Swedish film and rebel bingo this weekend

To get you out of those what-should-we-do blahs

1) This Saturday, 11.12, 9p-12a, another Underground Rebel Bingo Club will be going down somewhere in the Union Square area. Tickets'll cost ya (not much), but these are crazy dance parties with bingo. Sounds great. Go to Rebelbingo.com. [via The Print Up]


2) The always interesting Spectacle Theatre (S. 2nd Street and Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn) is screening A Swedish Love Story (En Kärlekshistoria) this weekend, at 9:30p on Saturday and 7:30p on Sunday. The screening Saturday will be followed by an afterparty at the Crown Vic. Tickets are $5. 


"Fifteen year-old Pär (Rolf Sohlman) and fourteen year-old Annika (Ann-Sofie Kylin) fall in love... around them swirl parents, friends, and rivals – a series of microcosms that evoke a society apparently permissive, but secretly in tatters. Against the background of their developing romance, the thwarted emotions of the older generation are shown with a dramatic sense of disappointment and sympathetic insight. A major international hit when it was first released, this stunningly photographed portrait of Swedish life revels in the small moments that reveal bigger truths.
Unavailable on DVD in the US, we will be presenting a new HD version sent by director Roy Andersson."

[via The Print Up]

Science Tattoos

I've had a fascination with tattoos for awhile; although I'd never get one, I get a kind of voyeuristic pleasure out of seeing other people's and hearing their stories. So I was happy to see a slideshow of science-themed tattoos on the Science Times today, from Carl Zimmer's new book, "Science Ink". These tattoos are also of an impressive design and quality, and many of their owners are (bad-ass) scientists themselves:

Jellyfish

Neural network

Ammonite fossil

The Golden Ratio

[Photos culled from Flavorwire, since the Times wouldn't let me copy theirs]

Murmuration is my new favorite word

Def: a collection of starlings.

Watch the amazing video below--you've probably seen photos of this phenomenon before, but seeing it in action is something else.

[via NY Times' Dot Earth blog]

The music detracts from the video a little bit, but it's not wildly offensive.

These acrobatic waves occur around dusk as the starlings are roosting for the evening. Their numbers slowly build up over the roosting site throughout the afternoon, as the birds return from foraging. Heading to roost en masse decreases the probability that an individual will be picked off by a predator--each bird mimics the others' movements, avoiding the outside of the cloud or being the first to land. [via The Telegraph]


Also, I may have just ended up in a Wiki-hole of obscure names for groups of different birds. A charm of goldfinches! A parliament of owls!

The Hidden World of Girls

I'm listening to the second hour of the PRX Radio piece, "The Hidden World of Girls", narrated by Tina Fey. It's streaming here (link to the first hour will also be on that page), and I recommend it for anyone who likes This American Life or just stories in general. Unfortunately, you can't download it as an mp3, so go fold some laundry in your room and listen.

Free comedy, gallery opening

Comedian Todd Barry is shooting his Comedy Central special at the Gramercy Theater on 12.1, with shows at 7:15p and 9:15p. Tickets are free, but you have to enter here. [via Gothamist]

Opening night reception for Tuxedo Park, a show of Annika Connor's paintings. I can't repost the flyer, but it looks cool, and there will be free champagne and hors d'oeuvres. 11.9, 6-9p at Bungalow 5 Showroom (251 W. 30th St., 10th Floor). RSVP to Press@bungalow5.com. [via The Printup]

Free Pommes Frites

Get the code at Scoutmob for 1 free pomme frites in the East Village (123 2nd Avenue). Expires 11.13. 

Get some culture

This sounds pleasant: an evening of art, cocktails, and live jazz on a hotel rooftop on the Upper West Side. We Heart Art presents painter Meghan Oare and carver Martin Robinson, Monday 11.14, 6:30-10p, at the Empire Hotel rooftop (44 W. 63rd St.). Get free tickets at the Eventbrite page. [via Living Free NYC]

Also, a screening of the foreign film Bon Appetit, as part of Window to Spain, a "free 6-month summer cinema experience" (summer?). This is sort of in Chelsea, at Big Screen Plaza (851 Sixth Ave behind the Eventi Hotel), 11.19, 4-6p. There will also be good food (not free) from Bar Basque, BeerParc and FoodParc. I've never heard of Big Screen Plaza, but it sounds like a venue to keep an eye on. It's unclear if all or most of their events are free, but they have things named "Doomsday", "Borealis", and "Cartoon Brew".