Friday 5 August 2011

10 non-work-related items that I found fun or interesting

via Arts and Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
No bright line necessarily marks the moment when a person becomes a corpse. So how dead is dead enough to become an organ donor?...more

via Arts and Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Ideas, fads, hoaxes: Ours is the age of the meme, in which information spreads faster and farther than ever before. But who's in charge, us or our memes?...more

via Arts and Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Greensleeves is one instance, as is Eleanor Rigby by Beatles. That minor third makes these songs sad. But why? Is this mere enculturation?...more

via Reading Copy Book Blog by Richard Davies
Red petticoats & more with Nesbit’s Railway Children
Written more than 100 years ago this book has words and concepts simply not understood by today’s American child.
Read the whole blog post.

The Wikipedia List of Common Misconceptions is a good source of Friday fun.
Napoleon wasn’t short? Who’d a thunk it?
This list of common or popular misconceptions corrects various fallacious, misleading, or otherwise flawed ideas that are described by multiple reliable sources as widely held.
via Red Ferret Journal

via Arts and Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Ottoman cosmopolitanism: Jews, Arabs, Copts, even Freemasons lived side by side, with tolerance and good humor. What went wrong? When?...more
This article is a year old – but still, I believe, relevant.

via Arts and Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Whither expertise? Public discourse is awash in ideologically motivated misinformation. The blame falls upon scholars who can't speak beyond their narrow disciplines... more
Who speaks the truth? Is an article such as this one by Eric Alterman (Academe Online (May-June 2011)) truthful? Pontius Pilate asked “What is truth;?” – this article, and its many thoughtful comments, seems to argue for a context-based truth.

Snail Bob 2 via the How-To Geek by Asian Angel
In this week’s game your job is to help Snail Bob travel safely through a dangerous forest and reach his Grandpa’s house in one piece.
Priceless, childish, fun – and, of course, free.
Play Snail Bob 2

First Person Tetris via the How-To Geek by Mystic Geek
The first thing to do is learn the controls, choose the type of music and sound effects, and if you want to play Night Mode (not recommended to start with).
Has a retro feel but what is quite different about this version though is in the way it plays. You don’t just rotate the blocks, but you rotate the entire screen. What?!?!
If you’re a Tetris fan and enjoy playing different takes on the game, this will take you back and test your sanity all at once.
Play First Person Tetris

Professor Solomon's Flying Saucer Travel Tips via Boing Boing by David Pescovitz
“Amateur” Professor Solomon, a “findologist” and author of the fantastic book How To Find Lost Objects, has a new free e-booklet available and it’s a hoot. Unless, of course, you take it seriously, in which case it might be incredibly useful. Flying Saucer Travel Tips: How to Optimize Your Ride in a UFO is 27 pages, illustrated, and available as a PDF from the delightful Professor’s site. Also free: Can I Smoke Aboard A Flying Saucer? Questions and Answers about UFOs.


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