today responded to the controversy by directing state agencies not to discriminate against gays. And it all has something to do with Fortune 500 Company Northrop Grumman.

The Shining Cuckoo Clock. The clock mimics the moment from the film, and every hour Jack breaks through the door and the famous line "Here's Johnny" plays followed by a scream by Shining co-star Shelly Duvall.

The man with no identity. [via]

"He was so high," says Lucille Gathers Cheeseboro, two decades later. "And then when he came down, he was so low." Hank Gathers, remembered twenty years later.
Diagnosed with exercise-induced ventricular tachycardia, Hank Gathers, as a junior, managed to be only the 2nd player in history to lead the NCAA in both scoring (33 ppg) and rebounding (14 rpg).

About twenty years ago this week, Gathers, All-American power forward for 1990 Loyola Marymount University Lions, the highest-scoring team in NCAA history, collapsed at midcourt after high-fiving teammate, good friend and future All-American Bo Kimble due to an exercise-induced heart attack during a conference championships game.

After his death, the Lions made a surprising run during the NCAA Tournament, making it to the Elite Eight before falling to the powerhouse UNLV Runnin' Rebels. During that stretch, Bo Kimble, in honor of his friend Gathers, shot each of his first free throws in each game left-handed (a tribute he would continue while in the NBA).

BONUS: LIONS VS. TIGERS
Gathers played under an incredibly break-neck offense constructed by coach Paul Westhead. Curious about what a perpetually fast-breaking/fullcourt-pressing game looks like? You might enjoy this all-time classic overtime game from 1990, pitting the Gathers/Kimble Loyola Marymount Lions against a young and talented Louisiana State University Tigers, available here (second video down; been kind of wonky viewing for me, but hooooooly shit is this a great game. Classic. Seriously). How young and talented was that LSU team? They featured three future NBA 1st Round draft picks: the quick and deadly Chris Jackson (who was probably the most famous basketball player afflicted with Tourette's syndrome and who would later change his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf), and a few big fellas, 7-foot center Stanley Roberts (whose career would be derailed by injuries and drug abuse) and the thin, perma-grinning 7-foot freshman center, Shaquille O'Neal (a.k.a. Shaq, The Diesel, Shaq Fu, The Big Aristotle and Hobo Master, Superman, The Big Agave, The Big Cactus, The Big Shaqtus, Wilt Chamberneezy, Dr. Shaq, The Big Baryshnikov, etc.)

Oscar winner Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's TV documentary series The Staircase can be watched in full on Google Video. It chronicles the defense strategy of Michael Peterson, the novelist who in 2001 was accused of murdering his wife, who he said had fallen down a flight of stairs at their grand house in Durham, N.C. Links inside.
Chapter 1 - "Crime or Accident"
Chapter 2 - "Secrets and Lies"
Chapter 3 - "A Striking Coincidence"
Chapter 4 - "A Prosecution Trickery"
Chapter 5 - "A Weak Case"
Chapter 6 - "The Prosecution's Revenge"
Chapter 7 - "The Blowpoke Returns"
Chapter 8 - "The Verdict"

The war in desktop publishing began in 1985 in the shadowy hallways of offices, raging for decades and leaving scores wounded as first one king, then another was toppled. Today the current leader gleefully celebrates its victory, but on the horizon, a possible challenger looms.

What If Everybody in Canada Flushed At Once? The water utility in Edmonton, EPCOR, published a graph of water consumption last week. By now you've probably heard that up to 80% of Canadians were watching the Olympics gold medal hockey game between Canada and the USA. So, it stands to reason that they'd all go pee between periods. More from The Globe and Mail.

Mimi. Carmen. Violetta. Cio-Cio San. Tosca. Lucia di Lammermoor. Manon. Anna Nicole.

Last week, economist Simon Johnson (his blog; previously on MeFi) spoke at the Roosevelt Institute about the failure to regulate the financial industry, and the doomsday cycle of our economy (via).

The conventional wisdom says that in the best of circumstances, a male beginner weight trainee cannot hope to gain more than a maximum of 2 pounds of muscle per month. Enter Mark Rippetoe, author and gym owner, and his 20-year-old trainee Zach Evetts. Zach gained 2.84 pounds of muscle a week. In his article "The Novice Effect," (PDF) Rippetoe explains Zach's results and why they're not surprising.
In the course of increasing his bodyweight from 162# to 242# in less than a year of training, Zach has increased his squat from 145# x 5 to 345# x 5. Zach's progress was met with some skepticism, notably from author Lyle McDonald. In response, Rippetoe posted 2 videos of Zach's latest workout, squatting 320# 5x5.

A database engineer considers marriage. Starts with heterosexual monogamy and eventually produces a schema that can handle...well, some interesting arrangements.

El fin del mundo

A bill to prohibit the use of salt by restaurant kitchens has been introduced to the New York Senate.

Conservatives are not amused.
Well, who would be?

The sponsor Felix Ortiz has already made some controversial proposals

The Psychology of Video Games. Jamie Madigan has a Ph.D. in psychology. He's also a Gamer with a capital G, has written gaming strategy guides and countless game reviews, and follows the gaming scene like some people follow baseball. In his blog, Jamie tells you "why things are" when it comes to game psychology. Conan the Loss Averse Barbarian. How Reciprocity Yields Bumper Crops in Farmville. Phat Loot and Neurotransmitters in World of Warcraft.
Some other winners:

DJ Jazzy Contrast – The Contrast Effect and DJ Hero Renegade

Duke Nukem Forever: Escalating Commitment and Chewing Bubblegum

Picking Your Guildies: The Role of Attraction, Selection, and Attrition

Just One More Level: Decision Making Under Arousal

Google maps now has bike routes.

Chemically Driven Carbon-Nanotube-Guided Thermopower Waves (VIDEO) are "a new scientific area for research" and may be able to provide 100 times more energy by weight than a standard lithium-ion battery.

Harmony: A procedural drawing tool made in JavaScript

How Facebook Was Founded

80s teen idol and film star Corey Haim, has died in Los Angeles of an apparent overdose.

BRIDGTON, Maine, February 27 (ESPN) -- It takes a certain kind of confidence for an athlete to wear a cape. You can't just be good. You have to be amazing, as in world champion-caliber amazing. Otherwise, you run the risk of looking ridiculous. Luckily, Christian Housh, better known as Tiger Claw, proved himself worthy of a world title. "I can't say I ever had any dreams of being a four square champion until I found out about the world championships of four square," Housh said. "Then the dream came alive."Bonus: incomplete list of cool rules. Previously on MetaFilter. Previously at a MetaFilter meetup. Get well soon, klangklangston!

8 Unconvential Ways to Be "Buried." We've all heard about strange practices surrounding the remains of the deceased, but even I (who am morbid to a fault) hadn't been aware of half of these.

When Washington D.C. began licensing same-sex marriages last week, this story came out on the paper edition of the Washington Post with this photo on the front page. (WARNING: the photo depicts two men kissing) The paper received complaints from upset readers, some of whom canceled their Post subscription. Andrew Alexander, the Post's ombudsman, responds: "There was a time, after court-ordered integration, when readers complained about front-page photos of blacks mixing with whites. Today, photo images of same-sex couples capture the same reality of societal change."