Link roundup

1. Video of a cat cuddling with a teddy bear.

2. "Satellite images indicate North Korea might have suffered considerable casualties when South Korea returned fire after the North shelled its frontline island last week, a lawmaker said Thursday." Via.

3. "Todd McFarlane worked Felix the Cat into issues of his comics as a treat for a friend of his." The reason why is pretty interesting.

Link roundup

1. Thomas Barnett takes a look at the heir apparent in North Korea.

2. Seth Godin:

You can learn finance and accounting and media buying from a book. But the best way to truly learn how to do marketing is to market.

You don't have to quit your job and you don't need your boss's permission. There are plenty of ways to get started.

If you see a band you like coming to town, figure out how to promote them and sell some tickets (posters? google ads? PR?). Don't ask, just do it.

If you find a book you truly love, buy 30 and figure out how to sell them all (to strangers).

If you're 12, go door to door selling fresh fruit--and figure out what stories work and which don't.

Set up an online business. Get a candidate you believe in elected to the school board.

The best way to learn marketing is to do it.

3. I just finished reading Lev Grossman's The Magicians. Great book and I'd be reading the sequel right now if it was out. Like if Bret Easton Ellis was hired to write a new Narnia book. $6 at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. Read about Shin Sang-ok:

(1926 - 2006) was a Korean movie writer, director and producer, who studied film in Japan and returned to South Korea, where he gained fame and became the uncontested leader of the film industry in the 1960s, in a time when regulations on the industry limited other studios. In the 1970s under the Fourth Republic of South Korea, the film industry was even further limited, which lead to Shin's studio being closed. Things went from bad to worse, when "the Orson Welles of South Korea" was kidnapped by request of Kim Jong Il, the son of North Korea's dictator, Kim Il Sung. The reason? Kim Jong Il wanted the nation's film industry to promote the virtues of the Korea Workers' Party to a world-wide audience.

He eventually escaped and went on to make a movie with Hulk Hogan. Via.

2. Two looks at new Double Fine game Costume Quest. Via.

3. Google's finally added spam filtering to comments for Blogger. (Hopefully that'll mean less time deleting/rejecting viagra ads for now on.)

*Buy propaganda posters at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. Strawberry Shortcake is depressed.

2. Sounds like a publicity stunt, but supposedly a family facing foreclosure found a copy of Action Comics No. 1 in their basement and will be able to auction it off for enough money to save their house. Via.

3. "Dozens of North Korean land mines loosened by heavy rains have washed ashore on South Korean riverbanks and beaches near the border, presenting a lethal new threat to residents already wary of surprises and nefarious motives from the North." Via.

Chibi Daft Punk (link roundup)

Chibi Daft Punk with mustaches by J3 on sale as a t-shirt here. Via.

And a few more links:

1. A damning statement about the We Are Paper toys book.

2. Triumphant Roman soldiers used to return home and parade through town carrying architectural models of the forts they had destroyed.

3. North Korea hired Chinese actors to pretend to be North Korean fans at the World Cup.

*Buy Daft Punk posters at eBay.

Oil-covered Little Mermaid (link roundup)

Oil-covered Princess Ariel on sale as a t-shirt here. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Dunny, video game, and and comic book giveaway.

2. Useful photo editing tips, including making photos black and white and turning photos into pop art.

3. North Korea tried to sneak an extra forward onto their World Cup team.

*Previously: Annie Leibovitz photographs Julianne Moore as The Little Mermaid.

*Buy Dunnys at eBay.

North Korean Traffic Girls

"Their uniforms, it is said, were designed by Kim Jong II. They rotate only counter-clockwise." There's a photo pool dedicated to North Korean Traffic Girls at Flickr. Via these sites.

*Previously: North Korea's Ryugyong Hotel has been called "the worst building in the history of mankind."

*Buy propaganda posters at eBay.

Little Red Riding Hood (link roundup)

Little Red Riding Hood by John Thacker.

And a few more links:

1. Love is...not being threatened by an elf. Via.

2. Blinged-out Skeletor goes for a ride.

3. Walking up and down escalators is apparently discouraged in South Korea.

*Previously: Surfboard escalator.

*Buy Masters of the Universe toys at eBay.

The Ryugyong Hotel (link roundup)

North Korea's Ryugyong Hotel has been called "the worst building in the history of mankind." You can read about it here, and see lots of photos at Flickr. The notes on those photos are also interesting reading.

And a few more links:

1. Robot by Tom Whalen.

2. Ghost Rider art.

3. Lego Headless Horseman.

*Previously: Video of lightning striking the John Hancock building.

*Buy Headless Horseman toys at eBay.

Little door

Apparently Bukchon, South Korea is home to fairies. More little doors and other sights here.

*Previously: Little door of mystery.

*Buy dollhouse miniatures at eBay.

Lego flying car (link roundup)

Lego flying car by Jordan Schwartz.

And a few world news links courtesy of Thomas Barnett:

1. For the first time, China enforced sanctions against North Korea, confiscating vanadium, which can be used in missile casings.

2. Henry Kissinger praises Obama's performance to date.

3. A new way to explain to patients what a medical procedure will entail - - create a hospital room in Second Life.

*Previously: Rocket car.

*Buy pulp magazines at eBay.

Octodemon t-shirt (link roundup)

Octodemon t-shirt by Tom Whalen. It'll be the $10 Ript Apparel t-shirt on Friday.

And a few more links:

1. Apparently, "[a]t least 13 million abortions take place each year in China, compared to 20 million births."

2. And speaking of China, a nice summary of the reasons why you shouldn't worry about the Chinese starting a war.

3. Meanwhile, in 1988 the household savings rate in South Korea was tops in the world at 25.2 percent. In 2010, it's expected to be world worst at 3.2 percent. Via.

*Previously: Anti-abortion activists disrupt Horton Hears a Who showing.

*Buy Chinese propaganda at eBay.

Gizmodo's insult Kim Jong Il Photoshop contest

Lots of funny entries in Gizmodo's provoke Kim Jong Il Photoshop contest. I think the one you see above is by this Dave Corrasa.

*Previously: North Korean defector lives in South Korea and sends anti-Kim Jong Il pamphlets to North Korea using helium-filled balloons and special timers.

*Learn how to use Photoshop with these books at Amazon.

Monsters desktop wallpaper (link roundup)

Download this monsters desktop wallpaper by Floksy here. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Annie Leibovitz may be near bankruptcy. Which will hopefully mean more Disney fairy tale portraits in her future.

2. Golden State Warriors PR guy caught posting pro-team comments in forum.

3. Boxman with laser pistol animated gif.

4. Curtis Melvin is leading an effort to expose North Korea's secrets.

*Previously: See fairy tale photos by Annie Leibovitz here.

*Buy Annie Leibovitz books at Amazon.

Elephant bottle opener (link roundup)

Elephant bottle opener on sale for $20 here. Cricket Cola is excellent, by the way. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Paul Pope has posted the first two of twelve weekly episodes of his Adam Strange story for Wednesday Comics.

2. Former South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun, suspected of corruption, jumped to his death.

3. Iams dog food is giving away frisbees that look like weights (because Iams is for strong dogs). Via.

4. Chibi Alice in Wonderland, Cheshire Cat, and Pinnochio.

*Previously: Lightning bolt letter opener.

*Buy Alice in Wonderland toys at eBay.

A twisted version of the Headless Horseman, perhaps? (link roundup)

Officially, this is "Power, or a Pride of Lions" by Julian Callos. But it would make for a great version of the Headless Horseman - - where the hunter replaces his head with heads of animals. You can see several more paintings, and a sculpture, by Julian at the link.

And a few more links:

1. Funny photo of Jose Canseco giving a press conference where only one reporter showed up.

2. Some really sophisticated tips on how to start to drive traffic to your site.

3. Apparently Kim Jong-il's appearance has changed so dramatically since he suffered a stroke, that it's like a father-son comparison.

4. Heavy metal chicken.

*Previously: Steampunk Headless Horseman.

*Buy Headless Horseman toys at eBay.

G-Force/G-Force mashup (link roundup)

Apparently the makers of Disney's upcoming G-Force are tired of people mistaking their movie for a Battle of the Planets remake.

And a few more links:

1. Video review of the Art of Monsters vs. Aliens book.

2. Things are so bad Blockbuster is only open for one hour a day now. Photo link.

3. Two different websites that will teach you how to pronounce names. Via.

4. Kris Alexander took a look at the barren hills of North Korea and concluded there was zero chance of war.

*Previously: G-Force Simpsonized.

*Buy Gatchaman toys at eBay.

"Push button for Digg" (link roundup)

Digg button cleverly placed on a pedestrian crossing button found here.

And a few more links:

1. If you act fast, you can subscribe to a new personalized magazine from Time, Inc.

2. Previously, I enjoyed reading Reason as a source of news. However, I gave it up as a trustworthy source after I learned its writers had largely supported Ron Paul even though they knew about his history of sending out racist newsletters. The entire episode did damage to the concept of libertarianism. Well, Ron Paul's starring and apparently homophobic and moronic role in Sacha Baron Cohen's movie will only make things worse.

3. Some officer's wife wrote the the newspaper of the naval base in Ventura County to complain that gate guards were not surrendering salutes to officer's vehicles. The commanding officer's response was...vigorous.

4. Being born in the United States was like winning the lottery. The North Korean government apparently divides the population into three political groups: a loyal "core class," a suspect "wavering class," and a politically unreliable "hostile class." The core class is only 25% of the population. Via.

*Previously: Working Digg costume.

*Buy US President bobbleheads at eBay.

A Bert to haunt your nightmares

Seseame Street's resident demon, Bert, in his most terrifying form. High-res photo here.


Here's a few more random links:

1. North Korean defector lives in South Korea and sends anti-Kim Jong Il pamphlets to North Korea using helium-filled balloons and special timers. Via.


2. Israel's border with Gaza is watched over by remote-controlled machine-gun armed sentry towers and remote-controlled armored vehicles. Apparently, the towers are chiefly operated by women.


3. As previously suggested, the Arena Football League is canceling the season.


4. Former NFL player identifies various players by name who intentionally display their packages to female reporters.


*Previously: Bert eats a screaming child.

*Buy Muppets toys at eBay.

Kim Jong Il apparently not dead

Parody of Steve Jobs' recent live presentation found here. By the way, the enthusiastic applause you hear at Jobs' speeches is thanks to incognito Apple employees.

*Previously: Dick Cheney as Jabba the Hutt.

*The Team America World Police Unrated Edition DVD is 23% off at Amazon.