Monday, January 30, 2017

Here’s an intriguing project, sent by Julie: Do you have a double from 2000 years ago? You can find out!

We are now in major moving mode, so posts will be light and/or nonexistent for the rest of the week. Keep fighting the good fight, everyone, in whatever way you can. See you soon.


Friday, January 27, 2017

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It’s a good day to learn a little about propaganda.

In other news… From Julie: Have you heard of John Daniel, the gorilla who went to school in Gloucestershire? It’s true!

Laughing Squid has a short video on Mont Saint-Michel, one of my favorite places in the world. (If you like this, also check out nearby St. Malo, which might be my absolute favorite place.)

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

Thursday, January 26, 2017

We start off today with a great slogan from the Internet Archive: “If you see something, save something.”

The inner resistance to gag orders is growing – here’s a list of the alternative accounts (including NASA and the EPA).

Wikipedia is running the #1Lib1Ref (One Librarian, One Reference) project through February 3rd. If you’re a librarian, contribute a reference to the cause!

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Today’s links:

They’re trying to muzzle several federal agencies, including the National Park Service, and here’s the brand new Twitter account for the Unofficial "Resistance" team of U.S. National Park Service. Stay strong, everyone. 

VoxGov is a great resource for U.S. government materials.

She Should Run encourages women to run for office. Let’s do it!

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Hello! We’ll be a little erratic this week and next, because we’re moving house. (Whee!)

From Julie: A vaccine for fake news? Let’s hope we don’t go all anti-vaccine along with the rest of the madness.

Atlas Obscura shows a great handmade map of Chicago gangs, circa 1927. (Spoiler: There were a LOT of gangs.)

Friday, January 20, 2017

So here we are.

Politically, you can stand with the ACLU’s FOIA request (the first of what will probably be many). Also, if you’re marching tomorrow, here are resources ranging from apps to art projects. (I’ll be at a Sister March. If you’re local, say hi!)

For some lighter fare, it’s Penguin Awareness Day, and here is a handy chart to Know Your Penguins!

It’s also Tom Baker’s 83rd birthday. Have a lovely day, Doctor. Go somewhere in the TARDIS if you can.

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

Thursday, January 19, 2017

First, the political:

- The CJR has an open letter from the U.S. press corps to the incoming administration. It’ll be interesting to see how this goes.

- HeinOnline has a good summary on how to avoid spreading fake news. 

And next, the interesting:

- How one tactile map for the blind was created.

And finally, the fun:

- Remember last year’s Mammal Madness, with the great art and the birth of the “stoats as measurement” concept? Now you can get your own stoat in art! (Stoats may be larger than they appear on screen, depending on the size of your screen.)

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Whether or not you’re participating in Saturday’s march, it’s amazing (and heartening!) to see all the “sister marches” taking place in every single state.

The CIA has declassified some twelve million documents, in case you’re looking for reading material.

Afrofuturism is gorgeous and groundbreaking and so, so great. Check out The Afrofuturist Affair for all your sci-fi and futurist needs!

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

What is time, really? The New Yorker ponders such existential questions.

NPR has a new column in its tech section called “Reading the Game” which delves into the narratives of video games. This is right up my alley, so to speak.

Japan loved the Art Deco movement, and a current exhibit at the Hillwood Museum has some excellent examples.

Friday, January 13, 2017

You know what? Today, it’s just escapism and absurdity, because sometimes you have to laugh in the face of the unknown.

Ars Technica’s Bizarro Lounge sounds like a great place to hang out.

What’s the tourism slogan for your nation? Or your state? Metafilter examines this in more detail. (I am partial to “El Salvador: The 45 Minute Country.”)

The Guardian explores the weird and wacky world of football/soccer mascots over the years. There have been some seriously odd appearances. 

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

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Shelf Check, always amazing, has stepped up to another level recently. Check out the Resolution Revolution strip.

My alma mater digitized their old newspaper (The Green and White, OU’s student newspaper before the Post) . The first thing I saw when browsing was a headline from 1906: “Athens Goes Dry By More Than 200 Votes.” Hee. Things are a bit different these days.

Slate looks at some of 2016’s digital history projects. Lots of great stuff here.

I didn’t realize there are many abandoned Soviet camps in East Germany. The Guardian takes a look at one of them, which is still in decent condition.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Today’s hearings are much more lively than yesterday’s, so far at least. (Anything and everything can change in an instant, evidently.)

If you need sustenance, and if you like D&D (or Lord of the Rings), consider these trail rations, good for dwarves, humans, halflings, etc.

And if you need any more nightmares besides the political situation, here are some truly creepy vintage toys. (Check out the Playtown Meat Market!)

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

The BBC is covering the Jeff Sessions attorney general hearings live. So far, it’s…chaotic. (Welcome to the next few years.)

For sparring of a different sort, you have until February 1st to send in your entries for the International Bartitsu Sparring Video Competition. There are prizes!

I missed the news of the HYBRID MATTERs Symposium in December, but the good people at We Make Money Not Art were there and have a report of the proceedings. Check out the hunt for urks! 

Monopoly (the game) is asking us (the people) to vote for new tokens (such as a penguin and T. Rex). Have at it. (Be warned, though, that the voting procedure is loaded with sound effects.)

Friday, January 06, 2017

Friday!

From Julie: Have you seen this missing room? Seriously, a Welsh castle lost a room and it might be somewhere in New York. (As per usual, it's America's fault.)

From Metafilter: The incredible story of two brothers who revolutionized deep sea exploration.

From my RSS feeds: Low Cost Cosplay is absolutely amazing.

From Twitter: LEGO unicorn tails double as punk hair! 

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

Thursday, January 05, 2017

If you’re a librarian, and you’re interested in increased access to information and providing access to all, check out Operation 451, a brand new organization.

There’s a library in Alaska which lets you borrow taxidermied animals. It’s true!

Wednesday, January 04, 2017

Good morning! Here are some random news bits:

- Gale is digitizing the ACLU archives.  

- Importing news photos into a new system can lead to…interesting complications.