| February 19, 2006 |
Crabfu Steam Toys
Artist  I-Wei Huang spends a lot of time tinkering with erector sets. And sprockets, and pistons, and chains. Inspired by "the spirit of steampunk," Huang breathes life into miniature "steam creations," and what he designs huffs and puffs and lurches forward on its own. This site not only shows off Huang's diminutive engines, but details every step in their making. Depending on your familiarity with such talk, some of this may veer into gobbledygook ("So I ended up using a mamod boiler with superheater"), but no matter. The photos and descriptions just set the stage for disarming video of the machines on the move. We particularly loved the Steam Walker, which reminded us of the maniacal marching pants from the Wallace and Gromit film "The Wrong Trousers." (in Collecting) |
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| February 18, 2006 |
Feeding America
Modern  America's obsessions with fast food and harebrained diets contradicts its rich culinary heritage. But a delicious taste of that tradition emerges from this online collection of 76 of the most influential American cookbooks from 1798 to 1922. This Michigan State University library and museum project immerses us in the roots of real American cuisine through the cookbooks of such culinarians as Lydia Maria Child, Mary Randolph, and Fannie Farmer, as well known in their day as Julia Child is today. The site serves up digitized pages and text transcriptions of the books, and a glossary defines such once-used culinary terms as "addled" and "brewis." An engrossing section on cooking equipment features implements like sugar nippers and raisin seeders, as familiar then as microwave ovens are now. For anyone who relishes discovering a culture through its culinary history, this site is a feast. (in Food & Drink) |
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| February 17, 2006 |
The Ricky Gervais Show
The  brilliant Ricky Gervais, star and co-creator of the cult British comedy "The Office," plays second banana to no one. Except when radio producer Karl Pilkington is around, that is. Pilkington has relegated Gervais (along with writing partner Stephen Merchant) to the role of perpetual straight man on his very own program, contributing to its status as the Web's most-downloaded podcast. Despite Gervais' obvious comedic talents, Pilkington's bizarre ideas and thought patterns have become the true stars of the show. In one episode, the producer argues for the existence of a dishwasher on Mars. He often relates apocryphal anecdotes involving simians, which he takes at face value and Gervais, often lividly, debunks. Gervais says that Pilkington, seemingly unaware of his eccentricity, is not playing a character. If he is acting, he's the greatest performance artist since Andy Kaufman. (in Entertainment) |
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| February 16, 2006 |
BLDGBLOG
This  remarkable blog dabbles in "architectural conjecture, urban speculation, (and) landscape futures" above and below Earth's atmosphere. From electromagnetic "Grand Canyons" in space to the traffic galaxies of Los Angeles, there is no place that BLDGBLOG won't explore, or at least survey with some lush, interesting pictures. It plunges into such topics as India's super-highways, tourist photos of Las Vegas, and the Great Man-Made River of Libya. Reading through it, you may find yourself in an occasional state of disbelief: Russia has plans for mining on the moon? In 1960 a man named Joe Kittinger floated 30 kilometers above the Earth -- and then jumped? Which brings us to our final point about Geoff Manaugh, the force behind BLDGBLOG. He clearly has a finely tuned sense of wonder about the world. And for that we're willing to settle in and call BLDGBLOG home. (in Social Science) |
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| February 15, 2006 |
NBC Olympics: Athlete Profiles
We  planned to sit this Olympics out. And we did -- for about 48 hours. Then, the Flying Red Tomato bested the halfpipe, the figure skater bowed out in tears, and all the bizarre events showcased by the Winter Games charmed us into submission. (Three cheers for curling!) Now we've blown our cool, and there's nothing for it but to hunker down until the last bobsled whizzes past the finish line. The Web offers a wealth of great coverage, not the least of which comes from our own Yahoo! Sports. We're also rooting for NBC's page of athlete profiles, which offers interviews, photos, trivia, and an amazing wealth of video clips. We highly recommend some of the historic footage, such as the spectacular 2002 wipeout in the men's short track 1000m race with Apolo Anton Ohno and Ahn Hyun-Soo, and Hermann Maier's 1998 gold-winning giant slalom run in Nagano. (in Sports) |
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| February 14, 2006 |
A Very Star Wars Valentines
We  always suspected there was more love in the galaxy. And this foray into a time that's both far, far away and oh-so-amorous proves it. The specialists in doctored images and dreadful humor at Something Awful's Photoshop Phriday bring us this Valentine for every Jedi who ever cast a come-hither look at a Storm Trooper. When Uncle Owen ventures tenderly, "What I really need is a droid who understands the binary language ... of love," and Obi-Wan Kenobi croons, "You've got the droids I'm looking for," we know this is the true message of the rebellion. And when Chewie gets fresh with Leia, and Luke hollers: "You shut down all the garbage compactors ... in my heart!," we say may the force be with you. You know what kind of force we're talking about. (in Movies & Film) |
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| February 13, 2006 |
HousingTracker
You've  heard it before -- real estate is all about location, location, location. Bubble or not, the folks at Housing Tracker believe in the old mantra, sprinkled with a big dose of data. With the hope of getting a more realistic picture of today's volatile market, Housing Tracker looks at weekly asking prices and housing inventories. As weekly stats pour in from the Multiple Listing Service, the Tracker presents these trends in dozens of metro areas across the U.S. Thinking of moving and want to know which city has one of the largest housing inventories? On a budget and looking for one of the cheapest markets? Or flush with cash and looking to blow it all in an area with the highest median price? It may be galling at times, but the information at Housing Tracker is fascinating, whether you're in the market or not. (in Business & Economy) |
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