The usual list of interesting links follows shortly, but I’ll begin with an item that I think merits being promoted to the top of the page. From an article in Universe Today, I learned that someone has created a Lego version of the ‘Curiosity’ Mars Science Laboratory and put it on the official Lego proposals site where, if it gets 10,000 votes, Lego will consider mass-producing it.
I haven’t played with Lego since I was a child, but if there ever was a model worth getting excited about, this is it. So far it only has between 500 and 600 votes, so if you agree that it’s a worthy cause, you might consider spreading the word so that as many people as possible can support it. Note that you do have to create an account before voting: I was initially reluctant to take that step, but I gave into temptation just so I could support this project.
When you vote, it asks you a few simple questions such as how much you’d be willing to pay for the product (I said $80) and why Lego should produce it (I said: represents an important milestone in space exploration). Here’s an old article to read if you need reminding of why Curiosity is cool. It’s due to arrive on Mars a few months from now.
And now, everything else.
- It turns out the solar system doesn’t have a bow shock.
- List of names discovered in previously unrecorded ancient language.
- Long article on geoengineering (i.e. the quest to compose verse two of “I Know An Old Species Who Warmed Up The Earth“).
- Psychology’s replication problem.
- Long article on psychopathy in children.
- Great Pyramid still holds some secrets.
- Video of Disappearing Hand Illusion and how it won the best illusion prize for 2012.
- This astronomical photo gallery made me ask myself which twelve pictures I’d choose if I were creating a calendar. I decided on pictures 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 18 and 20. How about you?
- This delightful paper animation video is in French, so I don’t understand a word. But who cares?
- Dwarf mammoth. I want one!
- Wearable bird feeder.
I recently installed the Attachment Options extension for Thunderbird, which lets me set the attachment bar to automatically expand when an email contains an attachment. This makes it easier to notice that the email does contain an attachment, something that Thunderbird is by default rather too subtle about mentioning. This is the second Thunderbird extension I’ve installed, the first being one that toggles word wrap when composing emails.
