Brilliant, accurate flyout view of the known universe, starting in Tibet and ending at the edge of the universe. I love that the endpoint shows the universe as a sphere floating in nothingness. I’ve never looked at it that way before:

Octopuses continue to climb the ladder of awesomeness. Check out the footage of this fellow who totes around a coconut shell to use as a hiding place.

Letters of Note has a letter from J.D. Salinger refusing to sell the rights for a movie adaptation of Catcher in the Rye.

Sugru looks totally awesome. It’s a moldable silicone putty that bonds with many materials. It cures at room temperature, is heat- and cold-resistant, waterproof, flexible, and can go in the dishwasher. Sold out at the moment, but I’m getting on the waiting list.

I just made Joe’s Favorite Paper Airplane, and it’s pretty sweet. Easy to fold, no cuts, nice flight, and durable enough for a solid hour of entertainment with my daughter. Started out innocent enough, but it pretty quickly devolved into a chase game where we’d fling it at each other.

Jon Udell puts his Kill-a-Watt and Wolfram|Alpha to good use, to express his electricity usage in more relatable terms.

Too funny, spiced with a pinch or three of sad: Obama Tells Nation He’s Going Out For Cigarettes.

Check the cinematic destruction of NYNY set to Rhapsody in Blue.

I will try not to link to every new thing he writes, but David Thorne is too damn funny to resist.

David Thorne’s correspondence with Blockbuster over late fees is a riot. I’m probably the last person to have heard of this guy though, as apparently he hit it pretty big a year ago with the seven-legged spider exchange (see news stories here and here).

Jon Ronson’s fantastic parenting story starts like so:

My eight-year-old son, Joel, comes into my office to ask if there’s a worse swearword than fuck. “No,” I say.

There’s a silence. “You’re lying,” he says.

“There’s none worse than fuck,” I say.

Joel narrows his eyes. “I know you’re lying,” he says. He leaves the room.

(via tmn)

I really like Public Gothic:

… and FFF Tusj:

… from Smashing Magazine’s 11/15 roundup of quality free fonts.