Richard Branson revealed Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo this week. It won't be long now. tjc

New website: Rules of Thumb, "an easy-to-remember guide that falls somewhere between a mathematical formula and a shot in the dark." (via ReadWriteWeb) tjc

This is very interesting: a visually-stimulating graph of books that make you dumb, compiled from Facebook accounts using "favorite books" entries verse average SAT/ACT from college attended. Crime and Punishment, Lolita, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Freakonomics, and Catch 22 are all on the other side of the scale. There's three ways to view the graph. (h/t kottke) tjc

Seed Magazine drops cribsheets, including but are not limited to, light, genetics, string theory, extinction, hybrid cars, climate change and stem cells. glc

Scientific issues and innovations seem to creep into everyday conversation more than ever before. Recognizing that we could all use some expertise in hot science topics, Seed offers its Cribsheet.

I recently received my copy of Pearl Jam vs Ames Bros: 13 Years of Tour Posters, a book comprised of the band's 1995-2007 gig posters by artists Brad Klausen and the Ames Bros (artists Coby Schultz and Barry Ament). The book features features over 80 comments on individual posters from all five members of Pearl Jam, running commentary from the poster designers, and a forward by bassist Jeff Ament. If you are a PJ fan, then you know that these posters are hard to come by; I am lucky enough to own one. The book is a must-have for any Pearl Jam fanboy like myself. jmj

EDGE: Amphibians releases its list of ten of the most unusual and threatened amphibian species that need protection. jmj

From The NY Times: Is the Senate flirting with Bush's wiretapping plan to get information that the administration had previously withheld? I freaking hope so. We have three branches of government for a reason; it's called checks and balances. There is no reason a secret intelligence court shouldn't screen the eavesdropping of the N.S.A. And there is no way any company should be given immunity for acquiescing (AT&T is close) given that some companies, like Google, refused to give it up outright. tjc

ESPN columnist Chuck Klosterman analyzes perfection and the perception of the Patriots. Most everyone I know, that I've spoken with, is rooting for a Pats win this Super Bowl. I just don't understand that rationale; 19-0 is just not as interesting as 18-1. Chuck explains it perfectly. glc

Great new video for the Feist single "I Feel It All." All in one long tracking shot. I'm curious to know how long the planning took for the pyrotechnics and how many takes they needed to get it all right. Overall, an excellent video. Oh and I wonder if her 'dance' throughout was choreographed or not. I'm assuming not. All the better. glc

GOOD Magazine's Big Ideas! finishes up with the Useful Void. glc

...trivial and private information has died with people for millennia, the web--which has become a repository of everything both trivial and private about each of us--shouldn't change that potential for a "useful void".

Watch online or download the podcast: Arcade Fire doing "Neon Bible" in an elevator and "Wake Up" in concert from Les Concerts à Emporter (Shows To Go) de La Blogothèque. (thx Ze Frank) tjc... Also be sure to check out their cover of The Clash's "The Guns of Brixton," performed acoustically in the middle of the audience. Just choose 8. Guns at the top of this page. glc

People in San Diego are pretty sure they saw UFOs on New Year's Eve. The newscaster is trying to sell me on helicopters but I'm not buying it. tjc

Mental Floss charts and graphs some rap lyrics. tjc

I know we're Google-heavy, but Charlie Rose talks with New Yorker author Ken Auletta ("Search Party") about the dominance of Google, Google vs. Microsoft, why Yahoo is falling behind, Facebook's attempt to turn traffic in cash, and the fact that Bill Gates knew Google would come calling someday (before there was a Google). tjc

I hate to say this, but it's time Bill Clinton shuts his trap and just lets Hillary do her thing. jmj