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The Weekend Links
Anyone who's ever picked up a bottle (or three) of "Two Buck Chuck" might appreciate this article on Fred Franzia, "The Scourge of Napa Vally." Not to be confused with Franzia boxed wines, which aren't classy but sure are good. (Thanks to Ellen from Birmingham for the link)
All I'm saying is, if we had been able to make explosions in science class such as this, maybe I would have been more interested. (Merci, Gail)
Flossy reader Jennifer took this amazing picture of a garter snake who seems to have something important to say. Anyone got a caption?
Here's some trivia for you. The tenth-ranked phrase that brought people to mentalfloss.com from Google this week: "american gladiators nude"! (Number fifty: "space porn.")
The other day, Stacy wrote a story on 6 Tyrannical Bosses Far Worse Than Yours. Let me give you a head start for the logical sequel on terrible employees.
Chuckle-worthy for moms, cringe-worthy for kids. A song of motherly reminders set to the Wiiliam Tell Overture. (Thanks Amy from the dual locales of Nashua, NH/Columbus, OH...how does that work?)
Is that your joystick, or are you just happy to see me? A giant Atari joystick. You know, for giant nerds. Wah-wahh. (Thanks to Amy in Greensboro, North Carolina)
My friends and I have a theory that Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad) doesn't act, he just shows up places as himself "“ a sweet, awkward kid. Check out this hilarious interview video and judge for yourself (Side note: Is there a better chat-show name than "Between Two Ferns"?). He also has an addictive internet TV show you can watch at clarkandmichael.com.
Know the saying "I'm so hungry I could eat my own arm"? Well ... then there's THIS guy. (Thanks to Jill for that one)
Simply put, the most literal garage sale ever (Thanks to Christine in West Lafayette, IN, whose relatives provided this wonder)
Speaking of technological evolution, here's a visual history of water in video games. Oddly soothing and nostalgic. (Thanks to my pal Kevin from Atlanta)
Mischief-making by the guys from Gizmodo, who used their TV-B-Gone remote power without much responsibility at the Consumer Electronics Show. A moral dilemma of the mean-but-funny variety.
See democracy in action with Flickr photos from the Iowa Caucus!
And here's a clip of Harry Truman protesting John F. Kennedy's nomination on the eve of the 1960 Democratic Convention, from Andrew Sullivan's blog.
I'm usually a little wary of Wikipedia's veracity on certain subjects (especially those missing citations) because I am often too trusting (i.e. gullible) a person. Melinda's submission of a Wiki article on common misconceptions in various fields of study makes me wonder...can anyone disprove any of these or know them to be false? If they are all true, they're pretty interesting.
Jason offered readers a little incentive to send in links this week. Amy Hansen wins a free mental_floss t-shirt, and Janice Lambert wins a free calendar. We'll be in touch on Monday.
A big thanks to everyone who sent in links this week! Please keep it up -- flossylinks@gmail.com. Feel free to bribe or win me over in any way you see fit. If you don't see your link this, never fear "“ I'm compiling a reserves vault, so definitely keep 'em coming. And that includes your flossiest of photos.