Flute Hero

Sorry, gotta go - convincing sound files for when you really, really want to end that pesky call. Takes me back to the old days when my mother, talking on a black rotary dial phone, would frantically make doorbell pushing motions to us kidlets so she could escape a boring call. I like "My carriage is here".

Today is "Blog Like it's the End of the World" Day. The "blogosphere" (I hate that word, even though it was on The Daily Show) is blogging about some weird events. It almost sounds like the undead are walking. more inside

A 19th-century weapon was found in a bowhead whale that was recently shot (by a similar weapon)by native Alaskan hunters. This was a legal hunt, since the whale hunt quotas for native people in Alaska and Russia were recently renewed for five years. more inside

Better dead than red? - gingerism threatens carrot-tops. (Yes, carrot tops are green, but try telling non-reds that.) more inside

Exploring the mind-body orgasm. Q: Do you think there might come a time when orgasms really get detached from the genitals? A: It's happening right now. People have described orgasms through imagery, nose orgasms, knee orgasms.

17 Foods to Try Before You Die (Just because trying them afterwards is so tacky). Let the controversy begin.

Rome Reborn. Architects, archeologists and computer nerds have spent ten years coming up with a 3D real-time computer simulation of Rome in the time of Constantine, when it was the Greatest City in the Universe. Zigzactly! Ferpectly right!

The art outlaws of East L.A. Long before flash mobs, Gamboa began perfecting the practice of the spontaneous art action when he and three other East L.A. artists formed the venerated avant-garde performance group known as Asco, named after the Spanish word for “nausea.” Here you had, in the middle of the 1970s, four style-conscious art jesters — three men, one woman — cavorting in outrageous outfits around the streets and empty lots of East L.A., making a scene, actions sprinkled with cutting social commentary, then disappearing. A Dada daydream in Chicanoville, USA.

NYC Short Notice Meetup? Got some big apple biz tomorrow. Who's free for a beer after? more inside

9 ways to simulate a panic attack. YouTube starring my favorite Muppet, Grover.

This ain't no disco (photos of creative workspace)

Another animal post, but not much about the squee (for which some may be grateful). Taxidermy with a difference. (Some parts of site are sort of icky and possibly NSFW -- especially the "Sculpture" section.)

Chinese public health posters more inside

Haight-Ashbury vs. Laurel Canyon. Steel cage match. To the death. Summer-of-Love style.

I didn't know he could reach Prince once took a swing at Sinead O'Connor.

OMG I'm 13 again! [YouTube] Star Trek Bloopers, in all their dark, grainy glory. Cheesy, sometimes almost impossible to see, but still funny. And definitely much more inside

The Flying Scotsman. "He is the underdog who took on vastly superior odds, not with fancy machines and sophisticated back-up but a training diet of marmalade sandwiches, a bike made of scrap parts, including bearings from his washing machine, and a determination to win despite obscurity and an empty bank account."

Telephone exchanges There was an "Anti digit dialing association," back around 1964, which positioned itself against the eradication of what were called telephone exchanges. Telephone exchanges were the earliest versions of phone numbers. Named telephone exchanges were introduced in the 1930's and 1940's when 5 digits were no longer sufficient for the number of subscribers. They became mandatory in the 1950's when 7-digit dialing was instituted throughout (most of) the United States. It was believed that a word plus 5 digits would be easier to remember than would 7 digits.

Clark and Michael. "What have I always said is the most important thing?"