Monday, September 30, 2013

I'm back! Here are some photos to document my travels.

Speaking of photos, Chinese children endure a high amount of embarrassment, apparently.

National Ice Cream Month has come and gone, but it's not too late to peruse this list of book-inspired flavors!

If you like science fiction, and you've ever wondered if an author has a presence on the web...wonder no more.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Happy Friday, everyone! I am off to New York for a few days to gad about the Maker Faire. Folderol will return sometime next week.

From Zazoo:  a clown is terrorizing a British town.

From Julie: Behold the ugly blobfish!

Also from Julie: Do you lie about reading books? Most of us do!  Also, some itty bitty books are going on display.

And finally, from Bunny: A performance artist...at the Eiffel Tower...with a chicken...and...well.

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

Thursday, September 19, 2013

The latest edition of Cites & Insights has a section on public library sayings. Good stuff!
 
Ravel is really interesting -- a visual search engine for law-related information.

Remember studying taxonomies in library school? They're still useful!

MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses) and libraries have a lot in common, and now there's a weblog dedicated solely to that connection.

The Lloyd Library has a current exhibit exploring the world of the "Wounded Home" in America after the Civil War.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

If you want to be part of Pinterest but don't like following the crowd, consider the Pinterest Skeptics board!

This tarot set based on the Lord of the Rings characters is gorgeous.

Do you have a great name for a planet or other celestial body? Here's your chance!

Paranoid delusions connect to the contemporary world in fascinating ways.

If you stand in Times Square and hear strange sounds, however, it's not a delusion -- it's an art installation.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Attention, steampunks! Will you be at the New York Maker's Faire this weekend? I will -- say hello if you see me.

A look at steampunk cosplay delves into the details.

Irish steampunk!

Circling back to the Maker Faire: please examine this lovely (and functional) remote control.



Monday, September 16, 2013

Today's theme: strange combinations that make art. Like Reese's peanut butter cups, in a way.

Example 1: Salvador Dali illustrates the zodiac.

Example 2: Book cover designs made by embroidery.

Example 3: Breaking Bad in LEGO form!




Friday, September 13, 2013

Happy Friday the 13th!

From Julie: The Star Trek theme song has lyrics?!? Does Wil Wheaton know about this?

From Cassandra: The Little Free Library, and the value of empathy.

From Tony: Free the 14 Squirrels!

Have a spiffy weekend, everyone! If you're near Cincinnati, the Comic Expo is going on this weekend, complete with a LEGO scavenger hunt. See you next week!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Remember all the fantastic words added to the OED back in the '90s? How are they holding up?

Look, a new frontier for libraries! Thanks, Birmingham!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

No more bizarre rubber suits for Japanese monster movies? Say it ain't so!


(more soon. It's an interruption-filled sort of day.)

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

If you're anywhere near Lincoln (UK) this weekend, do check out their steampunk celebration!

Isaac Asimov thought that 2014 would be...well...actually, pretty much like it is in 2013.

Considering some steampunky decor? Here's a nice round-up of what people have done.

Morse Code has disappeared from modern society (recent mention from Ylvis notwithstanding), but if you'd like to use it, fear not; here's a handy decryptor for a web page!

Friday, September 06, 2013

Happy Friday!

Today's Links From Others post is brought to you by Julie. (Many thanks, Julie! If we ever make it to Brighton, we owe you several drinks.)

Overdue library books are nothing new. But one that's been overdue for almost sixty years?

I would like to think that Richard III is pleased that his remains have been found and verified, and his reputation is improving. He would probably not be terribly thrilled that the newest headlines about him trumpet his affliction from roundworm.

Remember Richard Marsh? No? Well, you're not alone. But here's why you should be interested.
(Hint: he outsold Bram Stoker.)

Gorgeous museums end this week's allotment of links. Have a spiffy weekend, everyone! See you next week.


Thursday, September 05, 2013

Has anyone tried RebelMouse yet? It looks intriguing, from a social media standpoint.

In the midst of war talk, here's something a little less dire: people are using drones in search and rescue teams. And archaeologists are using them to search out ancient ruins! 

Archaeologists have also calculated that Egyptian civilization is much older than previously thought.

How many babies were born with your name recently in England and Wales? Now you can find out instantly! (My name is not very popular these days - it was beaten out by Khaleesi, even. Seriously?)



Wednesday, September 04, 2013

Okay, people, you have a week in which to schedule your trip to attend the 2013 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony and Webcast (and Lectures). It promises to be an extraordinary evening!


Here's something quite useful for anyone traveling on the Tube in London: an app which tracks the position of trains, live.

At Spooky Librarians HQ, we are big fans of abandoned areas and empty buildings. In that vein, this list of abandoned theme parks is quite lovely/bleak/intriguing.

Over at Slate, there's a photograph of Lovecraft's doodles and notes for "At the Mountains of Madness." Graphologists and armchair psychologists, have at it!

Lovecraft lived in the era of typewriters. That era is mostly gone, but one industry -- funeral homes -- is, ironically, keeping the old technology alive.

Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Happy September! Keep up to date on steampunk happenings with Tor's calendar.

Cue the ideas for Roman-era steampunk. Rompunk? Latinpunk? At any rate, the Romans were using nanotechnology.

I am a little unsure about the accuracy of this list of top American steampunk cities, but I can't really complain since I am apparently living in one of the top ten most steampunk environments.

Gail Carriger lists some truly excellent resources for writing Victorian-era steampunk stories.

Did you know Disney had planned a land of discovery, with dirigibles and crystal train stations? It's true, and we can all look at what might have been.

And finally, from Germany, here is a lovely steampunk computer station.