Interesting but not for work

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate on 27 Feb
“Natural selection” and “survival of the fittest”. Two phrases that have misled many about the true nature of evolution... more

Welcome to Mars has absolutely nothing to do with chocolate and everything to do with fun on another planet. Go try it.

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate on 6 November
Why do Fred Astaire's old movies still shimmer with glamour and enchantment, why do so many still find that the sight of him casts a lovely lilting glow?... more

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate on 25 January
Bankers out of work might consider becoming chefs. But no Madoff types, please: cooking the books isn't the right experience for cooking coq au vin... more

Saudi court rejects plea to annul 8-year-old girl's marriage to 58-year-old man
via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder (via Anorak) on 23 December
The divorce plea was filed in August by the girl's divorced mother with a court at Unayzah, 220 kilometres (135 miles) north of Riyadh just after the marriage contract was signed by the father and the groom. "She doesn't know yet that she has been married," the lawyer said then of the girl who was about to begin her fourth year at primary school.

Friday fun via Science, Engineering & Technology Blog by Anne on 16 January
Check out your knowledge of places and countries around the world with the Travel IQ game from Travelpod.

And another thing... via The Adam Smith Institute Blog on 15 January
Spending a penny at London's King's Cross station now costs 30p – equivalent to 72 old pennies. It just shows you how far governments have trashed our money.
It is not always the fault of government! And unless you're absolutely busting you can walk to St Pancras International and pay a visit for free.

Website lets you measure your contractions online via Popgadget: Personal Tech for Women on 12 January Via Bloom
In 2009, there's a high probability that any mother-to-be will be within reach of a computer when labor begins, so the Contraction Master website is a genius idea. Instead of having to time contractions yourself, you simply go to the website, click your spacebar when a contraction begins and again when it ends, and the site lets you know how far apart your contractions are, how long they last, and all that other important info. And all for free.

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate on 15 November
Has our political life really changed very much since Shakespeare's day? Maybe it has regressed back towards it, having moved away only for a century or two... more

Friday fun via Science, Engineering & Technology Blog by Anne on 5 December
This resource from the Centre for Teaching Mathematics, University of Plymouth, titled Puzzles to get the brain working, provides ten illustrated, mathematical brain teasers.

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