Link roundup

1. Here's a slideshow showing off the Find the Future book I've mentioned a few times before.

2. "In the Battlestar Galactica TV series, religious rituals often repeated the phrase, 'All this has happened before, and all this will happen again.' It was apparently comforting to imagine being part of a grand cycle of time. It seems less comforting to say 'Similar conflicts happen out there now in distant galaxies.' Why?"

3. "The parts of the South [of the USA] that were generally the richest in 1860 are today its poorest."

Lego anatomy model and colorful skulls

Lego anatomy model and colorful skulls by Clay Morrow. You can download building instructions for the skulls here. Via.

*Buy anatomy models at Amazon.

Illustration roundup

San Angeles Replicants t-shirt by John Sprengelmeyer on sale at Tee Fury.




Exploded human body illustration via the scientific illustration Tumblr.




I'd be more interested in L.A. Noire if it looked like this -- print by Derek Chatwood on sale here. Via.




Sunrise t-shirt by Dina Prasetyawan up for vote at Threadless.





Watch Pixar's Lee Unkrich clean up on Win, Lose, or Draw circa 1987. (7 and 10 minutes in.) Via.

Link roundup

1. I'm not saying I agree with her assertions, but it's fascinating to read how a defense attorney would go about defending Dominique Strass-Kahn.

2. A football player drafted in the seventh round by the Bills has lost 75 pounds:

The Tennessean has a story today about [Michael] Jasper’s journey from Bethel to the NFL and from a high of 448 pounds to a svelte 375, and it includes details like the fact that Bethel didn’t have a scale that would register higher than 400 pounds, so when Jasper needed to monitor his progress in trying to lose weight, he’d go to the McKenzie Feed & Grain Store.

3. Sounds like the start of a thriller:

An outbreak of smallpox was the farthest thing from Paul Levengood's mind when his staff at the Virginia Historical Society put together an exhibit of "bizarre bits" in the society's collection since its founding in 1831.

There was Confederate President Jefferson Davis's cigar, confiscated by Union troops. There was a fungus carving of Robert E. Lee on his horse Traveller and a wreath made of human hair.

Then someone mentioned a letter, handwritten and dated 1876, with what appeared to be a smallpox scab pinned inside—light brown, about the size of a pencil eraser, and crumbling.

Via.

Advertisement for Sarif Industries' body enhancements

Clever ad for Sarif Industries and its body enhancements. It's a promotion for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Via.

*Previously: Deus Ex action figures; Deus Ex viral site.

Link roundup

1. Bill James (who is an excellent writer, and who revolutionized the use of statistics in sports) has a new book about serial killers and crimefighting.

2. Check out how much muscle top NFL draft pick Von Miller put on while at Texas A&M (and remember, this was no pipsqueak in high school, he was recruited by a solid football school).

3. Kind of strange - - Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four are joining the Dark Horse Deluxe line of collectible statuettes.

Link roundup

1. FYI, you have to pay $150 to $495 to be nominated for a Webby award.

2. If you missed it, Minnesota House Majority Leader Matt Dean said he "hated" Neil Gaiman and called him a "pencil-necked little weasel who stole $45,000 from the state of Minnesota." Neil Gaiman responds here. His response includes a link to Dean's contact page and encourages you to share your thoughts with Mr. Dean.

3. Here's an explanation for why eating asparagus makes your urine smell. Via.