Friday, December 28, 2012

It's the last Friday of 2012! Thanks to everyone for reading!




Bunny sent in a link to Robots on Tour (which looks completely amazing) and the good news that the NecronomiCon has been fully funded. A Lovecraft convention in Providence! At long last!



Speaking of robots, Disney is working on a robot which can juggle and play catch. The future is coming!



Have a spiffy and safe weekend and New Year’s, everyone. See you next year!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Happy holidays! Between the Christmas time off and the weather (we actually had significant snow yesterday, huzzah) links are scarce. However, consider the plight of mild-mannered Clark Kent, who recently resigned his post at the Daily Planet to become...a blogger. Law and the Multiverse examines his new occupation!

Friday, December 21, 2012

Happy Friday/Solstice/End of Days, everyone!




From Julie: at the National Museum of London, early (maybe the earliest?) recordings of a family Christmas have been unearthed.



Also from Julie: the piano from Casablanca has been sold!



From Cassandra: remembering a 1927 school massacre, and investigating how the ancients treated their disabled.



From Bunny: Let’s go find a new planet! Also, portraits of doppelgangers.



Have a spiffy weekend and holiday, everyone! We’ll be back on Boxing Day.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Google Doodle today is celebrating 200 years of the Brothers Grimm scaring children worldwide. Woot!




For girls and parents of girls: GirlStart celebrates deSTEMber with a month packed of awesome scientific stuff.



Did you know Walt Whitman and Bram Stoker were pen pals? It’s true!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Happy birthday, Mom! See you soon!




If you need a handy countdown to the end of the world according to a Mayan calendar, fear not. Apparently for my town, the end of the world will happen at 6 a.m. Friday, when we will be totally unprepared. Oh, well. (Link via Chuck, who found it at the awesome Time and Date website.)



Since it’s also the winter solstice, there will be non-apocalyptic celebrations – in Vancouver and Brighton, they’ll be gadding about with lanterns to light the darkness. (Brighton’s festival is called “Burning the Clocks,” though, so I suppose it could get apocalyptic.)



The mystery of the package addressed to Indiana Jones has been solved!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Friday, hooray!



The University of Chicago has received a wonderfully mysterious package addressed to Henry (Indiana) Jones. Did you send it?



From Julie: the internet is changing English, a story by Hans Christian Andersen has been discovered “at the bottom of a box”(!), and a Roman gold earring has strange symbols on it. Call Dr. Jones!



From Bunny: Amsterdam is proposing “punitive villages” for perpetual ne’er-do-wells. Er?



From Chuck via Cassandra: a suspected burglar steals a police car while still in handcuffs. He better not go anywhere near Amsterdam.



From Cassandra: the five creepiest towns in America (I’ve only been to one! Must fix that!) and an animated short from 1936 emphasizing ingenuity during the holiday season.



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

Thursday, December 13, 2012

More “best of 2012” book lists! Pretty much all of them, actually.




Laura Massey has an opinion on designer bookshelves. Wow, some of the bookshelves pictured are really out there.



Jodi Harvey-Brown makes amazing sculptures from books…featuring characters from the actual books. Awesome.



Jessamyn of librarian.net is now a justice of the peace! She has a website explaining what she does.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Happy 12-12-12! Let’s hope it’s a lucky day. There’s also a concert tonight you might have heard about.




If you’re on the other side of the world, consider the Dubai Midnight Marathon.



Over the weekend, the skies will light up over Louisiana with the Festival of the Bonfires.



In very local news, the best nativity scene near our place is now up, with friendly live animals and everything! I love how the people in the scene were based on people in town.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

First off, an apology: the book giveaway is really, truly happening this week, and I’m very sorry for all the delays. We’re getting more and more new books in to review and give away, and in 2013 I will get back on the steampunked librarian track and stick to deadlines! Sir Reginald apologizes as well, although he points out that it’s really all my fault, as I’m the only one who can pick up and mail out the books. Stupid puppet.




Lisa Snellings always does incredible work, and a clockwork poppet is among the many great creations offered unto you this holiday season!



Behold, Art Nouveau versions of 1980s heroines. They’re beautiful and full of inside information. Labyrinth is included!



Applied Imagination creates botanical architectural works, including the current train exhibit that’s going on at the Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati, with faithful recreations of historical buildings in the area. It’s really incredible, and I can’t recommend their work enough.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Variously described as Wikipedia, TVTropes, and “a total time suck” for literature lovers, Small Demons looks pretty neat so far.




In Brussels, an abstract tree sculpture has appeared for the holidays! Public opinion is mixed.



Now you can have a Mark Rothko painting (or at least a print) and eat it too, thanks to Rice-Ko!



Remember cassette tapes? I still have a boxful of them. Maybe I can get them to play together as an orchestra like this.



Videogames in the Museum of Modern Art? Yes!

Friday, December 07, 2012

Friday! Time for links from others! Thanks, everyone. Regular posting shall resume next week, now that all the loose ends are tied up, hopefully.




From Julie: A living advent calendar. Eeep!



From Cassandra: Authentic family portraits. Also from Cassandra: Psychiatry and the issue of transgendered folk.



From Sara: The shared experience of absurdity. Yay!



From Bunny: “Here is a link to reviews of all 6 Star Wars films reviewed by someone who grew up never seeing any of them. Kinda interesting to see the take of a total outsider.”



Also from Bunny: NEVER FORGET – the perfect t-shirt for the librarian in your life.



From my mom: We love the works of Emil Robinson, and not just because we’ve known him and his family forever. Check it out!



Thanks again, everyone! Have a spiffy weekend. See you next week.

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Vacation days are over, technical issues have been resolved, health is restored, and – knock wood – we are good to finish out the year!




What were the best books to read in 2012? Wonder no more.



What were the most popular baby names in 2012? Again, wonder no more!

Monday, December 03, 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

Happy Friday! Come to Krampus Nacht (aka Carnival Noir) tonight if you’re in town.




The links from others this week have a definite conspiracy theme. Full moon? Preparing for the Mayan Doomsday? Who knows?



From Julie: The mysteries of the Voynich Manuscript continue. With carbon-dating information, no less!



Also from Julie: As Arafat is exhumed to check for poison, here’s a list of other exhumed individuals.



Also from Julie, part 2: An island on maps does not exist. Maybe that’s where Lost was filmed?



From Chuck via Cassandra: Members of a CIA man’s family say he didn’t jump out a window, he was pushed.



Moving on from conspiracy theories and on to other issues:



From Cassandra: A disturbing number of young people are HIV+ and don’t know it.



Also from Cassandra: Writers, technology, and the future – what will happen?



Yerdle is a new site focusing on the exchange of goods – a little like Freecycle, but more personal.



Gizoogle is just for fun. Translate any page into a trainwreck of wacky speech.



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

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Did you know Hamlet is being rewritten as a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure novel? And you can choose to not only play as Ophelia, but as Ophelia with an actual spine? And that many great cartoonists are involved in the project? And that you can help support it? Well, now you do!

(More later, hopefully. Today is a very scattered sort of day.)

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

It may be winter, but that doesn’t stop the wackiness over the pond. The Annual Pudding Races are going on this weekend!




Also going on this weekend: The Santa Claus World Championships and the Sphinx Festival.



We’re trying to go with a less material holiday this year, getting together with people rather than giving each other stuff. If you’re trying to do the same, trying the Phone Stack game might be entertaining. If you’re not, stay tuned, because John Scalzi’s doing a holiday shopping guide all next week.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Hello there. Book giveaway video is coming soon, I promise! (Oh, the tech issues we've had this year...)




Cherie Priest is curating a Tor board on Pinterest. Lots of steampunky goodness!



On the game front: Steampunk Odyssey is a free game (help an Abraham Lincoln type through a city). If you’d like to support future games, there’s a Kickstarter campaign for The Ship: Full Steam Ahead. In the more distant future, Clockwork Empires is in progress, and billed as “steampunk meets Lovecraft,” which sounds awesome, of course.



On the maker front: here’s a lovely tutorial on making interesting, steampunky boxes.



On the cinematic front: io9 looks at some gorgeous Victorian-era gadgetry.

Monday, November 26, 2012

In the midst of the holidays and taking some time off and whatnot, I totally missed that Valerie Eliot (widow of T.S. Eliot) died earlier this month.




Acoustical engineers have been at work since…well, since before recorded history, most likely.



In China, the town Cicheng is coming back to life, with help from its craftsmanship history.



Meanwhile, in Moscow, a new skyscraper is the tallest in Europe. (You don’t see this Moscow skyline very often. Futurist Russia!)



As media goes increasingly digital, the world of the projectionist is disappearing.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Greetings! This is a short holiday week. Happle Tea has a great post on craftsmanship which translates equally well into being thankful for the world in which we live; happy Thanksgiving to all.




From Susan: Lana Wachowski’s great speech.



From Cassandra: Do chimpanzees go through midlife crises?



From Bunny: Will the tiniest dog in the world have an inferiority complex?



From around the web: Want to escape for a while? Hit “Go!” on MapCrunch and be instantly teleported to a street location anywhere in the world!



Back on Monday! Thanks for reading, everyone.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Hello! We’ll be sending out books to the lucky winners soon, and putting up a video of the drawing, too. More books soon!




In the meantime, consider supporting Bradley Schenck’s campaign to put these incredible posters in public libraries. You know your local library would love a reading robot. Wouldn’t we all?

Monday, November 19, 2012

We’re back, more or less! While we get caught up on this shortened week, here are some links from others.




From Cassandra: A Cincinnati library hosts an exhibition on the work of the Grimm Brothers. Also, in something which sounds like a nightmare from a Grimm Brothers tale, a journalist loses control of her mind and body due to an obscure disease. And lastly, social factors are becoming a consideration when treating mental illness.



From Julie: Milan’s gargoyles are up for adoption, a mummy in the British Museum may be a murder victim, and the word of 2012 is “omnishambles,” which I hadn’t heard before but will use in the future!

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Hi, all! Updates will be spotty for the next week or so, and here’s a roundup of links from others before things get sketchy.




From Chuck via Cassandra: The story of one very determined voter. Hooray!



From Cassandra herself: The psychological effects of social media; the conundrum of human enhancements in the workplace. and the additional conundrum of work and dignity.



Swiped from Gonz: Electricity Fight! Zap! Pow!



Today’s Google Doodle is amazing and wonderful. Happy birthday, Bram Stoker!



Have a spiffy few days, everyone. Erratic updates to follow!

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Hooray! Particular hoorays for Nate Silver, who is possibly a witch. Hee.




With Halloween and elections now behind us, we return to the wacky Wednesday festivals routine. Not wacky, but definitely festive and educational, is the celebration of American Indian Heritage Month by the National Museum of the American Indian.



Slightly wackier: it’s Pirates Week! Arrrr!



In ten days, Woofstock will conquer Canada. (Warning: music starts up when you go to this site. It’s pretty awesome, though.)



In Phoenix, a parade which bills itself as “The World's Only Parading Arts Fair” will illuminate the streets this weekend.



And finally, if you’re in none of those places, consider registering for NASA’s “Spot the Station” alerts, which will tell you when the International Space Station is passing directly over your head!

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

1. Vote today, if you’re in the United States!




2. Book giveaways over at the Steampunk Librarian! These are more sci-fi than steampunk, and are really great books, so give it a look.

Monday, November 05, 2012

TMBG fans, rejoice – there really can be a birdhouse in your soul!




Going farther back in music, it’s the 40th anniversary of Free to Be…You and Me. Slate has several articles on the album and its creation, plus a playlist that will bring back lots of memories if you are like me and remember this as a formative film.



Forget Gangnam style; someone wants to bring waltzing back to the mainstream. (“Party like it’s 1799,” they say. Er.)



Halloween may be over, but Krampus season is just beginning. An enterprising photographer has created art focusing on the demons of the Alps!

Friday, November 02, 2012

New York's MTA has a Flickr account and has been posting photos of the damage and recovery efforts.




From Julie: If the remains found in Leicester are really Richard III, the powers that currently be will have an official burial for him.



From Cassandra: Judgment and empathy, and how they’re related.



From Bunny: How MST3K picked which movies to show (short answer: TV’s Frank!) and ghost photography from the 19th century. Neat stuff.



Have a spiffy weekend, everyone! See you Monday.

Thursday, November 01, 2012

In case the superstorm and/or Halloween has created zombies beyond your control, fear not – here’s how to turn regular office supplies into weapons. (Ask Bunny about this; he is an expert.)




Internet Librarian happened last week, and the Librarian in Black has written up several summaries for those of us who missed it. The 50 apps for librarians look especially relevant.



Tired of lame campaign slogans? Bill Lucey looks at some of history’s better offerings.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Samhain/Halloween/All Saints, everyone! Thanks to my mom for the link.




Slenderman, the Silence, and the Scream: some nice spooky thoughts for you.



Could your antique items be haunted? Probably not, although there is a nice summary of the Dibbuk Box happenings in here.



Victorian-era drawings of Japanese monsters. They have a monster for everything, it seems.



For the more pragmatic among you: consider the newly created House of Random Penguins. Aieee!



From Wired: here's the first episode of Bloodline, a look at horror films and fear in cinema. (Happy Halloween, Bunny! It’s a whole series!)

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Sending good thoughts to everyone on the east coast. Stay safe.




On the other side of the country, Steamcon occurred last weekend and the photos look great.



Here in the Midwest, there’s a steampunk production of Titus Andronicus going on. Check it out if you can!



If you’re intrigued by archaeology, here’s your chance to help from afar by transcribing notes from the 1922-1934 dig at Ur.



A unified theory of Cthulhu? Yes! Read and believe.



For your dignified/steampunk/retro parties, Archie McPhee provides the perfect wine bottle stopper.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Happy Monday. As we watch the Frankenstorm edge closer, here's something fun: the planes used for hurricane recon flights are named after Muppets!

More soon!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Happy Friday! Are you preparing for the Frankenstorm? (How Halloween is that?)




From Chuck via Cassandra: UFOs over Kentucky. It’s the end of the world, people!



From Julie: Superman quits the Daily Planet. See? End of world.



Arnold Schwarzenegger may be doing another Conan movie. See? End of…well, actually, that might be sort of predictable.



From Zazoo: Amazon reviews of binders (of women). Hee.



From Cassandra: Did you know Arthur Conan Doyle traveled to the Arctic? I didn’t, and his diaries are fascinating!



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

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Happy library links day! Also happy anniversary to Bunny. Nine years married and he hasn’t fled screaming into the night yet.




A treasure horde of maps has been discovered in a house, and donated to the LA Public Library. One of the maps is from 1592!



Bill Lucey investigates the popular Halloween costumes this year. If you’re still casting about for ideas, there are some good ones there.



LLRX provides a wealth of fact-checking sites as the U.S. election draws ever nearer. (Incidentally, living in Ohio means that literally every other commercial is a political ad at the moment. This morning I saw three in a row.)



The New York Public Library has a fantastic site on stereographic photographs. You can even make your own in Photoshop with this handy tutorial!



From old photos to new books: Digital Textbooks explores the changing world of academic publications.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Archaeologists think they may have discovered the grave of K’Abel, queen of the Mayans. Just in time for December 2012! Cue the prophecy stories!




Have you ever wondered just how Frankenstein’s monster operated? How Stuff Works is here to explain.



Halloween Radio! Seasonal radio for the spooky, at last!



This tutorial on how to make an animated Ouija board is all kinds of awesome.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

If it’s Tuesday, this post must be filled with steampunk.




Dishonored is garnering some rave reviews and a lot of attention – so much so that the Attack of the Show hosts dressed in the spirit.



What were the ten best films of the 1890s, you might wonder? Wonder no more! (Thanks, Bunny!)



Just missing the cutoff date is the newly rediscovered 1903 Robinson Crusoe film by George Melies.



Steampunk is not new in literature, but it’s gaining momentum in young adult literature, and the ALA takes notice.



The Maker Faire mentality is also gaining momentum, huzzah; Chris Anderson discusses the trend.



Even Oscar the Grouch has gotten into steampunk. It’s a natural for him – recycling trash into useful things!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Happy Monday, everyone!

I just discovered Dorianne Laux’s poetry.  Oooo.


Henry David Thoreau was not quite the hermit legend has made him out to be.



Mental Floss lists “25 most powerful shows of the last 25 years.” They might surprise you.



A Halloween comic and a pointer to a Halloween-themed game, courtesy of Drawn!



PostCrossing believes in the power of posted creative material. Try it!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Happy Friday! Links from others! Woot!




From Julie: Marie Antoinette’s slippers are for sale. If you're got a few thousand spare euros lying around, consider a bid.



Also from Julie: Aspiring writers and artists, take note – according to a recently discovered letter from J.R.R. Tolkien, the first edition of The Hobbit didn’t sell well at all. Keep at it!



From Chuck via Cassandra: Meet Douglas the Dormouse. He's very cute.



From Jack: Li-fi may be the future!



From Cassandra: the 25 best horror movies being streamed on Netflix.



Also from Cassandra: the life of Jupiter (the planet), and thoughts on death with dignity.



Swiped from David Malki!: The true story of the Earth Girdler and his amazing paper suit!



Have a spiffy weekend, everyone. See you Monday.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Libraries: All things to all people!




Incidentally, Jessamyn has a great post on how to write stories about libraries and librarians.



My mom sent me a great story on Kee Malesky, NPR librarian.



The University of Rochester has digitized archival materials related to women’s rights, abolitionism, and spiritualism. Fascinating stuff.



Have you contributed to a Kickstarter campaign? Things We Start shows Kickstarter projects on a map. See what’s going on near you!



And finally, track the campaign of promising candidate Abraham Lincoln. I think he’s one to watch.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Also, here (at last) is the video for the book giveaway. With an unexpected guest, no less.



One of the best (and/or worst) things about the internet is that a phrase can take on a life of its own in mere seconds. The “Binders Full of Women” tumblr is pretty hilarious. My favorite so far is Beyonce’s “Put Three Rings on It” image.




In other news, Alpha Centauri has a planet! A nearby planet! Woohoo!



Okay. On to the spooky links….



Nicole sent in a link so great it can’t wait until Friday: Notable Women Halloween costumes. Take back Halloween from the sexy getups! The links on where to find parts of costumes are really useful, too.



If you’re going the zombie or random victim route instead, there’s a tutorial on how to make scarily realistic bruises, wounds and the like.



We once lived near a mortuary college. Spooky? Occasionally, but not nearly as spooky as these abandoned mortuaries and morgues. (Bunny has lots of creepy/funny stories about his experiences there, however!)



Speaking of, I’m putting up retro Halloween photos on my Facebook page as a sort of countdown to the holiday. If you’d like, send me a friend request (and tell me if you’re a reader so I know who you are!) at facebook.com/jinnet.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

It's Oscar Wilde's birthday! In honor of the man and his wit, I direct you to Dandyism.net, and point out the list of links in the sidebar when you're finished with the site. Hours upon hours of entertainment!

Back soon, with more giveaways.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Was The Count of Monte Cristo based on the life of Dumas’s father? Possibly! (Incidentally, I first typed “The County of Monte Cristo.” Someone should get on that as a parody book/movie/whatever.)




Urban architecture is rediscovering its literal roots. Vertical gardening is springing up in cities everywhere; new art installations are floating on waterways; and cities like Louisville are getting rid of interstates which cut off access to riverfronts. Wow.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Update: Boooooooooooooo. I am now recalibrating my baseball cheering for “anyone but the Cardinals” (sorry, St. Louis fans).




From Cassandra: The joy of reading also improves one’s brain!



From Julie: A Roman coffin is used as a flower trough. Then someone realizes what they have and it sells for almost 100,000 pounds.



Also from Julie: London meat market: the gory details! Even for a Spooky Librarian, this is…a little gross.



From Zazoo: “One day, we will tell our friends about the days when people walked around naked in San Fran...and they won't believe us!”



From Nicole: Hilarious (but somewhat NSFW, language-wise) McSweeney posts on corporate philosophy and autumn décor.



Have a spiffy weekend, everyone! Thanks for reading. See you next week.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Today, the city where I work is on pins and needles, as it’s the deciding Game 5. Later on, you will hear either cheers or disgusted boos from this quarter.




In work-related news, however…it’s also Ohio Library Snapshot Week! Take a photo and post it to the Flickr pool, and see what fellow Ohio librarians are doing.



The powers that be at the New York Public Library have changed their minds about their new storage plan, after some protests by the people.



Color photographs of the Korean War are pretty rare; a collection showing daily life at a prison camp is even rarer. More photos available at the gallery.



The 1940 U.S. Census has been digitized completely (in record time, hooray for crowdsourcing); here are interesting census facts! (I don’t understand how history can be boring. Censuses are fascinating.)



Tomorrow: links from others! Also, the above-mentioned cheers or boos.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Spooky October continues! Fright Catalog has a blog which is pointing out all sorts of macabre goings-on. (The London butcher shop post is especially…er…interesting.)




Also, it’s time for Final Girl's SHOCKTOBER! There are other participants, each posting about a certain movie each day.



Tom Spina Designs feature amazing props, costumes, and creatures from movies.



Wellcome Library, meanwhile, focuses on the mythology of the season with an extensive post on memento mori art.

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

I missed the Maker Faire this year, but it looks as if it was quite the time!




The Tesla Community is celebrating the success of the campaign aimed at saving Tesla’s laboratory with the intent to make it a museum, huzzah! Also to be found on the website: Tesla 2012 stickers and other paraphernalia. “Change history! Energy for all!”



Sadly, getting the actual Tesla back and into power will not be possible…unless someone figures out how to work this amazing time machine (video of the mechanisms in action provided).



Retronaut features 1917 ads on how to properly use the telephone. We could all use some reminders, I think.



Battersea gets all the attention, but the Lots Road Power Station was equally inspiring/terrifying back in its heyday.



Artist Colin Bolton created a Cthulhu idol which looks like it would be at home in an Art Deco parlor. Lovely stuff.

Monday, October 08, 2012

RIP, Sam the Record Man. Your Toronto store was amazing.




Discovery news alert! A giant Roman mosaic has been discovered in southern Turkey, and Lord Byron’s copy of Frankenstein (autographed by Mary Shelley!) has been found as well. Not together, though. That would be odd.



Walker Kershaw’s street art is a new discovery to me, although it’s been around so long he might be Britain’s first street artist.



Nigeria is inventing a new language, with pidgin English at its core. My new favorite phrase is “ginger my swagger.”

Friday, October 05, 2012

Happy Friday, everyone!




The Sparkle Queen tells me of a website dedicated to steampunking Lowell, Massachusetts. Huzzah!



From my mom: Bill Moyers talks about banned books.



From the BBC: Doctor Who banknotes!



From my RSS feeds: Ever had an unidentified gizmo running amok (or lurking amok) in the house? The What Is It? series may answer some questions (or raise new ones).



From me: We’ve been watching Crash Course’s history series and it is so, so good. Can’t recommend it enough. And each episode is only ten minutes long, so no long term commitment is required!



Have a spiffy weekend! See you next week.

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Read a banned book today! It’s Banned Books Week, and the books under fire for the last thirty years are wide-ranging.




The Internet Public Library is celebrating October with a linkfest of spooky sites (and some non-Halloween sites, too).



Did you know Dorian Gray was based on a real person? It’s true! Smithsonian Magazine has the story, along with other real-life people who inspired literary figures.



NPR has a fascinating “then and now” comparison of Civil War photographs. It’s amazing how little some places have changed.



I will always click on vintage library ads. “Man Overbored.” Hee.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

It’s October! Time to celebrate all things spooky!




Some websites are devoted to this month, like The Cult of the Great Pumpkin (nothing but Halloween-esque sincerity as far as the page can scroll!). If you remember the Halloween Countdown at X-Entertainment, you will be delighted to rediscover it at Dinosaur Dracula!



Pinterest is getting into Halloween themes, too – via One Night in Lonesome October, I found out that there will be Muppet Monster Mania in Brooklyn later this month. Ooooo!



If you’re thinking about yard decorations, consider a Day of the Dead flamingo flock.



And if you’re looking for scares, Shriekfest kicks off a month of haunted attractions!

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Oh, dear god, the Steampunk Librarian giveaways are being transcribed. On one hand, I'm mortified because I tend to talk like an idiot; on the other hand, I'm described as young, which is nice of them.

More importantly, however, Tor is celebrating Steampunk Week, which means the site is chock-full of steampunk goodness! Check them out and we'll be back with more giveaways soon.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Happy Friday!




Cassandra informs me that this documentary based on a Margaret Atwood book is the best documentary ever. I am intrigued!



Also from Cassandra: Awe really does stop time, and a look at the upcoming Supreme Court cases.



From Bunny: Gangnam Style is good! But internet power stations are bad.



Also from Bunny: a gorgeous Op-Art style home, and a unicorn horn for cats. (Good luck getting a cat to agree to wear it.)



And finally, the Steampunk Librarian got mentioned on a post praising libraries and librarians! Woot!



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

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Today, I give you several links in one -- behold, the Britannica blog. Have fun! More soon.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

This weekend we’ll be at PandoraCon, showing trailers and running a wacky “name that sci-fi tune” contest if time allows! Stop by and say hi.




If you are not in our corner of the world, consider the Irish Woolfest in Australia (including the “running of the sheep!”) or the Africa Concours d’Elegance in Kenya, which looks to be filled with gorgeous machinery.



Are we creating new and better maps…or are the maps mapping us? DUN DUN DUNNN…

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

We have winners! Sir Reginald is still wrestling with the video uploading, but the drawings took place and I’ll be emailing the winners this week to get their addresses so I can send the books out before the weekend. More giveaways are imminent!




Was the first mobile phone put into action way back in 1922? A new find from British Pathe suggests it might be true!



Who would lead the League of Extraordinary Gentlepersons in 1996? Agent Scully, of course. This is a great concept, with lots of hidden treasures in the art.



Speaking of that sort of thing, there are rumors swirling about a possible television series featuring Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn…operating…a…steampunk detective agency. Hm.



For more tangible historical items, check out Yesteryear’s Tools – there’s all sorts of information on labels, company history, and brands!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Did you know there was a real Tom Sawyer? It’s true! The Smithsonian has the full story.




The first color film has been (re)discovered, and it was made in 1902. Wow.



In other color news, an artist decided that the pigeons of St. Mark’s Square could use some brightening up. (Brief slideshow here!) Reactions are, predictably, mixed.



Film Linc brings us a list of the best fifty movies which were never made, for various reasons.



And finally, what does a dramaturge do, exactly? Even dramaturges don’t always agree.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Happy Friday! Thanks to everyone for reading and sending in links!




From Julie: The IgNobels honor ponytail physics.



Also from Julie: a one-man library in Manila!



From Cassandra: A lovely history of Ray Bradbury’s life and work.



From Zazoo: Patrick Stewart has beamed down to Park Slope! And he's fighting with Time Warner, just like the rest of us ordinary Earth citizens.



From Bunny: Disney’s new Fantasyland is set to open in December.



From Poison Eve: Support the Kickstarter for the Lost Blacklips horror film! As Eve says, “for the price of a fancy coffee, you get a digital download of the horror film forever and ever!”



Have a spiffy weekend, everyone! We’ll be posting videos of the book giveaway drawings over the weekend, most likely.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Tonight! The IgNobel Awards! Webcast! Live! Woot!




For newshounds: check out all the stuff just added by the Internet Archive.



For librarians: check out the tattoos. I think I like the tarot card the best. (Thanks, Bunny!)



For history buffs: Two Nerdy History Girls!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Arrrr, it's Talk Like a Pirate Day! Thanks t' their handy translator, here be t' links for today.




This weekend brin's t' Great Gorilla Run in London! Run smartly!



In Scotland, it’s time for t' World Stone Skimmin' Championships.



In Japan, it’s t' Tokyo Game Show!



In Sofia, Bulgaria, t' biennial puppet show be goin' on.



And finally, in Germany, they’re honorin' t' Grimm fairy tales o' legend with a spooky 600 km trail through t' woods. Look out for witches and evil queens and stepmothers and apples and talkin' animals and…

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Japanese dystopian steampunk? That’s what Jay Kristoff is serving up in his latest book.


Speaking of books, you can pick up the newest by David Malki! You can even enter a contest to win more books and have your very own Roll-a-Sketch in them.


And speaking of contests...the results of the Vampire Empire drawing will be up soon, and I’ll be emailing the winners! This week, we have another giveaway, and it’s a total smorgasbord as we clean up older copies (in most cases, they’re the final publication version of books we gave away earlier in advance reader copy format). Go here for the contest, and good luck!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Better late than never, as we go around the world:




-- the Islamic Art Wing of the Louvre is set to open this weekend and looks beautiful.



-- In Nashville, Dave Stewart talks about his music and the potential for a stage show featuring Eurythmics music.



-- Gwilym Gold has put out an album which changes every time you listen to it. We’re living in the future!



-- The life of Ezra Pound in Italy, before/during/after the war.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Happy Friday! On to the links from others…




Bunny sends in a “back to school” list which includes my favorite books as a kid. Who knew?



Also from Bunny: a collection of old-time Australian criminal mug shots. We’ve featured this before, but this website gathers information about the person and the reasons for imprisonment. I’m fascinated by the first woman on the list, who was charged with multiple counts of bigamy!



From Cassandra: a gallery of amazing images from our solar system.



Also from Cassandra: Thoughts on sustainability, and thoughts on love.



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

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Once upon a time, the man now known as Pope Benedict wanted to be the librarian for the Vatican. I don’t really know what to think about that.




Fifty years ago, the Seattle World’s Fair entranced thousands of visitors, and it’s still an example for cities today.



Twenty-five years ago, Chicago teachers went on strike, and I remember this because my aunt was one of them. Bill Lucey looks at the history of teacher strikes in America.



Meanwhile, in another dimension completely, all the presidents of the United States take each other on in a knife fight. Who would win? Bunny sent this to me and we think that Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt would make the final four at the very least, with Eisenhower and Lincoln possibly in the mix. We have not put much thought into what Nixon would do, however.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Pssst! Hey, you! Wanna sponsor a skull? It’s for a good cause, honest!




If you prefer theoretical skulls, the Agatha Christie Festival is going on all this week.



If, on the other hand, you prefer stilts, check out the Golden Stilt contest (click on the British flag for an English translation).



Here in Ohio, the Old West Festival is booming. (No, Ohio was not part of the Old West. Work with us here.)



Did you know the Mars Curiosity rover is leaving coded messages in its tracks? It’s true!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

This week is going to be a lost cause, I think.




Happily, Julie is here to rescue today’s post with an article about why we should appreciate Tesla! This was prompted by the current (haha) efforts to build a museum honoring Tesla in New York. Huzzah!

(Also, David Bowie played Tesla in a recent film, which just increases the coolness factor.)

More book giveaway info will follow soon, and the deadline for the Vampire Empire book giveaway is this Friday.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Hello! A short post today. The big literary news is that a new photograph of Emily Dickinson may have been discovered.

In theatre news, Papermoon Puppet Theatre is bringing Indonesia's history, good and bad, out into the open.

Friday, September 07, 2012

Happy Friday!




From Julie: a story about the odd and elusive Pyrenean desman, a sort of mouse/platypus/vole hybrid creature.



From Cassandra: a look at the rich (they have more money), the beautiful (they’re more likely to conform), and the introverted (they read facial expressions better than extroverts). Introverts for the win!



From Bunny: Do you know the real names of professional wrestlers? It’s a tricky quiz. Bunny is an expert on '80s and '90s wrestling, and he got 75%.



From Sara: Swedish Meal Time! If you like the Vegan Black Metal Chef, chances are you will like this as well.



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

Thursday, September 06, 2012

My alma mater is on Pinterest, and posting wonderful old photos of college life. This is a really neat idea.




A different Ohio university has digitized old newsreel and films showing early aviation and the National Air Races.



The New York Public Library examines how pigeons got to the city (with a bonus mention of Tesla!), and the Library of Congress has a bonanza of great stuff available.

  Tomorrow: Friday! And that means links sent in by readers!

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

It is Wednesday, and that means that we point out interesting festivals and whatnots. This week the world is celebrating:




-- Watermelons! (Wisconsin)



-- Banjos! (Lowell, Massachusetts – Sparkle Queen, take note!)



-- Hot air balloons! (Nevada)



-- Soybeans! (Tennessee)


and

-- Boats done up like dragons! (Cambridge, UK)



Corn mazes cannot be far behind, once autumn hurries up and arrives in this part of the country.

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Happy Tuesday! As you can see, we’ve begun the giveaway madness; there will be many more in the near future.




Today’s links are not necessarily steampunk, but are historic. For the most part.



Remember the gag boxes of the 1920s? No? Well, fear not, because Collectors Weekly will show you what you’ve been missing!



A few of the “artifacts from literature we wish were real” in this Flavorwire article are gorgeous mechanisms, like the alethiometer and nearly everything in Willie Wonka’s factory.



Is icycling real? Well, it was for a short film, at least. Seems fraught with peril, though.



Lastly, consider the Nutmeg Wars. It’s sort of a ghastly story.

Monday, September 03, 2012

Friday, August 31, 2012

Happy Blue Moon Friday! I think that means a Smurf will be born, right?




The link above comes to you courtesy of Cassandra, who also sends in a quiz which finds which presidential candidate matches your views. As per usual, my results tell me to follow the Green Party, which is practically invisible in this swing state at the moment. So it goes.



From Chuck via Cassandra: a bonanza in whale vomit!



Swiped from Nicole: Hooray for Maria Montessori!



We end this Friday with a contribution by Satori. This may be the most adorable Depeche Mode cover song of all time. Have a spiffy weekend, everyone! We’ll be back on Tuesday after the holiday weekend.



Thursday, August 30, 2012

If you’re interested in SXSW, and also interested in libraries, archives or museums, check out the SXSWLAM website. (Rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it? Hee.)




Meanwhile, Wired has a good article on Brewster Kahle and the Internet Archive.



New Hampshire’s Strawbery Banke, a historical experience akin to Williamsburg, offers some apartments for rent. I think this would be fantastic.



I’m always pointing out amazing stuff from the Library of Congress, and this week is no exception. This time it’s a collection of child labor photographs from the early 20th century. Cincinnati is represented by a girl on the corner of 6th and Elm selling baskets in 1908.



And lastly, for all your historical gossip needs, check out Perez Hamilton.



Tomorrow: links from others!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

As the end of summer approaches (we hope), it’s time to pull out all the stops on the festivals.




In Manchester: Abandon Normal Devices, or AND!



In Finland: The World Championships of Berry Picking (especially lingonberries).



In Tanzania: The annual Goat Races!



In Atlanta: DragonCon!



In Nevada: Burning Man!



In California: Paul Bunyan Days!



And here at home, lots of fireworks on the Ohio River. Woohoo!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Steampunk Tuesday means another book giveaway -- this time it's The Kingmakers, the third and final book in the Vampire Empire trilogy. Enjoy!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Punch and Judy have been reinvented and are practicing nonviolence. Can you imagine?




Bibliotherapy proffers to help via the power of reading. Maybe Punch and Judy could try that.



Did you know Alphonse Mucha designed money and stamps for the nation of Czechoslovakia? The results are gorgeous.



And finally, because it’s sort of a dreary Monday, here is a video to lighten up things.


Friday, August 24, 2012

Happy Friday, everyone. On to the links!




From Julie: Richard III may be lying under a car park. My kingdom for a bulldozer!



From Bunny: why fruits and vegetables have stickers.



From Cassandra: The Caravan for Peace is traveling this summer.



From my bookmarks: the Seattle Sketcher.



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

Thursday, August 23, 2012

It's Thursday! And that means that Stuff is Happening. So I'm cheating and posting a link sent in by Julie, about the discovery of the remains of a medieval village. Oooo. Ahhh. More soon!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Here’s a tip for those of you headed back to school. Despite what Disney may tell you, the world’s boundaries do not match up with those in the “It’s a Small World After All” ride.




However, if you can boundary-hop in real space and time, you can check out the World Air Guitar Championships in Finland (this weekend), La Tomatina in Spain (early next week), and the Little Mermaid statue’s 99th birthday in Denmark (tomorrow).



If you can’t get to Europe, don’t worry – Colorado is holding a Euro Festival this weekend! (I'm not sure if any economical battles are planned.)

Monday, August 20, 2012

The Bulwer-Lytton contest winners for 2012 have been announced!




It’s an international sort of arts links day. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival enters its final week; catch it if you can.



In Reykjavik, street art is surging.



In Stockholm, the battle over Stieg Larsson’s legacy continues.



In Great Britain, there’s a heart-shaped meadow with a bittersweet story.



In America, Native Public Media is bringing back Native American languages via radio.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Remember the election of 1912? No? Well, the Library of Congress does, and is here to show you the mudslinging of Wilson/Taft/Roosevelt. (Yes, it was a three-party race at one point!)




Words to Shoot By makes art out of photographs with a one-word theme.



The Spooky Librarians will be at GenCon off and on over the weekend, so here are some Friday links from others a day early!



From Julie: The wreckage of Captain Scott’s ship has been discovered off the coast of Greenland. Wow.



From Cassandra: Behold the (obscenely) rich kids of Instagram, and the chronicler who’s pointing them out to the public.



Also from Cassandra: The Naga tribe used to worship skulls, but the modern world is invading fast.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

GenCon is this week, and Meet Cleaver Theatre is there! Well, we’re just visiting. There may be a recap later featuring puppets. Our friends at Conceptopolis will be there, so check out their stuff, which is very cool. And I’m not just saying that because we know them really well, either.




It’s also Elvis Week, and even if you’re in Europe you can participate.



Meanwhile, in Finland, they’re throwing mobile phones again. Whee!



How do they build a new subway line in New York? Well, it’s a massive project, and even photographing it can be a challenge.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The weblog of the Kensington Library has many wonderful entries, and a favorite of mine is the post on 1906 fashions of the street!




Did you know early suffragettes were trained in ju-jitsu? It’s true!



The University of Southern Maine just concluded an online exhibit on ocean liners from the turn of the 20th century, but it’s all still available for the reading and perusing.



And finally, enough of all this fashion and design. How does steampunk physics work, exactly? Wonder no more!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Happy Friday! I’m going to be up late on Sunday watching the Perseids, so Monday’s Folderol may be late/nonexistent. In the meantime, off to the links we go!




From Julie: Doctor Who turns 50 next year, and a special “genesis” show is in the works.



Also from Julie: Scientists discover a human species which lived two million years ago. Have they watched the new Battlestar Galactica?



From Cassandra: Creepy people really can give you chills.



Also from Cassandra: Transgender is in the news more often these days, but everyone’s story is different.



From Bunny: Texas A&M brings you “Research Games.” Also from Bunny: an example of virtual nanoscopy (which is amazing) and an example of using 3D printers to make “magic arms” for a little girl (which is also totally amazing).



Have a spiffy weekend, everyone! See you Monday…or maybe Tuesday.