Friday, May 09, 2014

Whistling a Happy Tune Weekly Link Round-Up



Sometimes attitude is everything. It's especially true when unpleasant things begin to pile up. The psychological slime trail left behind by burglars two weeks ago seems to have done its best to cast a pall over this house. There have been unforeseen and emotionally wrenching consequences as a result of that break-in that I'm finding hard to deal with. I have two friends here in Phoenix who are-- once again-- fighting cancer that refuses to leave them alone. No one would call me Smiley right now, least of all myself. I want to hack something to bits, so if I were to find myself transported to Westeros, I'd quite happily kick plenty of butt and not care if I had the names spelled correctly.

But that attitude isn't going to get me very far. I have to ac-cen-tu-ate the positive-- and I will. I will take an interest in the bit of cosmetic work a carpenter is doing on the exterior of Casa Kittling. I will also look forward to the house being painted almost entirely different colors by the end of the month. And I will look forward to posting a photo or two so you can see the transformation.

In the mean time, I'd best get my butt in gear and round up those links!


Books, Film & Other Interesting Tidbits
  • In unwelcome news for booklovers, the US Postal Service has been shredding misdirected Imagination Library books.
  • In Brno in the Czech Republic, you can take the tram to the library and discover that there's a library in the tram.
  • This has to be the pop-up of all pop-up books: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros.
  • The moat at the Tower of London is to become a "sea of poppies" to mark the centenary of World War I.
  • The New York Public Library has abandoned its disputed renovation plans for its 42nd Street research facility.
  • British author Alan Bennett knows how to make himself unpopular: he's admitted that he doesn't care to read contemporary British authors. All those people who sit and wait for something to offend them should be in a flap by now.
  • Kobo teams up with McDonald's in the UK to put free eBooks in Happy Meals.
  • Why do we abandon reading certain books? 
  • Since I'm married to a former Royal Navy submariner, an article about the first Royal Navy female submariners caught my eye.
  • I've been doing a little online window shopping. How's about a Reading Is Sexy bumper sticker? Or glass ocean wave bookends? Or... you could get yourself a Grammar Police badge.
  • A 1482 edition of the Torah fetches a record $3.87 million at an auction in Paris.
  • Here's a library cheat sheet to help you figure out how they shelve and organize all those books.

Planet Earth, Mother Nature, Science...
  • Did you know that puffins have a loafing ledge in Maine? I'm having fun watching the little birds soak up some sun. Those parental duties are tough!
  • Scientists can trace your ancestors to within 30 miles using DNA.
  • "Pinocchio Rex," the long-snouted cousin of T. Rex has been discovered.
  • NASA may put a greenhouse on Mars in 2021.
  • A new "meteor storm" from a comet may light up the night sky this month.
  • This is what it sounds like when you put tree rings on a record player.
  • One of my favorite people, Sir David Attenborough, just turned 88.

Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones
Art, Archaeology, History...
  • A tomb dating back to 1100 B.C. has been discovered in Egypt.
  • A Picasso painting just fetched $31 million in a New York City auction.
  • The search for a shipwreck yields a trove of uncertainty.
  • Claude Monet's "Nympheas" sold for $27 million at Christie's in New York City.
  • An Israeli archaeologist believes he's found King David's citadel.
  • Did DaVinci create a 3-D Mona Lisa?
  • A hunt for pyramids in the Sudan has received funding.
  • Scientists believe they've solved how ancient Egyptians moved the massive stones used in building the pyramids.
  • Mysterious buried artifacts have been discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.
  • Amesbury in Wiltshire has been confirmed as the oldest settlement in the UK.

Book Candy

I   ♥   Lists

Hopefully one or two of those managed to catch your fancy. Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll share a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure. Have a grrrrreat weekend!


 

6 comments:

  1. Cathy - I'm sorry to hear you've been struggling. I know all about that 'slime trail' too. But you're so wise to try to focus on what is good. Thanks for sharing those links. I love the idea of those poppies...

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    1. I wish I could be there to see all those poppies in the moat-- even though it's incredibly sad. The men who had control over their lives should have protected them, instead of tossing them away so needlessly.

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  2. So sorry to hear about your house break-in. That's the worst feeling in the world. We had our garage broken into last Labor Day. It's an awful feeling on top of the items that are taken. It'll take a lot of time.
    Thanks for the links: authors that disown their own works is interesting.
    http://www.thecuecard.com/

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    1. To be honest, I'm over the missing articles-- except for what was done with one of them. THAT is what I'm having trouble with.

      I found that same link very interesting, too! :-)

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  3. I'm sorry to hear about your friends. It's tough to go through once, but multiple times? (((((Cathy)))))

    Haven't had a chance yet to look at the links, but will be back. And a new Maggie Hope book! Looking forward to that!

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    1. I'm just getting into the Maggie Hope, and I'm not far away from the "Leave Me Alone I'm Reading!" point!

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