Subjugation by James Galloway is a free, unpublished, and entrancing science fiction novel. The Faey are relatively mild as conquering alien overlords go. Within the first couple of paragraphs they peacefully take over the earth and turn it into a farming colony. Unfortunately the human residents are seen as little more than useful serfs to pull in the harvest. From the same author there is also the Kael Chronicles, a high fantasy epic (of about 8 novels) with a highly detailed and diverse world. more inside

Curious George: what're you keeping cool? Go on: swing that fridge door wide and take a quick candid photo. Betcha wish you had one of these beauties. more inside

I now have a reason to go to France. (YouTube)

The Other Iran Flash movie of stills of modern day Iran. more inside

Arthead. "Each feature is written entirely by the artist, revealing only what they feel and want you to know about the featured piece."

A day in the life of the Soviet Union vol.I - and A day in the life of the Soviet Union vol.II. more inside

Armed America This isn't a book about guns. It's a book about people. Whether it's 39% or 50% of Americans, it's still an awful lot of people. I started wondering just who they were, what they looked like, and how they lived. . . . I realized that I could probably photograph a hundred people in two months, but it wasn't a number of people that was important, it was their stories -- a cowboy in Texas, a survivalist in Montana, a deer hunter in Pennsylvania, a sheriff in Georgia, a soldier in Idaho.... What I really needed, I realized, was to get moving, to drive across the country and find America somewhere between here and there. via J-Walk blog more inside

It's a big place to get lost in A few historical links through the wild spaces of Asia, The Pax Mongolica and some images -- for that slow work week.

This week in January marks not one, not two, but all three disasters that have occurred in the near half-century of America's manned spaceflight program. In fact, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire that killed Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chafee. Yesterday was the 21st anniversary of the Challenger explosion, a day which I remember very vividly. Finally, Thursday will be the 4th anniversary of the re-entry accident which destroyed the shuttle Columbia -- an incident that seems to have slipped much of the public attention that the Challenger accident received, but has probably had more effect on NASA's manned flights than either of the other ones. more inside

Bush's Presidential Liberry: Tower of Babel Aiming to raise $500 Billion in donations, the George W. Bush Presidential Library would cost more than all other presidential libraries combined. Controversy around the library, involves an executive order that reverses the Presidential Records act. (The Presidential Records act makes presidential records available to the public after twelve years. Or it used to. Before the 9/11 freedom-loving terr'ist peoples of the world watched this drive.) more inside

Anonymous, George: Valentine's Day So I need help with Valentines Day. Two levels of difficulty: first, I'm a poor college student; second, I'm round about 1800 miles from Chicago, where she lives. I know her roommates so I could arrange something that way but I would love to hear some monkeys' romantic (but cheap) ideas.

The Rehabilitation of Cesare Borgia. In search of tourists, the people of Viana want to upgrade his memorial into something more impressive. more inside

Curious George: Ayahuasca I've been considering going to South America to take part in an Ayahuasca ceremony for some time now. I can do all sorts of linky-linkies but anyone who knows how to do an internet search can find out what Ayahuasca is, and those who's knowledge I am seeking will not need any links. What I am wondering is how to contact underground groups that are holding guided Ayahuasca ceremonies in my home town area (greater Southern California). more inside

Why is there a Nazi Blimp over Manhattan? Beats me.

Between the lines Cheat sheet for crit-speak.

Antarctica Erupts! A trip to Mount Erebus yields a rare, close-up look at one of the world’s weirdest geological marvels. [Via Digg.]

Profane Game NSFW, depending on your vocabulary. via

Black glass moonglows, winning buttons, hunt buttons, old buttons, and more. Don't forget the Pearlies. more inside

Fat Cyclist Just one of the great new or unknown blogs nominated for the 2007 Bloggies.

Chasing Crusoe is a Flash project about Robinson Crusoe, his real-life prototype Alexander Selkirk, and the island where he or they were marooned.