New device from IKEA outperforms all tablets and smartphones on the market

No cables, unlimited battery life, and everything you need comes pre-installed. Check it out!

NoiseTrade now offers free ebooks and audiobooks

I have enjoyed discovering new music through NoiseTrade ever since it launched in 2008. The site, co-founded by singer/songwriter Derek Webb, was set up to help artists reach more people by giving away their music for free.

The platform worked so well for musicians that it has been expanded to include authors. NoiseTrade Books offers a large selection of free ebooks and audiobooks for download. You'll want to check it out.

Inforgraphic: A brief history of publishing

(From Finvy.com)

Don't expect quidditch to be an Olympic sport any time soon

Fans of Harry Potter are familiar with the game of quidditch, a rather violent game played by kids flying around on magic brooms:


Author J. K. Rowling claims to have invented the game in a small Manchester hotel after a fight with her boyfriend. Makes sense.

Believe it or not, quidditch is also played in the real world. There is even an International Quidditch Association, complete with its own set of official rules. The IQA is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and its "mission is to promote, develop, and govern the sport of quidditch and inspire young people to lead physically active and socially engaged lives."

In case you're wondering what a game of quidditch played by a bunch of muggles might be like, take a look at this match between UCLA and Emerson:


OK, so it's much more exciting in the world of fiction. But then again, what isn't?

Ignorance is bliss. Don't read.

(via Facebook)

The original stuffed animals that inspired Winnie the Pooh

As this evening was winding down, we were chilling to some toddler tunes on one of the cable TV music channels. Our four-year-old daughter perked up when she heard the first couple measures of a Carly Simon song. "This is from Winnie the Pooh!" she exclaimed. Sure enough, it was from the soundtrack of Piglet's Big Movie.

Now when it comes to the history of one of the most beloved children's characters of all-time, I am a bear of very little brain. I had a vague memory of hearing somewhere that A. A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh, based his stories on stuffed animals belonging to his son, Christopher Robin.

Well, it's true. And it turns out those stuffed animals are still with us.

Kanga, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger are on display at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library in New York City.

The Princess Bride: A Celebration

Here's an early Christmas gift idea. The Princess Bride: A Celebration will be available on September 25.

One of the most hilarious, romantic, adventurous, and best-loved movies of all time, "The Princess Bride" is a touchstone in the lives of generations of moviegoers. Now, for the first time, millions of fans will have the opportunity to own the first book to celebrate the magic and memories of the seminal film.

This book is a treasure trove of images from everyone's most-loved moments, as well as never-before-seen behind-the-scenes photographs, script pages, production designs, and reminiscences from cast and crew.

"The Princess Bride", written by William Goldman, is a timeless story set in the mythic land of Florin, where Princess Buttercup and her true love, Westley, must face kidnappers, vengeful swordsmen, an evil prince, a fire swamp, and rodents of unusual size. Its hilarious and exciting storyline, set within the loving framework of a grandfather reading to his grandson, made the film a box-office hit and pop culture phenomenon. The film starred Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, André the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Billy Crystal, Fred Savage, and Peter Falk. It is best known for being an undeniably loved, oft-quoted piece of American cinematic history. Fans will find it "inconceivable" that it has been twenty-five years since Westley and Inigo Montoya first stormed the castle.

This official celebration is a must-have—the perfect way for fans of all ages to relive the film over and over again.

Mark Twain's letter to would-be burglars

Mark Twain's house was robbed one September night in 1908. One of the burglars recalled the incident:

It was getting well on toward midnight when one by one the lights were extinguished and the house was enshrouded in complete darkness except for one dim light upstairs. Experience told us that this was nothing unusual. My partner went on a tour of inspection around the house. He returned presently with the word that the coast was clear and that one of the kitchen windows had been left partly open. I helped my partner to climb in through it; and he then went and opened the big French double doors leading out from the dining room on the great veranda. I entered by the front door, like a gentleman.

By the rays of our flashlights, we first made a careful inspection of the dining room. The heavy, old-fashioned, oak sideboard near the door leading into the hall commanded our attention. We knew that it contained the family silver, which it was our object to secure first, as usual. We tried to open the drawers of the sideboard, but found them locked. To break them open would make a noise, of course, and disturb the family if done inside the house. We did not wish to be guilty of such carelessness, so we took hold of the sideboard and carried it out of the house and some five hundred feet down the road. There we broke the locks of the drawers and emptied their contents into a black bag which we had brought for the purpose. Then we went back into the house to see what else we could find.

Before proceeding, it is necessary to mention a brass bowl which had stood as an ornament on top of the sideboard, and which played such an important and fatal part on that night. Since a brass bowl was of no value to us I took it and placed it noiselessly on the dining-room floor - without my partner's knowledge, however. This was my second mistake on that night. When we entered the dining room the second time, my partner, walking rather carelessly, stumbled and fell heavily over that brass bowl.

In the stillness of the night it seemed to me as if an earthquake had suddenly struck the house. Such a noise that rolling brass thing made! With every nerve tense, we silently watched and waited for the result.

Presently a woman, dressed in bathrobe and slippers, appeared at the head of the stairs. Then a soft clear voice called: "Hello!" It was Miss Lyons, Mark Twain's social secretary, as we afterwards learned, who, awakened by the noise, had courageously come to investigate. A moment we hesitated. Then we turned and silently and swiftly left the house.

Running down the road, we picked up our bag with the silver, and continued running till we arrived at the foot of the hill. There we slackened speed and started to walk back in the direction of Bethel, some seven miles from "Stormfield."

Naturally, the discovery of our presence created a sensation in the Mark Twain household. It is said that the butler, who had been aroused, fired several shots after us, "to hasten our departure," as Mr. Albert Bigelow Paine puts it in his biography of Mark Twain. For this, however, I cannot vouch, as we must have been considerably out of pistol shot by the time the gun went off. The shots, however, did awaken the aged author of "Huckleberry Finn" who, says Mr. Paine in his account, imagining that a champagne party was in progress below, rolled over and went to sleep again.

The thieves were eventually caught.

Twain, hoping to avoid more property damage in the future, attached the following letter to his front door:

NOTICE.

To the next Burglar.

There is nothing but plated ware in this house, now and henceforth. You will find it in that brass thing in the dining-room over in the corner by the basket of kittens. If you want the basket, put the kittens in the brass thing. Do not make a noise — it disturbs the family. You will find rubbers in the front hall, by that thing which has the umbrellas in it, chiffonier, I think they call it, or pergola, or something like that.

Please close the door when you go away!

Very truly yours,

S.L. Clemens

(via Letters of Note)

How fast can you read?

Anne Jones has won the World Speed Reading championship six times. She has been clocked at 4,700 words per minute, with 67% comprehension. How fast can I read? Oh, let's just say I'm a bit slower than that. Check out your own reading speed by clicking the link below.

Source: Staples eReader Department

Most depressing book ever

Microwave Cooking for One

(via Now That's Nifty)

Five sci-fi books for children

What could possibly be more special than reading a book to your kids? Reading a really cool science fiction book to your kids.

(from College Humor, via Kottke)

Authors: Van Gogh died in a shooting accident

Vincent van Gogh died in an shooting accident and not as the result of suicide. That is the claim made by Pulitzer-winning authors Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith in an upcoming biography of the artist.

The book, Van Gogh: The Life, is the result of 10 years of research. Relying on previously untranslated letters belonging to Van Gogh's family, it also features dozens of new photographs. It is set to be published in Britain today.

There is nothing noble or virtuous in suicide, so this is good news for Van Gogh fans.

Helpful flowchart guide to NPR's top 100 sci-fi and fantasy books

Were you a little intimidated by NPR's list of top 100 science fiction and fantasy books? Wanted to dive right in, but didn't know where to start? Well, the folks at SF Signal have developed a very useful tool to help you decide: "This flowchart is designed to help you follow your tastes, provide context, and fulfill (indeed exceed!) any need for pithy commentary you might harbor."

(click image for larger version)

You can utilize an interactive version of the chart here.

Thing 3 and Thing 4

(Source: Ironic Sans)

A great book about practical jokes

H. Allen Smith

About 14 years ago my wife and I stayed at a quaint, old house in Duluth, Minnesota. While we were there I perused the numerous books that lined the shelves in our room. One in particular caught my eye. It was entitled The Compleat Practical Joker, by H. Allen Smith. It discussed the history of practical jokes and highlighted some of the all-time classics. I was laughing non-stop from the moment I opened its pages. I was determined to pick up a copy when we left, but the book was originally published in 1953 and was no longer in print, and I couldn't find it anywhere.

Years went by, and memory of the book began to fade into obscurity. Thankfully, I was reminded of it recently and decided to Google it to see if I could track it down. And what do you know? There was a used copy on eBay. At long last, the coveted tome was mine!

So, to celebrate my recent purchase, and in honor of April Fools' Day, I thought I would share with you a delightful passage from this hilarious book:

The most celebrated of all British practical jokers was William Horace De Vere Cole, whose career will be considered in later pages. He was a citizen of substance and had a large house in a fashionable section of London. One day he was hanging some paintings in his home when he ran out of twine. He put on his hat and walked to the nearest stringmonger's shop and bought a ball of twine. One his way home he saw an elegant Englishman, a stranger, approaching. The man was so stiffish, so splendidly dressed, that Cole could not pass him by. Quickly he whipped out his ball of twine and stepped up to the gentleman.

"I say," he spoke with some show of deference, "I'm in a bit of a spot. We're engaged in surveying this area in order that we may realign the kerb, and my assistant has somehow vanished. I wonder if I could prevail upon your time for just a few moments."

"To be sure," said the stranger, ever the proper Englishman.

"If," said Cole, "you'd be so kind as to hold the end of this string. Just stand where you are, and keep a tight hold on it, and we'll be finished in a few moments. It's really quite important."

The splendid gentleman took hold of the end of the string and Cole began backing away from him, unwinding the ball. He continued all the way to the corner, turned the corner and disappeared. He proceeded, still unwinding the ball, until he was halfway up the block, at which point the string gave out. He stood for a moment, not knowing quite what he should do now. He had about decided to tie the string to a doorknob when Providence sent him a second gentleman, fully as elegant and polished as the first. Cole stopped him. Would the good sir be so kind as to assist him in an engineering project? Certainly! Cole handed him the end of the string and asked that he simply stand firm and hold it. Then Cole disappeared through an alleyway, hastened to the shop for another ball of twine, and returned to his home to resume hanging pictures.

Cole never knew how long those men stood holding the string. He could have circled back and spied on them, but he didn't even consider doing it. The more accomplished practical jokers seem to prefer a situation in which the denouement is left to their imaginations. They enjoy sitting down and thinking about what may have happened.

The book is full of such stories. If you enjoy a good laugh, see if you can find yourself a copy.

Rejected cover for Donald Rumsfeld's memoir

Donald Rumsfeld's memoir, Known and Unknown, hit the bookshelves yesterday. The current cover, which shows the former Secretary of Defense in a casual, macho, cowboy-like pose, was chosen over the original design, which hearkened back to one of the highlights of Rumsfeld's career as a special envoy for President Reagan...

Apparently Rumsfeld wanted this to remain filed in the "unknown" category.

Have no fear; Marijuanaman is here!

Grammy Award-winning musician Ziggy Marley, son of reggae legend Bob, is entering the world of comic book super heroes. Marijuanaman, the character conceived of by Marley (and I can probably guess what he was doing at the time), will be written by comic veteran Joe Casey and illustrated by Jim Mahfood.

According to the book's publisher, Image Comics, this "promises to shatter all expectations -- this is not the comic you think it is! The oversized deluxe hardcover graphic novel tells the tale of a noble extraterrestrial champion, who has arrived on Earth to deliver an important message and at the same time save his own planet."

As Marley explains, "Marijuanaman represents the hope of the future...the hope that we will utilize all of the power that the universe has given us to save our planet." I'm not really sure what any of that means, but I guess we can find out when the 48-page hardcover book hits the shelves on April 20.

Oh, and Ziggy, if you're reading this, I have the perfect name for a sidekick: Munchy.

Zombie Survival Guide

Here's one of those things you hope you never need, but should have on hand anyway. You know, just in case:

(Available at Amazon.com.)

Description
The Zombie Survival Guide is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now. Fully illustrated and exhaustively comprehensive, this book covers everything you need to know, including how to understand zombie physiology and behavior, the most effective defense tactics and weaponry, ways to outfit your home for a long siege, and how to survive and adapt in any territory or terrain.

Top 10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack

1. Organize before they rise!
2. They feel no fear, why should you?
3. Use your head: cut off theirs.
4. Blades don't need reloading.
5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.
6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it.
7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike.
8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!
9. No place is safe, only safer.
10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.

Don't be carefree and foolish with your most precious asset—life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it. The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through trusted, proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead. It is a book that can save your life.

As the Boy Scouts would say, "Be prepared!"