Link Banana

Steven Levitt points to a rather absurd study: scientists used Google Earth to determine that cattle — and other large herbiovores — are more likely to graze while standing in a north-south direction. They think it has something to do with magnetic fields.

Metafilter user WCityMike put together an exhaustive list of all that is available on the internet related to the “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog” project I mentioned a few weeks ago. Be warned, the list is daunting.

And if you liked Dr. Horrible, haven’t seen it yet, and have at least a vague understanding MMO games like World of Warcraft, you’ll probably like The Guild.

I thought this line, noted by Noreen Malone, was good enough to share. After tasting the spit bucket after a sampling of wines from a smattering of American states, Joel Stein writes:

As I took a swig and swirled it around to gross out my friends, I thought it tasted like America. It was sweet, funky, simple, aggressive and not as bad as you’d been led to believe.

There’s something about this “Anthropomorphic Cannabalism” Flickr set that’s undeniably good.

(via Boing Boing)

Though this quiz is a tad on the detail-oriented side, I did enjoy it. I’m guessing you can do better than 23, but you’ll need to be able to tell an Estonian accents from a Lithuanian. Or a Canadian from an American.

(via Passport)

A clever retelling of the play.

(via Mark Larson, where a commenter claims it’s “a ripoff”)

Like most commenters on the series, I feel like these pictures of well-maintained rooftop decks straddle the like between creepy and healthy voyeurism.

(via kottke)

Sadly refraining from linking to the source, Gems Sty highlights a pretty clever idea: a tent that looks like a car covered by it’s obsessive owner, allowing you privacy on even the world’s busiest streets. (Well, assuming you can find a parking spot.)

The internet’s a place where people often call themselves strange things. In the legal realm, however, a judge has to allow you to take such a name. Eugene Volokh documents some of the most interesting names, and the judge’s ruling:

1. 1069. No dice. The North Dakota Supreme Court (1976) and Minnesota Supreme Court (1979) both say: Names can’t be numbers.

2. III, to be pronounced “Three.” Nope, on the same grounds, said the California Court of Appeal in 1984 to Thomas Boyd Ritchie III. A concurring judge asserted that the problem was that III was a symbol, rather than just that it was a number. Such subtle distinctions are what law is all about.

Sometimes SkyMall products perfectly straddle the thin line between “useless junk” and “cool idea.” The PizzaPro — a long pair of scissors with a spatula attached — is such a product.

(via BB Gadgets)

I’m a little disappointed by how obvious all the character choices in this sketch were, but I did laugh a few times anyway.

(via Daring Fireball)

I thought this little collection of lists from yesterday’s New York Times was enjoyable enough to share. It, as Matt observed about “Fourteen Passive Aggressive Appetizers,” straddles the line between clever banter and the tired redeployment of a tired idea to reach your word count. A sample:

STUFF GRANDPARENTS LIKE

Anything cinnamon
Any Brach’s candy
Craftmatic adjustable beds
Quilted toaster covers
Water aerobics
Buicks

I may have come to expect a broad spectrum of odd behavior from local politicians, but some things still surprise me:

Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Commissioner Brent Rinehart is facing a tough reelection campaign.  He’s been accused of abusing his office for personal gain, and will go on trial in the fall on felony campaign finance charges.  But apparently, this is all a conspiracy of homosexuals, liberal do gooders, and good ol’ boys to force Rinehart out of office.  Rinehart lays out his case in a comic book he’s sending out to voters, which—you may be surprised to learn—he wrote and illustrated himself.

The title link features a few pages, but you can also view the thing in it’s entirety as a PDF.

(via Boing Boing)

Ryan and Leo were born on the same day to the same parents. But one looks “black” while the other looks  “white.”

(via BuzzFeed)

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog is odd. It’s also pretty awesome. Act I went online Tuesday, Act II just went online, and Act III should be up on Saturday. Oh, and if you’re looking for a longer explanation of the project, I suggest this write up from the LA Times’s Web Scout blog.

It’s best not to try to say to someone that your email address is:

• MikeUnderscore2004@yahoo.com
• MikeAtYahooDotCom@hotmail.com
• Mike_WardAllOneWord@yahoo.com
• AAAAAThatsSixAs@yahoo.com
• One1TheFirstJustTheNumberTheSecondSpelledOut@hotmail.com

(via kung fu grippe)

Perhaps just because I’m a twin — fraternal, if you were wondering — I feel some obligation to link to this Improv Everywhere happening.

I’m a touch late, but Cabel Sasser has collected some thoroughly entertaining pictures of fireworks packaging. It’s ersatz America through the eyes of Chinese gunpowder manufacturers. What could be better?

This rerun is a great reason to love The Onion.

The Air tree shows the Super Soaker 100, which I ended up trading for two Super Soaker 50s (the one at the very top.) It’s amazing how many interations have occurred since.

(via Gizmodo, whose comments point to this video about the inventor of the toys)