This companion site to the Academy Award-winning documentary King Gimp chronicles the life of Dan Kepler, an artist who has cerebral palsy. Filmmakers William Whiteford and Susan Hadary filmed Kepler for over twelve years, documenting his struggles with common misconceptions about his disease. As the artist explains, "No one could understand that I was an intelligent person inside of this body." This sleekly designed site includes a gallery of recent paintings, a bustling message board, and several clips from the film.
The figures are in, and they're alarming: We're just over six billion now, and we'll hit nine billion by 2050. Approximately one percent of the current global population is infected with HIV/AIDS. Women currently average 2.9 births in their lifetime, ranging from a low of 1.2 in Eastern Europe to 5.8 in sub-Saharan Africa. While the population in this region continues to explode, Europe and Russia are declining. This fascinating site offers a dizzying array of population statistics, including regional information and in-depth analyses.
Matt Bergenstrom does a notable job of re-invigorating the pancake pen-sketch genre with this impressive gallery of coffee shop impressions. Notice the effortless symmetry of two hot cakes at Joe & Aggie's Cafe in Holbrook, Arizona. Admire the silent majesty of the short stack at Ivy's Cafe in Winona, Missouri. Gasp at the eerie parallels between the pancake at Hoots Cafe in White Bird, Idaho, and the Millennium Falcon spaceship from Star Wars. A handy pancake portal page features several links to other griddle-themed sites.
An elegant and evergreen (no pun intended) tree finder designed for identifying the common trees of Ohio, the site includes many of the classic hardwoods of North America: ashes, birches, hickories, maples, and oaks. It also identifies the buckeye, the tree that gives Ohio its state nickname. If you know what the leaf or fruit of a tree looks like, simply click through the illustrated key to narrow your search and identify the tree. Excellent photos, easy instructions, and friendly pages from the Ohio Public Library Information Network and The Ohio Historical Society.
This web companion to the British television special presents a rich compilation of features, including the full text of The Origin of the Species with an illustrated guide from the BBC. Don't miss "Natural Selections," a collection of video conversations that includes Douglas Adams on the lemurs of Madasgascar, and David Attenborough on the Archaeopteryx, an extinct creature that was part bird, part reptile. Check out recorded interviews with Randal Keynes, a direct descendant of Charles Darwin, who offers an insider's look at the great man's life. Finally, listen to George Dyson -- kayak builder, son of a famous physicist, and recent author of a book titled Darwin Among the Machines -- discuss the ideas generated by Darwin's theory of evolution.
F**cked Company: The Dot Com Deadpool
A variation on the classic celebrity death pool game, F**cked Company invites savvy business watchers to bet on the demise of shaky Internet companies. Points are awarded relative to the severity of the company's downward spiral: IPO delays, staff layoffs, tanking stock prices, funding failures, etc. A clinically filtered news section offers the latest casualty reports, and confirmed kills are verified by Dotcomfailures, whose motto reads "kick 'em while they're down."
Resources for Phonograph Collectors
You don't have to be an antique phonograph or record collector to enjoy this eclectic, educational offering from Allen Koenigsberg, a knowledgeable amateur and hobbyist. The site offers books and articles to help collectors identify, evaluate, research, and repair their vintage Victrolas, and other early record players. Enjoy the old-fashioned sound files such as a radio ad from a talking Edison phonograph and a quaint recording of "You're a Grand Old Rag."
Jim Hejl is a collector, and like many passionate collectors, he came to his calling accidentally. While vacationing with his family, Jim spied a giant griddle at an old-timey buckwheat mill and photographed himself in front of it. Now Jim takes lots of pictures of "absurdly big" objects -- and he always includes himself alongside these larger-than-life roadside attractions. His online albums include giant ice cream cones, Goliath-like "Big Guys" (think Paul Bunyan, the Muffler Man, assorted Indian chiefs), and, of course, enormous animals. A big round of applause for this entertaining collection of gargantuan found art.
