Friday, September 28, 2018

Hi all. Too angry/depressed/sad about the state of the world to post anything fun today. Have a safe (and spiffy as possible) weekend, and we'll be back next week.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Finally, a map that emphasizes the oceans, instead of all those annoying land masses!

Due to increased tourism in Iceland, there are a lot of tourists getting lost or stuck or hurt there. Fortunately, there’s an amazing group of volunteer rescuers working to save and educate them. 

Create your own monster with the Hybridizer! I made a squirrel wolf!

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Hello! Today we’re going through some history.

An Egyptian necropolis has been found, dating back to the Middle Kingdom.

Would you like an authentic Swiss chalet home in Cincinnati? It’s true, it exists and it can be yours! 

Before tattooing became commonplace, there was the stencil craze of the 1920s. Retronaut has some examples.

History Extra takes a look at some famous imposters throughout history, including Anna Anderson and Princess Caraboo.

Monday, September 24, 2018

It’s Monday, and time for a look at the arts.

Music: WNYC teamed up with the National Constitution Center to make songs based on each amendment, and they’re amazing. Check them out! Dolly Parton has a great song about the 19th Amendment!

Literature: The New York Public Library is creating “Insta Novels” on Instagram for certain books, like Alice in Wonderland. 

Grammar: It’s National Punctuation Day!!! 

Fine Arts: Hildreth Meière created over 100 commissioned works for public spaces, and incorporated Art Deco and Byzantine mosaic design into many of them. I’d never heard of her before now, and I can’t believe it, because her work is incredible.

Crafty Spookiness: Behold the tiny nightmares at Croshame, where horror movies are spun into reality! (Possibly NSFW if you go to the main page and your workplace has issues with crocheted nudity. Hey, I don’t know where you work.)

Friday, September 21, 2018

Happy Friday, all.

From Julie: Behold, the winners of the igNobels! Included are such gems as riding a roller coaster to help pass kidney stones. (Yes, there really was a study on this!)

Today’s Google Doodle celebrates Mr. Rogers, and it’s lovely.

What will the college courses of the future be like? Well, according to a neural network, there will be intriguing selections like “Devilogy” and “Survivery.”  (Sign me up!)

Via Kate Beaton: Why doctors need to listen to patients…really listen. 

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

Thursday, September 20, 2018

If you’re in London, go visit the poetry-spouting lion in Trafalgar Square this week! (If you’re not in London, fear not: you can still participate by contributing to the poetry.)

Meanwhile, in NYC, the Reanimation Library is looking for a new home. Can you help?

In ancient history (ha), here are some Polaroids from the set of Star Wars: A New Hope. I especially like the photo which looks like a salesman is talking to the Tusken Raiders. "Hovercraft, used by one careful driver, floats like a dream!"

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Ahoy! 'Tis Talk Like a Pirate Day once more! Remember when we used t' travel th' globe on Wednesdays? Let’ do that again!

We start in Canada, where a wolf cur 'n a caribou trapped in ice fer centuries 'ave been recovered. I was afeared this was some sort o' hoax, but it seems t' be legit. 

From thar, we go t' Istanbul, ship o' th' underground mosque. 

Then it’s on t'…well, many places indeed, as Berkeley's made themselves a resource on th' travels o' Ibn Battuta. 

'N then we land back in me hometown, where ale will be flowin' fer Oktoberfest, which always happens in September (don’t ask me, I 'ave no idea why). Arrrr!

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

In a terrifying story that sounds like it comes from Hookland (it doesn’t, which is even MORE terrifying), spiders are to blame for some creepy dead-of-night nursery rhyme music. 

In news that is probably unconnected, another sphinx has been discovered in Egypt!

Monday, September 17, 2018

And lo, it is Monday once more…

Inspired by the Ashmolean’s current exhibit “Spellbound,” Philip Pullman talks about magic and imagination. 

What’s it like costuming Shakespeare in the Park (and other outdoor performances)? In the summer, it means a lot of ice packs and fake blood which doesn’t attract insects. 

Just for fun: Writers and their cats.

Friday, September 14, 2018

And it is Friday!

From Julie: Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell explain, in an illustrated manner, why libraries are important. 

Also from Julie: What exactly happened on the International Space Station last week? My theory: invisible aliens. Also, this just in from Gizmodo: A solar observatory has been shut down – temporarily? – by the FBI! Probably due to hacking or satellite discovery, but still.

From Cassandra: Ninnoc, a documentary exploring how it feels to be “different.”

From Satori: Kitten rescued from drainpipe! (She wasn’t actually stuck in the drainpipe, just hiding out. She’s looking much better now and in the capable hands of the Zazoo & Satori team!)

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

Thursday, September 13, 2018

It's Thursday and you know what that means: no time to post! But here is a lovely page of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Award finalists (check out that squirrel) and we will return tomorrow with LOTS of links from others, happily.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Did you know that there is a Sorriest Bus Stops tournament? I didn’t, until I found out that my city is in the running for the championship. (I know this stop, actually! The bus route is…not great there.) 

Meanwhile, Reuben Wu takes amazing photos of the world around us, including a cross-country trip across America.

Monday, September 10, 2018

And we are back for another whirl on this bizarre merry-go-round of current events!

Paper dolls have been around a long time, and they have also had an interesting underground gay history.

Tedium investigates the history of sound design (more specifically, the sounds of Indiana Jones), and via that, I found the Soundkeeper website, which is really interesting.

Via Zazoo: An interview with Cyndi Lauper, and how “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” has evolved through the years!

Friday, September 07, 2018

So, yesterday was not exactly a normal day where I work downtown. Stay safe out there, everyone. 

After the horrible fire that destroyed almost everything at Brazil’s national museum, Wikipedia is looking for photos of the exhibits. If you’ve been there, see if you can help. 

From Satori: “An immersive art exhibit disguised as a futuristic body modification fashion shop. It looks totally freaky/amazing.” (He’s right! It does!) Check out the customizable heart design, at the very least.

And finally, you will all be pleased to know that Richard Scarry’s Busytown has been updated for the modern economy. Sorry, Lowly.

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

Wednesday, September 05, 2018

Current news: Earlier reports of The Stand beginning on an airplane seem to be somewhat exaggerated, hopefully. 

I hadn’t heard of mercury-women before reading The Thinker’s Garden piece on early newsmakers in Britain. (If you like The Thinker’s Garden, they have a new project over at Godfrey’s Almanack!) 

Artisan globes? This sounds like my kind of company. 

For background music and sounds of all kinds, myNoise offers everything from white noise to coffeehouse clatter. How cool.

Tuesday, September 04, 2018

Hello, and welcome to the fall season! Maybe. It’s 92 degrees here. Halloween is on the way, regardless.

In 1961, we were optimistic about the future of medicine. And in some ways, we were right. Others…not so much.

A neural network attempted to name shopping malls, with some unpredictable results. I especially like Burning Park Mall and Complete Store of Mall.