Links for April 14th through April 19th

This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on April 19, 2010). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.

Sometime between April 14th and April 19th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • The Alot Is Better Than You at Everything: "The Alot is an imaginary creature that I made up to help me deal with my compulsive need to correct other people's grammar. It kind of looks like a cross between a bear, a yak and a pug, and it has provided hours of entertainment for me in a situation where I'd normally be left feeling angry and disillusioned with the world."
  • The 120 Minutes Archive – Playlists, Videos, and Interviews From MTV’S Classic Alternative Music Series: "Since 2003, we've been traveling back through time to rediscover and preserve the history of the legendary MTV U.S. series, 120 Minutes, which played alternative music videos with VJs, guests, and live performances, as well as its official successor, Subterranean on MTV2. Music videos still exist, of course, but it's just not the same. We want to remember some of MTV's better moments, so we've assembled an incredible archive of playlists, videos, and interviews."
  • Christ, It Works for Everything: "It was recently theorized that all New Yorker cartoons could be captioned with 'Christ, what an asshole' without compromising their comedic value. I discovered this is true of virtually all comics, old and new."
  • How Apple Designed the iPad Out in the Open: "Like military research that eventually ends up in consumer tech, Apple's drive to invent the iPad trickled into its old computers. The big difference is that military research is top-secret. In this rare case, the famously tight-lipped Apple put every part of the iPad out in the open, years before it was ever announced."
  • NOVA | The Pluto Files | Hate Mail From Third Graders: "'It's not easy being a public enemy,' writes Neil deGrasse Tyson in his book The Pluto Files. When Neil's museum grouped Pluto not among the planets but rather with icy comets in an obscure region called the Kuiper Belt, he heard from thousands of outraged Pluto defenders. It's tough being called a heartless Pluto-hater, particularly by a dismayed eight-year-old. Below, peruse a few of the letters elementary schoolkids sent Neil, and see how their tone shifted over the years, as the public slowly came to accept Pluto's fall from planethood."