BentleyBlog

Synchronicity

2009-12-21T20:32:05Z

I grab the next Spanish book to be cataloged: a translation of John Piper's "Stand: A call for the endurance of the saints" (translated title: "How to persevere until the end").

iPod's random shuffle song of the moment: Billie Piper's "Because we want to."

Okay then.

Awesomeness

2009-12-18T02:32:10Z

Epic Win FTW

Too many to pick from. Try this one, or this one, or this one, or this one, or this one, or....

(via)

Badger

2009-12-18T02:21:11Z

Badger badger badger badger

What Kids Are Reading

2009-12-17T14:10:26Z

What Kids Are Reading: The Book-Reading Habits of Students in American Schools. 2010 edition.
http://doc.renlearn.com/KMNet/R004101202GH426A.pdf

What kids are actually reading.

(via the Washington Post, by way of LISNews)

ETA:
I forgot to mention that this system is controversial. I know people who don't like it because of the points. Despite what it says in the article, there are schools where kids are supposed to read a minimum of points per grading period, so kids refuse to read a newer book - or any book, regardless of worth - if it hasn't been added to the database. Also, kids don't get credit for reading books that it considers to be above the kid's level, thereby discouraging kids from reading harder books.

New trailer for "End of Time"

2009-12-17T01:17:12Z

New trailer for "End of Time".

http://community.livejournal.com/doctorwho/5389739.html

What should I drink? (Beer edition)

2009-12-17T01:02:11Z

Flowchart: What should I drink? (Beer edition)

(via)

You know you're in Wisconsin when...

2009-12-13T21:28:35Z

You know you're in Wisconsin when... you stop for gas off the insterstate and find parked next to the gas station a pick-up truck with a dead deer in back.

Brian Cox

2009-12-12T03:58:06Z

Brian Cox, Shakespeare masterclass with a toddler.

(via - see also the other links for more Shakespeare goodness)

Winter

2009-12-11T13:52:24Z

Cold. Very cold. Very cold snow. Salt on parking lots and some sidewalks.

Dog booties are a dog's best friend.

A day in the internet

2009-12-09T14:17:18Z

Created by OnlineEducation.net

Twitter feed in Google results?

2009-12-09T03:13:32Z

When did Google start including live Twitter feeds in search results?

I'm watching Biggest Loser. The finale is on, live. I got curious about one of the players, so I googled (without quotes) "biggest loser danny." The Google results included a live twitter feed of #biggestloser in a small scrollbox right below the News results. The Twitter feed had a "pause" link. Screen grab below (click to embiggen).

Note:
A few minutes after the show, I redid the search. This time, I didn't get any twitter feed.

Correction:
The Twitter feed was still there, but further down the page, below the news, three page links, image links, and video links.

How to get your own weather data

2009-12-08T17:49:31Z

How to get your own weather data, straight from the weather service.

1. Go to weather.gov (not .com).
2. On the left hand side, type in your zip code.
3. Scroll way down, click on Hourly Weather Graph.
4. "Be your own meteorologist and amaze your friends and coworkers!."

For all sorts of other weather info: before scrolling down for Hourly Weather Graph, look in the top left corner, where it says NWS [something]. Click on that.

e.g., Milwaukee - Chicago - Philadelphia - Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, MO - Detroit - San Francisco Bay Area/Monterey, CA - Omaha - Tampa Bay, FL - Baltimore/DC - Denver/Boulder - New York.

They don't all have the same data or are organized the same way. The Chicago one has Local Storm Reports (in the drop-down menu, it's below Marine Weather Statement. It's where they put up the local rain/snow reports).

Chicago: latest storm forecast

2009-12-07T20:16:02Z

Yeah, I know, we've all seen the weather forecasts for tomorrow's rush hour storm. Mostly I'm posting this one because it has an easy-to-read graphic of expected snowfall.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=lot&storyid=43827&source=0

Doctor Who BBC Christmas Ident

2009-12-03T11:53:36Z

http://blogtorwho.blogspot.com/2009/12/bbc-chrsitmas-ident.html

Brian Blessed as Henry the VIII

2009-12-03T01:41:00Z

More Henry 8.0 (via)
(the volume goes up to 11!)

Blast from the past

2009-12-02T03:30:09Z

Fifteen years later, still one of the great wtf videos:

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/12/01/classic-meme-celebra.html

p.s. 15 years! Has it really been that long?

Surprised kitty

2009-11-30T21:12:15Z

(drive-by break-time post)

http://911.wikileaks.org/

2009-11-26T02:19:07Z

"From 3AM on Wednesday November 25, 2009, until 3AM the following day (US east coast time), WikiLeaks is releasing over half a million US national text pager intercepts. The intercepts cover a 24 hour period surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.

"The messages are being broadcast "live" to the global community — sychronized to the time of day they were sent. The first message is from 3AM September 11, 2001, five hours before the first attack, and the last, 24 hours later.

"Text pagers are usualy carried by persons operating in an official capacity. Messages in the archive range from Pentagon, FBI, FEMA and New York Police Department exchanges, to computers reporting faults at investment banks inside the World Trade Center

"The archive is a completely objective record of the defining moment of our time. We hope that its entrance into the historical record will lead to a nuanced understanding of how this event led to death, opportunism and war."

http://911.wikileaks.org/

I'm kinda reading it via commentary on Metafilter.

CBS article about.

5 Star Wars Facebook status updates

2009-11-24T16:38:17Z

(drive-by break-time posting)

5 Star Wars Status Updates
http://www.collegehumor.com/article:1794889

via
joshua m neff

EDIT: I changed my icon because I just found out that today is Evolution Day.

2001: A Who Odyssey

2009-11-22T21:36:50Z

Awesome.

DW End of Time pt 1, first 3 minutes

2009-11-21T04:37:32Z

The first three minutes of End of Time (part 1), the same bit that was shown on BBC during Children in Need, are available on the BBC America website.

http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/123/doctor-who-video.jsp?bclid=26821308001&bctid=51597547001

UK airdate: December 25 (BBC).
US airdate: December 26 (BBC America).

UK airdate but watch it live in the US: clicky.

R2-D2 Finally Spotted In New Star Trek Movie

2009-11-18T17:14:41Z

(drive-by break-time posting)

R2-D2 Finally Spotted In New Star Trek Movie
http://www.geekologie.com/2009/11/r2d2_finally_spotted_in_new_st.php

(via, as always, Michael Sauers)

Edward Woodward, age 79

2009-11-16T13:14:00Z

Edward Woodward, star of The Wicker Man and Callan, dies aged 79. The Guardian, November 16, 2009.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2009/nov/16/edward-woodward-dies-aged-79

"Edward Woodward, the versatile actor who starred in The Wicker Man and television dramas Callan and The Equaliser, has died at the age of 79. He had been suffering from various illnesses, including pneumonia, and died in hospital, his agent said. It said: 'Universally loved and admired through his unforgettable roles in classic productions such as Breaker Morant, The Wicker Man, Callan, The Equaliser and many more, he was equally fine and courageous in real life, never losing his brave spirit and wonderful humour throughout his illness.' ... During his career, Woodward appeared in more than 2,000 television productions. His vocal capability and acting skill enabled him to make a number of appearances when time allowed on the BBC's Victorian-era music hall programme, The Good Old Days." [More]

Mythology dioramas with Peeps

2009-11-13T20:04:31Z

Mythology dioramas with Peeps

http://www.sff.net/people/spiziks/peepindex.html

"A Peepshow (as opposed to a "peepshow") is a diorama made with marshmallow Peeps--chicks and bunnies--and given a title with the word "peep" or "bunny" in it. Walled Lake Northern High School teacher Mr. Steven Piziks gave his mythology students a simple assignment: make a Peepshow from a scene taken from Greek or Norse mythology. ("Mount Olympeep" and "Hercupeep vs. the Hydra," for example.) Six secret judges chosen from among the teachers and administrators were put in charge of selecting Best in Show, Best in Second Hour, and Best in Sixth Hour."

Doctor Who DVDs half off today

2009-11-13T14:46:17Z

Amazon Gold Box
http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox

"Today only, you can save 59% on any season of the BBC's Doctor Who on DVD, starring Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant."