http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY&feature=player_embedded

Thank you to pegkerr for this one. I like the direction the Muppets are going: I just wish they would do more, faster...

[edit] ... and I answer my own question, by going to their YouTube pages. You can connect in here at http://www.youtube.com/user/meepmeepmeepow

Someone once told me that all people are optimists before age 40, and pessimists after. I am inoculating myself against that change by reading about the bad results of positive thinking (especially in the wrong hands). One of the chosen books is Bright-Sided, by Barbara Ehrenreich.

I'll say the same thing here that I said over in Handshake: lots of good ideas here, shame about the snarkiness... ( Read more... )

A performing group focused on Italian Flag-throwing, or sbandieratori.

SbandierAutori, or Flag-Throwing Authors, a book about the art of flag-throwing (currently only available in Italian)

Alfieri's "La Bandiera" - Information on Francesco Alfieri's treatise on flag waving, 'La Bandiera', published in 1638

I just discovered wimp.com (Best videos of the web, safe for all ages) and dump.com (interesting, funny, bizarre, inspirational images, 100% family friendly) this weekend. Both will be worth going back to.

A 20 year old model photographed as if she were 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 years old.

RC Airplane flipping and flopping, and going backwards, and backwards straight up.

Working gear heart.

If Earth Had Rings, a video showing what the rings would look like, day and/or night, from selected locations. Beautiful and thought-provoking.

N. is pre-registered for the local vaccine clinic (children only). I had to call between 9 and 3 today to get him on the list. The phone number jumped to a full voicemail box so many times, I wrote an email to the local board of health folks in case they were using the voicemail box to take reservations, and needed to clear it out... Luckily, I called one more time just before sending it, and I got through.

Y'all who have children may want to look for your own local board of health to see what they are offering. Note that the one I registered for isn't on the local board of health's Web site, which is still talking about a similar thing held back on Nov. 12. Calling may be your best bet.

And thank you to the local friend who passed on the information to us.

http://pacificempire.org.nz/2009/03/07/impossible-bottles-photo-post/
I get the concept of folding and unfolding things, and filling things after they're in the bottle. The Rubik's Cube is also easy to imagine, as is the tennis ball.

But... but... how flexible is a golf ball?!

Incredible craftiness.

Yet another "read later" for me... I may have to have a reading weekend some time over Christmas break.

Over at Audiofile Magazine there's a celebration of the audiobooks of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman: interviews with Martin Jarvis, Stephen Briggs, Nigel Planer and George Guidall talking about the ups and downs of reading us aloud.

Thanks to officialgaiman for the link.

Umberto Eco, on lists. Read later: you can't skim his writing while multitasking, and it is unseemly to say "what the" and "huh?!" out loud at work...

Thanks to Anastasiav for these links.

Scenes from an alternate universe where the Beatles accepted Lorne Michaels' generous offer to appear on Saturday Night Live. I laughed out loud many times. Very poignant. I had to read the comments to get a handle on the end.

Take Me Back to Constantinople, How Byzantium, not Rome, can help preserve Pax Americana
By Edward Luttwak, from Foreign Policy magazine. An interesting set of seven points. Rather relevant to many current activities.

I want these to succeed. DIY Adjustable Glasses. You can donate to the cause, online or by other methods.

[Thanks to loosecanon for pointing out the donation site.]

Each time I hear about the gigantic Garbage Gyres swirling away in the Earth's oceans, I think: "What would it take to harvest this stuff?" Of course, others have thought of the same thing.

"The Pacific garbage patch gained prominence after three independent marine research organizations visited it this summer. One of them, Project Kaisei, based in San Francisco, is trying to devise ways to clean up the patch by turning plastic into diesel fuel."
- Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash. New York Times, 9 November 2009

Found via the TED talks, an intriguing project.

Charter for Compassion

The Charter grew out of Karen Armstrong’s 2008 TED Prize wish. Since that time, over 150,000 people from 180 countries have contributed their words, 18 prominent religious leaders have refined these words — and the world is now invited to affirm, celebrate and discuss the final document.

Video of Falcore, a juggler with smooth action and fast-moving hands. Quite impressive.

Today's TED Talks:

Rachel Armstrong: Architecture that repairs itself. Venice, Italy is sinking. To save it, Rachel Armstrong says we need to outgrow architecture made of inert materials and, well, make architecture that grows itself. She proposes a not-quite-alive material that does its own repairs and sequesters carbon, too.

Rachel Pike: The Science Behind a Climate Headline. In 4 minutes, atmospheric chemist Rachel Pike provides a glimpse of the massive scientific effort behind the bold headlines on climate change, with her team -- one of thousands who contributed -- taking a risky flight over the rainforest in pursuit of data on a key molecule.

* Fresh itty bitty carrots from Nana and Grampa's garden, picked and washed this weekend - tasty!
* Zetti used his box with the Nosorb this morning, and I delivered the sample to the Vet within an hour of him producing it (with refridgeration between, even). That's the last bit they need for their testing at the moment.
* The resurfacing project for Vinal Square has progressed far enough that we're being detoured to the right out of the complex - meaning I just learned another route for getting away from the complex. Yes, traffic was backed up a bit, but I still got to work by 8:50, even with the stop at the Vets' office.
* Drinking hot water (instead of cold) feels soothing, cleansing, focusing, and good. How odd.
* Meetings yesterday are leading to good conversations today, and new ideas that might make my work easier and more useful to the company.
* Doing a risk review at home (more later) is making me feel better about potential surprises.
* Reading Mr. Popper's Penguins chapter by chapter to N. before bed: he's very much ready for chapter-by-chapter reading.
* Reading "Boy Were We Wrong About the Dinosaurs" to N. this morning helped make getting up more enjoyable. I'll need to remember this possibility for waking him.
* Eating dinner with N. at J's office (perhaps for the last time), and being able to help her prep for today's furniture donations. Much lifting and pushing and toting meant she can easily say "take this, and this, and this."

Today, I watched a TED Talk by Eric Sanderson, showing Pictures of New York City, before the city. The idea is that his team looked at historical maps as well as the combination of food, water, shelter, and reproductive needs for various plants, animals, and other aspects, and built up a 3D image of what the island was like in 1609. Good also for those interested in his views of 2409 based on similar assessment.

The Massachusetts Governor's Office is considering closing the State Library
of Massachusetts as a cost-saving measure.

The State Library of Massachusetts now has an online petition to ensure that these collections remain freely accessible to all members of the public.

If you are not comfortable signing online petitions, you may wish to contact
the Governor's Office directly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbuGCgc-JCM
This monocopter, or "robo-seed," flies using a single propeller. As I see it, that's some serious aeronautical advancement going on.

Oh, dear... Teach the Controversy shirts. Cute concept. I recognize most of them, but I can't figure out the square with the arrows around it. Posting because they include Discworld.