My new favorite super team (link roundup)

My new favorite super team via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. Manet vs. Monet boxing-style poster.

2. Interesting advertisement - - Mark Frauenfelder is taking a paid roadtrip to promote the Buick LaCrosse.

3. Los Angeles is going to investigate reports that the MTA has "spent more than $34 million litigating one case over the last 15 years -- even though the most the agency could win in damages would be about half that sum."

*Previously: Meet the Jamaican ski team.

*Buy plush kangaroos at eBay.

Dead Tauntaun with Luke wedding cake (link roundup)

Dead Tauntaun with Luke Skywalker wedding cake by Cake Nouveau for Chris Trevas' wedding. More photos here. Relatedly, Cake Nouveau is hosting a jack-o-lantern design contest.

And a few more links:

1. The mother of a dead baseball player is suing Louisville Slugger because aluminum bats make baseballs go fast. Via.

2. Some Jews (and others) object to autopsies on religious grounds. Medical examiners try to accommodate those concerns by making minimal intrusions when possible. But increasingly, medical examiners can use three-dimensional visualizations to inspect the body without making a single cut. The scans are much cheaper than autopsies, which cost approximately $4,500(!). Via.

3. Photo of the new A-Team (and their van).

*Previously: Plush Tauntaun with frozen Luke Skywalker.

*Buy Tauntauns at eBay.

Tentacle shower head by Vado (link roundup)

"Sculpture" shower head by Vado. Via these fine sites.

And a few more links:

1. Penny Arcade is hosting a Katamari-themed art contest.

2. Game Informer has a dedicated minisite for its various exclusive stories about the new steampunk video game for the Wii Epic Mickey. They also posted some concept art here. But mostly the site is as user-unfriendly as can be. Indeed, I've seen countless sites that have posted scans from the magazine that are far more enjoyable to look at than the posts at Game Informer. I don't believe it's right to post scans from the magazine, or to link to others who have done so, but Game Informer has really gotten what it deserved in doing such a bad job of getting the content online itself.

3. The AP says:

Shepard Fairey has now been forced to admit that he sued the AP under false pretenses by lying about which AP photograph he used to make the Hope and Progress posters. Mr. Fairey has also now admitted to the AP that he fabricated and attempted to destroy other evidence in an effort to bolster his fair use case and cover up his previous lies and omissions.

Read on. Indeed, Fairey describes his conduct here. Via.

*Previously: Shepard Fairey's profanity-laced response to a report that he had taken action to deter graffiti at his studio.

*Buy Katamari collectibles at eBay.

Moogle amigurumi (link roundup)

Moogle amigurmi by Talli. On sale for $30 at Etsy.

And a few more links:

1. Use Flickr to turn jpegs into magazine covers. Great sample here.

2. Move over breast implants and toxic mold. Here comes Chinese-made drywall!

3. Pepsi is suing Coca-Cola for suggesting Powerade is marginally better than Gatorade. Via.

4. Ad for DC Comics' JLA: Cry For Justice really focuses on Supergirl's breasts. Via.

*Previously: Moogle and other Final Fantasy paper toys.

*Buy Final Fantasy posters at eBay.

A young Vladimir Putin pretends to be a tourist (link roundup)

File this under too good to verify (or maybe, "fake but accurate"), but does this photograph show KGB agent Vladimir Putin posing as a tourist during one of Reagan's visits to Moscow? Apparently a common Soviet technique was to plant KGB agents as tourists and then have the tourists ask Western leaders provocative/obnoxious questions. More here and here.

And a few more links:

1. Illustrator David Cousens is currently accepting commissions. You can see some of his recent artwork here.

2. Now this is how you start an article:

The corner of Hollywood and Western is the epicenter of an underground world: a community outside the collective vision of club-hoppers and restaurant-goers rushing by, and one forgotten by public policy. Homeless youth, many cast off at 18 by the foster-care system, root out lives in a dim, moldy labyrinth of “abandos” — abandoned buildings hidden behind storefronts and the busy boulevard.

You can continue reading Daniel Heimpel's article for the LA Weekly here.

3. Obese police officer wins lawsuit requiring that he be reinstated to the police force.

4. At least one of the dvds Obama gave to the British prime minister can't be viewed in England due to DRM. Via.

*Previously: Russia's patent agency just awarded some guy the patent on the ;-) emoticon.

*Buy KGB collectibles at eBay.

Movie Poster roundup

Watchmen (Silk Spectre). You can see all of the Watchmen character posters here.



The Curious Case of Benjamin Button



Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

*See more movie posters here.

*Buy Watchmen toys at Amazon.

Interesting news roundup

1. Mobile operator Orange is paying actors to stand in line in Poland to drum up interest for that country's iPhone launch. Link.

2. Andres Martinez, who resigned from the Los Angeles Times after it was disclosed that he hired his girlfriend's employer to guest edit the LA Times Sunday Magazine, has filed a lawsuit against the now former girlfriend for...I guess tricking him into abandoning his ethics. Details here and here.

3. Thomas Barnett says that it's silly to get too worked up over Russia's invasion of Georgia. If you believe in globalization of democratic capitalism, Russia is our partner in that effort, and its actions, however unpleasant, are an advancement of that mission. Link.

4. Hamlet 2, which I've previously mentioned, is good!

*Previously: White student named valedictorian at black college.

*Buy Law For Dumies for 32% off at Amazon.

Fearmongering of the day: Wind farms cause night terrors

I'm sure a dubious lawsuit is on the way: new research suggests that living close to wind turbines can cause sleep disorders, difficulty with equilibrium, headaches, childhood "night terrors" and other health problems. Link.

*Previously: Environmentalists protesting solar energy plants because they disrupt the beauty of the desert.

Judge sues cleaners for $65 million for lost pair of pants

No, apparently the pants were not magical.