Good Reads and Info

The only total lunar eclipse of 2010 will be visible from all of North America on Monday night/Tuesday morning. The last time we had a lunar eclipse on the winter solstice was nearly 500 years ago.

Billions of dollars and a Hollywood biography doesn’t hurt a bit. Mark Zuckerberg was named TIME’s Person of the Year, while Julian Assange got the most votes in the People’s Choice poll.

The New York Times has a series of interactive maps of the US with which you can study population distribution by race and ethnicity, income, housing (such as mortgage, home value, and rent), and by education. The data comes from the US Census Bureau. (via Metafilter)

Quick, how many dwarf planets can you name? One? Depending on how you define a dwarf planet, there may be around a hundred, half of which have names.

What Everyone Needs to Know About College and Privacy. You don’t have to tell your parents what your grades are, just like they don’t have to pay your tuition.

All Singing! All Dancing! All Failures! 4 Variety Shows that Failed to Find an Audience. When every network had a variety show on every night, only the strongest could survive.

Tim LaFollette is battling ALS (Lou Gehring’s Disease), a disease that took the life of his mother and grandmother. One powerful episode of his web series recaps his first year living with the diagnosis.

Should solitary confinement be considered a form of torture? Studies show that long-term isolation leads to some severe psychological damage.

The Top Ten Prison Gangs. These descriptions will reinforce how prison is a place you never ever want to enter. (via Dangerous Minds)