Link Dump

Yet more links from the depths of the internet, as unearthed by my chain-smoking monkey research squad:

  • Air Warfare Expert Christine Fox – Fighter Pilots Call Her “Legs” – Inspires the New Movie Top Gun – Amazing 1985 article from the archives of People magazine, it’s filled with gems. “Cruise and McGillis meet during a lecture, and their love soars like a ground-to-air missile.” Heh. Oh, and by the way, Christine Fox? She’s just been named as acting deputy secretary at the Defense Department, basically the number two in command behind Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (she’ll be the highest-ranking woman in Pentagon history).
  • The meaning of “Doom” – A nice reflection on the importance of the video game Doom. Also of note, the book Masters of Doom, which chronicles the creation of Id and their many revolutionary games, with special focus on the two Johns (Carmack and Romero). Worth checking out if you have an interest in games or even just programming.
  • Milk, the Drink of Conquerors – Weirdly fascinating article. “Recent scientific discoveries suggest that the spread of farming across prehistoric Europe may have gone hand in hand with the increase in lactose tolerance.” Huh.
  • Inside the Book: Rube Goldberg – I have to admit, while I’m obviously very familiar with the infamous “Rube Goldberg Devices”, I’ve never known much about the man or his art (where he depicted those famous devices, but also lots of other interesting stuff). This video is admittedly limited in scope, but it makes me want to delve deeper into Goldberg’s work…
  • Medieval kids’ doodles on birch bark – It seems that some things never change. Even in the 13th century, young students would doodle when they got bored. Make sure to check the links to other doodles… Not to mention all the other junk that came along with these writings.
  • Why Shorter Men Should Go After Taller WomenAnd vice versa! I have never understood the steadfast insistence about this. But then, I’m only 5’6″, so it’s not like I would ever want to limit things so arbitrarily…

That’s all for now.