CuriousGeorge/Clichés? Is it possible to use a phrase like "shadows lengthen" or "shadows creep" in a short poem (in which every word counts, unlike prose where there's sometimes more leeway) without sounding cliché? [MI] more inside

SandCastleCentral! Yaaaay, Summer is here! Grab your bucket and spade, kids, let's go find some sand... These folk are creative, environmentally-aware jammy S.O.B.'s, whose job is the most fun you can have on a beach (with your clothes on). It's not all playtime though - to become a master carver you must compete internationally against other frighteningly talented people. These guys make this sort of thing look easy. more inside

Un chien andalou (NSFW? spoiler alert) is a silent film made by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali.

Judge orders Abu Ghraib videos, pictures released. [via MeFi] more inside

Curiously Oversensitive George :Caution male monkeys, PMS inside! more inside

Das erste Bier-Schwimmbad der Welt An Austrian brewery creates an unusual spa. In German, sorry. [via Gizmodo, out of character]

Curious George: Who gets se.xxx? I hope this isn't too lame of a question but when ICANN opens TLDs, how does the lucky person who gets se.xxx, my.tv, news.info, etc finagle it? Is it truly who can pound out the form and submit it fastest once a TLD is open? Or do these people negotiate for it well in advance? (No, I'm not settin' up no porn site!)

Eight degrees of charity. A hierarchy of giving.

Given the intensity of several FPP discussions of late, might I suggest we now all go on an adventure with Gladys?

Long after Uncle MeFi is gone, will MoFi live on? The inspiration for MoFi has not been well lately, with daily outages. I mentioned their lifeboat last week. I know, I know... cold stare and all that, but if anyone is interested, this may be a good time to keep an eye on MeFi. Is it their dying gasp, or growing pains prior to a rebirth?

Amazing true coincidences. I tend to believe, as mathematician John Littlewood does in his "miracles" book, that coincidences are statistically mandated by the laws of large numbers. Nevertheless, reading about them is quite pleasurable. More coincidences are found here.

Notable Words

"Notable Words was created for one very simple reason. The web was in sore need of a champion for good writing."

There's a chance that this may evolve into a useful resource.

Gravesite ATM - what a way to encourage your family to visit your grave.

Power corrupts, but it's just a lot more fun with a kids and sick old folks! As seen here.

Bonsai Potato I've been doing this for years in various corners and cupboards in my kitchen. I've had a few bonsai onions as well...

Sea of Plastic. "Yet as I gazed from the deck at the surface of what ought to have been a pristine ocean, I was confronted, as far as the eye could see, with the sight of plastic. It seemed unbelievable, but I never found a clear spot. In the week it took to cross the subtropical high, no matter what time of day I looked, plastic debris was floating everywhere: bottles, bottle caps, wrappers, fragments." more inside

Bible-belt Town Outlaws Swearing except it's not Tennessee or Arkansas - it's the Dutch town Staphorst.

<b>Curious George: I've Been Spoofed!</b> That or I have been spamming people as far away as Osaka in my sleep. more inside

I never knew the internet had a phone number. I still have no idea what this service is actually for so if anyone figures it out, do tell.

Fassbinder would have been 60. While some consider it work unwatchable, others are utterly devoted to his work. The details of his life are possibly more famous than his films. more inside