I noticed a little drop-off in the past few days in my readership. Sorry, folks, been busy with various things, one of which is preparing for NaNoWriMo, another of which is a refresh of the site design and possibly a whole new look. Plus I’m working to re-add some features I had before (I miss my picture gallery) and maybe add more features, like a tag cloud.
But I’ve also found some interesting stuff on the internets and in the interest of having some content here without too much thought, I’m sharing! Did you see:
- Albert Gore shares the Nobel Peace Prize with the UN IPCC panel. That means that Steve Jobs wins one, too. By proxy.
- Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Apparently someone found her in a train station.
- Speaking of strippers, apparently they pull in more tips when they’re fertile. A lot more – almost twice as much per five hour shift. New Scientist tells about the study.
- Crazy Fox “News” correspondent John Gibson makes the music bloggers at Stereogum laugh out loud at the thought of “classic hip hop” – is it like “classic rock”?
“What happens in a classical hip-hop shooting? Does it have to have a message, or is it more light-hearted and fun than newer, more recent shootings? Are there Puba Snacks? Anyone know?”
- The folk at the ‘Gum also posted about a mashup of one of my favorite tracks from the new Radiohead album and DJ Shadow. One day after the release of the album. I wasn’t ready for a mashup then. I’m still not. Damn this internet time!
- Blogs typically need a theme, an idea, a motivating force behind the posts; politics, music, you name it. (That’s probably why my blog isn’t super-popular – it’s a mish-mash). Sometimes the motivating force is, well, hilarious. Like The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks. You’re welcome.
- This image is supposed to be a test for which hemisphere of your brain is dominant, left or right. Which hemisphere of your brain is dominant is supposed to reveal personality traits; left brain is more linear and rational, right brain is more emotion-driven and creative. Some folks, like Jason Kottke and Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, can make the image change directions. Why can’t I make the image change directions?! More importantly, when did my right brain become dominant? I’ve always considered myself more of a left-brainer. Maybe if I work harder at making the image go the other direction…
- Oh, did you hear? Between Radiohead offering their latest album for download for whatever you feel like paying, Trent Reznor cutting ties with Universal Music Group, and Madonna apparently doing likewise… looks like the future of the Big 4 music labels as middlemen is, um, doomed.
- Oh, and Albert Gore, the man who by any just measure won the 2000 US presidential election, won the Nobel Peace Prize. Nifty. President Bush? Still endangering our children and killing our men and women. Yay, Supreme Court. Hope all y’all can sleep at night.
- There was a darker theme emerging from the personal blogs I perused last week, too. Grace, Undressed posted a moving piece that shows what a lop-sided relationship looks like. And College Call Girl bravely revealed her history of assault. And, almost in antidote, Athena revealed, in detail, her experience with assault – and then follows it with an amazing tale of self-discovery and shows her plans to use that experience (among others) to strengthen her self-image and her life. It saddens me that these ladies’ stories are commonplace.
…and that’s the week that was! Tracy’s gonna hate this post – she doesn’t click my links.