a reminder and a truly random question for the Internet braintrust

Just a quick reminder that I'm moving toward filtering my posts a little bit more. You can get a quick breakdown and ask to be added to stuff here. I've been easing into using them, so if you're not on something (or want to make sure you're on something) ask.

And now, my promised random question for the LJ braintrust:

Disembodied (not necessarily severed) heads in myth and folklore: who's got 'em? Where do I start looking? I'm especially interested in incorporeal heads/apparitions, stories about women's heads speaking, and bonus points for any of these with red hair or strange (animal's?) eyes.

Friday Linkdump

Today, if you’re unaware, is the National Day of Silence, which aims to raise awareness of anti-LGBTQ bullying, name-calling, and harassment. It’s a bit late to encourage anyone to participate, but if you’ve got some time, please visit the website and read a little bit about the issue, and why it’s important.

Alternately, you can check out this great collection of photos of transfolk (and accompanying article) over at CNN.com.

I’m not on CNN.com, but I really liked the idea, so have a random author photo taken with a really terrible webcam:

And now, on to tonight’s regularly scheduled link dump!

Nick Mamatas helps us smart people sound smarter by posting a pronunciation guide to some well-known authors’ names.

If you tweet — and boy howdy, do I — your immortality is now assured as the Library of Congress has begun digitally archiving all public Twitter updates. I suppose it’s comforting to know that after I’m dead people will still have access to my fake Doctor Who spoilers.

At The Rotund, a beautiful post about when fat characters describe themselves.

Someone at the BBC finally discovered Downfall Hitler parodies. Next stop, someone at the BBC discovering that humor is often about unexpected and/or ridiculous juxtapositions. (Also, no mention of “‘Allo ‘Allo!” in there? Criminal.)

Video special double feature: via Nick Kaufmann: Tom Baker in the 1990s selling insurance in New Zealand as the Doctor followed by an octopus stealing somebody’s handicam (via several folks). It’s yet more evidence that I should probably quit eating octopus on account of them being alarmingly smart.

Interesting writing stuff: Tony Lee talks about his evolving writing process.

Also interesting, but about race: what President Obama declared on his census form, and why it’s historically/culturally significant.

Also about race, but terrifying: Arizona passes a strict illegal immigration act. Why is this terrifying? Well, as xtricks points out, it effectively institutionalizes police harassment of all immigrants and ethnic minorities, and can result in the refusal of basic services. This is particularly significant when one takes into account that well over a third of Arizona’s population is non-white, and that the vast majority of those persons are of Hispanic or Latino origin. For the record, I support La Raza’s petition.

Back to writing, quite possibly my favorite take on grammatical error ever.

From a few different places, a pair of gay swans has been documented in Dorset. If I were in Dorset, I’d be first in line to procure some eggs for the happy couple.

And now? To stop procrastinating and get some writing done. Happy Friday and be excellent to each other.

This post has been mirrored from Christian A. Young's Dimlight Archive. To see it in its original format, visit dimlightarchive.com