Friday, February 27, 2009

It's links from others Friday! Thanks, everyone.

From Julie: you can be part of a work of art if you're willing to stand on a plinth in Trafalgar Square!

From the Pickled Brothers, who are now on Twitter: Tomorrow is Sword Swallowers Awareness Day. Are you aware of sword swallowing? You should be!

From Cassandra: a sobering article about suicides at West Point.

From Zazoo: an alternate view of war, one that's much more fun and performed by food.

From the geeks at big-fly.net: Twiddler 1.0, which "aggregates tweets from those people using twitter as an announcement service." Try it out and let them know what you think of it!

From Lucy at LocateTV: some tv-themed quizzes for you to try out. (Dawnowar, there's one called "How well do you know LOST?" I expect you to kick ass.)

Have a spiffy weekend, everyone! See you Monday.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

News from the library world today:

Tomorrow: links from others!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Still getting caught up, but the photos are up (click on that Flickr badge thingy to the left), and here are things to do in the near future! The Kinetica Art Fair is going on this weekend in London, while the Maple Sugar Festival happens in Canada.

Yet another anniversary this year (my god, does it ever end? What's up with years ending in 9?) is the 40th anniversary of Disney's Haunted Mansion, and there are art concepts to celebrate!

Speaking of haunted stuff, if you like your vampires with no sparkle, you may want to support this CafePress store.

And finally, here's a freaky real-life fish that has a transparent head. Eeeeep.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Today was a day full of this sort of thing (not me personally, but co-workers and friends), plus this delightful news about children's books. Oy.

However! I am leaving all this behind temporarily and getting on a plane to New York City tomorrow to go visit the Club Creatures. Folderol will be back on Tuesday (or maybe Wednesday, depending how awake I am on Tuesday), and there will be oodles of photos over on that Flickr badge. For now, though, it's a Wednesday "links from others" day.

From Cassandra: an article on the rise of digital archivists, which is what I was going to be until this law library gig sidetracked me. The article includes this great quote: "“Among librarians, I think that happenstance may be a typical career path."

Also from Cassandra: the leading women of the Web 2.0 world, and the freaky macular degeneration that causes hallucinations and makes people think they're losing their minds as well as their eyesight.

From Zazoo: Flashmobs in London, arranged via Facebook!

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

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Surely, the best name ever for a weblog has to be The Borderline Sociopathic Blog for Boys.

As a counterpart, Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble is a game set in the 1920s.

And along the line of games, look for Cogs, a steampunky sort of puzzle game that promises to arrive soon!

I believe I've linked to Antipodean Steampunk Adventures before, but there are new amazing artifacts to see, so go again and look around!

Speaking of artifacts, the Royal Armoury lists this completely freaky-looking horned helmet of Henry VIII among its treasures. I had no idea. (Found via the always amazing Ectoplasmosis!)

And lastly, take a look at the incredible drawings of Karl Hans Jenke, who spent much of his life in a psychiatric institution but apparently flew far in his dreams.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Yet ANOTHER notable birthday is taking place in 2009; it's the 200th anniversary of the birth of composer Felix Mendelssohn, and the Mendelssohn Project wants you to know all about it.

At the rate it's going, the switch to all-digital television will not happen this year, and here are some reasons why it's taking so long.

Matthew Baldwin talks about movies that mess with your mind, and goes into more detail over on Defective Yeti.

In related messing-with-mind media, the work of Relleno de Mono is awesome and surreal.

The Flickr Commons now has its own weblog! Hooray!

Friday, February 13, 2009

A few weeks ago, I thought I'd do a whole baseball-related post when spring training started. Then the baseball world faceplanted last week. Oops. However, I am stubborn, and am going to post nice, fun, optimistic baseball-related links, along with a slew of (non-baseball) links from others.

Via ShysterBall, which I recommend: 50 great potential songs and 71 terrible potential songs for closing pitchers. I am always fascinated with the songs players pick; I was seriously thinking of starting a website until I found that someone else had done it already.

The Common Man has recasting suggestions for the "Homer at the Bat" episode of The Simpsons. Sadly, there are no accompanying rewritten lyrics to "Talkin' Baseball" to fit the nominees.

On the Fourth of July, every MLB team will commemorate the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's "luckiest man alive" speech and raise awareness for ALS. Nice.

And now, to the second part of our Friday post...

From Zazoo in NYC: obscure Muppet facts! These are great. Oscar's Pakistani counterpart lives in an oil barrel! And Gonzo's original name was Snarl the Cigar Box Frackle! And Waldorf is married to an Astoria!

From Julie in the UK: rare video footage of narwhals, aka "arctic unicorns." Awesome.

From Cassandra down the street: Clive Owen is NOT scared of badgers, just so you know. Also from Cassandra: a really fascinating article about gifted kids and how they react to praise; a look at how cats and the internet are a perfect match; and a photo of a "Scottish wildcat," also called the Beast of Buchan. The photo looks an awful lot like a pissed-off version of my childhood cat. Maybe he was a rare Scottish wildcat and we didn't know it.

From Bunny of MCT: Congressman Pete Hoekstra discovers that Twittering your trip to Iraq and Afghanistan is, perhaps, not the best idea.

And there we are. Happy Friday the 13th, St. Valentines Day, spring training, and happy 100th birthday to Miep Gies, who is a hero even if she doesn't think she is. Have a spiffy weekend, everyone. See you Monday!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Today is the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln (see earlier posts this week about the Library of Congress's exhibit) and Charles Darwin. Celebrate Darwin Day via optical illusion, or via devolving yourself (or someone else) online.

Also, Oregon is turning 150 this weekend.

Also, a book about librarians who don't necessarily look like librarians is on the way!

(Also, today has been a hell of a day. Back tomorrow with links from others.)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

John Hudgens tells me that American Scary is out on DVD this week! You can see our 15 minutes of fame. (Actually, we haven't seen it yet, so I don't know how much airtime we got. You may see our 21.5 seconds of fame. But hey!)

Also, in honor of Friday the 13th...yet another Friday the 13th movie is coming out. Betsy Palmer, aka the mother of Jason Voorhees, is doing interviews about the films and her role.

If you'd rather have something less scary to watch, I highly recommend the 3-minute version of Twilight as performed by puppets. You could argue the acting and editing is better than the human-performed version...

Although they say right up front that this class will NOT teach you "how to communicate with the deceased," you might still be interested in taking an Introduction to Parapsychology class. It's an online class (no word on whether they also accept astral travel or remote viewing).

Sci-fi people may also be interested in Outshine, a "Twitterzine for optimistic, near future prose poems." Submission details are on the website.

And finally, if you're not into spooky stuff, not into Valentine's Day, and just want something fun to do this weekend, why not pop over to Brighton and check out ModelWorld? It looks entertaining!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Jules Verne's birthday was last Sunday (February 8). In honor of the occasion, Vernian Process put out a free EP. See what you think!

The Chap is new to me, but not new to the printing world. An upcoming issue is going to be on those weirdo steampunks. Also, the Cincinnati steampunk group was interviewed last week by Hell in a Handbasket for their next issue. We are everywhere. Muhahahaha.

More steampunk entertainment: design your own steampunky Cylon for a contest (deadline is March 16), send death rays to your archenemies, or just enjoy the beautiful machinations of a cold-drip coffeemaker, depending on your mood and alignment.

In the extremely near future, I'm going to be venturing under Brooklyn to explore its abandoned tunnels! I'll report back when I return.

And finally, on a futurist note: the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was born last week. Let's hope it brings good to the world.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Bits of things this morning, in somewhat fragmented form.

Hans Beck, inventor of Playmobil figures, has died. (According to the linked story, the figures were a flop when they debuted. How things change...)

Who do you think should be in the Shakespeare Hall of Fame? There's one spot open at the moment.

The Library of Congress officially opens its Lincoln exhibit February 12, but you can see some photos already on their Flickr Commons account.

The rules of grammar work differently in comic format. Here's the scoop.

An interview with one of the puppet builders for Coraline shows just how much work goes into creating a few seconds of film.

Grandma's Graphics is an amazing repository of public domain illustrations.

Today we end with a quiz: how many colors can you name in five minutes? (Note: get creative with using adjectives like "dark" and "light" and "bright.")

Friday, February 06, 2009

I've been meaning to post about hipster haiku for ages now, and am just now getting to it. If haiku is not your favorite form of poetry, fear not; there are also limericks, villanelles, and more. I especially like Love in the Time of Vespas.

From Cassandra: the ethical dilemmas of Facebook in academia; a different viewpoint on "crying it out;" the sobering question of whether our economy is doomed forever; and a look at feminist interpretations of major Western writers.

Although the story this comes from is tragic, the sudden appearance of a hamster as the lead suspect immediately takes it into the land of the absurd. (Our local news has been known to broadcast similar bloopers.)

And finally, I leave you with the adventures of Thor, as posted by Jere. Have a spiffy weekend, everyone! See you Monday.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

RIP, Lux. It's a sad day.

In the midst of the Groundhog Day publicity, you'd think there'd be more mention of the fact that Punxsutawney Phil lives in a burrow located in the town library. MCT's Rude Marmot character is now agitating for a field trip to meet Phil, saying we could call it professional development.

America's National Archives turns 75 this year, and they're commemorating it in style online.

In more national news, the Federal Register debuted a new website called the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents, and indeed that's what it is! It's going to be very useful for law librarians and anyone else looking for daily info.

Google Earth has added a feature for viewing oceans, which is all kinds of cool. (Thanks, Bunny!)

If you're into true crime and detective stories, the E-Justice weblog has a list for you: the top 50 detective weblogs.

Tomorrow: links from others!

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Another crazy snow day here, which means a short post.

If you're not buried in snow, or if you are and don't want to be any longer, consider the Gasparilla Pirate Fest going on this weekend in Tampa, or the Orlando Wetlands Festival.

Cassandra sent a story which combines several of my favorite things: a "pagan" mosaic from Roman times is found under a church in Italy. Oooo.

Rotten Tomatoes constructed a top ten list of "thinking man's" sci-fi films. Aside from the gender phrasing, do you agree or disagree with the list?

And a very happy birthday to Satori! See you soon!

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Verily, the world is in peril, for immortal jellyfish are roaming the seas. If only we lived in a time of properly intimidating names!

The weekend of February 20 brings the Wicked Faire to New Jersey, and it looks as if it's heavy on the steampunk! The fair's website seems a little shaky, but there's a livejournal community with updates as well.

In nearby New York City, the Dances of Vice group has occasional events throughout the year, and even has Sunday brunches for those in town. Oooo.

Found via the Dances of Vice website: Purevile, fashioner of steampunky things!

A question for the Canadians: has anyone seen Murdoch Mysteries yet? Apparently it takes place in Victorian times and there will be a robot in an upcoming episode!

Hilary (of the excellent Spirits Dancing website) went to Nantes and got to see the mechanical creations of Royal de Luxe (you may remember their amazing mechanical elephant which walked through London two years ago). I think a group excursion to Nantes is in order!

Monday, February 02, 2009

Six more weeks of winter, northerners. It's also Imbolc, if that helps any.

In other Celtic news, a new website for Gaelic names of wildlife has just debuted. The BBC article has a nice quote: "The Gaelic for owl is unsurprising - cailleach oidhche, or old woman of the night."

Meanwhile, there is much sadness in Germany and in keyboard circles worldwide, because founding member Florian Schneider has left Kraftwerk after FORTY YEARS. Good lord.

There is much gnashing of teeth in England among grammarians, because apparently the powers that be have decided apostrophes are superfluous. (I'm trying to figure out what they do if it's a singular word ending with s. Princesss Tower?)

I am fine with novels on the web, but am not fine with the word wovel. It sounds like an unholy amalgamation of wombat and hovel, which is probably not what an author wants me to visualize.