A random smattering of arty links today...

Film: Have you seen the Four Word Film Review? You can vote for your favorites on current films. Some are merely okay, others are truly inspired.

Historical writings: modern scientists have found a way to uncover the hidden writing in the texts of Archimedes. How cool is that?

Theatre: Hey, how come no one seemed to care that much about George Bernard Shaw's 150th birthday last week? At least the Shaw Festival honored the day.

Architecture: Panopticons is a UK group dedicated to creating "21st century landmarks" across the country. We need a US branch.

Animation: Anyone near Los Angeles should check out the summer-long exhibit "It's Alive!" which shows some of the great animatronic figures of film, including characters from Gremlins, The Dark Crystal, Beetlejuice and more. (For those of us who won't be near L.A. anytime soon, there's a slideshow of some of the creatures.)

Fabric fun: Crafster is always great, especially when they bring you brilliant ideas like this zombie and ninja created from felt. Brains! Nice, knitted brains!