Walker’s Library: The metal spherical object is Sputnik

Jay Walker strides across roads where there are no crosswalks. And he collects the history of the human imagination as he goes. The entrepreneur and founder of priceline.com (among other things) has amassed a wealth of trinkets, books, and gadgets. Star atlases from hundreds of years ago, gold trimmed books, a moon of the globe signed by astronauts who visited it, a machine for drafting the Enigma code. Read an interview with Walker here. But there is sadly no mention of when the library will open to the public.

1. If I am that confused or drunk, how will I figure out how to enable this feature? I can barely figure out the Gmail settings tabs when I’m sober. Answer: Google is one step ahead. Once enabled, the default setting only enables the feature at night on weekends.

2. In mathematics proficiency, the U.S. ranks very poorly. Is this just a clever way to reduce traffic on American servers?

Stuffed with your choice of goodness!

The Ebelskiver filled pancake pan is now better than ever! No more hot hands; it now comes with a stay cool handle. Chowhound has some useful tips and discussion on how to make your own. Or get a history lesson on the delicious treats here. Pancakes are a wonderfully delicious money-saving breakfast. But who’s to say the need to be flat? Stuff in some ebelskiver extra and round ‘em up. It’s a perfect Danish treat, but its not a danish.

Abu Dhabi plans to invest over $1 billion to develop its film and media industries. The plan is colloquially known as Imagination Studios, and officially named “Abu Dhabi Image Nation.” Currently, it has a three point-plan: (1) Partner with independent Hollywood studios to release at least 8 pictures a year; (2) Produce movies targeting Arab audiences; and (3) Produce original web-based content. The media is in the making in the UAE. And Mer-chan is planning to join the fun. Check back for updates as Mer-chan relocates to Dubai.

Just two days ago, we gave a shout out to Kanye West’s new puppet theater, but we’ve never thanked the master of muppets himself. Luckily, the Smithsonian is one step ahead of us. They recently honored Jim Henson with a full exhibit. It’s still open through this weekend, so head on down if you haven’t seen it already.

Puppets are a perfect mix of fluffy, cute, and DIY technology. And you can even comb their hair!!! It’s their three-dimensionality and stringiness that makes them so cuddlesome. Just imagine how boring it would be to comb a cartoon’s hair with a Wii remote!

Waiting for a good comb!

It’s time once again to tick-tock our interest in clocks. Hours: Minutes: Seconds. And this time, it’s the Cambridge chornophage that tickles our fancy. The clock features a little temporal beastie that eats up each second as it spirals away. But don’t let the blinking lights fool you. There are no digital signals here. In true steampunk style, the chronophage is 100% mechanical. And it chews like clockwork!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoLE8FmooIM

The missing ladybug robot

What happened to Ladybug robot? About a week ago, a very strange little video appeared on Youtube. It featured a young girl with a secret science lab disguised as a barn. She built a cybernetic German Shepard. And apparently, she built herself. At the end of the video, we learn that the girl is really a robot. Operated by a ladybug. The clip was described as “20 seconds of weirdness you have to see” and “the best 20 seconds ever captured anywhere in the history of filmmaking.” It began to have quite a bit of buzz on the internet. Then Zap! It disappears from Youtube. Where are you Ladybug robot?