The British Empire welcomes you! King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia makes a state visit to Britain to meet the Queen, and is greeted with due pomp and circumstance. (YouTube)

How to build your own Sputnik. Doesn't say how to launch it into space though.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain in their rendition of Wuthering Heights (yootoob) more inside

For Sale! Secret Underground Lair - One careful owner, and one perhaps slightly less careful one. more inside

Famous poems rewritten as limericks ... which they're having a ball with over on the blue. Have at it! more inside

The 7 Wonders of the modern World have been chosen A private intitiative by the New7Wonders Foundation has encouraged the public to vote on the successors to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Colossus of Rhodes. Next up, the New7Wonders of Nature! more inside

Curious George goes down the pub It's time for a London meetup again, oh yes. more inside

Doomsday vault design unveiled. The Svalbard International Seed Vault, built into the natural refrigeration of the permafrost in Arctic Norway, will safeguard the means to resurrect the planet's agriculture - in case it all goes to hell in a handbasket. more inside

Piesse's Smell Organ more inside

Stockholm meetup Scandi monkeys represent! more inside

Go, plucky underdogs, go! The Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain is holding its annual Sled Dog Rally in Aviemore, Scotland this weekend. Among the 200 racers this year is Devon Anderson, from Jamaica, who is hopeful of success even though he has never seen snow... more inside

Curious George: Searching for an angel I'm trying to track down a statue of an angel that I saw a picture of a few years ago. Can anyone help me find it? more inside

Return of the London meetup Ah Summer, the season of Pimms and mellow hose-pipe bans, close bosom-friend of the maturing triumph over the Aussies in the cricket... It's getting to be that London meetup time of year again, don't you think? Of course you do! more inside

Somebody thought of the children The World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child is awarded to people or organisations that have made positive contributions to the lives of children. This year, the Global Friends Award is shared between Graca Machel, for her work with street kids in Mozambique and her fight for the right of girls to go to school, and Nelson Mandela for his work for equal rights for children in South Africa. The thing that sets the WCPRC apart from other major prizes is that the winner is chosen by children themselves - over 6 million kids in 9000 schools in 73 countries are involved with the awards. more inside

Pop quiz! Guess the group from their picture. (Direct link to Excel download) more inside

MoFirenze meetup Why not come to Florence for your holidays this year? See the art, drink the wine, eat the food, have the fun. And why not make it around April 23rd and come to a party? more inside

London Underground: shoot them all with a rifle UKFilterFor everyone who has ever had to suffer a commute on the London Underground. (Quicktime) Possibly NSFW due to a lot of swearing, although if you have ever had to commute on the London Underground, I'm sure you'll agree that the swearing probably doesn't go far enough.

How to build a lightsaber in 20 minutes Either the coolest bit of geek DIY evah, of proof positive that there is such a thing as too much time on your hands.

And the angel Gabriel Kylie said unto Mary Posh: My goodness, but this is the tackiest Nativity Scene I've ever come across. Madame Tussauds dress the Beckhams as Mary and Joseph in their Christmas display, which, according to the Vatican, may well be blasphemous. more inside

Curious George: Life in Ottawa Any monkeys with the inside scoop on living in Ottawa? more inside