Mad Quickies 11.23

It’s a grab bag of cool things today plus a handful of awesome items for kids. Not a single turkey in this list.

• Activist and street artist, Shepard Fairey, modified the Hope poster for Occupy. After conversations with Occupy Wall Street organizers, he then released a second version. {thanks to Surly Amy}
• The National Geographic photo contest entries are like a sociological snapshot of the planet at this moment. Stunning and fascinating. {from bibliotequetress}
• Darwin’s Camera – how Darwin’s photos of human emotions changed visual culture {also from bibliotequetress}
• Wolfie & the Sneak say: “Because art without science is nothing.” We concur.
• Dagger, Caret, Solidus, Asterism, Guillemets, Sheffer Stroke, Because Sign, Section Sign, Exclamation Comma, Question Comma, Interrobang, Hedera, Pilcrow, Snark. Know what these are? 14 punctuation marks that you never knew existed.
• Ten great books for kids about SCIENCE!

Lots more stuff plus Henson like you never saw him.

• It’s described as “paper airplanes meet Origami meets Pokemon”. It’s Papertoy Monsters!
• Winning awards and accolades, Sprout is a kids’ furniture line. It’s so beautifully designed that kids can assemble this modular furniture. Inventor Clark Davis explains in a very cool video. We love that he was inspired by Lego.
• There are a lot of very fun and informative twitter accounts out there. But we found one that raises the bar: @RealTimeWWII, live-tweeting World War II as it happens daily in 1939 and for six years to come. {via Maria}
• Type-O-Matic It’s snail mail created from email on vintage typewriters.
• At Nervous System, they say their “trajectory focuses on generative design methods using both algorithmic and physical tools to create innovative products and environments.” And their work is elegant. We knew about their jewelry but then we found out about Reaction. It’s their new housewares line. {thanks to jes3ica}

Here’s a short look at the Muppets’ long history. Actually, it’s not so short and Muppets’ fans will find lots to love here. And this is where we found this little bit of puppet lore:
Sam & Friends – a promo spot, circa 1961

But puppet aficionado or not, you HAVE to watch this excerpt from Jim Henson’s 1966 Academy Award nominated short film. It’s an experimental piece that’s probably not at all what you would expect, and yet it’s unsurprisingly brilliant.

Time Piece