The Mary Rose, or la Maria Rosa? The crew of the famous ship might not have been English, but Spanish. Feel free to indulge in some 16th century conspiracy theories. Tin-foil morion not included.

Solzhenitsyn dead at 89. more inside

the idiot test.

Christmas in July August Hell Rockabye Christmas is a holiday tribute record consisting of twelve Christmas favorites presented via the sound of screaming infants (a.k.a. the Jingle Babies). more inside

Do you remember the story about Dinosaur soft tissue being found miraculously preserved in fossil material? Well, new research suggests that the material is just Biofilm - slime deposited relatively recently by bacteria.

Beaker!!! I miss the Muppet Show.

Summer of the Bagworm: In which one man wages a scorched-earth campaign to defend three measly trees.

The 2008 Classical Games

Chick in pen and ink - one hour per day, one drawing. Chicken! bit ominous that the last portrait is a Christmas chicken...

Effects of Alzheimer's Disease slowed by new medication One underlying cause of Alzheimer's is believed to be excess tau protein in neurons, which slows or halts communication in the brain. This medication, used for urinary tract infections, targets the protein tangles. (It also turns your pee blue.) Currently in testing, it will hopefully be on the market in 2012/13 for those of us that might need it by then. more inside

Strangers + Centenarian + Books = Good Warm Feeling. This is a nice little story about a 100-year old woman, her love of books and how a bunch of strangers turned into friends.

FreakFridayFilter: On the Busses. News for a slow work-day: a beheading on a bus by a cannibal with a possible taste for carny flesh. Enjoy!

Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books - So many wonderful things.

Once you look, you can't look away. more inside

A silly site, full of fun stuff. Worthy of you, GramMa! This photo changed my life.

Man, that joke is SO old...

Orwell a blogger? "...each diary entry will be published on this blog exactly seventy years after it was written, allowing you to follow Orwell’s recuperation in Morocco, his return to the UK, and his opinions on the descent of Europe into war in real time."

The future is here; here's your jetpack. (This post subtitled "Thanks again, New Zealand. First LotR, Now This.")

Esteban World Tour Watchers of HSN and SVC will be familiar with the Utter Crap that Señor Esteban hawks on the TV. more inside

LA Weekly's "Where to Eat Now" list for GPS Devices Long time no see everybody! I took the time to compile the "Where to Eat Now" list for use on GPS devices (at least on the TomTom) published by Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer prize winning food critic at the LA Weekly. See inside for link. more inside