Category Archives: Animals

Natural history museum

CNET has an interesting slideshow up documenting the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley. There’s about 100 years worth of material in the vast collection, although it’s not open to the public. Presumably that’s why CNET put the picture collection together; there doesn’t seem to be any story to go with it. A word to the wise, though, if you’re against collecting dead animals for science, you might want to give this one a miss.

Links o' the day 20/11/08

Dilbert.com

China’s output per head of population is smaller than Albania’s. Except China could probably buy swathes of the planet.

Wooly mammoth DNA decoded. Am I the only one who wants to see this species roam the Earth again?

A gallery of the greatest conspiracy theories.

Prices at Dubai’s Palm developments are down 40% to a paltry $2.7m.

Vive la France (in digital library terms at least).

It seems 21% of Americans can’t find the Pacific Ocean on a map. On the plus side, 94% can find the US.

The fakir who was buried alive for 40 days.

Links o' the day 18/11/08

It’s depressing that it’s hard to argue with Jim Kunstler:

Personally, I believe the age of Happy Motoring is over. Many Americans have already bought their last car – they just don’t know it yet.

Can culture change anything? Paulo wants to hear from you.

Apparently we’re related to kangaroos. Now I feel a little guilty about eating this distant cousin of mine in a pie one evening. Tasty, though.

A blast from the Lifehacker archives worth keeping close to hand: manage your online reputation.

Even the Department of the Taoiseach is going without a Christmas party. I guess this is Brian Cowen’s attempt to help save the public finances.

Links o' the day 17/11/08

So very tired, but here we go:

A chaffinch map of Scotland: “The work looks deceptively simple, while in fact it is a cleverly multilayered combination of poetry, cartography, ornithology, linguistics, and maybe just a hint of Scottish nationalism”. I love the oddities of the internet.

Strip websites back to basics.

Like ice, penguins, clouds and atmospheric disturbances? Then you’ll love this selection.

I can sympathise with the Transformers. But Pokemon? Super-soakers? C’mon.

And if you haven’t had enough after that, try love, romance and other natural disasters.

Even Times Square is getting climate conscious.

Living in the shadow of past glory is not easy for some Egyptians.

Well that didn’t take long, did it, Blizzard?

Links o' the day 11/11/08

Microwave an instant chocolate cake in a mug. Tiny Planet accepts no responsibility for things going wrong or it tasting like crap, though.

People are giving up their pets because of the credit crunch.

Blogger gets 20 years for posting a picture of Burma’s military leader.

Dirt + manure = energy.

Meanwhile, the Maldives is trying to buy land in case the islands are swamped by rising sea levels.

Why would you shock yourself for the sake of good posture?