I collect educational Atomic Age gewgaws "“ so far my menagerie includes a complete electric microscope set similar to the one at left, the famous "Piltdown Man" plastic skeleton, four museum-quality pre-human skulls (my favorite is Paranthropous boisei), and a whole lot of old doctor stuff inherited from various relatives. Reusable metal syringes "“ gotta love... READ ON
This one's for my friend Becky, the art history grad student -- I saw it Overheard in New York: Kid: Mommy, why are there so many pictures of naked people? Mother: Because lots of people went naked in history. -- European art section, the... READ ON
This week's archival tidbits come from Cocktail Party Cheat Sheets: Only a single original manuscript of Beowulf survives, and it was severely damaged in a fire in 1731 while in storage at a place called the "Ashburnham House." Just goes to show you that one ought not store a priceless, one-of-a-kind epic poem at a joint containing both the words "ash" and "burn" in its... READ ON
I'm sure this is out of my price range, but I love Carucci's photographs "“ something about her use of deep colors contrasted with very pale skin really speaks to me. I also like the series she did on bellydancing. In lieu of an actual print, I'm willing to settle for her most recent... READ ON
Okay, now I kind of wish we'd bought several turkeys and had even more leftovers, because we sure did get a lot of brilliant suggestions for what to do with our festering turkey carcass. (Mmm, yummy!) Maybe you can tell by what I just wrote, but I decided that we'd publish all the recipes next year; for the purposes of this contest, we're focusing on the more bizarre suggestions. Because, really, who wouldn't want: A "meat helmet:" "Go to the local park and run around trying to avoid birds, dogs, fat... READ ON
With the holiday party season starting up in earnest, you'd better get ready "“ and we don't mean by putting on some fancy earrings and a Christmas sweater. You'll also need some intellectual ammunition, some tidbits and bon mots to dispense over champagne and cookies. So all month long, we'll be bringing you daily factlets for just such use, plucked from our collection of books, magazines, and other stuff. Today's archival tidbit comes from, appropriately, Cocktail... READ ON
All week long, I'll be dropping hints to my family telling you what I want for Christmas. Here goes.... Yes, it's a book about Bigfoot. No, I haven't lost my mind. I don't believe in the big guy, but as a biological anthropology major, I'm really curious to see what evidence author (and bio-anthro prof) Jeff Meldrum has to offer. He seems to have finagled a positive book-jacket blurb from Jane Goodall, who says the book "brings a much-needed level of scientific... READ ON
Gawker is running a poll to determine Time's Person of the Year. We thought we ought to step up and offer some of our own nominees: ABBA: for tenacity in the face of adversity. Zhang Zhihe (not to be confused with Zhang Ziyi): for saving the world, one panda at a time. Harold and Kumar: for finally, inspiringly, completing their heroic quest. Carl Smith and Dave Jones: for proving that indeed, there's always a bigger fish. The inventor of Cabbage Patch Snacktime Kids: for demonstrating that... READ ON
Once again, I find myself wishing I lived in Britain, if only so I could watch BBC2 -- NDNL alerts us to a fascinating new documentary made for the channel: Central to the programme was the new biomedical research lab at Oxford University and the protesters who oppose it"¦ and those who are in favour. Enter Laurie Pycroft, a sixteen year old geek who started Pro-Test, an action group campaigning in favour of animal testing. And boy, is he quite the character. Whereas the protesters, grouped in... READ ON
This photo is floating around the Internet. (I saw it at Happyscrappy, who got it from Jameth, who... and so on.) I'd love to know who these geniuses are, and what the painting is, but honestly, I'm too busy laughing to really... READ ON
5 Questions: Jimmy Hoffa
Lesser-Known Founding Fathers
There really was a Dr. Scholl. Podiatrist William Mathias Scholl was born in Indiana.
