The Greek Dark Age remains a mystery. Between 1100 to 800 BC, the written record in Greece ceased altogether. Urban culture was decimated, and art reverted to a more primitive form of simple geometrics. Civilization reverted to a basic subsistence lifestyle. What happened? Nobody's really sure, but many theories abound. Get the quick and dirty with this great kids writeup. Even the controversial author Velikovsky wrote a treatise on the subject.

Curious George: Favorite Meat Methods? So I got a bunch of steaks for Xmas, and I'm wondering what monkeys recommend for methods of cooking big hunks of meat. Not those hunks, these hunks. more inside

Vin Diesel Teaches Breakdancing I love it when a star's past comes back to haunt them! (via digg.com)

unfortunate chistmas cards "Why did someone make these cards in the first place?" (via Sugar 'n Spicy)

Abraham Lincoln was Gay - a woolly woofter. more inside

Evil Nine - "Crooked" - FLASH Via Screenhead

Rumors abound that a DC MeFi Meetup is in the works. Any monkeys want to crash the party?

<b>BiCurious, George?</b> So, um, just wondering and all...are there any, um, gay monkeys out there? more inside

Henry Lim made a working harpsichord from Legos. There's even an (admittedly painful) MP3 that proves it works. He also has other Lego sculptures on his site, but none of them are as cool as the harpsichord.

The Social Security Act of 1935 is one of the most important pieces of legislation in American history. Now the Bush administration is going to try to reform social security by letting individuals invest their Social Security money. It's a Republican-ideology thing, mainly, though Wall Street is likely to profit handsomely from reform. But lots of folks are critical of the reform effort. Even some conservatives acknowledge that there are problems with the reformers' ideas.

IdiomFilter. Ever wonder where "No Dice" came from? How about "Buckaroo"? - Dig in, it's fun, informative *and* a waste of time!

Christmas in Cuba - Apparently the Cuban government is so annoyed with the US embassy over their Christmas lights depicting the number "75" (which is the number of dissidents the Cuban government has detained this year), they have erected a billboard with swastikas and photos of prisoner torture at Abu Ghraib with the words "MADE IN USA" on it. Somewhere, Santa is crying...

Diagnosing Gollum more inside

Ho, Ho............HO. I don't normally like to rip from the blue, but dear God, this had me crying. Ladies and gentlemen, Merry ChristopherWalkenmas.

God's been busy in Kentucky, allegedly. They say The LORD works in mysterious ways. In Louisville that must be true. In my first link YHWH gained an advocate when a "disgruntled" fellow student opened fire on her public high school's prayer circle. Another instance involves a house fire two kids had to be rescued from. more inside

Soldier shoots himself to avoid going back to Iraq. whoa. dude, WTF!? Stuff must be really bad out there.

Shoot the head, kill the ghoul! Guy in the next cubicle looking a little more pale and slack-jawed than usual? Maybe you should check out some Some Zombie Survival Guides. Important things you need to know, like: Zombies have limited offensive capability: Mainly they bite, like a lil' sissy boy. That's a close range weapon with a range of about three inches square. Don't let them get that close. Refuse slow dances. Don't be taken in by the old 'gee your hair smells terrific' routine. You'll be fine. Of course, maybe you'll want to run some simulations to know what you're up against.

Curious George: Perspectiveless Snapshots If you tilt a camera upwards or downwards, the resulting photograph can take on "lines of perspective". There are plug-ins for Photoshop that warp a digital photograph to make everything again "isometric", I think is the term. Is there a technique or trick with old SLR cameras to remove this warped perspective before the picture is taken, or are special lenses used?

The Historic Tale Construction Kit - Make your own Bayeux Tapestry-type story with this flash applet thingy. Or read the ones already submitted to the gallery. Few of which are any good, so Monkeys can liven it up a little. I stole from some crappy site.

Fourteen Places to Eat more inside