Wednesday Roundup 11 April 2012

This week's flotsam and jetsam. It's a lot, but it's good. Swearsies.

Videos!

One of the most beautiful stories I have ever heard and seen. Do yourself a favor: http://bit.ly/IpzER3

A video of the opening long-shot from the movie Contact paired with a song from Sesame Street about infinity. Visually, aurally, and nostalgically pleasing. http://bit.ly/HHYu8H

Words!

The new edition of the Dictionary of American Regional English was recently released. (I really want a copy, so if anyone is looking to buy me a gift. Come on, you know I deserve it.) Here are 19 words that one writer thinks all regions of American English should adopt immediately. I'm rooting for snirt, jabble, arky, and larruping. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm rootin' for 'em all. http://bit.ly/HzvUKV

A short video celebrating the sounds of vowels through images and recitation. Sounds boring, but it really is lovely. Plus Brain Pickings is one of my new favorite blogs. http://bit.ly/H8jG91

Articles!

A short article about arguably the best police blotter in the world. The blotter includes poetry and alliteration and wordplay and deliberate ridiculousness. http://n.pr/HmxWeO

A great article about Mister Rogers from a UK point of view. I may have cried. But I am a bawl-baby. http://bit.ly/Hmdxvu

Skills!

I have always wanted to whistle piercingly with my fingers tucked between my lips. These are the best instructions I've seen so far, but I've yet to get the hang of it. Also The Art of Manliness is a great site in general. http://bit.ly/HoI9a4

Pinning!

I have a cat for Morag, some 1950s nurses' uniforms from different countries, and a candid Sallah and Indy photo.

1) http://bit.ly/IfYqQ8

2) http://bit.ly/HIGhfx

3) http://bit.ly/HvEw2x

You!

Seeing anything interesting out there? Please share! And if you want to be like Morag with a picture just for you, tell me what you want to see and I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Wednesday Roundup 4 April 2012

Here's where my internet wanderings have taken me since last Wednesday. I hope you see something you like.

Disney's Dwarves!
From listsofnote.com, a list of brain-stormed names for Disney's 7 dwarves. I particularly liked "Dumpy" and "Snappy." http://bit.ly/GJSDFQ

Writers' Habits!
An accounting of funny and odd writing habits of a few famous authors. Eudora Welty practically quilted her stories together. http://bit.ly/GWA55Z

Marathoning Suffragette! Sort of!
This article is a great and short telling of the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, 5 years before women were allowed to enter the marathon. She was courageous, but it's a good think her football-playing boyfriend was with her. http://n.pr/Hkvcgg

Movie Posters! Again!
Graphic designer and artist Laz Marquez re-imagined movie posters--using black, white, and red--for all 10 movies nominated for best picture for the 2011 Academy Awards. I think I like the Toy Story 3 the best with Woody striding like a boss. http://bit.ly/fyO3xg

The same designer also did a "Goodbye Tribute Print" for Harry Potter. I particularly liked the crack in Harry's glasses. http://bit.ly/pXktWY

Map!
This map is one of the most mesmerizing things I've seen on the internet. It tracks the wind speeds all over the country and represents the speeds with a super neat, wormy graphic. If you hover over the map, it will tell you the exact wind speed at a specific latitude and longitude. http://hint.fm/wind/

Pinning!
My favorite Pinterest pics this week involve Paris, vintage fashion, and Doris Day. Ms. Day turned 88 yesterday, and she's alive and kicking in Carmel, California. I love her so.
1: http://bit.ly/HdjOb7
2: http://bit.ly/HmShiX

Wednesday Roundup 28 March 2012

Bring it in, y'all. It's time for a mid-week roundup. Heeyaw!

The Hunger Games!
I was going to write a review on The Hunger Games, but I couldn't quite figure out why I had no real cheers or jeers for it. Meaning it was good enough, but not great. But this person I know called Chris Clark wrote a review for collaboration blog Part Time Authors that pretty much covers it. Plus he's funny, to boot. http://bit.ly/HjGuo2

I stumbled on this hideous observation about reactions to race in The Hunger Games in an article called "Racist Hunger Games Fans Are Very Disappointed" on Jezebel.com. It's pretty unbelievable. http://bit.ly/GO1eUh

Language!
An article by famed modern linguist Ben Zimmer in the New York Times about how the term "Ms." came to be. (Zimmer is always writing for the New York Times or on NPR or something.) It's a really nice example of how long it takes language to change and how language change is inevitable. http://nyti.ms/HmJW0m

Book!
I'm not sure where I heard about the book Jeff, One Lonely Guy. So this guy named Jeff Ragsdale put up these flyers in Manhattan asking people to call him because he's "one lonely guy," and he ended up talking to thousands of people around the world. It sounds fascinating. But I have to admit that I want to read it because it really appeals to my voyeuristic tendencies. http://amzn.to/GEvhyq

Cat!
Just a picture of a cat doing his best Gandalf impression. http://bit.ly/GHWLR0

Roundups? Maybe?

I've seen weekly roundups on other blogs and I've always had mixed feelings about them, leaning toward not liking them. I think the major problem for me is that I don't want to click on a bunch of links to see what they are, instead I want good descriptive blurbs to not only hook me, but to let me know exactly what I'm getting so I don't waste my time. (Not that I'm against wasting time, in fact I'm quite good at it, I just want to do it on my own terms.) But since I see interesting things on the Internet that I wouldn't necessarily dedicate a whole post to, what can I do but a general, un-themed roundup? So I'm going to give it a whirl on Wednesdays and see how it feels. Please make comments or suggestions about what kind of things you would be interested seeing in this format.

Words!
A list of "20 Obsolete English Words That Should Make a Comeback" from Matador Abroad. Usually obsolete English words are super fun to say. They feel like nonsense in your mouth, or like a foreign language to what English is now. Here are a few examples: quagswagging, yemeles, jargogle, and kench. http://bit.ly/z0Mbd4

Images! 
An awesome illustrated wallpaper inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey. http://bit.ly/y3940a

One of the best pictures the Internet has given me involving a cat. Warning: This picture either terrifies people or sends them into laughing fits. Click with care. http://bit.ly/ADozW9

Articles!

From The Wall Street Journal, "Are You As Busy As You Think?" A simple yet thought-provoking (for me) article on being "busy" (yes in quotes) and how we spend our time. I found it relevant. Plus it touches on the power of language, which is an important aspect in my life. From the article: "Instead of saying 'I don't have time' try saying 'it's not a priority,' and see how that feels.... Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don't like how we're spending an hour, we can choose differently." http://on.wsj.com/yErp5v

A short NPR piece about the concept of nothing, and one artist's journey (Rauschenberg) toward representing nothing. The article forced me to think in a different way that took me on a short journey out of my own thought bubble. http://n.pr/xtv8zX


Products!
I try not to be passive-agressive (I just want to be regular agressive), but it's hard when passive-agression comes in a handy pre-fab notebook from ModCloth.com. http://bit.ly/uPAAPp