bookofjoe

World's oldest wall painting

Look at the painting pictured above (and below).

What do you see?

The French archaeologists who discovered it believe it's the world's oldest wall painting.

Here's Lawrence Van Gelder's story from his October 12, 2007 New York Times "Arts, Briefly" column.

Oldest Painting Appears Modern

French archaeologists believe they have found the world’s oldest wall painting, an 11,000-year-old red, black and white design dominated by rectangles, adorning a Neolithic settlement in northern Syria, Reuters reported. “It looks like a modernist painting,” said Eric Coqueugniot, leader of the team excavating Djade al-Mughara on the Euphrates River. “Some of those who saw it have likened it to work by Klee. Through carbon dating we established it is from around 9000 B.C.” The six-square-foot painting formed part of an adobe circular wall of a large house with a wooden roof. According to Science magazine, the world’s oldest painting on a constructed wall, found in Turkey, was dated 1,500 years later.

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More here and here.

U.S. Government RSS Library — Our tax dollars at work

"Official information and services from the U.S. government."

[via Dean Kaltsas and godean.com]

Chromatherapy on the cheap — Episode 3: Price break

Episode 1 on April 3, 2006 featured a $19.99 color-changing light that sticks to your bathtub wall with suction.

Then came Episode 2 on May 8, 2006 featuring one that floats ($18).

They've been busy ever since out back in the chromatherapy skunk works.

Now comes the fruit of all those long nights and weekends.

From the website:

Color Changing Tub Light

Battery-operated bathtub light produces a rainbow of changing colors, making bath or pool time extra enjoyable.

Completely waterproof, it can either float or attach to the wall of your tub or pool with its powerful suction cup.

You can set it to slowly change through five colors or keep it on a favorite.

Uses 4 AA batteries (not included).

5-1/2" diameter x 2" high.

Durable plastic.

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$14.99.

Bizarro World GQ Cover?

Look at the photo above.

What do you see?

Bill Belichick's signature street person look sweatshirt — your choice of crew neck or hoodie — is the top selling item in the New England Patriots store, ahead of even Tom Brady's jersey.

The NFL, which markets official team gear, so far has refused to offer the sweatshirt in the coach's preferred truncated sleeve iteration, saying that fans should do as he does and cut off the sleeves themselves.

No, the picture below

is not — to the best of my knowledge, anyway — the result of a Photoshop intervention.

Hey, kickoff for today's much ballyhooed "Super Bowl preview" between New England and Dallas is only two hours and fourteen minutes away — I'd better get caught up 'cause once it starts, I'll be in my game face/"I hear you knocking but you can't come in" mode until the final whistle sounds.

Campus Belt — 'Revisit those carefree college years!'

"Carefree?"

Maybe when I replay.

But I digress.

From the website:

Campus Belt

Natural, military-grade cotton webbing sports a bright ribbon in your school’s official colors.

A repeating pattern of colorful logos honors your old alma mater.

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Over 70 major colleges and universities.

$29.95.

'Moment of Regeneration' — by Yayoi Kusama

You can see it in person at the Frieze Art Fair in London.

Better hustle, though — today's the last day.

Barkin' Dogs Gel Slippers

Very cool.

I mean — that's hot.

Oh, never mind.

From the website:

Gel Slippers

Hot/Cold Gel Slippers soothe tired feet like nothing you’ve tried before!

Super-comfy, gel-filled footwear can be warmed in microwave or chilled in fridge to pamper and relieve sore, aching feet after a long day.

Adjustable strap has Velcro closure.

One size fits all.

$9.98.

Blast from the past: 'Improve your blog or website in 10 easy steps'

The above-titled post first appeared nearly two years ago, on October 31, 2005, but there's a whole new crowd here now so why not reprise it?
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Improve your blog or website in 10 easy steps

All you have to do is follow the guidelines laid down by Jakob Nielsen here.

But you won't.

It's too easy.

What I like is that major corporations spend millions creating their websites when simply adhering to Nielsen's tenets would enable a far better Internet presence — free.

Here are Nielsen's "Top 10 Web Design Mistakes of 2005":

1) Legibility problems

2) Non–standard links

3) Flash

4) Content that's not written for the web

5) Bad search

6) Browser incompatibility

7) Cumbersome forms

8) No contact information

9) Frozen layouts with fixed page widths

10) Inadequate photo enlargement

Now go to Amazon and buy his book (top) and find out more.

Best $24.29 you'll ever spend.

Trust me, I'm a — oh, you know.