This weekend I happened to catch Disney's Pinocchio with my little niece Sarah. As the movie progressed, I found myself becoming more anxious, uneasy, and stressed but for no obvious reason. Then the donkey scene started and all the little boys started turning into self-proclaimed jackasses. And I remembered becoming, much as I did this past weekend, totally freaked out by this part as a kid. The donkeys' screams and squealing voices are seriously demented. I'd like to know where Pinocchio stands on the hierarchy of f'ed up Disney films. Needless to say my sister and bro-in-law decided that Pinocchio would be a one-and-done affair for little Sarah. glc... Well, there's Bambi's mother getting killed by hunters, the trippy pink elephants when Dumbo gets drunk, the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz (not Disney), and Willy Wonka's boat scene (the original, also not Disney). But Return to Oz has all of those beat. It is by no means a kid's movie. It's not safe for anyone who would want to watch it. Shock therapy, crazy roller people, and heads in jars. Also Jack likes to call Dorothy, "Mom." Need I say more? tjc

GOOD Magazine presents the TED effect in a handy-dandy visual aid. TED is our drug of choice, what can we say. glc... Speak for yourself. Music is my drug of choice, TED is merely my mistress. tjc

Plug-in Hybrids. The car of the future changing the face of the Green movement. A daily overnight charge would cost roughly a dollar and provide you 40 miles worth of gas-free driving. Equipped with a gasoline switch over once your battery runs out. Since most Americans drive less then 40 miles a day, your gas consumption could potentially decrease to zero. And for those that want to know, it accelerates like a cheetah, though quietly. glc

Guinan's Pub and Country Store, a mainstay in Garrison, NY for three generations, will be closing its doors at the end of this month. According to Wall Street Journal columnist Gwendolyn Bounds, Guinan's Pub became a home for her when she lost hers due to the September 11, 2001 attacks. She has also penned a book about the pub's unique history. I'm taking a road trip this Saturday. jmj

For your consideration: urban surfing. tjc

Snarkmarket is at it again, this time bringing you the goods on topics such as the English language visually presented, aging drum bangers, The Atlantic's renaissance, sci-fi as the last great literature of ideas and EveryBlock. We'll work on creating a blog roll on the site so you can visit these hot spots at your leisure. glc

Scientific American invites you to meet your virtual doppelganger. glc

From Strange Maps, Sir Ebenezer Howard's plan for a slumless, smokeless city circa ~1900. glc

North American and European scientists are saying that the lengths of index and ring fingers can be clues about a variety of characteristics, including musical ability, athletic prowess, and osteoarthritis risk. jmj

I very much enjoyed author Steven Johnson's (The Ghost Map, Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter) take on the Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses. tjc

A splendid little memoir on the building of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. As the author points out, watching it being built was akin to watching God playing with his erector set. Though, apparently, native islanders didn't much approve of the project and the subsequent after-effects. On a personal note, I had one of the most memorable moments of my life driving along that bridge late at night heading from Brooklyn to Philadelphia this past summer, one of those moments when it hits you how alone every person really is. A dark night and a deserted bridge will help with that. glc

This is what life has come to: Cranium, early nights, and farmer's markets. tjc

This series of drawings depicting 'philosophy' reads like the old Powers of Ten video from grade school. tjc

ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski takes a look back at his 2007 NFL preseason predictions. Not many prognosticators of any kind do such an extensive review. Definitely appreciated. glc

Five-time world amateur wrestling champion Saori Yoshida's 119-match win streak has come to an end. The defeat was her first since 2001. jmj

As part of a cover contest, this is a chronological and annotated photo mosaic of New Yorker covers depicting Eustace Tilley, the monocled icon of the publication since its first issue in 1925. tjc