Friday Fun Video: Merry Xmas from HMS Ocean

Apparently the heirs to Nelson's navy love Mariah Carey!  Here's a bit more info about these singing sailors returning from deployment just in time for the holidays.  Kudos and welcome home.  More from the BBC. UPDATE: Mariah loves the video!   Of course, now I have this song stuck in my head.  Problems.

MM in the Kitchen: Bibimbap

A delicious Korean recipe.

Awesome: Biggest Black Holes Ever Discovered

That really sucks!

Nerd News: Research Rigmarole Rat Race

We're totally screwed?  Yeah, we're totally screwed.  A lot of contemporary scholarship is bunk too -- and badly written bunk at that.  (Of course, my research is awesomely awesome, natch!  Hahaha!  Nerdpocalypse Now, a juggernaut of footnotes, rolls on.)

Another Da Vinci Code Kerfuffle

Whatever?

Toy Story: Famous Battles in Miniature

"It's only a model."   "Shhhhh!"   Be sure to see the image gallery.

The World's 50 Most Delicious Foods

Let the debate begin!

Programming Note: Exam Season Starts Now

This means that I will be sleepless, exhausted, and wildly alternating among being absorbed in fury, disinterest, and/or snarky despair.  And now here is a lolcat for the occasion:

LOL: Recycling

Talk about repurposing -- use those empty beer cans as hair curlers!

LOL: Disney Princesses as Cover Girls

This is pretty darn funny.  Check out the cover girl version of Jasmine from "Aladdin":

Satire Alert: The Onion Vs. the 24/7 News Cycle

There's some salty language involved, but the satire is spot-on:

Breaking News: Some Bullsh*t Happening Somewhere

Nerd News: Campus Salaries

So who's raking in the dough on campus?  Hint: it's not really the people who do the teaching.

Couch Potato Chronicles: The Doctor Who Christmas Special

More tantalizing hints from Steven Moffat.

People Who Live in Glass Houses ...

... shouldn't throw stones.  The saying might not apply to hermit crabs ...

The Curtain Falls on RAF Search and Rescue

See this.  A thought from the report:

“... Everyone who’s looked up and seen a big yellow helicopter with RAF Rescue written on it – you can’t get better than that.  It connects the armed forces with the society from which they are drawn.  Or rather, it did.”

Here is the official website for RAF Search and Rescue.  The end of the road after 60 years?  Some thoughts on possible implications.

Minifig Madness: the Love of LEGO

4 billion minifigs and counting!  (On a related note, look at this awesomeness.)

LOL: Dilbert on Clueless Protesters

Oh, delightful Dilbert.  Click to enlarge.

Nerd News: "Don't Identify Yourself as 'Asian' On College Apps"

Yet another depressing/infuriating story about stupid identity politics, academic stereotyping, and race-based bias in college admissions. It's always nice to be reminded that I'm just one of those "boring academic robots."  Yes, the story uses that actual phrase!

"He Said, She Said" Now "He Texted, She Texted"?

Occupy Practical Reality

I present this news story without further comment.