Is packaging a dying art? Mark Richardson from the lovely Pitchfork Media obviously thinks so. Apparently, ever since the days of vinyl ended, music packaging has gone downhil, with nothing but bland plastic CD case after bland plastic CD case containing little more than the credits and some meaningless scrawl on the front. Well, not so, say I! I'm a sucker for an inventive CD package (does double if it doesn't fit in my CD rack) and there have been released recently some truly inventive, gorgeous works of art. more inside

Meet Canada's New Prime Minister (yes, that's his blog). I, for one, will miss Da Liddle Guy.

Next year is the Year of the Monkey. Which is, of course, why the Japanese are making monkey soap.

A Listing Of "Best of 2003" Lists, Listed. (list). (via fimoculous)

The Mello Hippo Disco Show [Flash.]

Meta err..Monkeyphor Humans were capable of symbolic thought 100,000 years ago. Capability was subsequently lost. Still trying to regain it...

This Man Shaped Your World. From Weinermobiles to beer labels, this Man from Milwaukee and inventor of the term "Planned Obsolescence" gave the look and feel to the American Industrial Future.

Global Attention Profiles. For the world affairs and geography fans alike. A color-coded map of the world, based on news coverage. more inside

Molecular Expressions Pharmaceuticals Collection

The Worst Halloween Costumes of All Time Two of the costumes still boggle my mind. These are bad.

ElfTrance. Aliens! Elves! And best of all, dancing monkeys on shrooms! [Flash.]

Which dictionary is the best? - A comprehensive look at seven popular dictionaries. [via kottke.org]

Bug Juice. I used to like Grapefruit juice, before I found out about the bugs. Hold the cherry.

Think you're a creative visual artist? more inside

Make a Toy Theatre

The Origins of American Animation

Jorn Barger is alive. Whether or not he's well is a matter of opinion. Fans of his blog became concerned after a 2 month haitus from updating. Finally chum Eric Wagoner posted this in hopes of finding him, which he did recently. Apparently Born simply moved to another apartment... and didn't tell anyone.

British university students are up in arms over Blair's proposal to increase university fees. His plan includes deferred payment which begins only after you're making $25,000 a year. NPR [audio file] points out these payments are interest free. [First link is pop up hell.]

Saltacol [Flash game. Warning: addictive]