Friday Links

Ray Bradbury, the legendary author of Fahrenheit 451, died this week at age 91. I never read much of his work beyond Fahrenheit, but that was enough. His dystopian image of a human family living in a room where every visible surface is a television screen, will stay with me forever. Bradbury never went to college, and called himself “completely library educated…I discovered me in the library.” He will be missed.

A few weeks ago I discovered Delanceyplace, and I’ve been hooked ever since. The concept is simple: you subscribe (as easy as typing in your e-mail and clicking a button), and then they send you a short passage every weekday that explores some new and fascinating topic. The topics are wildly eclectic – today’s was Nietzsche, and yesterday’s was about how most soldiers in battle deliberately miss when they shoot at real people. You can browse the archives for free. Give it a try!

You may have heard that you can make yourself sneeze by looking at the sun. But did you know that it’s a genetic trait, which only about 20-30% of the population has? Or that it may also be triggered by eating a big meal? It’s called the photic sneeze reflex, and it’s far more interesting than I ever suspected.

This Dilbert strip dates all the way back to 1993, but it’s one of my favorites of all time. Sometimes the simple jokes are the best.

TIME this week reports on a bizarre new national golf tournament. Bizarre because it takes place in the most secluded and autocratic nation in the world, North Korea, which only has one golf course. In the entire country.

Finally this week, Questionable Content offers a refreshingly upbeat take on the Singularity.

Have a great weekend. Over and out!