The ArtCyclopedia is a wonderful resource for artists from classic to contemporary. I was surprised at how well represented the artists I looked for were, though they were not particularly popular.

How to shop (and how not to shop) in a music/video store, but many of the examples fit ALL stores. Particularly at this time of the year. Particularly when people like me, for whom shopping is as stressful as flying a combat mission, also have to shop. A lot.

Fantasy Jazz combines many of the greatest jazz label into one massive catalog. But their web site has some useful information. I particularly like the Picks section, where Jazz musicians and authors choose their ten favorites…

See what it looks like to break the sound barrier…

You know how movie trailers are often better than the movies themselves? Well, now you can see trailers that don’t have any movie attached to spoil the fun… TrailerVision: trailers for movies that don’t exist and spoofs of existing movies. Check out, for example, Kung Fu Jesus.

Did you know there were no reindeer named “Donner” or “Blitzen”? That Rudolph was invented by a department store? Many more entertaining myths exposed, debunked (or, more rarely, verified) at Snopes.Com Christmas Papers

I love the way the word “brand” means so many different, related, thing. There is a lot of fascinating history and information (any myth debunking) about various famous brand names to be found in the Interbrand Profiles pages. Red Bull? Harry Potter? Aston Martin? Blue Note? Learn something about each one you didn’t know…

I’m back to Fairbanks after four days of travel and family. It was fun, but I’m glad to be back to my own bed!

I never knew how good I had it at school until I saw this announcement…

I have to admit to having more fun than I should have browsing through Forbes’ lists of richest people. I particularly like the Top Celebrity lists, the “From the Crypt” lists, the biggest drop-offs (tech bust, anyone?), and the “Tales of the Tape” where the hot matchups, like Oprah vs. Martha Stewart are examined.