Thursday, April 30, 2015

Relevant to this week’s news: resources from Temple University and Florida A&M University on police brutality and excessive use of force. Good for journalists, researchers, and anyone else curious about what’s happening and why.

A Yale librarian found a mention of “African-Americans” in 1782! 

Let’s save the Dictionary of American Regional English. Future arguments about soda vs. pop depend on it.

Festive update: Today is International Jazz Day, and (Free) Comic Book Day is right around the corner!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

It’s a strange world where a baseball game is played in an empty stadium. We live in interesting times.

Possibly less interesting, but more surreal: China has funeral strippers? 

Today is Maya Deren’s birthday. She’s one of my idols.

In my hometown, there’s going to be a carousel with themed animals. How cool!

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Monday, April 27, 2015

How is it Monday again already?

Here are some lovely photos of Goth Weekend in Whitby. 

Speaking of photos, former ace pitcher Randy Johnson is now doing photography, and he’s pretty good at it. 

Who makes sure Vikings is historically accurate? Justin Pollard, also known as one of the QI Elves!

Have you heard of WWII’s ghost army? They created fake tanks, fake schematics, and fake strategies to fool the Axis powers. It’s a great story.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Happy Friday! The celebrations continue – today is DNA Day. How you celebrate is up to you and your individual DNA makeup.

Cassandra has links to share:

- Who is the most dangerous person in your workplace? Oh, the stories that this article will generate…

- Women who don’t have children feel guilty about it. So let’s talk about that. 

- The Hubble Telescope is turning 25 this year, and there’s a website to commemorate it. There’s also a gallery of some of the most amazing photos taken by the Hubble. The photos of nebulas (nebulae?) are stunning.

Doesn’t everyone want a t-shirt of the Piranhamoose Republic? Here’s your chance!

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

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Thanks to everyone who told me their results from yesterday’s quiz. The conclusion seems to be that Google believes every librarian is secretly a giant squid. Make of that what you will. I did hear from some non-librarians who were cuttlefish and Komodo dragons, so apparently the answers do vary, and are not a complete Cthulhu takeover attempt. Yet.

Today is very festive. Happy World Book Day! Happy World Book Night, too! And Happy Talk Like Shakespeare Day! 

Related to World Book Night: How well do you know the opening lines of famous novels? (I haven’t taken this yet, but I will probably not score very high. I’m deficient in classic literature.)

Related to Shakespeare Day: What’s your Shakespearean slogan? Mine was “Screw your courage to the sticking place." I do like that line, and they make it sound lovely when telling you your results (“you are inspirational!”), but I’m a little concerned that it’s spoken by Lady Macbeth.

The New York Public Library’s renovation plans continue, not without controversy.

And lastly, here’s a very detailed infographic about why the workplace needs information managers!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Happy Earth Day! Which animal are you? According to Google, I am a giant squid. Another library-type person I know is also a squid. Is this a professional thing? Other librarians out there, take this quiz and tell me what you are! 

If you’re more interested in Earth Day facts, the Guardian has a good quiz, too.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Today marks 81 years since the famous photo of the Loch Ness Monster was taken. Google honors Nessie in today's Doodle, and also has a new mapping setup which might help the ongoing search.

Bradley Schenck of Webomator talks about fantasy writing and settings. It’s a really interesting read.

Ian Doescher has written Shakespearean adaptations of Star Wars, and now he tackles the prequels. Jar Jar as Shakespearian fool makes a lot of sense, actually.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Happy Monday! Sorry for the lack of links last week, but you are rewarded for your patience today with a plethora of great stuff, courtesy of readers Cassandra and Julie.

From Cassandra:

From Julie:

Friday, April 17, 2015

I was in a conference all day today, so no links -- come back Monday for a links-from-others extravaganza! Have a spiffy weekend, everyone.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

So. I love red grapefruit. It’s one of my favorite foods. Ryan North has blown my mind by pointing out the red grapefruit I eat is probably the result of scientists firing gamma rays at less-red, naturally mutated grapefruit. Aiee! Some more information comes from a New York Times article. There’s a Marvel superhero joke in here somewhere.

John Kenn takes a normal Post-It note and makes it extraordinary. I’m in awe of the detail.

Have you seen the Queens of Africa dolls? They are a (much cooler) alternative to Barbies, and give some much-needed diversity!

And along the same lines of diversity, Kate Beaton points out how diverse Victorian London was, although you don’t see it much in modern reenactments.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Today’s Google Doodle celebrates the 155th anniversary of the Pony Express, and is also a game! Watch out for rocks.

In two weeks, the Pandora Society puts on the International Steampunk Symposium. Here are all the details, and I found the fantastic Unbreakable Umbrella site via their ads, so sometimes ads do lead to good discoveries!

Monday, April 13, 2015

Happy Monday. Here’s some arty combinations to ease you into the work week.

Video games and music: Did you know GLaDOS from Portal and the Sniper from Team Fortress 2 are married? It’s true!

Books and TV: LeVar Burton and the future of Reading Rainbow

Music and wine: Can the music you’re listening to change the taste of your wine? It’s possible! (Best quote from the article: “In Chicago, they drink everything,” said Mr. Dorf. “They skew the results.”)

Architecture and society: This list of futuristic architecture led me to the incredible Social Complex in Alcabideche, Portugal.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Happy Friday!

From Cassandra: An excellent article about first-generation university students.

From Zazoo: Amazing costumes in the Atacama Desert. 

Also from Zazoo: Jill Sobule talks about New York City as it was in the ‘90s and how it is now. 

From Archie McPhee’s weblog: May the Forced Perspective Be With You! Here are some fantastic examples.

From Margaret Atwood’s Twitter: Watch raccoons face off against Toronto’s new trash bin. (Spoiler: The raccoons are discouraged, but as someone commented, they seem to be taking careful notes and measurements.)

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

Thursday, April 09, 2015

Happy Thursday!

I love what the Library of Congress has accomplished over the past decade, but there’s still a lot of work to be done, according to a new report. 

The U.S. Census Bureau now has an Instagram, FYI.

Here’s a really interesting article on people as storytellers vs. people as data platforms.

A gallery in Madrid has used 3-D printing as a way to help visually impaired people touch paintings. What a cool idea.

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

More quizzes! Lizardpoint now has not only geography quizzes, but also art, historical figures, and more. I am super with U.S. geography, pretty good on Western Europe, but tragic at Eastern Europe. I am also good with the U.S. presidents, but started the British monarchs quiz and had to give up pretty much immediately, because I have no idea what they looked like.

Want to watch live volcano action from the safety of your home? Here’s a list of webcams for you. 

The Aquatrope is not only beautiful and fun, it’s a lesson about humanity and water. If you like Tread Messenger’s work, check out the Evotrope as well.

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

Hooray, the brontosaurus is back in the listings as an actual dinosaur! It was always one of my favorites.

Along the same lines of rediscovery, here’s a secret stage hidden below a Boston piano store. 

I’ve been to San Francisco several times, but have not yet seen the Camera Obscura. It looks amazing, and is on the National Historic Register! 

And finally, there’s a Flickr group devoted to passports and visas. Good for travel buffs, history buffs, artists, and more.

Monday, April 06, 2015

Happy Monday, and Happy Opening Day! It’s sort of a big deal in my town.

Related: the Library of Congress has a baseball-related board on Pinterest!

Also related: The New York Times says baseball's offense needs rejuvenation. Personally, I’m with those who think it’s cyclical, and that we’ve just got some excellent pitchers right now.

Completely unrelated: The man who translated Proust into English has his own fascinating story, including his influences in translating.

Thursday, April 02, 2015

Today is another one of those Thursdays which are crazy busy. So, here's an abbreviated post.

First off, happy International Children's Book Day! 

And secondly, here is a dramatic interpretation of a legal argument over the definition of a photocopier. (Yes, this is sometimes what my job is like.)

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

It’s April 1st, which means it’s a minefield on the internet today. The only wacky link I have is to ThinkGeek’s Voltron cat condo. I like how unimpressed the cats are. “Defenders of the galaxy? Meh.”

In non-Fool news, you can charter a Chicago L train for a party. Seriously! (No alcohol, though.)

Subway-style maps are useful for more than subways. Here are a bunch of awesome examples.

In Iceland, construction projects need elven approval. (This is also a serious story. The Hidden People are serious business in Iceland.)

And on a completely unrelated topic, here’s a lovely article about “holding space” for people when they’re going through hard times.