Friday, October 10, 2008

Friday Links!

Leading off this week, from Vahur Teller, a link to some absolutely stunning photographs: Earth From Above.

Next is a link from Tim Jones to an article about "the artifacts of geek history" in Jay Walker's library. Here's an excerpt:
Nothing quite prepares you for the culture shock of Jay Walker's library. You exit the austere parlor of his New England home and pass through a hallway into the bibliographic equivalent of a Disney ride. Stuffed with landmark tomes and eye-grabbing historical objects—on the walls, on tables, standing on the floor—the room occupies about 3,600 square feet on three mazelike levels. Is that a Sputnik? (Yes.) Hey, those books appear to be bound in rubies. (They are.) That edition of Chaucer ... is it a Kelmscott? (Natch.) Gee, that chandelier looks like the one in the James Bond flick Die Another Day. (Because it is.) No matter where you turn in this ziggurat, another treasure beckons you—a 1665 Bills of Mortality chronicle of London (you can track plague fatalities by week), the instruction manual for the Saturn V rocket (which launched the Apollo 11 capsule to the moon), a framed napkin from 1943 on which Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined his plan to win World War II.

Here's a second link from Tim, and it's also remarkable: an article about a WWI intelligence artist. Cameras were still unreliable, so he snuck into enemy territory and sketched, believe it or not, and some of the pictures in the article are quite stunning.

From Andrew B., it's the world's first testicle cookbook. Yes, that's "testicle," not "popsicle." Fortunately, his other link is less ball-esque: Secrets of the Mystery Gun That Shelled Paris.

From the Edwin Garcia Links Machine, it's Take On Me: Literal Video Version. Outstanding! Next up is Eve's Garden, a hotel made out of "papercrete" (it's a remarkable story). Then there's the JM Billiard Round Pool Table, which includes an optional--stripper's pole. Believe it or not. Finally, a slow-motion video that explains why a tank canister shot is so deadly.

From Jesse Leimkuehler, a link to some spectacular images of Mercury taken by the Messenger probe.

From John Catania, and this is something I didn't even know was possible: the shoreline north of Sydney covered by foam (not just a few inches--we're talking six feet high or more).

From Sirius comes 20 of the most bizarre creatures known to mankind. Oh, and here's a classic: Woman says she was shot in the leg by her stove.

From Lummox JR, an excellent article about 6 Famous Unsolved Mysteries (with really obvious solutions).

The world's largest LED screen is coming to Dubai, and it's going to be 33 stories high. Five bucks to the first guy who gets to play Wii Bowling on that screen. Okay, ten bucks.

Do you ever wonder who would be King of America if George Washington hadn't turned down his chance to be monarch? Thanks to Doug Walsh, now you can find out.

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