Some Links

I'm there. Totally sold. Say no more. It's already on my pull list.

Fish Scale Plastic Replacement. Via Boing Boing.

Sexism on the 'net.

Harnessing the wind even now.

Are bananas about to become extinct? short answer: no, not really

The town of Quartzsite Arizona is in bad shape, and now half the police department is on leave after accusing the police chief of corruption. And, being Arizona, no one in the state government is helping deal with the problem. There's a history of the whole dispute here.

Turnabout should be fair play, but William Saletan of Slate is an honest man.

First-person account of Utøya.

Thank Goodness It's A Linkdump

The AQ Test tries to determine if you are on the Autism-Spectrum. I scored 42 the first time I took it, and 43 the second.

Someone recently gave me some rationing coins as seen at Boing Boing here, and I wasn't sure what they were. Now I know.

Oh no! Phables is over. One of my favorite webcomics (I just wish someone would do the same with Seattle). I wish I had money to pre-order the book and make sure it happens.

Monty Python's YouTube Channel Boosted DVD Sales. Putting up free content helps sales.

Steampunk Cyclon Contest. Cylons are cool again!

Wow, a Warren Ellis entry I'm not afraid to link to. These are incredible photographs that combine WWII photos with modern photos of the same place.

Obama Inauguration Headlines.

Speaking of, I almost want the Obama action figure. But frankly, I'd rather have something tasteful and yet in my realm of "things I already collect". I need a LEGO Obama.

The Whitehouse has a blog. With RSS feeds (summary feed, not full-text like I prefer). This is a good way to keep up with the government, along with Obama's weekly "fireside" chats (which are nicely short yet still informative).

Scientists suddenly figure out that three fish are the same species! They wondered why they never saw mature examples of one type of fish, or males of another, or females of a third... well, now they know. All the same fish, but with remarkable differences in gender once they mature.

Ah, wartime urban legends are very Fortean. Investigations have sometimes revealed little pockets of truth in the tales, others (like perhaps the Angel of Mons) seem to be based on old fiction misremembered.

A Comcast repairman broke the power pole. He said Comcast would fix it. Another Comcast repairman said, no, it's owned by Commonwealth Edison, they have to fix it. The ComEd employee said, no, it's owned by the landowner, fix it yourself. Oh, and if you don't fix it in 30 days, we'll shut off your power. Homeowner tries to find a contractor to fix it, but the ground it too cold to put in a new pole. Burying the wires would cost $6000 that the homeowner doesn't have. Homeowner's insurance refuses to pay. In desperation, the homeowner contacts the Chicago Tribune Problem Solver who got Comcast to do the right thing, and ComEd to promise not to turn off the poor lady's power in the middle of winter. But good grief! Why does a person have to contact the media before a corporation will be responsible?

Pug for the in-laws.

And lastly, Coraline:

A New Week, Some More Links

Poirot and Zucchini and Bread. The comments are lots of fun. I want to make Zucchini cookies now.

Kobe Bryant likes dark comics.

Metafilter links to some intense audio from a runaway train. Spoiler: no one dies, but the engineer was blamed despite staying on the train to warn people at level crossings, when he could've jumped off earlier.

Calorie Counting: why restaurants ought to be required to post calorie counts. Calorie Counts: why restaurants shouldn't be required to post calorie counts.

Speaking of food, that may not be the fish you think it is. Two teenagers discover through DNA testing that various types of sushi aren't what was advertised.

Your printer is lying to you.

How we trust people.

Michael Sensei celebrates Ozma's birthday.

Here's a great article about a science teacher trying to overcome ignorance in the Bible Belt. And on that topic, Evolution: 24 myths and misconceptions.

Green Lantern watches the Olympics. And while the Closing Ceremonies didn't seem to be faked, there is an accusation that the arrangements for national anthems were stolen by Chinese musicians.

Pug Recall (from the Onion).

I'm Home on Friday Night

...waiting for Torchwood to download, despite already having it spoiled by an idiotic RSS feed that ignores spoiler cuts.

Doctor Who Quiz. Can YOU answer all thirty questions? I bet most of you cannot.

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #149: Gil Kane, Barry Windsor-Smith, and the Masked Marvel.

Slate tackles Wertham.

Tracking the link between Black Sabbath and Iron Man.

Duck gets court order for protection against a young man that attacked her with a pellet gun.

That's one scary looking fish.

Do you find barcodes boring? The Japanese don't.

Trying to save the government money doesn't work when the government is too stupid and rulebound to take advantage.

Health News: Who says you need eight glasses of water a day? It's a myth, just drink when you are thirsty.

Danger at Fenway as a student is attacked by a hawk.

I'd go postal if I lost my internet service like the entire Navajo Nation is about to because they were apparently double-billed and refuse to pay extra.

Pirates of Somalia seize a yacht, capturing 30 crew members and apparently holding them hostage. Of interest: "The International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy, said in its annual report earlier this year that global pirate attacks rose 10 percent in 2007, marking the first increase in three years."

Remind me, how many arrows makes an arm? Aztec math code is cracked.

Google Street View being sued for driving up a private driveway.

Pugs for the in-laws.

Monday Links

I'd say his name ought to be changed to "Unlucky".

Andy of Owly fame has a return visitor.

Which Power Ring would come to You? I'm an Indigo Lantern, because my compassion knows no bounds, apparently.

Ooooooooh, me want.

Cheshire Crossing Issue 4 is out.

I just like this headline: Missing snowmobilers call 911, all OK. I hope they didn't have to pay roaming charges.

Happy Birthday, Schoolhouse Rock. I love these, even now.

Reading this editorial about cell phone spam reminded me that I got an unwanted spam-ish text message near midnight the other night. I promptly called my cell provider and had them completely disable text messaging for my phone, since I never use it anyway.

Cybil Awards Graphic Novel Finalists for 2007.

Tech review of OLPC XO-1. I still gotta visit my brother and see his.

How about a flu vaccine that works to prevent EVERY TYPE of flu? I'd risk another adverse reaction for the benefit of this one.

[citation needed]

Houseplants that even I could grow? I scoff.

A Barbie fishing rod, with a red plastic worm as bait, and the four-year-old catches a 50-pound fish.

Salman Rushdie Film. I almost want to see it to view the sheer badness of it, as conveyed via this snippet.

Oingo Boingo on the Gong Show. Wow.

The final post of mil blogger Andrew Olmsted.

Loot!

Michael Sensei, as mentioned in the last entry, sent me a nifty "care package" from Japan. I believe that had to do with my entry about the Melon Pocky I found. Well, in addition to toys, he sent some Pocky:

I was expecting maybe a box, two... three at the most. He sent a dozen boxes! Now, I don't know what ALL the flavors are... but starting on the top row, left to right: decorated pocky, dark chocolate, strawberry giant pocky, five fruits (goka), mousse (mango?), and mousse (green tea). Bottom row, left to right: milk & honey (two boxes), Hello Kitty (strawberry?), coconut, Tahitian vanilla, and non-Pocky Kisyu Ume (sour plum).

In addition to boxes of Pocky and a few loose toys, there were nine of these boxes, resealed. At first I really thought that they had Godzilla toys in them, but when I opened them to check, I found each box had a bunch of different items! No Godzilla to be found.

I don't know if Michael Sensei is aware that collect penguins. My penguin collection is a bit strange and goofy, and I can't imagine any better additions than these fine fellows!

On the back of the Penguin's Lunch box is a list of the penguins available in the set... I haven't tried the actual crackers yet, but if they are excellent I may end up trying to order more through one of the local import shops.

More toys! These are based on works by Beatrix Potter.

Most of these toys are destined to be given out as reading prizes at the local library, if the teen librarian gets back to me and says that she wants them. For the record, Michael Sensei, I was born in the year of the Pig... so I'm an Aquarius/Capricorn Pig. Hmmm. And I married an Aquarius Horse. That sounds kind of kinky. By the way, I will be keeping the Seattle Mariners compressed towel.

Fish! As you can see, I'm going to have to figured out which fish belongs to which stand. Michael Sensei, being a good teacher, suggested I look them up myself. Heh. These fine fishies may show up on the Aquaman page in some form or another.

In return, Michael has asked for some cheap comics to give to his students. I need to hunt some down soon and make up a return care package. I also need to sample those Pocky! And Penguin's Lunch! And Sour Plum non-Pocky!

If you haven't read Michael Sensei's blog recently, you MUST check out his entry on Cucumber Pepsi. I like his idea for Watermelon Pepsi. I might even be willing to have pop again to try it, if it came out.

Tiny Linkdump

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #82.

Enjoy a wiki on The Birthday Paradox.

Giant Squid!