Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Hola! Today's links are very geeky. You've been warned. (But they're all really cool! Honest!)

A scientific study has proven that Kansas is, indeed, flatter than a pancake. I think they should test Nebraska next.

The Visible Mars Project is not interstellar, sadly, but instead compares British and American Mars bars. Apparently our Mars bars suck. Why are British candy bars always better?

For people who love roaring fires, but hate dealing with fireplaces: the Eco Smart Fire. Oooh. Ahhh.

Here's an idea for the 2014 Winter Olympics: host it on Hoth! I'd love to see the opening ceremonies.

In the midst of all the recent celebrity deaths (and I'd just started watching Kolchak the Night Stalker, too - RIP, Darren McGavin), the death of Andreas Katsulas, aka G'Kar on Babylon 5, slipped under the radar. He was only 59.

Uncommon Goods has some uncommonly great items, although I can't really afford any of them. Chairs made from rulers and Don't Walk signs, for instance! They also have some sale items for the rest of us, fortunately.

Monday, February 27, 2006

Huzzah, we're back! Photos of the adventure are up on Flickr. Most of them seem to consist of sand and sea life. I'm catching up on everything today, so here's a bit of assorted arty stuff.

Literature, part I: is handwriting becoming an endangered art? I wanted to be a calligrapher once upon a time. How was I supposed to know typing class would have been a smarter choice?

Photography: if you were a New Waver or a punk back in the day, you'll love this collection of London bands from the late '70s and early '80s. Siouxsie, Simon, Vanian, they're all there.

Literature, part II: The Little Blog of Murder features five mystery writers from Ohio. How cool is that?

Technology, part I: Tom Baker will be the voice of British text messages for a while. If I could have my messages read by Tom Baker, I'd send myself a lot of missives from Gallifrey.

Art: All 3-D, all the time! Butch R. Cleaver should look into this.

Technology, part II: Is Netflix letting you down lately? You're not alone, evidently. (Bunny has been waiting for the first season of the new Battlestar Galactica for an eon or so.)

Friday, February 17, 2006

Today, as promised: links from others! Thanks, everyone.

From Bunny: "The next evolution of Guitar Hero.... sweet." (We have Guitar Hero at home. It gets played a lot, occasionally with odd headwear thrown into the mix.)

Also from Bunny: a giant keyboard key as a chair. Yes. Really.

From Holly: Lou Ferrigno is now a police officer! Don't make him angry!

Also from Holly: you can see how much houses on your street are worth with Zillow, which uses Google Maps to help you zip around the neighborhood. (Some of the prices are way off, but who cares? It's fun!)

From Zazoo: a film is being made about the defeat of Article XII (familiarly known as the anti-gay ordinance) here in Cincinnati.

From ookee: Sign up your friend - or enemy - to be the next one shot by Dick Cheney!

Found in multiple places: which sci-fi crew would suit you best? I ended up in a three-way tie among Farscape, Deep Space Nine and Firefly; after a tie-breaker question, it was decided that Farscape was the crew for me. "You are surrounded by muppets. But that is okay because they are your friends and have shown many times that they can be trusted." That sounds pretty accurate, frighteningly enough.

Next week we'll be gone on a much-needed vacation. But fear not! We'll be back Monday after next! Possibly with pictures! In the meantime, don't forget that the 3rd Annual All Madonna Only Madonna Night will happen Saturday the 25th at Jacobs. Say happy birthday to Dawn while you're there!

Thursday, February 16, 2006

If you could be a book which would torture students through the ages, which book would you be? Apparently I would be Beowulf. Sweet!

If you're searching for more information on the Olympics (because really, the NBC "All-America, All the Time" coverage isn't doing it for a lot of us), the good folks at ResourceShelf have a great compilation of sources.

The latest bad move by Washington: budget cuts would shut down the libraries and informational databases at the EPA. The EPA has so many great internet resources available that have saved me so much time in research that this is almost a personal affront to me.

After last week's link to the floating books at Abu Dhabi, I found a whole site devoted to bookboats! I wonder if one could start a pirate bookboat. Arrrr.

Librarians are trying to solve the Mystery of the Wire Loop which has appeared on a few books. I'm thinking it might be a throwback to the days when books were kept on chains, but feel free to come up with other ideas.

And finally, for the law librarians and/or lawyers out there: be careful what you email, unless you have no worries about job security. Eeesh.

Tomorrow: links from others! The Spooky Librarians are going on vacation next week, so tomorrow's post will be the last for a while. So if you have any good links to share, send them in!

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Hey, everyone, it's National Chip Week in the UK! Go eat some fries in their honor.

I've been looking for some decent coverage of the Winter Olympics all week, and now, thanks to Deadspin, I've found a great blog from the Washington Post (of all places). Cheese!Of!The!Day! Woo!

If you're not in Torino, you might consider the Egyptian Marathon this weekend. Bring water.

Spooky stuff: a "Kabbalistic death curse" was placed on Ariel Sharon last year. Apparently one was also placed on Rabin a month before he died. Coincidence?

Seen any all-white bikes leaning about? Ghost cycles are popping up in several cities. It started in Seattle, but now there's a UK outpost as well.

The National Library of Medicine has opened an exhibit called Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body, and it looks pretty spectacular. There are even crimescene dollhouses!

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of the holiday (and in tribute to the recently deceased Uncle Owen), I direct you to Something Awful's collection of Star Wars valentines. Some are truly great.

If you like Star Wars, you'll also like the story of a stormtrooper in Tokyo. We've considered doing something like this as well. (Yes, Bunny has a stormtrooper outfit. Now we realize why stormtroopers didn't do so well in combat; their uniforms are awfully difficult to move around in.)

If you don't want to be a stormtrooper, how about a superhero? I took the quiz and was told, "You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility. You are Spiderman." I guess I can live with that.

If you'd rather just gross people out on Valentine's Day, you could send them something from I Heart Guts. I think they're cute, myself, but I'm told that I have a dark sense of humor.

And lastly, some breaking news: scientists are going to test for Joan of Arc's DNA, and due to recent events there's now a handy Visual Hunting Aid for vice presidents. Hee.

Monday, February 13, 2006

Good morning! Are you (or is someone you know) tone-deaf? You can find out by taking the Distorted Tune Test. If you are indeed tone-deaf, you can participate in a study. (I got 26 out of 26. Finally, all those years of music pay off!)

How great is it that there's a whole subgenre of death metal labeled "Cookie Monster vocals"? That's what we always called it, too!

If you prefer your growly death in crocheted form, check out the bizarre and wonderful gallery of Patricia Waller. I especially like the "accidents" section.

For wordsmiths: WordMaze looks to be somewhat addictive. I'm seriously considering joining to get more options.

Vanishing Tattoo features an extensive directory of tattoo designs and symbols. I finally found out what the hoopla is about that nautical star design everyone is sporting these days.

A film called Blood Tea and Red String sounds cool just from the title. Then you see that it's a stop-motion animation production with mice and dolls and a Tim Burton-esque vibe, and it ascends to a very high level of cool.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Today, links from others. Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate them!

But first, archaeologists have just discovered an intact pharaonic tomb in Egypt, right near Tutankhamen. Wow.

From Satori: Keith Haring wall decals!

From Daniel: "The villainous Lord Sinister and his evil henchmen have kidnapped professor Brixton-Smyth to find the lost gold.But in their haste they have awoken the sleeping monsters of the Cthulego Mythos!"

Also from Daniel: "the wisdom of parasites." Ew.

From Danny: the whiskey PC!

Also from Danny: some great photos of Harajuku kids, straight from a friend who was there. Also, for the geeks in the audience, there's a photo of a vintage Transformer. Ooo, ahhh!

Have a spiffy weekend, everyone! See you Monday!

Thursday, February 09, 2006

You know, I never think about other area librarians reading Folderol until I'm told about it, like I was this morning. Yikes. Um, hi, everyone? Be nice to the radical militant librarian in black?

Here's some good library news: The recently defunct Stumpers list is back, in the guise of Project Wombat!

There's an entire weblog devoted to library grants, which can be very useful.

Abu Dhabi features a floating book fair. I wonder if they need a librarian. Or a bar made entirely from books!

Not really library-related, but interesting: the 101 dumbest business decisions of 2005, as determined by CNN. I think a condo in an old mental asylum would be great, personally.

Tomorrow: links from others, and there are some truly awesome ones, so stay tuned!

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Spooky stuff from the past: watch Franz Reichelt attempt to "fly" off the Eiffel Tower in this silent 90-second clip from 1912. He didn't succeed, and his non-success is rather spectacular. The French police helpfully measure the crater he created upon impact with the ground, which is probably not exactly what he was hoping for.

The New York City underground is explored and documented via Netherworld. Watch out for snakes! And CHUDs! And LARPers!

Spooky stuff from the present: Teflon is evil and is going to kill us all. Oh, great.

Not really spooky, but interesting if you're into this sort of thing: The website for the DaVinci Code film has all sorts of puzzles and cryptograms and whatnot to solve.

Not spooky, just cool: The ViaReggio carnival in Italy begins this weekend! Check out the descriptions of the floats - they're very intricate.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Hey! Are you scared of clowns? You are not alone in your coulrophobia! Also, don't go to Sarasota anytime soon. Fiberglass clowns will eat you.

Is there a word for being terrified of your president? The war in Iraq is now estimated to cost us two trillion dollars. Yes, TRILLION. (I suppose it's not a phobia if it's a rational, legitimate fear, right?)

In escapist fare, C64s take you back to the wonderful world of blippy, beepy games. I finally found Journey to the Center of the Earth, which I played constantly back in the '80s, even though I never won and always found it sort of disturbing. (Give My Regards to Broad Street was another constantly played game, but it was for C128s and therefore isn't listed. I have that game to thank for teaching me London tube stations; it came in handy several years later.)

If you're bored with the inside of your home or office, consider freaking people out with a 3-D design. I don't think they're responsible for any vertigo that results.

And finally, just for fun: Muppet miniature scale models!

Monday, February 06, 2006

Today is kind of hectic. Ergo, here's the quick arts roundup:
  • Continuing with the celebration of Mozart's 250th birthday, take a quiz and see how well you know the man. I got 14 of 20 right.
  • FlickrGraph takes your contacts in Flickr and flings them around visually. It may not be very deep, but it's oddly entrancing.
  • You can turn your own handwriting into a font with Fontifier. I think I've linked to this before, but it's cool enough to duplicate.
  • A new set of U.S. stamps celebrates children's books. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (or, as Bunny refers to it, The Poorly Rendered Caterpillar) and others are featured.
  • Galinsky features oodles upon oodles of very cool architecture photographs. I could spend all day on this site.
  • And finally, a yakuza table! How cool is this?

Friday, February 03, 2006

Today: links from others! Thanks, all.
From Bunny: a proposal to recruit Michael J. Fox in the war against zombies. I'm just the messenger here, people.

From Holly: a look into the terrifying effects of defying fate. The moral is, clearly, "Don't egg the hearse."

From Glenna: a cheerful little thing called "Exxon Toasts the Planet."

If you, like our president, think that "human-animal hybrids" are a looming threat to our society, you may not want these t-shirts. I think they're pretty brilliant, myself.

Have a spiffy weekend, everyone! See you Monday.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

It's the end of an era: Western Union has stopped sending telegrams. What hath God wrought, indeed.

Tim has perfectly defined what makes a librarian. I'm not sure if this is something you're born with or if it can be nurtured, but parents, take note. It's both a blessing and a curse.

Berlin's new Philology Library is an amazing construct. It's environmentally friendly AND looks like a spaceship. How can you resist?

For law librarians: Boston College's law library has begun a weblog which concentrates on one reference question each week. This week's question tackles the maddening situation of unpublished cases. Also: a whole law librarian blog, by real live law librarians!

Great news for spooky librarians: Emily the Strange has joined the ALA store. Now you can get posters and bookmarks to delight your gothy librarian soul. (Bunny already has a sticker of Emily at his desk, telling people to leave him alone. Hee.)

Tomorrow: links from others!

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Ok, readers, today I am brave. I've been afraid to post this bedside table that transmogrifies into a club and shield. I know Bunny will think this is a brilliant idea and want one, and then one dark and stormy night, in the midst of one of his zombie nightmares, he will whack me upside the head with a table leg. I'm risking my life to bring you this link in the name of coolness!

Speaking of zombies, you can now easily turn your loved one (or sworn enemy) into a zombie without all that messy flesh-eating business.

The Polar Plunge is taking place this weekend. We're having our own local version on the same day (over in Newport, for the Cincinnatians in the audience), so I expect there are a lot of towns celebrating winter by flinging people into icy water. Or, um, something like that.

Locals give video tours of their hometowns in TurnHere, which is a cool idea of how to see a city you've never been to before. There aren't many places on there yet, but that can change. You might even volunteer to conduct a tour of your own city.

And lastly, for fans of the spooky and mythical: check out this awesome site dedicated to legendary creatures of the Himmapan Forest near the Himalayas.