Samurai saves Day . . . "One of them lunged at a policeman with his knife - but just as he did so, a mysterious do-gooder appeared from nowhere and attacked him with a samurai sword." via tcal

Selected papers of Alfred Russel Wallace have been digitised by the Natural History Museum in London. more inside

And Now For Something Completely Political Terry Jones does a cost analysis of the war on Iraq. Hey Kids! No Video. No Sound. And it's safe for work! (unless you're employed by the U.S. government)

Bendito Machine is a bizarre Flash animation by Peruvian born Jossie Malis. You can see more of his peculiar films in Zumbakamera, his production company's website. more inside

So have you played Speed Scrabble? Highly addictive. No board. Letter tiles go upside down in middle of table. Each player draws 7 tiles. At "Go" everyone flips their letters. Each player creates their own crossword with their own letters*. First player to use all 7 letters says "Take 2". Everyone takes another 2 tiles. Play continues (with anyone using all their letters to declare take two) until there are not enough tiles for everyone to take 2. Final call is "Take 1". First to use all tiles says "Done". Everyone counts up their points and subtracts the points of unused tiles. Repeat and play to 500 (or whatever). more inside

Diet of choice for Monkeys. The Evo Diet (no, not this one) lowers weight and cholesterol levels. And the article has a nice picture of a monkey, and plenty of bananas; what more could you possibly want?

The changing face of Chinese women on propaganda posters. There's a shortage of Chinese women, you know. But extra Cameroon wives to go around, apparently. And Rice is one of Cameroon's main food imports. Let's make a deal!

The New Adventures of Hitler. A comic by Grant Morrison. Issue 1 | Issue 2

Mummies from the mysterious Chachapoyas culture, responsible for the gigantic fortress of Kuelap, have gone on show in Lima. There are many ruins and many mummies in the region, it seems, many of the latter unexplored.

We have to get #1 outta there! [via mefi]

Running from camera. The rules are simple: I put the self-timer on 2 seconds, push the button and try to get as far from the camera as I can.

Becks to play Stateside $250 mil to be the new Pele?

Robert Anton Wilson has died. Author of the Illuminatus! trilogy, friend of Timothy Leary, occasional Discordian and all around wild and crazy guy. Hail Eris! fnord

Happy Sir John A. Day! Today (or maybe yesterday) is the birthday (and non-holiday) of Sir John A. Macdonald! So put some gin in work's water cooler, and spread the Canadian patriotism! more inside

Situation Vacant - The Throne. Weak Chin? Sense of superiority? Trace your lineage back to 1066? Then English Heritage want to hear from you. You could be the next king / queen of Olde Englande.

Owlin' Mad more inside

Curious George Washington: MoFiDC meetup? I'm in my hometown of DC through next Thursday (the 18th). My old friend speedlime has recently started posting more, and we decided to see if we could lure some DC-area monkeys out of hiding. more inside

Loonies found with bugging devices. Recorded sounds include thanks from buskers, insides of parking meters, and strippers demanding bills only.

CornerPocket is a portraiture business offering drawings of men’s balls. *NSFW*

In India's north-eastern state of Meghalaya, women who bear more than 15 children are being rewarded with cash. Not to worry about India's problems with overpopulation, “We have no option but to increase our Khasi population to control the pressure of outsiders coming to our land.”