The Missing Links is just what it sounds like – a collection of links to interesting things I found on the interwebs this week. I hope you enjoy them. This is the fifth in a never-ending series. Sorry for the delay this week. I was committed elsewhere today.
Winner! Behold… The Map of Metal!
A Close Second: Patrick Rodgers forecloses on Wells Fargo bank. This guy is my hero. Here’s the story of how he won.
Best in Show: The 50 Worst Band Photos Ever. Manower makes the list, but so does, shall we say, the world’s lesser known bands.
And this week’s Crazypants Award goes to (you guessed it)… Charlie Sheen, who out crazypantsed such a heavyweight as Alex Jones right in front of Jones himself. As if that wasn’t enough, he went on to, well, continue his crazy streak.
History:
The Washington Post has set up a site for ongoing special coverage of the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War. There are recommendations on which Lincoln books to read, a blog about the Civil War, and even a link to the Civil War Twitter feed, as told by the people who were there. It’s really great and I’ll try to remember to repost it closer to April 15th.
The World:
Muammar Gaddafi says that the world looks up to Libya, but that he brought glory to Libya. I don’t mean to portray a terrible situation in humorous terms, but going full-on crazypants might just be what makes Gaddafi lose any respect and/or support he may have left (and therefore help the Libyans move past him).
Technology:
Have you ever blamed your lack of productivity on dead batteries? Do you worry about the heat and energy wasted by your laptop when it’s plugged in? Well, companies like Transphorm may make those bulky and wasteful laptop charging bricks a thing of the past, while Thinkpad and HP are coming out with laptops that have 30+ hours of battery life.
Helsinki, Finland has become the eco friendly underground wonderland. An efficient system of pipes cools their computers and heats their homes. Check it out. Just don’t go looking for any morlocks in the video.
How much would it cost to turn the world into a green economy? Not that much actually. Just 2% of the world’s GDP or $1.3 Trillion per year. Pocket change.
You wouldn’t steal a car, would you? Then don’t steal a movie. Because the movie industry doesn’t want you to know that profits from movies are up.
Babies:
There are only three countries in the world that do not offer a legal guarantee of paid maternity leave. Can you guess one of them? Here’s a hint: Judging by my site stats, a large percent of you are visiting me from that country right now.
Language:
Here’s a short article from mental_floss on National Geographic’s Enduring Voices project, which estimates that the world loses a language every 14 days.
Popular Linguistics, Issue 2 – including such hot topics as exactly how many words Eskimo-speak has for snow (the answer: don’t worry about it) and why the n-word is so controversial
Oscars:
It’s Oscar time! Ok, I’m not that excited. But I do like me some Jackie Harvey and his predictions. See you on the outside!
