The Week in Links

Geeking Out (Nerdy Links for Nerdy People)



The Most Coveted Shoes in Geek History
Nike has officially announced that it will be selling the self-lacing Nikes that Marty McFly wore in Back to the Future II. The teaser video features Christopher Lloyd reprising his role as Doc Brown. The limited edition shoes will be auctioned off via eBay to benefit the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research.

Now get cracking on those hoverboards, guys.


Read the full story on the blog Slashfilm: http://www.slashfilm.com/producer-frank-marshall-teases-big-back-future-announcement/


Use the Catnip, Luke!
Sometimes, it's difficult to remember what the internet is intended for. Other than the widespread distribution of both the obvious and naughty, it seems to primarly serve as a clearinghouse for pictures of kittens and Star Wars references... which really makes this seem inevitable somehow.



Book Arts (Random Acts of Literacy)
Even Better than the Animalympics!
Last week (Okay, I'm a little late with this one) the Royal Shakespeare Company unveiled their contribution to the 2012 Olympic Games.  In what they're calling the "Cultural Olympiad", they will hold a worldwide celebration of Shakespeare, featuring players from around the globe, translating the Bard's oeuvre into their native tongues.

The game is afoot!
(BBC)

We found him!
Construction workers building a new wing for Seattle Children's Hospital have erected a giant statue of Waldo which they move around the construction site. Children in the hospital have made it a daily game to spot the fugitive in the nerd glasses.  In addition, three of the construction workers are dressing as Waldo as they work.

Hope he's wearing a hard hat under that beanie.
http://www.seattlechildrens.org/media/news-detail.aspx?id=477640

Striking Whimsy Into The Hearts of Literary Scotland
A book artist is stalking the stacks of Edinburgh libraries. A exquisite array of sculptures that have been cut and formed from books (which the artist presumably brought with them rather than pulled off the shelves) are being left anonymously in Scottish libraries, addressed to the librarians by their Twitter names.

There's somethting odd about this whole thing. "This is the object of your life's work, cut up and re-formed into something else." Only in the book world would this be OK.  (Don't try this at your neighborhood butcher's, for instance.)
http://community.thisiscentralstation.com/_Mysterious-paper-sculptures/blog/4991767/126249.html



Language Arts (Play with your words.)

"That's So Mysto: What Makes Slang Stick?" From Slate


 He Who Would Pun Would Pick a Pocket... or Attempt Murder?

see more So Much Pun

In all Seriousness
Banned Book Week is Coming up in one week's time. The American Library Association's "Office of Intellectual Freedom" has unveiled a new website and there will be a "Virtual Read Out" where we, the literate, will demonstrate for he doubters that it is possible to read things they don't approve of and retain our health, our souls, and our sanity.

It begins September 24 and you will find this blog occupied as usual with the freedom of the intellectual.  I will be participating by reading either Catch 22 or some Shel Silverstein.
http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/



An Inspirational Video