Discomforting Communications: What do you think these pictographs are saying? (blatantly BoingBoing) more inside

What's red and fluffy? Red fluff! Oh, and these $1,200, full-length real angora sweater gowns. A tad too much angora? Then try the much-smaller angora bikini.

Ahnold Bans Smoking in California Prisons (First let me say I did a search...really I did). Governor Schwarzenegger has banned smoking in California prisons, as the title here would suggest. Supporters say it will save the state on smoking-related health costs... more inside

Do not settle for something ordinary .. Sign up for something extraordinary! The World's Longest Alphabetical Email Address. Perhaps inspired by the classic Email Addresses It Would Be Really Annoying To Give Out Over The Phone. (Via Rogue Semiotics.)

Need a way to fill in your summer? One COBRA recruit's diary of how he was trained to take on G.I. Joe.

Continued from here. It's only a couple more days to the 1st, so shall we try for next week instead? more inside

“How To Do The Asian Squat” (11 MB Quicktime.)

Zep Sims! The venerable Dawn of Aces II as well as the mammoth X-Plane each offer flyable zeppelin sims. DoA allows one to field the fictional LZ30, a generalized version of a World War 1 combat zep. X-P comes with a demo airship, the well-known Hindenburg. The lively modeler's scene associated with X-P has produced both Goodyear and Fuji blimps, as well as stranger stuff.

Addicting Games. You will never be productive again. [mostly flash]

The End of The Age of Oil. As is well known, the future of our world society will be shaped by how we solve the impending energy crisis. As the election comes near, this issue should be one of utmost importance. Caltech physics professor, David Goodstein, clearly lays out the energy situation we are faced with today and describes some possible solutions. Of particular interest, he introduces the idea of "Hubbert's Peak", a peak that sort of describes the maximum point in a bell curve that represents the usage of a natural resource like oil or natural gas. He argues convincingly with actual figures that we may now be reaching our peak in oil production and then discusses what this may mean for the future. I personally think the future of our energy lies with the daring snapping shrimp and his claws.

Think Globally, fuck locally. You silly bastards, it's still monday pacific west coast time, so here's some Monday MP3 Madness! Coming straight out Ukraine, vi NYC, is the greatest punk band of all time: Gogol Bordello. Bizarre arrangements,wonderful lyrics, and mixing the intense energy of Gypsy music with combat political wierdness rock. more inside

Jet Age Car Mascots ......Gem..Kaiser..American Bantam

Fear and Laptops on the Campaign Trail Via Bark Bark Wolf Wolf: Excellent (and long) New York Times magazine article on the lefty political bloggers at the conventions. It's also interesting that Josh Marshall and Ana Marie Cox went out of their way to not hangout with other bloggers. Also, is it me or does Cox intentionally strike a seductive pose when there's a camera near. more inside

All the Plants of the Bible This is a list of all the plants in the Bible arranged alphabetically by common name. For accuracy, the scientific name is also included.

Rainy Planet Curious George: I am trying to find a story I remember from childhood that affected me deeply. Have searched Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, etc. No luck. more inside

Hand shadows of an elephant, a goat, a camel, an old man, a boy, and others. more inside

A few notes on the Culture more inside

Cops kill Starbucks smoker It wasn't too much caffeine, apparently, but his refusal to obey the new smoking policy at the cafe. I used to be a smoker, and I was always conscious of non-smokers around me and tried to be unobtrusive. I can't imagine getting to the state that I would take on a cop with a Taser just to have a smoke, but the aggressor had a history of violent clashes with the cops. It sounds like the police did everything to subdue him appropriately, yet still things got out of control. Do we need to quarantine smokers, or can we coexist peacefully?

The Social Future as seen by six SF writers: Cory Doctorow, Pat Murphy, Kim Stanley Robinson, Norman Spinrad, Bruce Sterling, and Ken Wharton. Hosted by John Shirley.

If All Stories Were Written Like Science Fiction Stories