Why 70's variety shows don't exist anymore. Or, why 70's variety shows should be resurrected! Man, does Bing Crosby look like he's on autopilot or what? (via the awesome, graphics-heavy Bedazzled)

The biggest collection of full cigarette packs in the world (according to Igor anyway). Search by country, check out the numbers collected from each brand or just browse the collection. more inside

OCLC's Open WorldCat is an interesting new way to search for library materials, using the Google, Google Scholar and Yahoo! search engines. The interface still needs some tweaking, but the service itself looks pretty promising.

Curious George, what is the new middle aged? Curiouser and curiouser. Have spent a lot of my day dealing with women i know are in there 50's and being very unkind about their obvious plastic surgery......(not so unkind about their obvious attraction to very attractive and available younger men.....) I am curious - when i was 25 i thought i would bew asking this question at around 35 or so find myself at 39 and still asking when is middle age in the general view - obviously i am pushing it as far back as possible but simpered endearingly when told i not a day over 32 today!!!!! *secret gloat laugh and know totally untrue!* Just wondered when it hit - for me childless and unmarried although partner3d - does ths make a difference as well? more inside

The Poezenboot (cat boat) : two barges moored on Amsterdam's Singel Canal are cat houses. No, real cats. more inside

Simpsons not yet unprofitable, two more seasons ordered.

Curious, George: UNLURK! As we edge ever closer to the 5000-member mark, we, the more vocal monkeys of this filter, would like to meet those of you who are, shall we say, bashful. In other words, we want to meet all you sexy lurkers. more inside

Whiny Conservatives The odds are, Shrub was a difficult child. The odds are, he takes after the man his mother claims is his father.

Devo is Dev 2.0 ? Disney now has their own Devo. Has the joke gone too far? more inside

Geoffrey Chaucer hath a blog via languagehath

Stop teaching creationism! The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has stepped into the controversy between religious fundamentalists and scientists by saying that he does not believe that creationism - the Bible-based account of the origins of the world - should be taught in schools.

"So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun!" more inside

Juan Cole on the Top Ten Catastrophes of the Third Year of American Iraq. more inside

Don't Copy That Floppy! The early 90's was a dark time for software development companies. Rampant piracy nearly brought the fledgling industry to a shuddering halt. Then, one seriously hip public service video changed everything. more inside

New York's first British school opens this September. Aimed at expat British parents in the US, BISNY will teach the British (English) National Curriculum to American youngsters whose parents want a better, private, education. Yahoo News, Financial Times.