The surreal art of Ron Gonsalves

Canadian artist Rob Gonsalves creates whimsical, surrealist art influenced by Dali, Magritte and Escher. See more here and here.

Extreme makeover, Riverdale edition

Betty and Veronica, those on-again, off-again rivals for the affections of Archie Andrews, will stop looking so cherubic, at least for a spell. Their cheeks won’t be so rounded, their eyes so beaming or their noses quite so pert.

Full story

Couldn’t this have been better executed? The drawing looks like something a teenager would draw inside her Trapper Keeper. Don’t worry; most of the comics will still be drawn in the classic style.

Great moments in hair design

The fabled Mullets Galore is an ode to all things short in front, long in back and includes classifications, theme galleries, and merchandise. Meanwhile, over at The Feathered-Back Hair site, you can deconstruct this great 70s/80s hairstyle by learning about the Triangle, the Sausage Curl, Perma-Wing and more. Anyone else afraid their high school yearbooks will end up on either site?! Don't miss Unisex Haircuts at RetroRandy although the last time I visited the images wouldn't load for some reason. Then crown it all (see what I did there?) with a visit to Big Hair & True Love.

World of Walford

The World of Walford was started by Walford's coworkers in order to immortalize the best of his wit and wisdom (err…).  You can also get his unique take on your very own question.

Oh…my…

Check this out!

Great moments in bathroom design

These lovelies from Bristol & Bath:

From Kohler: a flat sink and weirdly flat toilet to match

You might want to check under the floorboards. I’m just sayin’.

Woman, 104, takes man, 33, as husband no. 21

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A 33-year-old man in northern Malaysia has married a 104-year-old woman, saying mutual respect and friendship had turned to love, a news report said Tuesday…The report did not say if any of Wook's previous 20 husbands are still alive.

I'd be looking into that if I were him.

Index to science fiction anthologies and collections

How geeky is this?! An index to 3367 anthologies and single-author collections published before 1984, containing over 23000 works by 3849 authors.

Top ten authors with the most entries:

1. (433) Bradbury, Ray
2. (338) Asimov, Isaac
3. (255) Ellison, Harlan
4. (254) de Camp, L. Sprague
5. (238) Anderson, Poul
6. (218) Bloch, Robert
7. (202) Aldiss, Brian W.
8. (189) Silverberg, Robert
9. (186) Leiber, Fritz
10. (167) Malzberg, Barry N.

Top ten reprinted stories:

1. 27 Asimov, Isaac – Nightfall
2. 26 Ellison, Harlan – "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman
   26 Wells, H. G. – The Star
   26 Bradbury, Ray – The Sound of Thunder
3. 24 Aldiss, Brian W. – But Who Can Replace a Man?
4. 23 Clarke, Arthur C. – The Nine Billion Names of God
   23 Clarke, Arthur C. – The Sentinel of Eternity
   23 Simak, Clifford D. – Desertion
5. 22 Bradbury, Ray – There Will Come Soft Rains
   22 Godwin, Tom – The Cold Equations
6. 21 Clarke, Arthur C. – The Star
7. 19 Ballard, J. G. – Billenium
   19 Keyes, Daniel – Flowers for Algernon
   19 Leinster, Murray – First Contact
8. 18 Bixby, Jerome – It's a Good Life
   18 del Rey, Lester – Helen O'Loy
   18 Ellison, Harlan – I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
9. 17 Blish, James – Common Time
   17 Brown, Fredric – "Arena"
   17 Clarke, Arthur C. – History Lesson
   17 Merril, Judith – That Only a Mother
   17 van Vogt, A. E. – The Monster
   17 Wells, H. G. – The Man Who Could Work Miracles
10. 16 Asimov, Isaac – Strange Playfellow
    16 Bradbury, Ray – Million Year Picnic
    16 Heinlein, Robert A. – Roads Must Roll
    16 Le Guin, Ursula K. – Nine Lives
    16 Silverberg, Robert – Sundance
    16 Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. – Harrison Bergeron

P.S. the magazine index goes back to 1890. 

UN marks World Press Freedom Day

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan proclaimed his support for "the universal right to freedom of expression" to mark World Press Freedom Day.

The U.N. General Assembly in 1993 proclaimed May 3 World Press Freedom Day and it has been observed since.

"With the proliferation of so-called new media, new technologies and ways of distributing content, information has become far more accessible," said Annan in his statement issued Tuesday. "Mainstream media reporting, for example, is being supplemented by 'participatory media' such as blogs.

"But as media and journalism evolve, certain bedrock principles remain paramount," he continued. "I declare my firm support for the universal right to freedom of expression."

Annan also decried the many members of media "to have been killed, maimed, detained or targeted in other ways for pursuing that right in good conscience."

He pointed out the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that 47 journalists were killed in 2005, and 11 have lost their lives so far this year.

"It is tragic and unacceptable that the number of journalists killed in the line of duty has become a barometer for measuring press freedom," the secretary-general said.

The top U.N. envoy in Iraq, Special Representative Ashraf Qazi, marked the day with a statement saying more than 70 journalists have been killed in the past three years in the country.

He urged the incoming government to assist Iraq's independent media in its struggle for the right to seek, receive and impart information in a responsible manner, terming it one of the necessary preconditions for establishing a healthy democracy in Iraq.

Link

A Scientific Approach to MySpace’s Failure

"Using the power of Google searches, I hope to prove why Myspace.com is a failure of humanity. I’m not debating whether Myspace offers a good system or service, I’m only lamenting the place it has become thanks to its user base. There are good and bad uses for social networking websites. Most are useless and waste more time without contributing to the social good. Myspace is the worst."

Read the rest here.