bookofjoe

'ON THE INTERNET, NOBODY KNOWS YOU'RE A DOG'

Peter Steiner's iconic image holds the record as the most reprinted New Yorker cartoon in the magazine's long (since 1925) history.

Last month it hit a new milestone: the original drawing sold at auction for $175,000, the highest amount ever paid for a single-panel cartoon.

[via Julia Binswanger's Smithsonian magazine story]

The Mathematics of Macaroni

From a Wall Street Journal review of the book "Pasta by Design" by the London-based architect George L. Legendre:

"Made from flour and water, it's one of the most basic foods. And it's versatile, available in hundreds of shapes and used in endless dishes."

"There is information about more than 90 kinds, including where each is from and its traditional preparations."

"The shape of each is described in elaborate mathematical formulas and shown in a technical illustration. There's also a pasta family tree that groups the shapes into categories, like solid or hollow, smooth or striated, twisted or bunched."

Above, a look at five pastas and their renderings.

Book Darts

From websites:

Elegant enough for great museum shops,

book-friendly enough for many public library stores,

often judged indispensable by students, educators, and other readers of what has lasting value.

Answers the question:

"How can we mark our exact passages, find them again, quickly and surely, and never harm the page?"

Tin of 125 mixed metal darts: $18.49.