Image courtesy the Associated Press

• Jaw-dropping art carved from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and medical journals.
• Fantastic shadow art of severed heads composed from, suitably, taxidermy and trash.
• The 100 best opening lines according to Stylist.co.uk. Looks like they forgot one -

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

• Little libraries! If only I were a carpenter (and lived somewhere else, where something like this would take off).
• Michael Chabon discusses the bias against science-fiction. Love him!
• If you’re of the geek or nerd persuasion and haven’t subscribed to the Nerdist channel on YouTube, you should. Is it weird that the show I’m most looking forward to is Rob Zombie’s?
• Wil Wheaton’s list of things every person should have.
• And I know you’ve seen it by now, but … an excerpt from Wesley Crusher, Teenage Fuck Machine.
• Francesca Lia Block is in a battle with Bank of America over her home. You can stay updated at Save Francesca’s Faerie Cottage. I really hope things work out; we’re facing the same situation and it’s enough to drive anyone mad.
• Steampunk Thing! How cool would it be to have one of these attached (and working, of course)?
• Here’s why Cinderella III: A Twist in Time is the best Disney sequel. I’m still cackling.
• Mark your calendars: The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King (4/24), another tale in the Dark Tower saga, and Railsea by China Miéville (5/15), a salvagepunk retelling of Moby Dick.

I now have two favorite commercials …

© Chango Blanco

• In honor of National Clown Week (and nobody told me?!), here’s a slideshow of historic clown photos courtesy of Slate.
• Check out the smashing new Dr. Sketchy’s site, complete with branch profiles and full search capability.
• Support budding young writers, support the Desert Island Supply Co. in Birmingham, Alabama.
• The Uniform Project is in its second year with a new “Pilots” series. Funds raised for this month’s project will benefit Blair Grocery, a school in New Orleans’s Lower 9th Ward.
• Jenny of Fashion for Writers rants about the blatant Orientalism in Dior’s new ad campaign, “Shanghai Dreamers.”
• Beth Hommel, personal assistant to Amanda Palmer and all around superstar, has written about her battle with depression. For anyone who’s been there or feels they’re on the brink, read the comments. They’re inspiring.
• The Cassini probe captures Alpha Centauri, the sun’s nearest star system, while photographing Saturn. From 80 million x 330,000 miles away!
• These tiny sculptures carved into pencil tips by Dalton Ghetti are astounding.
• Prop 8 overturned!
• Etsy recs: Ugly Art Dolls by Ugly Shyla, Rustic Goth, tracemyface design, and Midnight Zodiac Leather Works.

Gas masks; abandoned houses; cemeteries at night; cryptozoology; tiny sailboats against a stormy backdrop; foxfire; reconstructed dolls; snagging a rad black dress for $1; skulls; creative jack-o-lanterns; clunky doorknockers; cocoa butter; the sunset reflected in a window; pinstripes; the sound of coyotes howling in the field next door; Hunter S. Thompson’s photography; fairy tale retellings (“Snow, Glass, Apples” by Neil Gaiman is a favorite); black boots; hot chocolate; surprise food in the mail; laughing at the costume selection in Wal-Mart and wandering the aisles in what I think was an ogre mask; chipped nail polish; BLT sandwiches; sweet iced tea; new neighbors.

© Hunter S. Thompson

© Chris J*

• Scientologists banned from editing Wikipedia entries. The funniest part? Wikicourt.
• Tweet the Meat is my new favorite twitterzine.
• Ten of the greatest moments from Leno’s run on the Tonight Show.

The Kevin Bacon Movie Club from Kevin Bacon

The shot above was taken on our trip down Three-Legged Lady Road in Columbus, Mississippi. Locals claim to have seen a tractor cruising through the woods in the dead of night and a disheveled woman with three legs who runs alongside your car until you reach a set of train tracks. I saw none of these things, tracks included, but I did see a lot of standing water and graffiti. Oh, and one squirrel.

Entertaining links from the past couple of weeks:

• Rain in Spain shows traces of cocaine.
• The Icarus Project is an organization of 8,000 individuals living with and embracing mental illness. I love the accompanying artwork.
• Burglars flee from woman wielding a bowl of chili and a broom.
• American Idol finale reaction videos: 1, 2, 3, 4. ‘Course, nothing will ever beat last year’s.