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Arrrrghh ye aware that it be international talk-like-a-pirate day? In honour o' that, Cap'n Dandy be treatin' ye to a feast o' links! Arrrgh. Shiver me whatnots and such. (Please note actual links may have little to no relevance to pirates or talk-like-a-pirate-day. Any resemblance between my pirate impression and actual pirates is pure fluke.)
A victory for grammar nazis: Tesco to ditch 'ten items or less' signs
UK supermarket giant Tesco has caved to pressure from groups lobbying for the use of good English and is changing its signs which say '10 items or less'. Read all about it... as usual most of the fun is to be had in the comments section.
Chillingly lifelike sculpture by Ron Mueck
Ron Mueck is an Australian sculptor living in the UK. He uses fiberglass resin to craft hyper-real sculptures with incredibly rich detail.
"He so nearly captures that extra bit, what we call the soul or spirit, that flame inside that makes us ourselves. He takes one to the very edge of the idea of life, calls into question what it is to be a person, what it is to be human."
- Marina Warner.
Although his works are proportionally accurate, they are all eerily either too big or too small, such as this 20 foot long newborn baby (pictured). Check out more of Ron's work at the Paintalicious blog (thanks Lorraine).
Social media: Real human change or just another fad?
The internet is reshaping so many aspects of society and culture, but social media is one of the areas where the effects are most visible, and in a good way. This New York Times feature article takes an in-depth look at social media tools, especially Facebook and Twitter, and explores their impact on human behaviour.
It's a great in-depth article for those interested in technology or social psychology. Email registration may be required, but worth it. (thanks Stilgherrian)
Speaking of which, you can follow me on Twitter if you're interested.
John McCain and the Lying Game
All politicians stretch the truth. And for the most part, the media lets them, apart from a little hand-wringing or truth-stretching of their own. Independent groups like FactCheck.org exist to keep tabs on all the spin, but sometimes these have their own agendas too.
In this presidential election however, John McCain has taken outright lying to new lows. Even Karl Rove, the man who ran George Bush's campaigns and was responsible for 'swiftboating' John Kerry, says McCain has gone too far.
For a while, both the media and the Democrats have been like deer in headlights, completely incapable of comprehending or responding. But now the media have taken what they consider to be an extreme step - actually calling McCain out on his lies!
Time Magazine wades into the debate with a great article which explains it all for those who haven't been paying that much attention.
An explanation of the Large Hadron Collider
There was chatter last week about the world being sucked into a black hole because of the Large Hadron Collider, the 27km particle accelerator built by CERN underneath the France/Switzerland border. They were only testing it last week, it won't actually be turned on till sometime in November. Not that there's going to be a black hole anyway, just saying.
If you're wondering what the LHC is all about, take a look at this video from TED Talks, where handsome and articulate physicist Brian Cox explains it all in plain English. It's really fascinating stuff.
