See-through Frogs, Wooden Chewies, Watergate, Arabs and Robots (Among Other Things)

Here’s another linky compilation post of things off my Shared Items blog.

Barcode Art


Uncovered : Possible Inspiration For Controversial LeBron James Vogue Cover

Check the link for more on that.

A Short List of What Every American Should Know About the Middle East

A few examples of what’s on the list:

*Arabs are part of an ethnic group, not a religion. Arabs were around long before Islam, and there have been (and still are) Arab Christians and Arab Jews. In general, you’re an Arab if you 1) are of Arab descent (blood), or 2) speak the main Arab language (Arabic).

*Arabs are Semites. We’ve all heard the term anti-Semitism being used — often to describe Arabs. While antisemitism does specifically indicate hatred for Jews, the word “Semite” comes from the Bible and referred originally to anyone who spoke one of the Semitic Languages.

(From Chris Glass via Kottke)

Incredible Transparent Frog


Wood Teethers for Baby

This initially struck me as being a bit too “crunchy granola” for my liking, but the blogger makes a good point that compared to chewing on plastic teething toys, wood makes a lot of sense. It’s not much different than chewing on a toothpick and I think reducing the amount of chemicals one ingests is always a good idea. If I ever have kids, I’ll probably try one of these suckers out.

Conservatives Heart Homosexuality (and Hitler)

If you haven’t seen Conservapedia before, you have to check it out. It’s a ripoff of Wikipedia made for conservatives, because some of them like having their own facts and all that. Check out the most-viewed pages. This doesn’t surprise me one bit, especially when you see this piece from ScienceBlogs. There’s a new study in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology that finds individuals with higher levels of homophobia are more-likely to be turned on by homoeroticism. (NSFW Link via VioletBlue)

Dean Kamen’s “Luke” Arm

“Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, has been working on a next-generation prosthetic arm that will blow your mind. A man who lost his arms 26 years ago can now peel a banana without squishing it.”

Unsuscribe Me From Your Internet. Mine Gets Full All The Time!

I love this letter. I can’t read it without thinking of all the sweet old ladies I’ve known in my life.

(Link via Neatorama)

How Would Watergate Be Reported Today?

And finally, following-up on a thought I shared in my previous blog about how today’s media would report on Martin Luther King Jr.’s work, I liked this piece from Art Brodsky asking how Watergate would be reported today. It’s worth a read.