Virtual Flaneurism

Anyone who's anyone has heard of John Hodgman's wonderful collection of hobo names. I was reminded today of this website, which takes the list a step further with an illustration (or four) for each name.

The first ten names:

#1: Stewbuilder Dennis
#2: Cholly the Yegg
#3: Holden the Expert Dreamtwister
#4: The Rza
#5: Jack Skunk
#6: Jack Skunk Fils
#7: Lord Dan X. Still-Standing
#8: Marlon Fitz-fancy
#9: Bazino Bazino, The Kid Whose Hair Is On Fire
#10: Whispering-Lies McGruder

This song feels like a hard rock reboot of "Savoy Truffle". Love it. Apologies for the odd media player.

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal on why he will not allow the marriage rights of gay Iowans to a popular vote. Pretty powerful stuff:



(Stolen from Bridget)

I implore you to take a few minutes to read Andrew Solomon's Newsweek essay Meet My Real Modern Family.

The short essay is a look at Solomon's movement from a childless, bisexual man in a long-term relationship with a man to the development of his now "extended nuclear" family, which includes six adults sharing, both successfully and amicably, the parenting of four children.

I found the essay incredibly powerful, not only for its assertion that LGBT individuals can and should be parents, but for the meaningful way in which it breaks apart the conservative belief that only hetero-normative, two parent families can beget healthy, well-rounded children. Solomon's family is certainly unorthodox, but in a world where unorthodoxy is becoming the norm, it is delightful to see a positive illustration of what a successful non-traditional family can look like. Perhaps the article was so powerful to me because I would be delighted to find myself in such a familial arrangement down the road.

(Stolen from Reese's Pieces)

There are explanations of this trick up on youtube, if you can't stand not to know.

Awkward ad of the game: