Link dump for July 5th, 2009 through August 7th, 2009:

• I'll die before the endgame, says Terry Pratchett – This is a hard one to read, but I agree with him wholeheartedly. The rightto die, and die with dignity, is one we should deny to no one.
  "I am enjoying my life to the full, and hope to continue for quite some time. But I also intend, before the endgame looms, to die sitting in a chair in my own garden with a glass of brandy in my hand and Thomas Tallis on the iPod – the latter because Thomas's music could lift even an atheist a little bit closer to Heaven – and perhaps a second brandy if there is time.
  Oh, and since this is England I had better add: 'If wet, in the library.'
  Who could say that is bad? Where is the evil here?"
• The Incredible Century-Old Color Photography of Prokudin-Gorsky | Quazen – Gorgeous photos using an innovative color process, kne hundred years ago. Thanks to my darling wife for the link.
• The blue and the green – Fascinating optical illusion. I love the way our brains can totally fool us.

Coleman concedes Senate race; Pawlenty to sign certificate | Minnesota Public Radio NewsQ – Coleman concedes! Woohoo! Finally, we can be fully represented. I may not think Franken will be a perfect senator (who could be, in this day an age?), but at least he is a senator.

Link dump for June 12th, 2009 through June 30th, 2009:

• Senate recount: After unanimous ruling for Franken, attention shifts to Pawlenty — and Coleman – Finally, a ruling. But no real resolution, since the supremes didn't actually tell Pawlenty to issue the certificate. Oh well… We've waited this long, right?
• Grilled Cheesecake: A Sweet Take on a Classic Sandwich – Or, as I'd like to think of it, a heart-attack sandwich. Of course, I'd also like to think of it as delicious. But I would never have more than one bite.
• Ten Movies to Watch Instead of Star Trek – "…check out some movies that tackled science fiction just as well as the new Trek (and often better)."
  A good list of flicks that I would definitely prefer to watch instead of the new Trek. I know I'm in the minority amongst my friends as far as that goes (and probably the only one who hasn't seen it so far). But there you go. At least it's snark you can laugh along to.

Link dump for April 29th, 2009 through June 10th, 2009:

• Coaxing bees into making honeycomb sculpture – I'm not sure how I feel about this ethically (actually, I'm pretty conflicted about this ethically), but it is gorgeous. If you could convince me that the pieces were constructed without harming the bees, I would say this was an amazing cross-species collaboration.
• Medusa as a Young Girl – I think it would be fun to have pets on my head!
• Bachmann compares gays to pedophiles on hate crimes bill – Argh! This woman just makes me so mad sometimes: “[A]pparently people who are practicing pedophiles would be considered protected under this legislation, but not, I understand, veterans, not, I understand, pregnant women, not, I understand, 85-year-old grandmothers would be protected under this law,” she said. “But who would be protected? A pedophile, someone who considers themselves gay, someone who considers themselves transgender, someone who considers themselves a cross-dresser? That is who is protected.”

Link dump for April 26th, 2009 through April 29th, 2009:

• Let’s Hear It for the Bees – An illuminating column about Honeybees and circadian rhythms. "Honeybees really are nature’s little treasures."
• Magic and the Brain: Teller Reveals the Neuroscience of Illusion – Absolutely brilliant.
  "Every time you perform a magic trick, you're engaging in experimental psychology," Teller says. "If the audience asks, 'How the hell did he do that?' then the experiment was successful. I've exploited the efficiencies of your mind."
• Cure For Honey Bee Colony Collapse? –

Link dump for April 23rd, 2009 through April 24th, 2009:

• Steampunk Segway ( Legway ) – Too freakin' cool!
• Pew Poll on Obama at almost 100 days: Approved of, but even more liked – "As he approaches the 100-day mark of his presidency, Barack Obama’s job approval ratings are higher than those of his most recent predecessors. However, the 44th president is even more distinguished by his strong personal popularity. Fully 73% of Americans – including as many as 46% of Republicans – hold a favorable view of Obama as a person. Fewer people held favorable impressions of George W. Bush (61%) and Bill Clinton (60%) early in their first years."
• Bachmann: DHS head should resign if she believes ‘rightwing extremists’ report – More tasty tidbits from MN's favorite wacko: "To consider whole blocks of the American electorate somehow a threat to American security [...] It is like a hammer coming down on interest group after interest group that apparently the Obama administration perceives as a threat to us all."

Link dump for April 6th, 2009 through April 22nd, 2009:

• It's what you do, Governor, not what you say – "Gov. Pawlenty, in a recent Weekly Republican Address responding to President Obama, stated, "And let's get control of our national debt, so future generations aren't burdened with unbearable taxes." In Minnesota, unfortunately, the governor has proposed just the opposite."
• Franken wins today’s vote tally 198-111, giving him 312-vote lead – No comment necessary, I believe…
• Weave your own Tartan – For Tartan Day…

Link dump for March 26th, 2009 through March 30th, 2009:

• How Old Are You Really? Can You Pick Up a Pencil? – A nice, and slyly funny, alternative to the Real Age test.
• WineHaven Winery and Vineyard – One of our favorites, and we just found out they're local! Expect us to take at least one short roadtrip to the Chisago Lakes area this summer for a tasting (wine-loving family members in tow, of course).
• The Perfect Gift – For those of us without kids, we can ignore the bits about parenthood and enjoy this really insightful blog post about happiness.
  "Perhaps happiness is interesting, because it isn’t, in fact, simple, or uncomplicated. Perhaps the real thing isn’t just a Hallmark card sentiment.
  "For me, I realized in that moment, happiness is inextricably bound up in striving. In straining for achievement, of whatever kind. In having a challenge and making it to the other side.
  "It doesn’t much matter what the challenge or object of achievement is."
• Michele Bachmann fabricates middle-class tax hikes – "Rep. Bachmann, Republican, is a "fool for anti-tax arguments." And she is prone, as in the cramdown example, to take things that have nothing to do with taxes, and declare them to be the moral equivalent of tax hikes. She is truly, madly, deeply anti-tax (also anti-gay marriage). And it may be that, for many of her supporters who share those aversions, that's enough.

  But there ought to be some minimal respect for honesty and factuality that we demand of our elected officials. "

• Slow Gardening Ramps Up – Easy, Cheap and Green – NYTimes.com – "EVEN if you lack outdoor space, you can grow something — basil or rosemary, for instance, in a sunny window. It may not seem like much, “but if you have somebody over and you’re chopping something real quick, you can say, Hand me a piece of that basil,” said Felder Rushing, a noted garden writer and speaker. “That’s all it takes to get that feeling of connection to the land.” "

Link dump for March 21st, 2009 through March 25th, 2009:

• Coleman has been afforded due process – I enjoyed this good, concise, op-ed piece by former secretary of state Joan Anderson Growe. I'm sure a Coleman supporter may feel otherwise, but she has some really good points.
  "This election, however, was held under laws and rules that have been clear to everyone from the beginning. Former Sen. Coleman has taken ample advantage of his rights to hold the results up to unprecedented scrutiny. So, while he and his supporters will surely be disappointed if he does not win his contest, they cannot claim that they were not afforded due process."
• When It Comes To Shampoo, Less Is More – Thanks to my tipster wife for the link. This is how I have felt for quite a while now. My hair is fine if I wash it once a week (but I do have my mixed heritage to give me a but of a boost there). I simply can't imagine washing more often, and how that would just strip the heck out of my poor hair. It's delicate enough as it is (again, mixed heritage). Plus the expense would be horrendous.
• Sugar Is Back on Food Labels, This Time as a Selling Point – “The argument about which is better for you, sucrose or HFCS, is garbage. Both are equally bad for your health.”
• Memo dishware – Oh it's be neat-o to have one of those lined-paper-inspired trays. It'd be like eating off a note pad! Tee!
• Parody Motivator Generator – Make your own "Demotivator" poster thanks to Despair, Inc.

Link dump for March 5th, 2009 through March 17th, 2009:

• Pawlenty's budget forecast assumes property tax hikes – "[Rep. Paul Marquart, DFL-Dilworth] said the public understands the link between Pawlenty's budget and property taxes.
  'And they know that it's state action that's causing that. Whether it's not funding schools properly, or outright cuts to local government aid or county program aid, they know the connection,' said Marquart. 'When people talk about no new taxes, that's not accurate because property taxes have gone up $3.1 billion in this state.' "
• Pawlenty admits budget will hike property taxes $600 million – "Gov. Tim Pawlenty's budget assumes $626 million in local property tax hikes over the next three years stemming from his local government aid cuts… Pawlenty troops say he's not to blame because locals do the hiking."
• xkcd titlts at wind turbines –
• Michelle Obama’s Message – Eat Fresh Food –
• Eating Well on a Downsized Food Budget – "Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo … found that basing the family diet on low-calorie, high-nutrient foods not only improved the health of the entire family but also reduced the amount spent on food."