Scuffulans hirsutus

… matches your eyes.”

I haven’t heard this in nearly forty years.

(Via Dawn Eden.)

Fred recently discovered Komar and Melamid. I first encountered them half a lifetime ago when they made an appearance at Wichita State. Their schtick then was that they bought and sold souls. They were particularly proud of purchasing Andy Warhol’s. The business wasn’t as lucrative as they had hoped, though, so by then they only accepted souls on consignment.

They came to Fred’s attention through their fusion of musicology and statistics. By polling, they attempted to define the characteristics of the “most wanted” and “least wanted” songs, and then realize the songs. I’m afraid that I’m the in the 28% that dislike the wanted song. The unwanted song, however, is an amazing hodgepodge of accordion, bagpipes, tuba, banjo, operatic soprano and obnoxious kids, and it’s worth 22 minutes of your life. Once will probably be enough.

Oh, yeah, Komar and Melamid are painters, too.

*****

Mr. Darwin is the son of a planetarium lecturer. He reminisces about the artificial skies here.

Let’s take a break from ballet and look at some other kinds of dance. Via Mark Sullivan comes this example of dance as a martial art:

Bonus points if you can identify the pianist.

Via Robert the LLama Butcher, an outstanding canine performer.

And there’s the dancing stormtrooper of Akihabara.

*****

One more reason why I intend to remain the last person in North America without a cell phone.

*****

If three women together mean “mischief,” what would, say, three geeks mean?

*****

An epic win for the Japanese: the Gurren-Lagaan Jack. 

*****

Let’s get into the Olympic spirit: 

Over at the LLama Butchers, Gary noted that today is Repeal Day. That does call for a celebration. Here’s Lindley Armstrong Jones with an appropriately exquisite chansonette.

Congratulations to the LLamas, who turn five today.

Congratulations also to Angus and Sarah.

Final Fantasy A+ (Via Shamus).

One way to handle a telemarketer (Via Ken the Brickmuppet).

I found a website that makes Flash jigsaw puzzles from pictures on your computer. There’s one made from one of my photos below the fold.

Update: A memory from my days in the SCA that I’d like to forget.
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New York Times, R.I.P. (Via Chizumatic.)

How a topologist turns a sphere inside-out.

M.C. Escher and Legos.

Fred’s current exercise is writing the openings to SF stories. The first one is here. They get worse, or better, depending on how you reckon such things.

On a very different note, here’a a haiku, courtesy of dylan, who recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of his weblog’s inception.

It’s like having to go through rehab without having a drinking problem.

(I’d explain why I’m quoting TSO today, but who knows who might read this.)

The Concise Waste Land.

New horizons in digital rights management.

The DM of the Rings reached its not-exactly-epic conclusion today. Shamus is now at work on another comic, Chainmail Bikini. Enjoy it now before the DRM kicks in.

… no matter how you try. Click and regret.

(Blame Frëd for this one.)

May you hath ur cheezburgers.

(Via Darwin Catholic.)

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