Thursday, December 31, 2015

Historical Thursday - Tombs

Over on newworldencyclopedia.org, they discuss the "Beehive tomb" here.


Also, on popular-archaeology.com, they told us of the "Discovery of one of Mesoamerica’s oldest known ancient pyramidal tombs" here.


Finally, on smithsonianmag.com, they reveal "Suleiman the Magnificent's Lost Tomb Might Finally Be Found" here.


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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Basket Weaving

Over on reshafim.org.il, there is a fine article on "Ancient Egyptian basketry" here.


Also, on pinterest.com, Pamela Saunders has a collection on "Medieval Crafts - Basketry" here.


Finally, on basketweaving.com, as one might imagine, they have a fine "History of Basket Weaving" here.


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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

The Tuesday Sundries - Beer, Wine, & Drinking

Three from the Medievalists.net this week with the first being "A Comprehensive History of Beer Brewing" here.


Also, they ask "What was the best wine in the Middle Ages?"  Find out here.


Finally, they look at "Ceremonial Drinking in the Viking Age" here.


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Monday, December 28, 2015

RPG Media Monday - Shieldlands, Beowulf, & King of the Geats

I recently found out that there is a new show coming out next year using Beowulf as a jumping off point called "Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands (2016)."  According to what little I have seen, it does seem to start off with Beowulf going to see Hrothgar.  I get the feeling from the description on itv.com that the direction will be a little closer gritty mystery with lots of fighting than an epic poem in a mystical, magical land.  Read that description here and see the IMDb link here.


Also, some time ago, the Medivalists.net gave us an article on "Beowulf and the Teaching of Leadership" here.


Finally, on historyfiles.co.uk and wikipedia, learn a bit about the King of the Geats and their storied history taking them from the times of Beowulf through the first publication of Dungeon & Dragons in 1974.  Coincidence?!?!  Learn more here.


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Sunday, December 27, 2015

Setting & Society Sunday - Weird English

Over on aeon.co, they tell us "English is not normal" here.


Also, on mentalfloss.com, they give us "16 Weird Forgotten English Words We Should Bring Back" here.


Finally, on the BrainStuff - HowStuffWorks YouTube channel, they answer the question, "Why Do People In Old Movies Talk Weird?"  Enjoy!



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Saturday, December 26, 2015

Saturday in Space - ISS XMas, Asteroid, & Elite Dangerous

Over on nasa.tumblr.com, they give us "Five Ways Your Holidays Might Be Similar to the Crew on the Space Station" here.


Also, on jpl.nasa.gov, they look at "Radar Images of a Christmas-Eve Asteroid: An Early Gift for Astronomers" here.


Finally, on space.com, they give props with their recent article on how the "Space Adventure 'Elite: Dangerous' Simulates Milky Way in Stunning and Accurate Detail."  Read more here.


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Friday, December 25, 2015

Flora & Fauna Friday - Reindeer

This time of year often brings up questions about reindeer.  Over on theanimalfiles.com, they give us a good overview here.


Also, on mentalfloss.com, they tell us "11 Things You Might Not Know About Reindeer" here.


Finally, on reindeerherding.org, they "take you on a circum-Arctic tour of reindeer and people, a connection that is strong, ancient and profound. From New World reindeer herding in Alaska, all the way around Eurasia, Mongolia and northern China the world of reindeer husbandry encompasses a wide diversity of peoples, languages, landscapes and cultures."  Learn more here.


Examining animals, plants, and the
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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Historical Thursday - Christmas & Santa Claus

Three from the Medievalists.net this week, each on Christmas or Santa Claus, with the first being "Seven Medieval Christmas Traditions" here.


Also, learn about the holiday's jolliest mascot "From St. Nicholas to Santa Claus" here.


Finally, a treasure trove of information and links to more information on the holiday with "Christmas in the Middle Ages" here.



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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Volcanoes

Over on sciencealert.com, they tell us "NASA robots are exploring the mysterious depths of volcanoes" here.


Also, on digitalhumanities.umass.edu, the "Pompeii Bibliography and Mapping Project" presented the firs Pompeii Navigational Map here.


Finally, on the Barcroft TV YouTube channel, a recent video reveals "Heaven and Hell: Mount Etna Erupts."  Enjoy!



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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

The Tuesday Sundries - Fair Folk & Folklore

Over on tor.com, they tell us "Five Reasons Not To Piss Off the Fair Folk" here.


Also, on knowable.com, they share "8 Insane Nordic Folklore Creatures" here.


Finally, on wonderslist.com, they give us "10 Interesting Creatures from Japanese Folklore" here.


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Monday, December 21, 2015

RPG Media Monday - Books & Art

Three from the Medievalists.net this week with the first being a look back at last year and "Five [almost] new books on the Middle Ages worth a look" here.


Also, a look at the book "The Anglo-Saxon Age: The Birth of England" here.


Finally, "Books of Art: 20 Medieval and Renaissance Women Reading" here.


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Sunday, December 20, 2015

Setting & Society Sunday - Religion & Ritual

Over on medievalists.net, they discuss "Samhain: How Ritual Formed and Formation of Irish Celtic Identity" here.


Also, on medievalists.net, they tell us about "Norse Religion and Ritual Sites in Scandinavia in the 6th – 11th century" here.


Finally, on stepfeed.com, they discuss "From religious rituals to drama, Ancient Egyptians pioneered theater" here.


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Saturday, December 19, 2015

Saturday in Space - Electric Sails, Magellan, & Valkyrie

Over on space.com, they tell us "'Electric Sails' Could Propel Superfast Spacecraft by 2025" here.


Also, on astronomynow.com, we learn "The Giant Magellan Telescope Organisation breaks ground in Chile" here.


Finally, on phys.org, they discuss how "NASA gives MIT a humanoid robot to develop software for future space missions" here.


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Friday, December 18, 2015

Flora & Fauna Friday - Domesticated, Wild, & Rocket Cats

Over on theatlantic.com, they tell us "How Humans Created Cats" here.


Also, on animals.nationalgeographic.com, they take a photographic look at the Leopard here.


Finally, on atlasobscura.com, they give us "Objects of Intrigue: 16th Century Rocket Cats" here.


Examining animals, plants, and the
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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Historical Thursday - Jamestown, Steamboat, & Hamilton

Over on smithsonianmag.com, they tell us that a "New Jamestown Discovery Reveals the Identities of Four Prominent Settlers" here.


Also, on messynessychic.com, check out "What was Found (and still edible) inside a 150 year-old Sunken Steamboat" here.


Finally, on the CBS Sunday Morning YouTube channel, they tell us of the musical "'Hamilton': A founding father takes to the stage."  Enjoy!



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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Worldbuilding Wednesday - 10 Mysteries, Angkor Wat, & the Plain of Jars

Over on atlasobscura.com, they share "American Ancients: 10 of the United States' Most Intriguing Archaeological Mysteries" here.


Also, on pasthorizonspr.com, they discuss "Angkor Wat’s history redefined by recent discoveries" here.


Finally, from smithsonianmag.com, we can "Explore Laos' Plain of Jars with Drone Footage."  Read more here.



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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

The Tuesday Sundries - Liquid Mountains, Wishing Trees, & Starships

Over on boredpanda.com, check out the Liquid Mountains on Lake Erie here.


Also, on atlasobscura.com, see the "Wishing Trees: Where Money Grows in the Branches" here.


Finally, on the MetaBallStudios YouTube channel, they show us "Starships size comparison."  Enjoy!



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