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Lior Shoov's street performance on the handpan still kicks ass.

Joy + Passion = Lior Shoov.

The instrument also has a fascinating history.

The Origins of Handpans: The Hang from PANArt

The first Hang prototype was essentially an inside-out steel-drum. It was far too big and bulky to play with ease (see video at the top of t

sylvainpasliermusicSylvain Paslier

Shoov plays numerous instruments and has a Vimeo Channel, though she uploads sporadically.

Unseen Worlds is a record label out of Brooklyn. They've been releasing accessible avant-garde music for a long time now.

They've compiled a free-to-stream sampler or sorts on their Band Camp page. Here's a link, or you can stream it below.

Extraordinary footage of a Translucent Deepstaria Jellyfish.

Luke Muehlhauser's site has a couple good Beginner's Guides:

1. Modern Art Jazz
2. Modern Classical

A beginner’s guide to modern art jazz

The Korean Film Archive YouTube Channel has uploaded 100+ classic Korean films from the 1930s onward. Available for free viewing with subtitles.

Hundreds more are on their web site.

The tenth annual (May, 1973) Leonard J Waxdeck Bird Calling Contest at Piedmont High School. Great fun.

Today, Metafilter turned 25.

It's the only website I check at least once a day (in reality, it's probably closer to 20, especially if you include ask.metafilter). I've been a member since 2002, which means, at an minimum, I've loaded its front page more than 8000 times.

I've visited it more often than Gmail (MF has been around longer) and Google.com — in fact, I was an early user of gmail because Jessamyn West (MetaFilter's current owner) sent me an invite before it was opened to all users.

To my mind, MetaFilter is unquestionably one of best things ever about the Internet.

Much of the press it's getting in honor of being around a quarter of a century is identifying it as "the good internet." Absolutely true.

HBD, MF!

Black Film Archive is a living register of Black films. In its current iteration, it showcases Black films made from 1898 to 1999 currently streaming. 

The Public Domain Review has a nice page on Japanese Fireman's Coats of the 19th Century.

Check them all out on their site:

Japanese Firemen’s Coats (19th century)

Firemen’s coats in 19th-century Japan were reversible — one side was plain and the other side (worn on the inside while tackling blazes) was decorated with rich and symbolic imagery

The Public Domain Review

The NYTimes asked 500+ authors what their favorite books of the 21st century were. The page is interactive so you can track what you've read or hope to read. My fave is on there at #52: Denis Johnson's Train Dreams.

I've posted the full list in the above link, but you can also browse by the polled authors, which may be of more interest.

If you're someone who's always looking for a good book recommendation, you may also appreciate this Ask Metafilter thread: Nonfiction Authors Who Know What They're Writing About.