Tuesday, March 31, 2020

We have, at last, reached the end of March. But we have not quite yet reached the end of March Mammal Madness - here's our recap of the Final Roar.


 

Monday, March 30, 2020

Happy Monday, everyone. Hope everyone is doing okay.

In one Paris street, they had to abandon a WWII film set before the lockdown began, so it’s even more surreal there than it is for the rest of us. 

You can take a virtual tour of the Winchester Mystery House, which I highly recommend; it’s a wild place.

Some NYC booksellers have banded together to create The Bookstore at the End of the World. Check it out and support some small businesses.

Friday, March 27, 2020

Happy Friday, everyone! Here's some March Mammal Madness for you. Stay safe.



    

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Good morning! Here are the roving rodent reporters to tell you all about last night's Sweet 16 battles.


 

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

For the people concerned about the present: here’s what makers can do in this time of COVID-19. 

For people who’d like to revisit the past right now, here are the latest 25 inductees into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. New members include Hildegard von Bingen, Fred Rogers, the Village People, Maria Callas’s recording of Tosca, and the broadcast of “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!”

 Stay safe, everyone.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Hello everyone! We have some more Mammal Madness for you!


 

Monday, March 23, 2020

Friday, March 20, 2020

Happy Friday, everyone! Today, we bring you some videos.

First, a teacher sings of surviving the move to online instruction. (This is hilarious and well worth your time.)

Next, our roving rodent reporters recap last night's March Mammal Madness battles, and do a little singing of their own.


 


 Have a safe and hopefully spiffy weekend, everyone. Stay safe, and see you next week.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Hello! Here's our latest Rodent Recap of March Mammal Madness. Stay safe, everyone.



 

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Hi, everyone. Unsurprisingly, posts will be even more erratic for the next few weeks, between working from home and March Mammal Madness. But we’ll post when we can!

Once Disneyland reopens, look for the interpretive dancers. 

The Museum of the Bible’s Dead Sea scrolls were actually created in the 20th century. Oops.

Being isolated doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun. Look what they did in China. Keep dancing!


 

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Happy (very strange) St. Patrick’s Day, everyone. No parades this year, but a “reverse parade” or “virtual parade” is taking place, with artwork posted to the outside world. 

Here’s something fun: Moog and Korg have released free synthesizer apps during this time of isolation. Go nuts and make some great music!

Also, March Mammal Madness continues, and here’s our latest recap. Stay safe, everyone.


 

Monday, March 16, 2020

Hi everyone. We're still here and fine, but posting will be pretty erratic as we deal with all these current events. March Mammal Madness is still going on and we'll post recaps as they happen! Stay safe, everyone.

Friday, March 13, 2020

Well, happy Friday the 13th, everyone. Hope everyone is as well and safe as can be, considering the circumstances.

From Zazoo: You know things are bad when a conference on coronavirus gets canceled due to…coronavirus. 

From Cassandra: How should one dress for the surveillance age? 

A flashback from the Guardian: Soap advertising during the 1918 influenza outbreak. 

From the web: Students in Taiwan have created a LEGO disinfectant dispenser! 

 And finally, there was March Mammal Madness last night!


 


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

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Ha. Remember yesterday, when I said things were starting to get weird? I had no idea, obviously. These are strange times indeed.

However, March Mammal Madness continues to be a welcome (if slightly exhausting) distraction. Here's our recap of last night's battles.


 

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

So. Wow. How IS everyone out there? It’s getting awfully weird.

In what may not be the best timing, Egypt has just reopened the newly restored step pyramid of Djoser. It’s one of the oldest (if not the oldest) pyramids, and it’s pretty amazing.

In local weirdness, here’s a story about a man who saw Jesus in the trees in 1914. Really! It took me a few minutes to see it, and usually I’m all about the pareidolia.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Greetings! Guess what time it is:




Welcome to March Mammal Madness season! Links may be somewhat spotty as we devote a whole lot of energy to this in the coming weeks. Join the fun if you can!

Friday, March 06, 2020

Hooray, we have made it once again to Friday. We’ll be off again next Monday, but then we’ll be back – in earnest, as March Mammal Madness begins next Monday evening and our rodent recaps will follow!

Several links from Cassandra (many thanks!):

 Harmony Cox details her “life as a public health crisis;” this is a great read and very true.

 The cultural history of red lipstick, huzzah.

 This quiz purports to tell you how old you are, based on the foods you love and hate. Cassandra was 11, B. was 21, and I am 32, apparently. (I have absolutely no idea how I got the oldest result. Feel free to wildly speculate.)

Someone managed to run their truck into a moai statue on Easter Island. Who knew this was even possible?

Meanwhile, in Iowa, an angry ex-husband asked for “trial by combat” in a divorce case. The court, unsurprisingly if disappointingly, did not grant his wish.

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

Thursday, March 05, 2020

Gathering accurate information about the coronavirus is…challenging. Fortunately, ResearchBuzz has a roundup page with links, and Newsguard is keeping track of all the sites spewing misinformation. 

You can’t please everyone; even national parks get one-star reviews. Amber Share created some posters featuring the silliest ones! (Also, if you like these sorts of posters, check out the original WPA national park posters at the Library of Congress site.)

Wednesday, March 04, 2020

Wednesdays are the new Thursdays (i.e. busy).

Warren Ellis fans, rejoice – Freakangels is going to be an anime series! I can’t wait.

Mapmakers have fascinating inner lives. Here are tiny illustrations hidden in official Swiss maps.

Subterranea Britannica is all about exploring underground structures. No word on whether they hide illustrations in maps.

Tuesday, March 03, 2020