A surreal and supremely inane compendium of miscellaneous knowledge, Vol 5

Mark Frauenfelder 12:24 pm Mon Jul 30, 2007

200707301040 Concept cars of the past. (Via Neatorama)

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Video — 1961 Rural Civil Defense TV spots use marionettes. (Via Endless Parade of Excellence)

Blog Centerpullball How to wind a center-pull ball of yarn or twine.

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"Goblin's Ball" — creepy one-page comic story from 1962 horror comic.

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Rescued ducklings enjoy life in a teacup.

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Free ebooks: Three 1940s mystery novels "featuring private eye Doan and his remarkable sidekick, a gigantic fawn-colored Great Dane named Carstairs."

Reader comment:

Eric says: "I don't know if you're aware, but one of the novels you linked to a free ebook of, "The Mouse in the Mountain" by Norbert Davis, also called "Rendezvous with Fear," was one of Ludwig Wittgenstein's favorite novels, so much so that he almost wrote a letter to Davis, and loaned it to his students to read. (Reference: Ray Monk, The Duty of Genius, p. 528-529)"

Picture 5-25 Video — How psychic con artists use cold readings to bilk rubes.

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MP3s — Goobers: anthology of 26 kids songs by artists like Foetus and Tiny Tim.

Previously on Boing Boing:

• ASASICOMK, Vol 1

• ASASICOMK, Vol 2

• ASASICOMK, Vol 3

• ASASICOMK, Vol 4

Crafting a leather-bound 'spellbook' with traditional bookbinding techniques

“I made this huge leather bound "spellbook" with traditional bookbinding techniques,” says Nerdforge7 of NERDFORGE, on IMGUR. What an amazing project. READ THE REST
Why Satellites Stay in Orbit: Cool 1964 kids' science book

Years ago, I read a bit of advice in The Whole Earth Catalog, which said a great way to get up to speed on a subject you are interested in… READ THE REST
Astonish Yourself: 101 Experiments in the Philosophy of Everyday Life

I came across Astonish Yourself: 101 Experiments in the Philosophy of Everyday Life when I took my kids to the California Science Center in Los Angeles in 2009 and found… READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph

Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager

We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds

While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST