For me today is Friday. Please don't be jealous.

On a quick personal note: if you ever have a chance to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings live, you must do yourself the favor of going. Absolutely worth it. Here's a sample in case you haven't heard.

Alright. Now, back to...work...

If you're having a hard time filling up your DVR, I suggest the SyFy channel's American reboot of the critically and popularly acclaimed British show Being Human. It kind of sounds like the Real World meets The Graveyard Book.

Fans of Star Wars art know Mondo. And today they announced their Black Friday sale piece: Linch Pin R2-D2. Very cool. Of course, the only problem with buying Mondo art is that they don't tell you what time it goes on sale, and they go extremely fast. Underwire suggests following their Twitter feed for the best results.

Just in case you've ever wondered, "Do WiFi signals kill trees?" A Dutch research group has an answer. I'm not in to dishing out spoilers, so you'll have to click the link to find out for yourself.

Meanwhile, NPR's science writer, Robert Krulwich wonders, "Why can't we walk straight?"

So unbeknownst to me, Y: The Last Man (Brian K. Vaughan), one of the great comic series of the last decade, has been optioned for a movie. Apparently, they even had a director. Notice my clever use of the past tense?

I won't be back until Monday, so happy link hunting until then, and Happy Thanksgiving! To celebrate, here's a video.

Mondays are best when they are actually Wednesdays in disguise.

Alright, short one today, despite the normal backlog in my aggregator following the weekend.

Let's start with this fun video that will make you yearn for the warmer months.

Another video for today features the angry birds from the hit app "Angry Birds." What I'm really wondering is if this is funny for people who haven't played the game.

Let's just keep the video ball rolling with this trailer for Source Code, which kind of looks like Groundhog Day without the humor and a bit of the Matrix without the leather with a dash of Inception thrown in for good measure. Also, it's from director Duncan Jones, whose Moon is easily the best sci-fi movie I've seen in quite some time.

It is clearly a Wired kind of day with yet another (very quick) video from that site. This one is a Jenga Pistol. Yes, from the game called Jenga. Yes, it is a pistol...of sorts. Yes, someone had way too much time on their hands.

And, just in case you missed it, and because it has been with me all weekend (literally all weekend), here it is again: baby monkey (riding backwards on a pig). Look, if you currently have a random song stuck in your head, this one will definitely get it out.

Friday. Finally.

Over the last year or so, I've become rather enamored of chef, author, and seasoned traveler Anthony Bourdain. I love his writing, and his show on the Travel Chanel, No Reservations, is an endless source of inspiration for future getaways to my fiance and I. So, anyway, I follow his blog, and last month he posted his first piece in some time, indicating the beginning of his new adventures, which would lead ultimately to a new season of TV episodes. The difference I discovered was that this season he's going off the beaten path, so to speak. Instead of Rome, Paris, and Seville, he's going to places like Haiti, Cambodia, and the Congo. Yesterday, he posted about Haiti. That country, as you may know, is amid a cholera epidemic, following a hurricane, which followed the earthquake. So, if you love his writing, check it out. This season, I think, should be both different and quite enlightening if he keeps it up.

In much, much older news (like 2006 old, which is almost forever in this day and age), I discovered yesterday that Margaret Atwood designed something very, very cool.

Yesterday, as you may recall, I mentioned something about Spider-Man getting killed off in a new story arc set to print next month, and the way that this kind of "You are dead," "Now you are not," back and forth has been a recurring motif in comics for a long time. Today, Underwire has an excellent article about the same topic. So, see! I don't just make this stuff up!

Again with the pictures: this time of an absolutely gorgeous wooden bike.

Just in time for the weekend, Sky Net Watch returns with an update. Some genius (read: unsuspecting author of our doom) has hacked the Xbox 360's new Kinect module (the one that tracks your movements to control video games) and has wired it to a robot. Now its creator says that the robot can learn about its surroundings, and detect humans. Great.

If you're a fan of statistics, maps, and wasting time (and, honestly, if you're here, certainly the latter is true;), then check out the Human Development Project, who just released some astounding and head-scratching demographics. HT to the Two-Way.

And, finally, there were two good astrological stories out there this week. First, the one that everyone seems to be talking about: scientists have discovered a planet in the Milky Way that they believe came from another galaxy. Second, scientists (probably different ones, but you never know) believe they have observed the birth of a black hole.

It's Thursday, and I can't think of a good title.

In the never-ending battle over badassery, Ninjas vs. Pirates, Werewolves vs. Vampires, a new less-than-likely pairing has been discovered: Cowboys vs. Aliens.

Like many of my friends, Star Wars was probably the first "adult" thing that I was a fan of, and ever since then, little projects like this one have always made me smile.

I have to wonder whether this idea being implemented in Philadelphia could catch on everywhere. Lots of potential, I think.

The National Book Awards were last night, and Monkey See offers this wrap up.

It is possible that you may have heard of a young wizard named Harry Potter. There's been a couple of books, some movies.... Anyway, if you don't care to re-read the entire series before the new movie comes out tomorrow, the Christian Science Monitor has your back with a lengthy chronology of the Boy Who Lived's exploits.

And this just in...Dennis Leary is reportedly joining the cast of the new Spider-Man reboot, playing the role of Captain Stacey, the father of Peter Parker's other love interest, Gwen Stacey

Finally, if you're on Facebook, and you're an avid reader, you should check out Wired's article about a new service called Copia, which proposes to bring a store, an app, and networking together for readers. It sounds quite promising, I think.

Super Duper Wednesdays

So, yesterday, I was stoked for the possibility of a new Incredible Hulk TV show. Today, I am stoked for another green superhero.

I love pictures, and this one, taken from space of the erupting Indonesian volcano Mt. Merapi, is quite something. HT to the Two-Way.

If you read comics, you probably know that Superman, Batman, Captain America and other prominent members of the superhero community have been killed, lost in time, or have otherwise died on several occasions, only to be brought back to life later. So it should come as no surprise that Marvel's new story arc involving everyone's favorite neighborhood web-slinger involves said hero's demise. Still. Say it ain't so Spidey.

There are times when a headline really says it all: "Huge pterosaurs may have pole-vaulted to get off the ground."

 And if you're the kind of person who doesn't like to pay for cable, but does like to watch TV, then Hulu's announcement that they're lowering their prices just two months after launching the premier service, Hulu+, should be a ray of good news.

Lunch Break!

In news of the terribly overdue, iTunes will begin carrying the Beatles catalog. And you can download every Beatles song on iTunes for the low, low price of $150.

Technology is such a wonderful thing. It allows us to communicate across continents, to transfer tons of information cheaply and quickly, and to wage cyberwarfare with kittens and porn. Modern day Hatfields & McCoys right here.

I have to admit, I was just a wee bit stoked to hear that Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro and Battlestar Galactica executive producer David Eick are teaming up to bring The Incredible Hulk back to TV.

And if you're a fan of mash-ups, then you may have heard of Girl Talk who released a new album available for free download here.

So you may have heard of this tiny, little website called Facebook. I think they may have made a movie about it or something. Anyway, news came out yesterday that Facebook is releasing a new messaging platform. It's basically email, except that founder Mark Zuckerberg says its not. Only it kinda is, except that it isn't.

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Gee, I wish my phone was also my credit card." If so, you may be in luck.

Ok, that's all for today. If you're still here, and you've been coming back for more, and you're not following me yet. Consider it. Thanks!

Tweeting about bombs isn't cool, and other words of wisdom.

When I first saw this sculpture, all my Sky Net Watch alarms went off. But, like the coat on a hat stand that scares you every time you walk into a room, it's nothing to fear. Right?

Just so we're clear, it is not a good idea to tweet about blowing up airports. Also, do not pretend you are God on a social networking site. I'm just sayin'.

Let me see here, Jason Segal (How I Met Your Mother), Danny Trejo & Donal Glover (Community), Jane Lynch, and Muppets. Yes, your Monday is looking better, isn't it? HT to Linda Holmes.

So, you know Quidditch. It's the sport all the budding magicians love and play in the Harry Potter books. And, as you may know, it's played while flying around on broomsticks. So, when I heard that there was a real, live Quidditch tournament held over the weekend, I was...skeptical, let's say.


This is just a plain fascinating story about economics, copper, and big-ass, ancient Buddha statues.

And Hugh Jackman continues his adamantium-clad reign as Hollywood's most prolific comic book character in, wait for it, The Wolverine. You did not see that title coming, I know it!

And, finally, one of my favorite comic book writers, Warren Ellis, has proclaimed the "Death of Blogging." ... Well, crap.

Please excuse my absence from the blogosphere the last couple of days. A nasty little cold has had me sidelined at home, though still telecommuting.

So to get back at it, I bring you a video you may have already seen especially if you, like millions of other people on the internet love to watch videos of cute animals. This one even has a theme song and is so gosh-darn adorable that it might even make you squee. Huge hat-tip to Linda Holmes.

Just in case you thought we were done with zombies since Halloween has passed, AMC has signed off on a second season of Walking Dead. Three cheers for zombies!

Fans of internet sensation OK, Go now have a new music video to watch and share ad infinitum.

The debate about art imitating life or life imitating art intensifies with India's announcement that they will attempt to beam solar power back to earth using satellites. Just like they did in the Bond movie Die Another Day.

Christopher Nolan's newest installment of Batman movies now has a nice dark poster to go with its nice dark name. And, if you didn't catch this one a few weeks ago, they announced that Tom Hardy (of Inception fame) has been cast as a lead in the film. My pick for his character: The Penguin.

And if you're a Neil Gaiman fan (and, honestly, who isn't?!) then check out Christopher Salmon's pitch to animate one of Gaiman's most excellent short stories, "The Price."

Finally, Wired offers this look at RockMelt, which has been dubbed the "Facebook Browser." Original? Not completely. But it does look nifty.

Remember, remember the fifth of November...

It's Guy Fawkes Day! And I don't have any real jokes about it, so, yeah.

Did you, like me, believe that Jesse Ventura had gone someplace where he would never again bother the world? As it turns out, this belief was false. He has, in fact, a new TV show called Conspiracy Theory on "truTV." Now, I don't know about you, but when I think of "conspiracy theories" and "truth" together I have to do a head shake to get rid of the paradox in my brain.

Linda Holmes has a great piece today about a fascinating story about the mobocratic justice of the internet.

In case you haven't heard, news of the Xbox's racism has been greatly exaggerated.

Martin Sheen has been cast as Uncle Ben for Spider-Man 4, which is actually Spider-Man 1, Part 2.

And there's a new art project by Adam Bartholl's that he calls "Dead Drops," you should check it out. He has placed USB sticks into walls around New York City and has encouraged others to do the same in other cities. So just in case you spot one, think first: "Whose computer has this USB been with before mine?"

Finally, if you happen to be near a TV tonight, you might consider checking out the Breeder's Cup on ESPN, featuring Zenyatta, who will be racing for her 20th consecutive win. Jeremy Plonk's article, which I link here begins this way:
To put Zenyatta's streak into perspective, imagine if Joe DiMaggio had spotted the pitcher one strike in every at-bat during his 56-game hitting streak or Bud Wilkinson's Oklahoma Sooners had started down a touchdown on the scoreboard in each of their 47 consecutive victories post-World War II. Or maybe John Wooden had decided to hold out Bill Walton until the second half of each game in UCLA's 88-game mastery of college basketball during the 1970s. 
Hyperbole? Probably. But, still, that's some horse.

Thursday: The day we wake up believing is Friday

Good news for fans of the excellent NBC show Community, as they've been approved for two more shows, bringing the total for this season to 24. Whew! I hate it when one of the DVDs has fewer episodes than the rest!  

Thanks to censorship, you can safely watch William Shatner perform a very William Shatner-y version of Cee Lo's hit "Bleep You" on Lopez Tonight on You Tube at work. (Wow. That is a mouthful right there.)

So, apparently, according to Chris Morris, director of the upcoming movie Four Lions, terrorists love the Lord of the Rings trilogy. To which I say, "Huh."

This isn't new news, but I had no idea that Edison Pena, the Chilean miner who will be running the NYC marathon actually trained while trapped in the mines. Right on.

Sky Net Watch reports today that "Robonaut 2" is prepped and ready to accompany the human crew of the space shuttle Discovery. Great. That is all we need—a creepy robot on board a space ship. Hasn't anyone at NASA seen 2001: A Space Odysey? Anyone!?

And because I'm such a huge fan of Thanksgiving, and the delicious turkeys that accompany said festivities, here is a quick tip for roasting moister turkeys without the brine.

Finally, a warning to anyone considering investing heavily in 3D technology futures—like, say, a 3D TV, for instance—the next technological wave is already on the horizon.

Hump Day Schmump Day

Now that the world has been once again topsy-turvyed by midterm elections, we can get back to the important business of...

Reinventing the keyboard! It's been a long time since the QWERTY layout took control of the keyboard landscape. But perhaps the advent of cell phone messaging (and emailing) has created an opportunity for a usurper to step in. Then again, maybe not.

If you're an iPhone or iPad user, you're probably well acquainted with the fact that Adobe Flash and Apple products like each other less than Harry Potter and Voldemort. But a new app proposes to fix all that...for a small fee.

So there's this thing, a movement really, of barefoot runners. You may have heard about it in the fantastic book Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. (The title, by the way, is hardly an overstatement, and was, in fact, part of my inspiration to run a half marathon last year.) Anyway, I guess it's catching on a bit.

Don't you wish you could resolve conflicts the way a circuit does? XKCD imagines what it might be like...

And just in case you had forgotten, Chris Evans, who played Human Torch in the Fantastic 4, is also playing Captain America in the new film based on that character. When the decision was first announced, a lot of people (read: comic book geeks of the Marvel persuasion) were none-too-pleased. The studio has released some images from the upcoming movie, so maybe that will soften their rhetoric. Maybe.

Finally, I leave you with some very cool pictures of very, very small things.

Vote Tuesday! (Because it's not Monday!)

Today, as you probably know, is election day in the U.S. So get out there and raise your voice! Even if it's a lone conservative voice amongst a sea of flower-power liberals, or even if you're trying to "restore sanity" to an otherwise red state. Get out there, folks; it's only once a year.

And, just in case you haven't voted yet, Life Hacker has provided a list of sites that can help you sort out your last-minute political decisions.

And now for the Rotten Bits, which, I promise, will be totally a-political.

You can file this one under "Things better left un-done," as fans of Caprica attempt to pull of a Jericho.

Just a bit too late for Halloween, but perhaps worth a bookmark til next year: a DIY zombification video by The Walking Dead's Greg Nicotero. Best part is, most of the ingredients can be found in your local supermarket.

And a sports story that's just too good to be passed up, the star wide-out formerly of the New England Patriots, Randy Moss, is now suddenly and not-so-inexplicably the star wide-out formerly of the Minnesota Vikings. You know, you just can't go around saying, "I miss my old team" after you're beaten by them. Doesn't sit well, Randy. Doesn't sit well at all.

If you're supposed to be at work instead of reading this blog, consider this piece from the Christian Science Monitor that divides procrastination into two types: good and bad. Yes, that's right, procrastination may be helpful in some ways. Oh, happy day!

Dust-off those Monday blues

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend, and happily celebrated the middle festival of Labormasweensgiving, a.k.a., Halloween.

Later today, if time permits (or later this week if I get around to it) I hope to post a review of The Walking Dead premier from last night. In short, it was pretty terrific. It took me about thirty minutes to get over the fact that it wasn't a verbatim panel-for-panel recreation of the comic, as Watchmen was. After that, it was all good.

Also from this weekend, there are great links flying around everywhere with some of the best signs (Please note that each of those words is a separate link, and those links were just the first ones from my Google search, so there were lots of good ones.) from Jon Stewart's and Steven Colbert's Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear, which, like TWD, is really not to be missed. It's pure entertainment, with a dash of "why can't we all just get along."

In even older news, this picture has been making its way around the internet like wildfire...because it's hot...because it's a picture of the sun...alright, c'mon, it's Monday!

Spider-Man has made his way to Broadway, but the friendly neighborhood web-slinger is having a more-dangerous-than-anticipated transition to the stage. Don't ever let anyone tell you there aren't heroes in theater. Hat-tip to Linda Holmes@Monkey See.

Do you ever think, "Gosh, I love shopping carts, and I love bikes. I just wish I could ride a shopping cart like a bike." Well, this one's for you.

If you're like me, then one of the most visible and memorable stage props of the 80s was Michael Jackson's glitzy glove. It was exotic and somehow reminiscent of Luke Skywalker's gloved cybernetic hand. It was so cool that you could never possibly own one yourself. Because you were not Michael Jackson. And now you get one free with the purchase of the Wii version of "Michael Jackson: The Experience." My eight-year-old self is not happy with this.

And, finally, what would the beginning of the month be without it also being the beginning of "A month to honor/support/participate in ______". Now, don't get me wrong. I wholeheartedly endorse these months. (In fact, I wish there were more months just so we could do more of this kind of thing. Because, you know, eventually, everyone will be doing/supporting three different things at once, and it will be utterly confusing.) But until that time, I encourage you to consider participating in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo.