Sock Puppy
Awwww - I want a Sock Dog too! Clearly cutest with neat patterned socks. [via not martha]
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Awwww - I want a Sock Dog too! Clearly cutest with neat patterned socks. [via not martha]
If you haven't already seen it, the only decent Superbowl commercial has an extended 3.5 minute version too: Terry Tate: Office Linebacker. Hilarious!
If you're reading this, I've successfully switched my web host service and updated my DNS listing. Of course, I would make the switch right during a blackout period for changing .org listings... Let me know if you see any problems.
Researchers in psychology report that hands-free cellphones are no safer for drivers, thus suggesting that the New York law prohibiting use of cellphones without a hands-free device jumped the gun. They actually demonstrate that talking on the phone (of any kind) impares driving more than listening to audio books or talking to a passenger. Even if you think you can talk on the phone and pay perfect attention, you can't. I wonder why that is... Is it a physiological problem of the adio quality of a phone conversation, or something about the context-shift between you and your conversationalist?
If you liked Lessig's much-linked NYTimes editorial Protecting Mickey Mouse at Art's Expense from a couple of weeks ago, or perhaps just noticed today's Foxtrot, you might want to check out Lessig's FAQ on the proposed Eric Eldred Act, which suggests requiring a tax be paid by copyright holders who wish to extend their copyright beyond some term (say, 50 years), thus allowing Disney to pay to keep Steamboat Willie out of the public domain (which they presumably believe still has monetary value) while allowing other less profitable works to become available on a reasonable schedule. The FAQ also fills in some of the details of what rules any copyright compromise needs to fit, such as the requirements of the Berne Treaty.
I'm absolutely hopeless with my hair, so I was intruigued by The Traditional Hairdressing Page featuring "classic" hairstyles from the 60's and 70's. Most of the diagrams actually show placement and orientation of curlers and lots of people have left notes and tips. I wish I could get stuff like this to work though - it looks fun so long as I didn't have to do it on a daily basis. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out how hair commercial women with plain straight hair get it to do that shiny single-curtain-of-hair look. They imply it's the shampoo, but I'm starting to wonder if they put something in their hair and dry it in a special way or something.
More than just an extensive origami site, Oriland follows through on it's promise of "Origami Galore", but even if you aren't a paper folder you (or your kids!) might enjoy exploring Oriland Kingdoms (requires Flash). It's a beautiful interactive animated world based on origami models. Just look around, or click on the "Origami Quest" tab at the bottom of the page to learn about the puzzles you can solve while exploring the kingdom. Not challenging, but very pretty. And if you are a paper folder, there are some nice free patterns on the site. I think the snail is particularly cute. And I'm almost the type of person to memorize the pattern for the heart bookmark to be able to make them on the spot for people.
I suspect all my readers have already seen the ruling this week in Eldred v. Ashcroft - if you haven't, pretty much everything you might want to read about it is collected at Lessig's homepage with some interesting personal comments in his blog there as well. It seems like a worthwhile time to remind people who are bothered by the ruling and current copyright law in general that, on top of trying to change the law, the on-line book community is doing a lot to show the desire for and power of freely available public domain works - and they're always looking for donations of person-hours or money. The Online Books Page has a long list of ways to get involved, as well as being a wonderful portal into the collections of freely available books on the web. Project Gutenberg is also a good place to explore, and they're looking for volunteers for tasks as simple as proofreading. It's a positive thing you can do for the worldwide community while showing a demand for new works to enter the public domain. Perhaps it can act as another piece in the puzzle of convincing Congress to get their heads on straight.
The banana extinction story has been getting a lot of press today (though mostly in international media, I've noticed). I had no idea that edible bananas were sterile. I haven't seen any explanation of how you breed a sterile fruit; is it a hybrid or something, like with mules?
I haven't finished my 2002 book list yet, but I just put together the Screenshot 2002 Photo Album of all of the images from the past year's entries. I'm pleased with the collection as a whole. (If you're interested, there is also a 2001 Photo Album.
I love groups that use their web page to not just organize themselves but to offer quality content to outsiders. The American Society for Microbiology has a wonderful timeline of what they consider the significant events of the last 125 years, in microbiological terms, with overviews of the "events" and bibliographical links for each one (many to online sources). Nicely done.
Okay - this is killing me, so I'm going to ask for help. When I was playing around with the puzzles on Confusion last week, I got stuck on the following rebus and my mind's been mulling it over ever since. Who can think of a one-word of nine letters represented by the following:
| J | K | |||
| 10 | Q | A |
Permanent is an independent (i.e. government-independent) project to travel and settle in space, using materials from the moon and asteroids for development. It's an interesting browse, particularly the information on the legal and political issues of governments and individuals using stellar materials.
I don't know as much about architecture as I feel I should - it seems like an area I should be interested in, with its balance of design and engineering. It's not a great site for beginning reading, but the collection of images of buildings at The Great Buildings Collection (some of them 3D models, though you need to download special software to view them) is very extensive and detailed. If I get some projects off my plate I might have to order one of the basic books off the bibliography list.
I was dubious at first, but my friend J seems to have stumbled across the definitive evidence that the Simpsons is set in Springfield, Michigan. In the second season episode Three Men and a Comic Book, Bart turns in a soda bottle for recycling to Apu and declines to credit the cash towards a purchase, saying "No, not today, I need the dime". And as you can see in this chart of Beverage Container Deposit Systems in the U.S., Michigan is the only state with 10 cent deposits. Q.E.D. Very nice work, J!
I stumbled across this little puzzle site, Confusion, last night and I've been working through the first trails over my morning coffee. The site is arranged with five collections of puzzles that need to be solved to collect keys and access the final set, which is the most difficult. They are mostly rebuses, riddles, and other "tricky" puzzles, and they definitely get harder as the path progresses, though you'll probably recognize many of them if you're a puzzle enthusiast. I haven't finished the site yet (just starting Metal World), but it seems very kid friendly - I'd have loved it when I was thirteen or so. And you can request hints if you need them, though I don't know how prompt the feedback is (it's not clear if it's automated or not).
Weather Photography is worth checking out for the images alone, but there's also a really nice, and expanding, collection of articles about techniques for photographing weather and nature. There's some good technical weather information as well, on selected topics (the photographer is a atmospheric physics grad student). I love his ice photos, but was most impressed by the lighting photos - reading the technical information behind taking them was very enlightening.
Driving into Pittsburgh from the west today, an official PennDoT lit sign (of the type that normally warns of bad traffic) read "Brownie Fans - Welcome to Mordor". How nice to see my hometown taking a literary turn to its sports fanaticism. One almost hesitates to point out that in the stories surely being alluded to, those who went into Mordor emerged triumphant.
Looking for a hobby? Why not try Modern Moist Towelette Collecting. You can get a peek at the beauty and variety this hobby could expose you to in this site's Gallery or enjoy a rousing game of Moist Towelette Concentration!
Lots of real world holiday fun and little time on-line leads to a lack of updates. Watch this space for upcoming quilt pictures, though. I am having a ball with my second bargello pattern (self designed - woo!) but I'm using a borrowed Husqvarna Viking rather than my familiar and beloved Brother and I do not like it's personality quirks, even though it is supposed to be a wonderful machine. The bobbin hates me - it will neither wind nor feed happily.