Link roundup

1. One of Bill Simmons's readers had a great idea - - losing team in the NBA all-star game has to wear short shorts in next year's game.

2. Here's a great explanation for why Mubarak will be very reluctant to give up power - - he fears prosecution:

So, how can Mubarak protect himself if he eventually makes an escape from Cairo? He's taking the usual steps now. Start with his decision to install foreign intelligence chief and CIA confidant Omar Suleiman as vice president and constitutional successor. (Mubarak himself came to the presidency through this route; he had been Anwar Sadat's vice president.) This comes close to matching what in the Russian-speaking world is known as the "Putin option," a reference to the exit strategy adopted by a teetering Boris Yeltsin: Fearing possible retribution from opposition figures, Yeltsin opted to surrender power through a transitional period to a wily senior player in the intelligence community. In exchange, Yeltsin is said to have extracted a firm commitment from Putin that the full machinery of the Russian state would be mustered to protect him. There would be no criminal probes or inquiries, and no cooperation with foreigners who undertook the same. Yeltsin would be free to live his final days shuttling between Moscow and the French Riviera. Putin scrupulously kept his end of the bargain.

Via.

3. Here's Consumer Reports' picks for best frozen pizzas. (Presumably they'll have to reevaluate once the pizza/cookie dough combo is released.)

Link roundup

1. Mother Box iPhone wallpaper.

2. Sebastien Larroude posted a bunch of Tron Legacy concept art.

3. Thomas Barnett on Egypt:

Our military's relationship with the Egyptian military is long and deep and broad — as in, tens of billions of dollars of support since the mid-'70s. There's just no way Washington will stand by and watch all that gear fall into the Brotherhood's hands (like in '79), so rest assured that a vast network of personal relationships — as in, general to general — is being aggressively massaged right now. And remember: The Egyptian military has the ultimate veto, and the Pentagon holds the purse strings.

*Buy Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. Jay Leno continues to earn great ratings.

2. Democracy just might be flourishing in Iraq.

3. This actually makes intuitive sense to me - - a study indicates that when people think about their ancestors, they become more confident and actually perform better in intelligence and spatial tests. So, the next time you feel down or stressed, think about all the generations that came before you, and draw strength from the knowledge that they were probably a lot like you.

*Buy home DNA kits at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. You might remember that incredible Lego derelict mansion I posted awhile back. Prints are now on sale.

2. This bird is a huge jerk.

3. "Experts dissecting the computer worm suspected of being aimed at Iran’s nuclear program have determined that it was precisely calibrated in a way that could send nuclear centrifuges wildly out of control." Via.

*Buy Lego at eBay.

Link roundup

1. "A few weeks ago, according to official and private reports, the Iranian air force shot down three drones near the southwestern city of Bushehr, where a Russian-supplied nuclear reactor has just started up. When the Revolutionary Guards inspected the debris, they expected to find proof of high-altitude spying. Instead, the Guards had to report to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that the air force had blasted Iran's own unmanned aircraft out of the sky."

2. Deadspin revealed that the Marlins took the people of Florida for suckers and tricked them into funding a new stadium.

3. Operators lost control of a US Navy drone for about a half hour - - it flew into restricted airspace before they got it back under control.

*Buy remote control planes at Amazon.

Mandrake the Magician (link roundup)

Mandrake the Magician cover via.

And a few more links:

1. Check out "the remote Chinese village of Huangyangtan which hosts what must be the strangest military installation ever spotted by the Google Earth Community." More here. Via.

2. Redesigned luckdragon.

3. Analysis of recent developments in Turkish politics. Via.

*Previously: Zatanna magician poster.

*Buy magician posters at eBay.

Haunted House (link roundup)

Haunted House by Jason Limon, who has art on sale here.

And a few more links:

1. "Our main leisure activity is, by a long shot, participating in experiences that we know are not real. When we are free to do whatever we want, we retreat to the imagination—to worlds created by others, as with books, movies, video games, and television." Via.

2. Michael Chabon writes about the Israeli attack on the aid flotilla.

3. If Marmaduke was a horror movie.

*Previously: Horror movies recast with people as the villains.

*Buy haunted house props at Amazon.

Bat-eared fox, snub-nosed monkey (link roundup)

There are some extremely cute baby animal photos in this gallery. Via.

And a few more links:

1. How to use Google AdSense to land a job (or seriously creep people out).

2. Great analysis of cameras in 2D platforms.

3. Qataris marry their cousins and suffer lots of genetic disorders.

*Previously: Herschel Walker says he suffers from multiple personality disorder.

*Buy home DNA kits at Amazon.

Homemade Batman costume (link roundup)

Batman costume made from a hoody and an umbrella. Go here for instructions. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Probably the most incendiary idea expressed in SuperFreakonomics is that global warming, to the extent it's something we even really need to worry very much about, could be solved in a few years with cheap technology available right now - - specifically using a really long hose, held aloft by balloons, to shoot a relatively small amount of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. The sulfur dioxide would spread out, blanket the Earth, reflect sunlight, and thus cool the planet. (This is expected to work because it mimics the effects of large volcanic eruptions, which have been documented to lower the Earth's temperature.) It's one the many creative solutions to major problems developed by Intellectual Ventures. Of course, it raises the question, if it's so easy to manipulate the planet's weather, then how long until some rogue maniac tries something similar on his own?

2. Papercraft passed-out bear/shriner.

3. Reaping what you sow: A suicide bomber killed 29 in an attack on Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

*Previously: Homemade Where the Wild Things Are costume.

*Buy Japanese Batman toys at eBay.

Monstrous tortilla chips and salsa (link roundup)

Monstrous tortilla chips and salsa concept packaging by Jeanelle Mak. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Now this would of have been interesting - - awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the opposition in Iran. Via.

2. Digital tank camouflage on a tank. Weird how what looks like 8-Bit graphics is actually cutting edge.

3. Wait, you're not Data, you're Lore!

*Previously: Highly desirable cigarette packaging.

*Buy wind-up tanks at eBay.

Popular animated show in the Middle East features four grandmothers? (link roundup)

It's called Freej. You can read about it here, and watch it here. I also learned that Ramadan is not only a holy month, but also the Middle Eastern equivalent of sweeps month. Via.

And a few more links:

1. If you'd like to know what you missed, here's a summary of the first episode of Flash Forward.

2. Depressing corruption exposed in the Food and Drug Administration.

3. Firefighters piled into a fire engine and drove out of the station's garage to go rescue a bleeding man. Unfortunately he was much closer than they realized. Right outside the garage in fact. And they ran him over. Via.

*Previously: Sean Penn talks about his childhood friends, including the guy who ran someone over.

*Buy fire truck toys at eBay.

Elongated chair (link rondup)

Odd-shaped chair by Valentin Loellmann, who has more furniture on display here. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Funny/accurate observations about shopping at Ikea. Via.

2. The opposition continues to assemble for large protests in Iran. Via.

3. Sometimes a good gift isn't about spending money at all.

*Previously: Pasta chair.

*Buy The Art of Protest: Culture and Activism from the Civil Rights Movement to the Streets of Seattle at Amazon.

KAUST monument

KAUST monument and scale model. KAUST is the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

*Previously: Saudi Arabia's all-girl rock band.

*Buy Wonders of the World collectibles at eBay.

Star Wars book covers (link roundup)

Go here to download various Star Wars book covers.

And a few more links:

1. Gawker criticizes the slimy AdSense ads (and the company behind them) that they extensively ran on their sites.

2. A disturbing description of the way IBM aggressively outsources jobs (and the way every other business will eliminate jobs).

3. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad nominated Ahmad Vahidi to serve as defense minister. Vahidi is wanted by Interpol in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires. Thomas Barnett explains why this is actually good news.

*Previously: Download some Star Wars Clone Wars masks.

*Buy Polish Star Wars posters at eBay.

Mermaid Sculpture (link roundup)

Mermaid sculpture. It was part of Celtic Forest: Book of the Raven.

And a few more links:

1. Can't say I understand what's going on, but the concept and image are cool -- "Augmented Reality Alien Chestburster-Shirt." Via.

2. The Times Online says that leaked letters show that the British government orchestrated the release of the Lockerbie bomber to Libya in order to facilitate an oil exploration deal between BP and Libya.

3. Disturbing illustration of Popeye by Rick Baker. Via.

*Previously: Tentacled mermaid.

*Buy H.R. Giger books and posters at Amazon.

Clinging Spider-Man backpack (link roundup)

Spider-Man seemingly clings to your back in this backpack that's on sale for $45. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Evan Ratliff, who wrote an article for Wired called, Gone Forever: What Does It Take to Really Disappear?, is trying to hide in the USA for 30 days. If you find him, you'll win $5,000. Wired is running a blog tracking his movements.

2. I've seen this repeated enough that I guess it really is true - - police in Richmond upon Thames (near London) have taken to removing items from unlocked cars and replacing the valuables with a note saying they can be retrieved at the police station. Perhaps unclear on the concept, Superintendent Jim Davis, "the officer behind the initiative," says, "We want to stop people from being the victims of crime."

3. Two weeks ago, the United Arab Emirates seized a ship carrying North Korean-manufactured weapons to Iran in violation of United Nations sanctions.

*Previously: Key chain pouch unfolds into full size backpack.

*Buy wind-up Spider-Man toys at eBay.

Frozen in carbonite cosplay (link roundup)

Frozen in carbonite costume, spotted here amongst lots more Star Wars cosplay.

And a few world news links courtesy of Thomas Barnett:

1. The USA was prepared to use cyberwar techniques to freeze Saddam's bank accounts and deny Iraq access to money, but decided not to do so for fear that the attack would damage unintended targets.

2. "Many" seats were empty at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's swearing in ceremony.

3. Hillary Clinton suggested Al Gore as envoy to obtain the release of the hostage, but North Korea asked for Bill Clinton.

*Previously: Another encased In carbonite costume.

*Buy carbonite toys at eBay.

The 2009 kidrobot Dunnys (link roundup)

Here are the 2009 kidrobot Dunnys. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Frog Thor and Dr. Strange drawings.

2. This month's issue of Fast Company has a great photo gallery of abandoned developments in Dubai, although only a few of the photos have been posted online.

3. A performer slipped, broke his neck, and died during a performance of Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial at Walt Disney World. Via.

*Previously: Before & After Photos: 14 Years of Construction In Dubai.

*Buy Frog Thor toys at eBay.

Papercraft Pac-Man (link roundup)

Papercraft Pac-Man by Matt Hawkins (not available for download).

And a few more links:

1. In Afghanistan, Chinese workers build new roads, and American soldiers protect them. Via.

2. Official site for James Cameron's Avatar - - only content so far is you can subscribe to various feeds.

3. Tron: Legacy poster concept.

*Previously: Fishing lure looks just like Pac-Man.

*Buy Avatar toys at Amazon.

Skyline made out of stacks of metal staples (link roundup)

Staple skyscrapers by Peter Root. His site is full of miniature cityscapes assembled out of unusual materials. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Long interesting discussion about the Middle East. For example, the common belief is apparently that Israel has nuclear missile-equipped submarines in the Middle East, and ironically, the subs are German.

2. Little Red Riding Hood thoroughly triumphant.

3. Asparagus ice cream.

4. Hellboy robot.

*Previously: 101 Frightening Ice Cream Flavors From Around The World.

*Buy Hellboy toys at eBay.