In my Year of Living Biblically, one of the more fascinating and surprising pilgrimages was to the new Creation Museum in Kentucky. This is the $25 million museum for those who believe that the earth is 6,000 years old. It’s the Louvre of the young earth movement.

And whatever I may think of creationism, I have to admit that the museum is spectacularly well done. There is a scale model of the ark. There are animatronic cave people and dinosaurs. There is a movie theater with sprinklers in the ceiling that go off during the flood scenes.

Here are five things I learned from my visit:

Dinosaurs on the ark, Biblical Astronomers, and why Inherit the Wind is unfair to Creationists, all after the jump… (more…)

Every weekday until Halloween, I’ll be offering up trivia treats about sweets you’re likely to encounter on October 31st. Today we’re talking about Tootsie Rolls.

1. Tootsie Rolls were introduced in 1896. They get their name from creator Leo Hirshfield’s daughter, whose nickname was Tootsie.

2. The Tootsie Pop was introduced in 1931.

3. There are 62 million Tootsie Rolls produced every single day.

4. Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy.

5. Tootsie Rolls were included in soldier rations during World War II because they could withstand any weather condition.

6. Ellen Gordon was named president of the company in 1978. She was the second woman ever to be named president of a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

7. Tootsie Roll Industries also owns Andes Mints, Junior Mints, Blow Pops, Caramel Apple Pops, Charleston Chew, Dots, Double Bubble and Sugar Babies.

8. The Tootsie Roll costume pic is courtesy of BuyCostumes.com.

Tomorrow: Candy Apples. Yesterday: Snickers.

For most of my life, the places I’ve lived have had white walls. From the painted white cinderblocks of college dorms to the cheapo primer-coat white of starter apartments, it was ubiquitous, boring and was unconsciously conditioning me to believe that walls were supposed to be white. I quickly learned to cover that plaster canvas with anything I could get my hands on, from posters, colorful quilts and strings of xmas lights (in college) to mirrors, artwork and 8×10 photographs. But when we moved to a little bungalow near the beach with lime-green walls, I had a Saul on the road to Damascus-style revelation: walls can decorate themselves! Not only that, but the color of walls has such a subtle (but noticeable) effect on mood, so if you have your landlord’s blessing to paint your own walls, by all means do — but choose wisely, grasshopper!

The design blog freshome has a great article on wall color as it correlates to mood, and it offers the following explanation as to why everyone who visited our place seemed to love the living room (pictured above).

Some curious color theories and what to do with my bathroom, all after the jump…

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Pablo Picasso is most famous for the artwork he produced during his blue period and his cubist periods. Yet Picasso began his career with more traditional styles; he once stated, “…at 15 I painted like Velazquez, and it took me 80 years to paint like a child.” Today, on the anniversary of his birthday, let’s delve into one of his earlier pieces, “The First Communion.”

1. The painting depicts Pablo Picasso’s sister, Lola, at her first communion. The man at her side is either modeled on their father or on Vilches, a doctor and a friend of the family. The young altar boy is Pere, Vilches’ son.

2. Picasso’s interest in art developed at a young age: he began drawing by age 7, he completed his first painting by age 9, and at age 14 he began “The First Communion.”

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It’s pretty widely accepted than animals and humans are different, having evolved separately. But apparently some aren’t sold on this whole Darwin thing and they’re taking it to the courts. And this isn’t just Scopes Monkey Trial 2.0. No, a group in Austria is legitimately trying to get an ape recognized as a person.

Last month, a judge in Austria tossed out the case, where the Association Against Animal Factories was trying get a chimp granted the rights of a person (but not a human). The group was lobbying for 26-year-old Matthew Hiasl Pan (see, he’s already got a full human name) to be declared a person so that a guardian could take care of him. They’re concerned that the shelter currently caring for him will close and that he’ll be abandoned unless a legal guardian is appointed, an action reserved only for humans. With all the potential problems with this case (such as Pan not actually being a person), it’s unexpected that the case could be thrown out because of a technicality. But it was; the judge said the AAAF didn’t have the legal status to represent Pan. They’ve promised to appeal the case in the Austrian Supreme Court.

Neighboring Germany has been more accepting of animal rights. In 2002, Germany became the first country in the European union to legally recognize animal rights when the legislature voted to add “and animals” to their constitution. With the move, Germany promised to protect the dignity of animals. Switzerland (not an EU member) has a similar provision in their constitution, which recognizes animals as “beings,” not themes. If only the AAAF had moved Pan abroad.

Still, others have tried to humanize animals outside of the legal system. Take George Willard and his wife Pixel. What’s so special about Pixel? Well, for one thing, she’s a horse. George and Pixel have been hitched for 14 years. They found fame when they were featured on an episode of the Jerry Springer Show entitled “I Married a Horse.” You may not remember the episode because some local stations opted not to air it. That’s right, the episode, which also featured two others’ relationships with dogs, was even too racy for some normal Jerry Springer viewers. There are other examples of human-animal marriages out there, including a man in Nepal who married a dog for good luck.

But in terms of animals passing as humans, nothing trumps the classic Animaniacs character Chicken Boo. This six-foot tall chicken who looked suspiciously like Foghorn Leghorn, was able to make it as anything from a dancer to a Confederate general, without anyone realizing he was a chicken. Who knows, maybe some animals have already bypassed the legal requirements and are walking among us.

We’ve written about old photos before. Based on my informal surveys, I think most people are at least slightly obsessed with old photos — there’s a tension between the clear documentation of a moment (a photo) and the common lack of any information about the moment — who’s pictured, where was the photo taken, and when? Earlier this month there was an excellent profile in The Wall Street Journal called The Photo Detective, detailing Maureen Taylor’s work with old photos, answering just such questions — Taylor dates photos based on their content and performs quasi-forensic work to identify the people pictured.

Here are some bits from the article:

With millions of Americans obsessively tracing their roots, Ms. Taylor has emerged as the nation’s foremost historical photo detective. During a recent meeting of the Maine Genealogical Society, attendees lined up a dozen deep as she handled their images with a cotton glove and peered at the details through a photographer’s loupe. One man offered a portrait photo and asked if it could be of his great grandmother, who died in 1890. “It’s not,” Ms. Taylor said after about 15 seconds; she’d dated the hairstyle and billowy blouse to the early 20th century. When another attendee asked why her great-great-grandfather was wearing small hoops in his ears in a portrait, Ms. Taylor explained, “He was in the maritime trade.”

Ms. Taylor, who charges $60 an hour, has learned to spot details that reveal not only a photo’s period, but the story behind it. A broom at the feet of a couple in a mid-19th-century portrait, for instance, often marks it as a wedding picture. A photograph of a baby in a carriage from the 1860s might not be a birth announcement, but a death card; in that period of high infant mortality, dead infants were commonly photographed in carriages. A 19th-century woman with unusually short hair may have had scarlet fever, because it was common to shave a victim’s head.

It’s a great read for anyone with an interest in old photos. You can also find more info on Maureen Taylor’s web site, including various books and articles she has written, and even a blog.

Time for a new feature. ‘The Projectionist’ will showcase a series of related video clips with commentary and trivia. This first installment was the brainchild of my old roommate Kevin Pell, the pride of Somers, Connecticut. Now set your cellphones to silent and enjoy the feature presentation.

1. Various Artists: “Voices That Care”

Year: 1991
Cause: Operation Desert Storm
Biggest Stars: Garth Brooks, Michael Bolton, Kevin Costner, Will Smith
Strangest Stars: Orel Hershiser, Fred Savage, Don King, Mike Tyson
What To Look For: The forced inclusion of half-hearted lip-synchers Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan (at the 1:03 mark); Ted Danson waving in passing, making me question his involvement (3:24); Gary Busey rocking (3:35); a barely recognizable Alyssa Milano (3:43); The Fonz and Hershiser (4:11); Iron Mike’s sweater (4:33)

2. USA for Africa: “We Are The World”

Year: 1985
Cause: Famine in Ethiopia
Biggest Stars: Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder
Strangest Stars: Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Marlon Jackson, LaToya Jackson, Dan Aykroyd
What To Look For: Billy Joel looking confused (1:05); Michael Jackson’s socks (1:18); Michael Jackson’s glove (1:19); The Springsteen Face (2:14); LaToya (5:48); Aykroyd (multiple times)
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I’ve put together a collection of decoration ideas for your Halloween party, haunted house, or to welcome trick-or-treaters. Sometimes a simple but clever idea can make a great impression, but the elaborate props you put your heart into will be remembered for a long time. All of these come with instructions.

Make your own Cylon Jack-o-Lantern. His eye is an LED that scans back and forth. You can alter the carving slightly to make an LED Dalek, Storm Trooper, or robot.

You don’t have to wear a Halloween costume to get use out of it. Instructables tells you how to build a quick, simple armature using PVC. Then you can make any kind of scary mannequin you like, using clothing and a Halloween mask!

Scary Terry designed a motion-activated moving skeleton with sound effects to scare passers-by, an effect he calls Skelevision.

The decorations only get more macabre, after the jump.
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I’d like to keep with part of last week’s On Music theme and get back to talking about Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and Chuck Jones because there is, of course, much more to explore.

In Jones’ 1955 masterpiece, “One Froggy Evening,” squashed in with all the great Tin Pan Alley tunes (Hello! ma baby, Hello! ma honey, Hello! ma ragtime gal…) (more on those next week), Jones once again turns to Rossini’s Barber for inspiration. This time it’s the baritone aria “Largo al factotum.”

Let’s listen:

The aria, “Largo al factotum,” (which in Italian means “Make way for the factotum”) is the first time the baritone playing the role of the factotum enters the opera. (In case you’re wondering: a factotum is sort of like a gofer meets a secretary—in other words, a do-everything-assistant.)

Let’s listen to the actual aria now:

Be sure to toon in next week for Part II of my “One Froggy Evening” discussion.

How food scientists are going high-tech to bring you yummy flavors. As if we needed more incentive to eat food!

A sloth goes on a date. A strange but fascinating viral video by Lorenzo Fonda, for Alfa Romeo.

What would happen if you stayed awake for eleven days? I might get caught up with work, but I’d also be ready to strangle someone.

The Great Pizza Orientation Test. One half mushrooms, one half pepperoni, and one half silliness.

The Top 5 Weirdest Patron Saints. Includes the patron saint of coffee houses, to go with your morning cup o’ links.