Two things (so far) are making me smile today. I counted 21 goldfinches on and under the bird feeder this morning. That number might be off by one or two either way. It’s hard to count things that keep moving around. Goldfinches are delightful little creatures. I never saw any until we moved here. Almost [...]

Choir cartoon “Rebel” double bass Fred discovers more space opera. Lisa Hirsch on definitions of music Jason Heath on private lessons. Excellent. A little Albinoni

Finally, a non-controversial choice for president and vice-president. Surely everyone can get behind these candidates. Most of the anti-science types are probably pro-high explosives so there’s something to please almost every voter. UPDATE: FYI for those of you who don’t get the Discovery Channel.

Cabinet of Curiosities – a round-up of blogs that specialize in curiosities, many of them historical or scientific. Brew your own – fuel, that is. (via AMCGLTD) Interesting and amusing shopping bags (via Bifurcated Rivets) Clockwork trains and other toys Most Intricate Lego creations Amazing. Strange-looking dogs (via Dark Roasted Blend) Weird, embarrassing jewelry Space [...]

The Top Seven Most Embarrassing Moments in Science Fiction (via Byzantium’s Shores) There are only a couple of those I can disagree with. I think. Okay, partly disagree, maybe. I actually sort of liked The Matrix: Reloaded. I didn’t get it but it was still fun. Favorite moment: During the chase one of the twins [...]

“We are in a transition time in history when the only way we can get to where we need to be is by starting from where we are.” — Al Gore “We didn’t underestimate them. They were just a lot better than we thought” — Bobby Robson “Most cars on our roads have only one [...]

Another one to file under “I Want To Believe.” Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have created a microbe that secretes cellulose that could be harvested to make biofuel. It sounds good and will be great if it works on a large scale. Via AMCGLTD

Here’s a word that could come in handy. I’ve always thought we needed a word to distinguish between regular, relatively sensible, feminists and… well, you know… that kind of feminist.

On the one hand, I try to keep music, and other arts, separate from politics even if the artists themselves don’t. But on the other hand, it’s always tempting to hold a grudge, to “punish” someone for decisions we disagree with. On the third hand, if a person shows an inclination to participate in our [...]

Not only is there a market for it, but if the readership of any number of blogs in my feed reader is an indication, the market is not only large but eager and deeply, deeply disturbed. — here Such a beautiful color. English is still poor in vocabulary for such skin. “Black” and “jet” and [...]

Here’s another one of those decorating ideas that are trashy in Oklahoma but trendy in California or Connecticut. To be fair, the specific setting does make a difference. If you also have some high end stuff and keep your place as neat and clean as a museum you might be able to convince a few [...]

Some great photos of mosses. Plants are often more fascinating than animals. (via Fed by Birds)

I like this, a late 17th century Chinese painting but it looks almost like modern abstract art. Looking, Walking, Being Awesome steampunk computer (Yes, of course it’s art!) Erotic embroidery. Maybe NSFW; the site linked in that post is definitely NSFW but I thought it was too interesting to pass up. Who would have imagined [...]

There are so many things I should be doing besides sitting here looking for wonderful things on the Internet. It’s a lovely day outside. I should be doing something with actual plants instead of admiring these wonderful botanical illustrations. And I most certainly should not go back to MapJack.com. What a wonderful site. I can’t [...]

Rob’s Megaphone – a great eclectic blog. Fun stuff, silly signs, random facts, etc. Fun list of silly things in the English language The Daily Green – environmental news and tips. Not a blog but it’s updated frequently so I’ll throw it in here anyway. Accelerating Future – science and technology news and occasional sci-fi. [...]

I have been bouncing back and forth between being highly interested in the race for the Democratic nomination and being bored and impatient with it. I have a few problems with each of the nominees but I like them both better than McCain and right at the moment I’m thinking, “Can we puh-leeease just get [...]

Latest discoveries on Titan (thanks Scott) Weird, creepy picture Mapjack – This is the coolest thing I’ve seen on the Internet all day! Too bad there are only three cities to explore but still… very cool. Can’t quit playing with it. (via Dark Roasted Blend) An Engineer’s Guide to Cats (via Bifurcated Rivets) What to [...]

Much as we would like it to be the case, there is no connection between good character and good art. — here …it is really nothing more than a terminological error to label governments “public” and corporations “private” when it is the latter that often have the strongest incentives to respond to social needs. A [...]

Odd Books. Reviews of books you probably never want to read. Unless you’re very very curious. I really wish the site owner would digitize the books that are in the public domain and put them online for those of us who are that curious. Via Bifurcated Rivets.

Lion’s head scroll. On language and absolute pitch Soprano Danielle de Niese, article and video. Beautiful. Kenneth Woods on Brahms’ 1st Symphony Sandhill crane flute Links to several oboe and bassoon videos. I’ve only watched a couple of them so far. List of classical music blogs (via On An Overgrown Path)

From Fabrics.net: Baby Quilt….when one hears those two words, thoughts of sweet little pastel pink or blue quilts probably come to mind. We envision characters from popular children’s literature, scattered over the quilt top, like Jack and Jill tumbling down a little hill with their pail of water. Or perhaps we imagine characters like Mickey [...]

A “musically inclined” feline. The video is mercifully short. This is begging for a smart-alec remark about modern composers but I can’t think of anything suitable right now. Supply your own jokes.

A new, safer kind of nuclear power plant. It’s a long article, made even longer by the long, unnecessary sermon about global warming and the evils of fossil fuels. Agree or not, it’s unnecessary because we’ve all heard it hundreds of times. Anyway, this is an interesting possibility but I’m not holding my breath. I [...]

Did you know that there’s an official Star Wars blog? Well of course there had to be. I know someone out there is saying, “Well, Duh!” but I hadn’t seen it before. I don’t seek out “official” blogs for anything because they’re usually boring, not real blogs at all, just press releases. The Star Wars [...]

Another “authenticated” portrait of Mozart (via Terrry Teachout) Having a little fun with a recent headline Fred on religion in science fiction, with lots of links. IKEA train Lorraine Shulba, artist. Lovely! (via Rashomon)