Link roundup

1. George Mason University School of Law invented a new grade - - the A+*.

2. You can watch a live stream from Coachella at Youtube.

3. Jeaux Janovsky is looking for commissions.

4. Josh Howard, too.

Link roundup

1. How to make a battery out of pennies. Via.

2. MSNBC:

The Los Angeles City Attorney's office is trying a new legal maneuver to try to stamp out graffiti — it's charging 10 graffiti writers with violating unfair competition laws because they're selling works on the strength of reputations built on vandalism.
Assistant City Attorney Anne Tremblay says these graffiti writers — all associated with the MTA tagging crew — have an unfair advantage over legitimate artists because they gained notoriety through crime.

Via.

3. WebMD:

Electronic faucets may be touch-free, but they are far from germ-free. In a new study, researchers at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine report finding higher levels of disease-carrying bacteria on hands-free faucets compared to conventional, manually operated faucets.

Via these sites.

*Buy chemistry sets at Amazon.

The Pillars of the Earth: A Tribute to the Masters

A few highlights from The Pillars of the Earth: A Tribute to the Masters at Distinction Gallery:


Sean Chappell, "Unsung Villains: The Master from Dr. Who Circa, 1980"



Pamela Wilson, "The Absinthe Drinker and the Hostile Silence"



Nathaniel Clark, "I approach the Cavern"



Dan Lydersen, "Mary"



Ivan Unwin, "The Den of Thieves"

Link roundup

1. Warren Ellis describes the origin of Valentine's Day (it involves werewolves). (I'm sure his site is NSFW.)

2. Especially with the nonsense this week about how video games cause rape, this is a particularly interesting observation:

For years we've been told that violence on TV creates imitation in real life. What, are police exempt from this theory? If a TV network makes felonies committed by a cop under color of authority entertainment, network standards and practices is complicit in fostering an atmosphere of lawlessness and disrespect for the Bill of Rights that can only encourage more official lawlessness.

3. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso have deals with Nike. ESPN claims that it didn't know. (Herbstreit called the national championship, if I remember correctly. It'd be interesting to listen to the broadcast and see if he praised Oregon's uniform.) Via.

Saturday Night Live makes fun of Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark

Saturday Night Live featured an advertisement for a personal injury attorney specializing in injuries caused by viewings (or involvement in) Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. I love his suit and the list of possible claims at the end. Via.

*Buy Spider-Man Happy Meal toys at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Hilarious: Lindsay Lohan might not have committed grand theft (stealing something worth more than $950) because although the price tag on the necklace was $2,500, it wasn't even worth half that much. Via.

2. And speaking of Valentine's Day-related scams, read about this one involving Groupon and FTD.

3. Finally, zombie and stalker-themed Valetines.

*But I'm sure the deals in Amazon's jewerly store are always good deals.

Link roundup

1. Absolutely bizarre story about parasitic albino redwood trees (they can't make chlorophyll, so they instead suck all their energy from another tree like a vampire). Via.

2. Tuition at Stanford Law, plus room and board, is over $70,000 per year.

3. How to remove personal information (such as location) from a photograph.

*Buy digital cameras at eBay.

Link roundup

1. From an article in Rolling Stone about Stieg Larrson:

As a boy, Stieg lived in his grandparents' cottage in the woods. At the time, an old Swedish law was still in effect that barred children from attending school until they were seven. Written a century earlier, the law was intended to protect little boys and girls from being devoured by wolves while walking through the forest on the way to school.

Also, there was a serial killer in Sweden known as The Laser Man.

2. Cute Marvel holiday wallpaper by Chris Giarrusso.

3. Tenacious Toys has new ThreeA toys in stock. Don't you wish you had a $75 store credit?

*Buy ThreeA toys at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Anyone have any valuable feedback about One True Fan? I was thinking of adding it to the site.

2. Naomi Campbell wore couture to every day of her court-mandated community service.

3. If you're in the mood for a Canabalt clone with fancier graphics, try I Must Run. Via.

Link roundup

1. The Guardian reports that "Kosovo's prime minister is the head of a 'mafia-like' Albanian group responsible for smuggling weapons, drugs and human organs through eastern Europe, according to a Council of Europe inquiry report on organised crime." Via.

2. The Washington Post really, really wants you to mention their articles on Facebook.

3. "Hinkley, California, the town made famous in the Oscar-winning Julia Roberts movie Erin Brockovich, does not show any evidence of an increased rate of cancers."

Link roundup

1. Comment and win a copy of a new book focusing on Steve Ditko's artwork.

2. D30 cake from a "nerdy thirty" birthday party.

3. A criminal defendant was arrested for murder and while in custody managed to get new Nazi tattoos on his face and neck. His lawyer convinced the judge to order the state to spend $125 a day for a makeup artist to cover up the tattoos, less the jurors think poorly of the defendant. Via.