My First Dictionary is a daily blog which features a word of the day, with a cute illustration. It's definitely not meant just for kids, as you'll see. The implications are usually disturbing, if not outright disturbed. Enjoy!
Found at J-Walk Blog
Learning about Whidbey Island.
2500 years ago, a Persian army - 50,000 soldiers strong - vanished utterly in the Sahara desert during a massive sandstorm. The story came down through history via Herodotus, who wrote about the event about 100 years later. His story was the stuff of legends, and was treated as just that - a legend. Interesting, perhaps based in some reality, but not literally true.
Well, hold on to your hats, because the desert has apparently yielded up their bodies, 25 centuries later. According the story at MSNBC, twin Italian brothers have discovered bronze weapons, a silver bracelet, an earring and hundreds of human bones. They contend that the find represents the site of the disaster.
Found at Neatorama
Lost Armies on Whidbey Island.
Making television shows is expensive: high-quality cameras, a studio full of sets, paid actors, and distribution. This is why almost 1/3 of every televison hour is devoted to advertising. However, the current crop of hand-held video cameras are superior to the video cameras used for commercial television in the last century, and they're cheap. Distribution is also cheap, thanks to a plethora of Internet channels: Youtube, Vimeo, etc. Futhermore, because of this wide distribution, many more actors have an opportunity to present themselves to the public - with the potential for instant fame, leading to more traditional employment.
So, cheap cameras, free distribution, free actors -- the only thing missing is a studio full of sets. Well, the producers of IKEA Heights have solved this problem. They found a place full of sets, ready to use and absolutely free: IKEA. The only problem is, IKEA doesn't know or approve of the use of their store as a television set. This gives IKEA Heights an edge of impermanence. Although they've managed Six Episodes, the show can be canceled at any time, by the 'studio'. Check out IKEA Heights:
No IKEAs on Whidbey Island.
Science has explained nothing; the more we know the more fantastic the world becomes and the profounder the surrounding darkness.
-Aldous Huxley
Science and Darkness on Whidbey Island.
I love flying. There's a certain romance to strapping yourself to a giant, powerful machine and hurtling through the air. The rituals, traditions, and processes involved often seem arcane, and so are fascinating. However, arcane processes are notoriously difficult to articulate, particularly in writing. Short stories or vignettes are perhaps the best way to share the rich feelings flying inspires. I present several sources of excellent aviation writing, all worthwhile reads.
Flight Level 390 is a blog written by an anonymous airline pilot. Tantalizingly laced with jargon, the posts are nonetheless accessible and very well-written. The author clearly has a romantic connection with his trade, and his topic never fails to be interesting, even poignant.
Published by the Naval Safety Center, the print document: Approach magazine is a treasure-trove of dramatic incidents. The quality of the articles is consistent, an amazing accomplishment since they are written by various Naval Flight Officers. Most of the incidents thus come to us directly from those involved. Because of the extreme nature of military flying, the intensity of the writing is interesting, but often documents tragedy. Now distributed on the web in PDF format, Approach is outstanding. Bravo Zulu!
My last selection is difficult to read, but not because of the writing, because of the format. On the Straight Dope Message Board, a regular poster named Broomstick has a series of posts titled 'Airport Stories:' that document her personal experiences learning to fly and flying. Very accessible writing, an interesting subject, and excellent narration make these stories compelling. The only problem is that the individual posts are buried in tons of other writing. I provide here a list of links to some of her posts, but there are more in the archives of the message board. You now don't have to be a member to search, so you can mine for more if you like:
Airport Stories: The New Guy Is Still Generating Problems
Airport Stories: Shopping for Taildragger Lessons
Airport Stories: Whole Lotta Pre-Flighting Goin' On
Airport Stories: Bouncing Tuna Salad Sandwhich
Airport Stories: Heiligenschein
Airport Stories: Tailwheel on Ice
Airplanes on Whidbey Island.
I found another game. Drench is an interesting concept, and you pretty much have to play and lose to learn how to play and win. You start with a game board filled with random squares of six different colors, and switch the color of your starting square to match surrounding squares. Each time you do, you add those squares to your 'blob' of control.
You begin the game with 30 color changes, and each level you get one fewer change of color. For such a simple game, it's quite challenging. Hope you enjoy it.
Drenched on Whidbey Island.
The Animal Blog is just that, a photoblog about animals. Not too cute, not too silly, not too weird. Just great animal photography. Enjoy!
Animals of Whidbey Island.
Pumpkin Remover is another of the type of games I like. Levels 13 and 20 are especially difficult. Hope you enjoy playing, too. By the way, why am I still finding all these Halloween-themed items all over? It's November, shouldn't we be getting flooded by Christmas stuff?
Found at Bits & Pieces
Pumpkins on Whidbey Island.
Last year, Read This: featured Happily Ever Over, a wonderfully illustrated and inventive holiday tale. CMerry, the author, has made the story into a video -- and it's a must see. Enjoy Happily Ever Over, the video.
Here's the trailer:
Here's the video:
Fairy Tales of Whidbey Island.
I should have posted this one last week, but I didn't find it in time. Never mind, it's still a great comic, and topicality isn't everything. Enjoy Heeby Jeeby Comix!
Comics on Whidbey Island.
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