Happy Friday! Via Cassandra, let's go into the weekend with Wet Leg's cover of Madonna's "Material Girl," which sounds nothing like the original. Have a safe and spiffy weekend, everyone. See you next week. 

 For the historians: The best thing (so far) about 2022 is that the 1950 U.S. census will be made available in April! 

For the artists and the makers: Check out this mirror sculpture (sculpture? performance? installation?).

For the musicians: If you like Sigur Ros, you will also like Hammock, a band which makes gorgeously melodic music.

 Being old(ish), I am not much on TikTok, but there are two accounts I follow: B. Dylan Hollis's crazy recipe adventures and, as of yesterday, Mayor Lovecraft. The latter is an actual mayor of an Ohio town and occasionally delves into the spooky world of Ohio (it's true, just ask the Raven Queen or the Loveland Frogman).

I'm fascinated by Namibia's Skeleton Coast, and therefore also fascinated with the Shipwreck Lodge. Can you imagine what a stay there would be like?

Happy Friday! A few more random links close out this week. We're taking next Monday off but will be back later in the week with more.

StrangeAgo does what it says on the tin, with all sorts of odd news and reports, but I especially like the weird happenings of a particular year, like this summary of 1912.

Haunted mansions are not exclusive to Europe and Disney; the Midwest has their own! Here's one in Detroit that has all kinds of weird stories.

Have a spiffy and safe weekend, everyone. See you next week.

 Someday, Thursdays will not be so busy. This is not that day, unfortunately. Back tomorrow!

 Hello! We continue with our week of miscellany here.

This article shows my dream job (does anyone want to become a wealthy patron for those of us who want to scour the world for ancestral materials?) and spurred me to join MyHeritage.

Want to know the most popular baby names of 1922? Here you are!

In "it's never too late to start" news, here are the amazing works of art created by Mary Delany, who began making these at age 72.

And lastly, the best maps of 2021, according to the Cartoblographer!