The time for more public poetry is at hand with the soon-to-arrive National Poetry Month. Perhaps you favor love poems? Poets and Writers listed the 25 best (among those online: #1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 13, 15, 19). Or perhaps ballads with a beat? This was once considered the best example, but this offensive poem is even more famous. Of course, nonsense is good, as is alliteration. Eager to take your own turn? Try some complex forms. Double sestina, anyone?
posted by blahblahblah at 10:54 PM PST - 21 comments

skydiving photos skydiving or skydriving (via)
posted by hortense at 10:19 PM PST - 41 comments

Paul Hester, Aussie drummer of such antipodean bands as Split Enz and Crowded House (as well as occasional television performer), has committed suicide at 46.
posted by scody at 10:10 PM PST - 41 comments

International signage. Gaian philosophy. Psychedelic illumination. Bohemian Cats. Crones. Radical Fairies. Though the venerable Rider-Waite (available in several versions), Crowley's Thoth, and the enduring Tarot de Marseilles continue to dominate most people's idea of Tarot, independent decks featuring a variety of themes breathe new life into the historical Tarot. No longer merely a fortune-teller's prop, Tarot is gaining popularity as a tool for do-it-yourself therapy. Even skeptics, who once speculated the decks were "used ... mainly in fortune telling" by emotionally crippled adults, are reluctantly (and subtly) revising their commentary on the cards.) Massive review sites post sample card images and extensive reviews. Associations and mailing lists provide community, and authors give away detailed "how to" courseware online. With thousands of decks on the market -- incorporating everything from the Life of Lord Buddha to subtle jabs at America's Favorite Fool -- your deck (even your virtual deck) is out there.
posted by MadeByMark at 8:39 AM PST - 26 comments

Happy Easter, everyone!
posted by DeepFriedTwinkies at 6:13 AM PST - 24 comments

The Tasmanian Tiger or thylacine [Thylacinus cynocephalus], a marsupial, was thought to have become extinct when the last known animal died in captivity from exposure in 1936. There have been numerous alleged sightings since. A German tourist supposedly photographed one recently (free reg.). Now there's a reward out for producing a live specimen but with prohibitive conditions requiring a permit that won't be issued. The thylacine cloning project has just been abandoned because the pup (from 1866) was kept in alcohol and not formalin - degrading the DNA.
posted by peacay at 3:40 AM PST - 16 comments

"Time: elusive and immediate...limited yet infinite. Because time is important to you, Hewlett-Packard introduces the HP-01, a new dimension in time management and personal computation." Truly, such an important model number could only be bestowed upon the king of all early calculator watches. No less than three batteries were required (two for the LED display alone), and even HP's impressive engineering was unable to save the HP-01 from the curse of bulkiness; it did not sell well at the $650 price point. The HP-01 was discontinued in 1980, as inexpensive LCD calculator watches began flooding the market (don't lie, you know you had one).
posted by Galvatron at 12:03 AM PST - 17 comments