Top of the World

Alert, Nunavut, Canada on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island is the northernmost inhabited community on earth. The North Pole is only 508 miles away. Daylight and darkness in Alert are five months long. In the month between those periods, the sun bobs above and below the horizon, giving the illusion of normal days, even though the length of daylight and darkness varies. Take a look at life in Alert, in this article I wrote for mental_floss.

Recommended Reading

Joel Haas' travelogues from Taiwan continue with Chop Shops and Green Pancakes.

The first photograph of Earthrise was taken in 1966 by NASA’s robotic probe Lunar Orbiter 1. Nancy Evans saved the orbiter pictures from being discarded and worked for 30 years to restore them for posterity. (via Metafilter)

Ten Cases of Extreme Weather is a lot more interesting than the title would lead you to believe. Seven-inch hailstones, anyone? (via the Presurfer)

Victorian Flea Circuses. A history of the art, and some secrets about how it's done.

The idea that having children will make you happy is an illusion. However, the pursuit of happiness is not the only reason we reproduce. (via Metafilter)

The monster inside my son. A mother confronts the terrifying capacity for violence in her autistic adult child. More horror stories are in the comments.

A new meaning for the term hyperopia: not simple farsightedness, but the inability to enjoy today because one is so worried about the future. It can lead to regret about lost opportunities.

The Ten Craziest Diets in History.

Johnny Carson and Dom Deluise

Fun with raw eggs! (Thanks, Duke!)

Broadcasting Fake Names and other Links

Broadcasting Fake Names. Sometimes the general public sneaks one in ...or many!

What do you mean, these aren't the droids we're looking for? Of course, they're the droids we're looking for!

50 Animals Who Hate Baths. No, they're not all cats, but they're just about all adorable. (via Buzzfeed)

Believe it or not, a NSFW video of My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music.

The Ten Funniest Freudian Slips in TV History. (via Gorilla Mask)

A lesson in hanging toilet paper. Illustrated.

The manliest way to love cats. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye, or becomes lunch.

Lucky's Funeral. Who knew a flushing ceremony could be this adorable?

John Lennon, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Mitch Mitchel

I wish I knew what TV show this was. This is from The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus, 1968, according to a helpful but anonymous commenter ;-) (via Dark Roasted Blend)

Friday Fun Links

From the Chicago Tribune's annual competition, here's the top ten Peeps dioramas.

100 Ways to Kill a Peep. This blog doesn't quite have 100 methods yet, but will eventually. (via YesButNoButYes)

An interview with the one and only Afro Ninja!

6 Reasons North Korea is the Funniest Evil Dictatorship Ever. Their attempts to look fabulous more often than not turn out to be downright pathetic.

It's bad enough when someone gets a celebrity tattoo, but it's even worse when no one can figure out who it's supposed to be! Take your best guess. (via Gorilla Mask)

Tension, Terror, and Trouble. You think you know what's going on here until you don't.

The World's Weirdest Keyboards. I don't think you can out-weird the one that comes with rearview mirrors. (via the Presurfer)

9 Good Things The Internet Has Ruined Forever. Overkill will do that, and the internet is all about overkill.

Hocus Pocus

Performed live in 1973 by Focus. I remember when this was a big hit. (via I Am Bored)

7 Fascinating Local Characters

In response to the post How to Be a Local Character, readers contributed many names of characters who found fame in cities across the country and around the world. Some of these fascinating people have a strong presence on the internet, carrying their notoriety to a greater audience. Here are seven of them in an article I wrote for mental_floss.

Informative Links

Joel Haas' travelogues from Taiwan continue with Not in Kansas Anymore.

The fossil of a 147 million-year-old pliosaur named Predator X has been found in Norway. He was as big as a T Rex and even more fearsome. (via Neatorama)

Total Recall: The Woman Who Can't Forget. A cognitive psychologist unravels the mystery of Jill Price and her phenomenal memory.

Mushrooms grow a lot in five days. Compress those five days into one minute, and you have this mesmerizing video. (via Gorilla Mask)

StillTasty: Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide. This site is full of practical information that will save you money and keep you from poisoning yourself. (via Lifehacker)

Who Really Discovered the North Pole? Was it Robert E. Peary in 1909 or Dr. Frederick A. Cook in 1908?

Within five years of retirement, an estimated 60% of former NBA players are broke. And they aren't the only ones, as explained in the article How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke. (via Cynical-C)

The 6 Greatest Art Fakers in History. They were pretty good painters who couldn't make a name for themselves, so they profited on the master's names.

Famous folk who killed themselves (and folks who famously killed themselves).

Good Reads

The global economic crisis isn't about money - it's about power. How Wall Street insiders are using the bailout to stage a revolution.

What your cat is trying to tell you.

Harshvardhan Nawathe, the real "slumdog millionaire", won the grand prize on India's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" eight years ago. He now works to educate impoverished children.

Cast your vote for TIME's Most Influential People in 2009. It's going to be hard for anyone to overtake the founder of 4chan, currently at #1.

Plastic Surgery Confidential. A perfectly fine-looking author goes to different plastic surgeons for consultations to find what they want to change about her.

Iraqi Refugee Stories. One in five Iraqis are now without a permanent home, but individual stories are more meaningful than numbers. (via Metafilter)

What’s So Hot About Chili Peppers? The author travels Bolivia to find out why these plants developed hot and tasty fruits. (via Boing Boing)

How does the human brain run itself without any software? Recreating how the brain works may lead to amazing new computer technology.

So did the executive bonuses at AIG make you mad? Then hear this: the political action committees of five big TARP recipients doled out $85,300 to members in the first two months of this year—with most of the cash going to those who serves on committees who oversee the TARP program.

Okatch & Miyatch 2

Nobody does games shows like Japan. (via Neatorama)

Fun Links

11 Damn Near Identical Movies That Were Released at the Same Time. Actually 23 movies are featured here in 11 instances of deja view.

Little Red Riding Hood, retold in a modern infographic form. We must never forget the required nutrition information.

How much is it worth to you to sit like Captain Kirk? You'd be far from the first to install a Captain's chair in your home.

A tribute ot the late great Space Bat.

Some really strange TV mashups.

Now, HERE's an effective classified ad! (via Bad Astronomy Blog)

There are some circumstances under which Sleeping Beauty might not live happily ever after! Enjoy an alternative take in this French animation. (via WebUpon)

You think this train is slow? We'll show you slow!

How to make vodka Gummi Bears.

Hurts So Bad

Little Anthony and the Imperials, recorded in 1965.

No Links Today

There were no links posted in my usual weekday list today. Links will resume tomorrow.

I couldn't put any up today because of the Patriot Act.

My apologies.

Let's Make A Sandwich!

(via J-Walk Blog)

Manatee

Wait for it... it won't take long.

Classical Gas

Performed by the Concordia University handbell choir.

Links for Your Edification

Vernal Equinox 2009: Facts on the First Day of Spring. It appears we will have more than 12 hours of sunlight, which is alright by me!

Research Says Happiness is Contagious. Here, have some!

The Evolution of the Suitcase. As George Carlin said, "That's all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff." (via the Presurfer)

5 Horrifying Tales Of 911 Incompetence. Obviously, these stories are not representative of the overall service.

Would you abort a fetus just because it wasn't yours? Believe it or not, just that scenario arose in Japan and raised all kinds of ethical questions.

We humans are really very bad at predicting what will make us happy. The opinion of a perfect stranger is more accurate than our own calculations.

If you recall the Diet Coke/Mentos phenomenon, you already know Fritz Grobe and Stephen Yoltz, even if you don’t know their names. Geeks Are Sexy has a two-part interview with them about their wonderfully weird projects.

A tent city is Sacramento is home to about 300 people, while the city vacancy rate for rental housing stands at 10.4%. The mayor is considering installing plumbing for the tent city, but there's nothing they can do to move people into real homes. (via Boing Boing)

Nora the Piano-playing Cat

You can see a sequel of Nora playing duets here. You can buy Nora's CDs and DVDs through her website.

Fun Links

Red Bean Filled Hockey Pucks and Mind Control. Joel Haas visits the National Palace Museum and the Long Shan Temple in part two of his Taiwan travelogue.

A collection of "before they were famous" videos you may not have seen.

This child cannot figure out how to kick a ball. He's so adorable, am I an awful person for laughing at him?

Attach LEDs to a flock of sheep and herd them in patterns. Impossible? Probably, but it looks good anyway.

Your Printer is a Brat. But you knew that already, didn't you?

What happens when wildlife invades your backyard. Especially if you have recreational equipment to play with!

The one place you don't want to see a Windows error message -at a nuclear power plant. (via Gizmodo)

Here's a map showing where many of your favorite TV shows took place. New York City has its own. And you should already know where M*A*S*H took place. (via YesButNoButYes)

All kinds of silly folks are trying their hand at recreating Beyonce's Single Ladies video.