The Week: June 8, 2012

It’s been a slow week here on the blog – forgive me for that. It’s been an insanely busy week in my life, and I suspect the two are related.

A lot happened this week that I absolutely MUST tell you about. But for now, you’ll just have to settle for the links.

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Ray Bradbury died this week. I happened to read his latest essay in The New Yorker – a beautiful and sad tribute to his grandfather – on the day that he passed away. Grab a tissue, and read it.

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In more sad news: Ray and Tom Magliozzi, of NPR’s “Car Talk”, are retiring after 25 years. I grew up listening to their show with my uncle Andy.

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My friend Pete explains the simple math behind why we don’t have enough leg room on airplanes.

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Whoa. Belgian information expert Paul Otlet may have come up with the concept for the internet back in 1934.

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For your visual pleasure: The New York Times compiles their favorite fashion Tumblr blogs.

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The most important question you will ask yourself today: are you a Chaos Muppet or an Order Muppet?

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It was only a matter of time before we started auto-tuning Mr. Rogers. The good news is that the result – an infectious and poetic song called “Garden of Your Mind” – is absolutely amazing.

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If you are even remotely related to the startup scene, you must read this, because it will make you giggle like mad: Prospectus for Silicon Valley’s Next Hot Tech IPO, Where Nothing Could Possibly Go Wrong (via Mc Sweeney’s).

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Rand recently introduced me to the music of The Tallest Man on Earth. Listen to “The King of Spain” – a folksy ballad about the transformative nature of love – and try not to swoon.

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And speaking of swooning – five Star Trek captains, photographed together at a convention in Philadelphia. Can someone tell me how Scott Bakula has managed to avoid aging? He looks amazing. Ditto for Picard.

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I must now go clean my house, which is a sty. See you on Monday!