Ho Hum Just carrying em all in me head is screwing with the multi-tasking circuits.

Watch paint dry. (Flash) Oh those wry polymer scientists. Previously

The Four Beauties of Ancient China (larger pictures), one of whom may have been fictional. Two were patriots who sacrificed themselves for their country, while the last was traditionally blamed for almost toppling a dynasty. more inside

Nuestro Himno Bush is an Anglo-centric chauvinist. Whoda thunk it?

See Like a Bee Compound eyes? OK. 'Apply a little ultraviolet light and heat, and a gumdrop of polymer transforms itself into an artificial bug eye. The advance could lead to small, inexpensive wide-angle cameras for surveillance, biomedical imaging, and other applications.'

I Got Crabs

Camaraderie building at work? By spanking? Touch-feelie employee bonding sessions appear to have gotten out of hand. more inside

The Aphrodite Project. Shoes for prostitutes. (SFW) more inside

Kymaerica WTF? Can some one 'splain this one? I like joking the mundanes as much as the next monkey, but these guys seem to have a complete alternate world history with no explanation of what's going on or how to participate even though they ask for donations. via Boing Boing

Foamy rules Foamy is my hero. Hilarious, some more than others.

Rembrandt's 400th birthday is coming up in July this year. Here's the Webmuseum's introduction to Rembrandt, and here's Rembrandt's house. According to legend, Rembrandt had a pet monkey: when it died, he was so upset he painted it into the family group he was working on at the time, causing the client to reject the picture. Some say the picture still exists, but I'm not convinced myself.

Rock Goddess, Jayne County

Bring It On! Ever wanted to be in the Royal NZ Air Force? Now's your chance with these amazing flash-based simulators! Airlift flooded farmers! Rebuild Polynesian villages! Build a Hercules C-130 out of paper! (Via Vishy)

Anxiety-Panic History. "Anxieties, Treatments and Disorders Throughout the Ages." A sample entry: "Electrical stimulation for therapeutic purposes is not new. At least two millennium [sic] ago, physicians used electric eels to relieve pain." Another (which Chy should enjoy): "the Crusaders fought a band of Moslem warriors known as 'hashshashin,' so called because they used hashish prior to battle to reduce fear and control pain." Sources cited.

Encouragement Kittens! --Kittens to make you happy, and feel good about yourself! Best of all, to give encouragement!

Curious George: Typeface. I'm trying to find the name of a typeface used by National Geographic in its paper maps. See this sample (e.g. "Thessaloniki") or this (all town names). All the samples I'm finding are too tiny to run through engines like WhatThe Font. more inside

a slide show of monkeys, some familiar, I'm sure... more inside

Resolute Bay, Nunavut (Qausuittuq) is the most northern point in Arctic Canada to which you can take a commercial flight, and it functions as both a residence and a point of departure for mining, exploration, hunting or research farther north. This be where da polar bears and Eskimos live, eh? more inside

Would any Toronto Monkeys like to play volleyball on Wednesday nights for the next seven weeks? I signed up for co-ed court volleyball this spring thinking it was something new to try that might be fun. Unfortunately, I hate it and can't stand the thought of playing the whole spring session. So I'm looking for a surrogate player. Visit the MetaTalk thread for more details, and email me if interested.

Ray Raphael , people’s historian. Real people, not paper heroes, make history. That’s why people’s history is so important — but myths we accept as truth have kept common people from assuming center stage. Ray Raphael, author of twelve books, has been a “people’s historian” for the past thirty years. more inside