Scott Underwood posted a couple of scans from a book called Rats …As Pets. I had this book, and agree with him that the most striking part is the “unadulterated joy seen in these faces” of the pet owner. Do I remember correctly that the girl is the daughter of the author, Dr. Herbert Richards? The current crop of rats as pets books have lousy covers! Today‘s ephemera: Rats... 

“It might just be time for the gay arranged marriage.” (@sepiamutiny via @anildash) Tags: perspective, indian perspective, marriage, time, anildash  Read More →

In the comments to the Burgie Beer UFO story, drkptt wrote: “I remember the Mold-A-Rama machines at the service plazas on the Florida Turnpike as a kid in the ’70s. Here’s a great story about their history and the last Mold-A-Rama service/sales man keeping his grandfather’s business alive in Florida.” How can you resist?! You slip in your money — $3 at Busch Gardens,... 

Avi: Could you introduce yourself? Ted: My name is Ted Chiang. I’m a science fiction short story writer. Were there any formative experiences that led you to become a science fiction writer? Probably the most formative experience was reading the Foundation Trilogy when I was about twelve years old. That wasn’t the first science fiction I had ever read but it’s something that stands... 

Zomg, floors made from old wine barrels. Drool. Dribble: “Fontenay Wood has created a line of flooring made from reclaimed wine barrels. The Cooperage collection uses the head of the barrel to display the markings unique to the wines stored inside. The Wine Infusion collection takes the unmarked pieces of wood and shows off the color variation that has developed during the wine making process.... 

Compiled by Brian Rimmer. Spotted by Coudal Tags: Coudal, rimmer, Brian Rimmer, doctor who  Read More →

When the last UK Parliament rushed the Digital Economy Act into law without debate, hours before it dissolved for the election, it appointed Ofcom, the telcoms regulator, to work out the details. Specifically, it charged Ofcom with sorting out some high standards for what evidence a rightsholder would have to produce in order to finger an online infringer (the DEA gives these rightsholders the power... 

Behold the next pop culture fad: public libraries. [NPR] Tags: public libraries, Pop, Behold, culture, pop culture  Read More →

Droid X, the latest Android phone, landed to iffy reviews. Despite the great hardware, Motorola larded it with unremovable crapware, and locked down the operating system so you can’t load an alternative version of Android without triggering a kill switch that leaves it in a useless ‘recovery’ mode. The first step to beating it: rooting your Droid X. [Droid X Forums] Tags: mode,... 

Crashfaster and Doctor Popular created an entire album‘s worth of 8bit-inspired music to go with Knife Tank, their entry in our latest game development competition! Not to brag, but the nerd-rap-knifetank-anthem I did with Beefy is sure to make your head nod… and 8bit bEtty’s remix of it is even keener! You can hear the full album here KnifeTank (The Albumhole) is fun, and there’s...