Looking at a list of branches of the Berkeley Public Library, I noticed the Tool Lending Library. I expected it to be a book library on Tool St. or something, but NO! They lend out tools. If I could get an electric snake from my library, I totally would.

If you want to be a beta-tester for Cook’s Illustrated recipes, sign up for their recipe tester program.
via Serious Eats.

A short film of age: 1 to 100, plus a drum. It’s really sweet, and actually makes aging look quite nice.

(a small selection)
American Folk Museum
American Museum of Natural History
Metropolitan
Cooper Hewitt
American Indian
Museum of Art and Design
Museum of the City of New York
New York Historical Society
NYPL

Lifehacker publishes tips on how to get our of voicemail hell (and phone menu hell) by pressing keys that will get you a human operator. I merely add the request that you make sure that you don’t already have the human operator you crave, since pressing buttons in her ear isn’t the way to super-friendly service. Just saying. Though it is interesting to see how many times you have to yell “Hello? Yes???” until they knock it off.

A wee proto-dalek.

A giant plastic bust of Lenin was found in Antarctica. Which reminds me that I must see if I can find out more about the Lenin medallions on the moon.

Later: Correction! Only some of them had Lenin on. They seem to be called “pennants” since they have a trailing ribbony thing, but they look a lot like explodey metal soccer balls. And having just seen two strange re-cuttings of a USSR SF film about landing on Venus, I am less surprised to see that the pennants made it to Venus, too.

My favorite part of the Oscars is watching the Cavalcade of Death, the tribute to the artists who died the previous year. The New York Times has their own cavalcade (but pictures for only 27 of them, including a very upsetting one of Marcel Marceau out of makeup). So far, my favorite is:

“Joseph E. Gallo, 87, winemaker who turned to cheese.”

What a tragic way to die!

It’s utter Xmas genius: one song, far too many artists. Something very like it may arrive in your Xmas mix disc next year…

Here are the books that Junior really likes in the book The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian:

The Grapes of Wrath
Catcher in the Rye
Fat Kid Rules the World
Tangerine
Feed
Catalyst
Invisible Man
Fools Crow
Jar of Fools