Sprinkles Around the Web 7/02-7/08/10

Standard warning: These are links that I found interesting, exciting, or relevant, and I hope you do too. But I don’t make any promises.

Environment

• Scientists find oil blotches on Gulf crab larvae. Great. This is the first major consequence of both the dispersant and the oil. If you don’t count clean-up workers getting sick.

• Tar balls wash up on Florida’s eastern coast. That’s right, the Gulf Oil Spill continues to spread.

Fandom

• How to Stop Worrying and Love Comics. Sometimes, you just have to remember what made you so passionate about your hobbies to start with. They should never be a chore.

• Project Runway’s Tim Gunn Loves Wonder Woman’s New Costume. The style guru himself has a say about Wonder Woman’s new look: “This new look says, ‘I’m confident, I’m powerful, I’m sexy, and don’t mess with me.’ Furthermore, she looks like a citizen of the real world rather than a creature from another land.” Which the latter could just be what fans are unhappy about.

• Wonder Woman Gets a Makeover. Fashion bloggers Tom & Lorenzo weigh-in on Wonder Woman’s new costume, and they have the review of it that I most agree with.

• Comic blog, the 4thletter! is doing a great series showcasing comic book artists; here are some of the artists featured that I love too: David Aja and Amanda Conner.

• National Public Radio is changing its name to NPR. Yeah, this is fandom because I obsess about NRP and listen to my favorite shows on podcast when I miss them.

Inspiration

• Sometimes quitting is the bravest decision.

Politics

• #Why I Vote, a Twitter meme on people’s personal philosophical reasons for voting.

Recipes (I want to make)

• Zucchini and ricotta galette
• Chile Blackberry Syrup Recipe

Science

• NETRA: Interactive Display for Estimating Refractive Errors and Focal Range. With a simple device attached to a cellphone, you can measure your own vision simply. This is awesome and will totally freak out my optometrist.

Technology

• YouTube Hacked, Justin Bieber Gets the Worst of It. Those who shall not be named hacked YouTube, targeting Bieber videos and freaking out preteens everywhere.

• The secret code in U.S. Cyber Command’s logo. This is kind of awesome.

Web Design

• SEO Audit Outline Sample. A great starter on a checklist for an SEO audit that can be shared with clients.

• Taking Photoshop’s Curves Beyond Highlights and Shadows. If you’ve ever played around with Photoshop’s curves feature, you know they’re a very powerful tool. Here’s a tutorial/explanation how to to use them better and just what they do.