1) The giant squid was filmed for the first time. They're saving the film for TV, but here are some photos. And, while you're at it, check out this squid photo album.
2) Want to braid your hair like a Roman Vestal Virgin? Janet Stephens, a "Baltimore hairdresser and amateur archaeologist," has figured out how; she even includes a video. And, for those of us who do not have waist-length hair, and/or who are merely curious, here is her series of videos on other classical styles.
3) So far, I haven't gotten hold of the books mentioned in the terracotta warrior article I linked to earlier, but I have found a good PBS documentary on China's Terracotta Warriors on Secrets of the Dead. The whole video is up online. One interesting bit: They used face recognition software to confirm that each of the eight thousand soldiers they scanned is, in fact, an individual. No mass production there!
4) It's not often you get to be both awed and amused. Everyone involved in this program to make fake poop seems to be in that state. Read about it in Christie Wilcox 's article in Scientific America: Fake Feces To Treat Deadly Disease: Scientists Find They Can Just Make Sh*t Up. And, no, it's not just her. There's no way anyone brewing rePOOPulate in a RoboGut isn't laughing--and, yes, it also helps treat a deadly disease, and it's pretty impressive.
5) And while we're on the subject, here's a nice Io9 article on Why coffee makes you poop. Actually, some bits of this are rather "eeew," but it's kind of interesting and it fit waaay to well with rePOOPulate to ignore.
6) It turns out that there were upstairs, indoors privies in Pompeii. See "Ancient Pompeians Could Go Upstairs to Pee on LiveScience for details. I include this partly because of the theme that inadvertently got started back there and also because it tends to get too easy to assume that "those people" who lived long ago were somehow less adept than we nice, civilized modern people. Of course they weren't.
The article also includes a link to a 2011 Gallery of the World's Toilets. Why not?
So, go forth inspired! (or something). Oh, and Thursday's review? That was already scheduled, and I'd forgotten it was for this week.
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