Random Thursday

The folks over at Neatorama have proclaimed that the Fire Ant Gazette represents the apex of human achievement. OK, I just made that up. They were actually referring to these ties that incorporate bubble wrap. If that’s not random enough for you, try this on for size:

• Sleeper Movie of the Week Recommendation – Tortilla Soup, a 2001 film starring Hector Elizondo, Elizabeth Peña, Raquel Welch, and Paul Rodriguez. It’s available for streaming via Netflix. Don’t watch it while hungry, because the cooking scenes will cause drooling in sufficient quantities to ruin the furniture.
• Got giant hulking fingers that don’t play well with your iPad or iPhone? These stylus caps are designed to work with any capacitive touch screen and they fit on various models of regular writing instruments by Bic, Sharpie, and Pilot. This is a great idea for those who want to sketch on their iDevices, or for anyone who just wants a little more precision.
• The preceding product is actually under development, and the inventor is raising funds via KickStarter in order to continue to market. This is my first interaction with the site, which seems to be a “micro-venture-capital” service for new inventions and other intellectual or artistic creations. Interesting concept, tapping into the “long tail” of investing. I made a small pledge to the Stylus Cap project just to see how it plays out.
• Speaking of good new ideas, what if the Redbox DVD rental model was adopted by public libraries? Here’s what it might look like. Vending machines for library books just strikes me as an excellent idea that probably will never catch on. I don’t imagine that many municipal libraries have the budget to implement something like this. [Link via…you guessed it…Neatorama]
• Here’s a good reason to always carry a camera. Although in hindsight, this guy would have been better served with a flashlight and a GPS. But, still.
• Interesting tweet came across the feed today:
  @Redistrict: Startling age gap between Ds & Rs in House: GOP has 41 reps under 45, Dems 12. Dems have 35 reps over 70, Reps 19. Wow.
• The Boston Globe’s wonderful photo feature, The Big Picture, focuses on the just-completed Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Great perspectives from what is arguably the world’s most prestigious dog show.
• Finally, while the job market in West Texas is such that pretty much anyone who wants to work can do so, in other parts of the country, people are going to great lengths just to get someone to look at their résumés. This is leading to some very creative approaches. I applaud the forward-thinking in this example, but I wonder how many HR departments would take the time to assimilate the message. [Link via Web Designer Depot]