The Seed Oscars
Seed rates 2005's science-based movies. It's a tough room.
Wes Phillips
How to Price Merchandise Incorrectly—Just Like the Big Guys
I'm not an economist, so I can't vouch for how accurate this is, but I loved the wild ride. First it teaches classic B-school pricing philosophy and then it tells you that everything you just learned is wrong. It does seem to explain a lot.
Last Friday's Cephalopod Blogging
I missed Pharyngula's picture of planktonic octopus paralarva from last Friday. It's not cat-blogging, but it sure is pretty.
Ali Farka Touré, R. I. P.
Mali's proto-bluesman dead at 66. I loved his guitar, true—but I really loved his phrasing as a singer. If you haven't heard his duet with kora-player Toumani Duabaté, you're missing one of the great records of this century.
It's New to Me
David Bragin sent these alternate meanings to existing words. I Googled them and found they're two years old—although they still seem fresh'n'tasty to me.
Whose Memories Are These?
On the eve of the release of a new DVD edition of Empire of the Sun, J.G. Ballard muses on how strange it can be when Hollywood options your life—or something like it.
What if Godot Finally Showed Up?
On re-writing unhappy endings.
The Aural Equivalent of Trainspotting?
My friend Jeff Wong sends this "Beatles Anomalies List," suggesting that it's the audio analog to other obsessions for geeks who need a life—people like me, in other words.
Eating Tea With Chopsticks
In zero-G, doesn't everybody?
"Motion Denied Because You're an Idiot!"
I do so love The Smoking Gun.