A fridge for off-the-grid, or even for when you need a littler fridge than is available. I wonder if it works in humid places? Commentary on BoingBoing points out some Quaker and Amish predecessors.

I looked up two words today:
Modal: a sort of fabric which I had never heard of before I bought my new shirt and
Spinel: I got a reproduction of a ring that’s in the Museum of London. The ring originally set with a spinel, mine is set with a garnet.

FP urges you to skank away your troubles!

In 1999, there was some momentum to call a Kuiper-Belt object a Kuiper-Belt object, but sentiment prevailed. Not even a compromise was accepted. At least one renegade flouted the IAU’s ruling.
Now, the discovery of Sedna, beyond even the Kuiper Belt, again highlights the silliness of calling Pluto a planet, and gives us another chance to use consistent criteria for determining planet status.

A little reverse web stalking shout-out to Jamie Jamison AKA niteowl (“That’s NITEOWL, dammit!”) for all his great writing back in the oldy moldy days of UWbb. Thanks to you and some other gun-friendly pals, I’m finally going to use a firearm this weekend. If I don’t break my ass from the kick of a rifle, thanks, man!

Not just because your socks will go all green, but you may find something extra in your luggage. Yikes!

All web users enjoy the number 404, and there are plenty of interesting 404 error messages out there. The kind folks at the 404 research lab have given us Area 404, where you can see many of the best, categorized for easier browsing. There is also 404 Headlines, where I found pointers to a cellphone-originated blog and creamedpeas, which seem to be creations of the same person. The most recent creamedpeas project was Confidential To:. A fair sample is this letter from an engaged woman to her chicken-shit best-friend who, it turns out, has wanted her all these years. But I recommend starting at the beginning and reading until you can’t take any more.
Update: this one cracked me up.

A Wiki cataloging of TV molecules. Okay, “Television Tropes, Idioms and Devices.” Among them, Phlebotinum, which I am under the impression was coined by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer writing staff.
(later: sorry, I’m dumb, lots of this stuff is from the Jossverse- it’s from Buffista org people.)
I must say, I know more than one person who will read this who could probably write a pretty definitive guide just on their own. And perhaps should. I’ll help with the research and footnotes.

It doesn’t take Inspector Morse to smell something funny about this Masonic Initiation mishap.

BC serial killer/pig farmer – sorry, accused serial killer/pig farmer – Robert Pickton may have mixed business with hobby.