This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on February 22, 2010). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.
Sometime between February 16th and February 22nd, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!
- Tommy Westphall’s Mind: A Multiverse Explored: "'Tommy Westphall was an austistic child on the TV series St Elsewhere who, it was revealed in the closing moments of the final episode of that series, had dreamt the entire run of the show.' According to These Guys, many of the shows we love only exist in Tommy's mind. They have compiled a list of the intertwining series, but the resulting excel spreadsheet just didn't do it justice, so I designed a brain map to illustrate the theory."
- Turkey: Archeological Dig Reshaping Human History: "The site isn't just old, it redefines old: the temple was built 11,500 years ago–a staggering 7,000 years before the Great Pyramid, and more than 6,000 years before Stonehenge first took shape. The ruins are so early that they predate villages, pottery, domesticated animals, and even agriculture–the first embers of civilization. In fact, Schmidt thinks the temple itself, built after the end of the last Ice Age by hunter-gatherers, became that ember–the spark that launched mankind toward farming, urban life, and all that followed."
- Typography for Lawyers: Don't let the "for lawyers" title fool you — though originally written for the legal profession, this is an excellent collection of typography tips, hints, and guidelines that every professional (and anyone who wants to create a well-presented printed document) would do well to read and keep handy. Much of this I knew and already used regularly (especially the 'single-space between sentences' rule), but there were some good new bits as well.
- PeteSearch: How to Split Up the US by Facebook Interactions: "Pacifica: The most boring of the clusters, the area around Seattle is disappointingly average. Tightly connected to each other, it doesn't look like Washingtonians are big travelers compared to the rest of the West, even though a lot of them claim to need a vacation!"