I subscribe to A-Word-A-Day by Wordsmith.org, which sends me daily vocabulary. Wordsmith is run by Anu Garg, a non-American-English speaker, which gives the site and it's words an archaic naïveté. Today's theme was apparently "words never to say at a craps game, unless you want to lose all your money." Our word for Wed. July 24 is ambsace.

Today's as good a day as any to clear out some of my old bookmarks.

When we bought our dilapidated house last year, I looked at the concrete lions flanking the front steps and considered more tasteful replacements. I went online in search of giant, wooden Tiki gods, and discovered that Tiki gods did not originate from Polynesia, as Walt Disney® would have us believe, but originated from Whittier, California. The Tiki form was the artistic styling of LeRoy Schmaltz, based on his interpretations of Maori idols. LeRoy Schmaltz and Bob Van Oosting design and produce ALL Tiki sculptures from their shop, Oceanic Arts. (You can read all about it in Night of the Tiki, illustrated by LeRoy Schmaltz and Shag - and let me say, nothing says "Bachelor Pad" like schmaltz and shag!) The Oceanic Arts page is part of Space Age City, which also features a photo journey through googie architecture.

Too young to fully appreciate Shag? Then pull out those old Dinky Toys and visit the 70's I grew up in at Fanderson, a site dedicated to the work of Gerry Anderson. (Jonathan Frakes - Star Trek:TNG's Will Reicher is slated to direct the live-action Thunderbirds movie for 2004.) Or go directly to Yesterdayland. That and a box of Quisp™, or maybe some Freakies™ and you're ready for Saturday morning.

As a Saint Louisan working in the Central West End, I have had the pleasure of watching Bob Jamerson dance his way down Kingshighway during my morning drives. During the schoolyear, Minna was fascinated by his performances and, especially, his ballerina outfits, which she covetted from the backseat. Finally, a fellow WUMS employee has begun collecting some of his performances at the official Bob Jamerson Fan Club website.

And, Jon says no "blog" is complete without a reference to the Infamous Exploding Whale Video. So, there it is.

Years back, when computer games were just starting to take advantage of the new VGA video mode, Mark & Hallie got "Life and Death II," a brain surgery simulation. At the beginning of each case, the player had to assess the condition of the patient and determine the correct course of treatment, which was usually non-surgical. Key to the assessment was the eye motion/responsiveness test, which we all became quite proficient at, especially for the simulated subdural hematoma. Now, you can simulate your own lateral, subdural hematoma at the UC Davis Eye Simulator. While cutting the various eye muscles is probably more useful in recognizing the more common complaints, knocking out the cranial nerves is much more satisfying, especially the oculomotor nerve (III). Hit both oculomotors, and the "Life and Death II" diagnosis is, "cocaine abuse."

How Much is Inside Stuff has to be one of the finest scientific websites going. The authors buy household items and demonstrate their capacities through various, ingenious methods. High on the list are aluminum foil (not aluminium) and blood (well, kinda). I wonder how much is inside that cool hat...