Hotel Kakslauttanen

Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland. Options include staying in glass igloos to enjoy the aurora borealis:

Glass igloo provides an one of a kind opportunity to admire the northern lights and millions of stars of the crystal clear sky in a comfortable room temperature. Built from a special thermal glass the temperature inside the igloo always stays a normal level. It also prevents the glass from not getting white frosted, hence keeping the view clear even when the temperature outside drops to under -30°C. Every igloo is equipped with a toilet and luxury beds.

And you can get married in the ice chapel:





Via.

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation in Scotland is open to visitors one day a year (May 3, I think). You can see some great photos collected here.

*Buy In Search of Paradise: Great Gardens of the World at Amazon.

Image roundup

A few gems from Reddit:


Peek-a-Boo Walrus.



Al Gore hoverhands.



The internet's favorite dog gets a mustache, top hat and monocle.



If Colonel Sanders and Ronald and McDonald were in Final Fantasy. Per the comments, this is the source.



I wish I didn't get this joke.



The Galapagos Islands are the happiest place on Earth.

*Buy Final Fantasy toys at eBay.

Image roundup

A few gems from Reddit:


USB plug/duck face.



Tiger feeding.



Bus is sorry.



Geiranger fjord in Norway.



Owl getting a shower.



Stay away from my mom, Emeril.



Ken Jennings was (is?) drawing personalized illustrations in copies of his book.

The Mira Hotel in Hong Kong

A few highlights from this collection of photographs taken at the Mira Hotel in Hong Kong.

*Previously: Restaurant designed by Syd Mead.

Disney Cruise Line's Virtual Portholes

The interior cabins on Disney Cruise Lines feature animated virtual portholes, complete with occasional cartoon characters making a visit.

*Buy Disneyland toys at eBay.

Melted chocolate restaurant

Designed by Wonderwall, melted chocolate Godiva restaurant in Harajuku. Via.

*Previously: The Han Solo chocolate bar.

*Buy gourmet chocolate at Amazon.

The Monsters of Bosco Sacro (link roundup)

"The many monstrous statues (of the Bosco Sacro/Sacred Grove in Italy) appear to be unconnected to any rational plan and appear to have been strewn almost randomly about the area." Lots of photos here, here, and here.

And a few more links:

1. "According to the California State Treasurer’s office, California has over $68 billion in public debt, but the Sacramento Bee’s Dan Walters has tried to count total California public debt, including that of local municipalities, and his total reaches $500 billion." Uggh.

2. Have I mentioned lately that you can support my blogging efforts by purchasing from Amazon? Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants is half off.

3. Asian-inspired Christmas tree.

*Previously: Merlion statue.

*Buy Hallmark Christmas ornaments at eBay.

Jackie O - - the first lady of vengeance (link roundup)

Nik Holmes imagines an action flick starring JFK's widow seeking revenge. He has various prints on sale here.

And a few more links:

1. The Fremont Troll in Seattle, Washington.

2. Good to know: the reverse cowgirl is suggested as a sexual position less likely to spread H1N1. Via.

3. A flight attendant took a photo of a shockingly obese passenger. Hard to believe it's not photoshopped. Via.

*Previously: Cool photo of a stewardess.

*Buy blaxploitation posters at eBay.

Flintstone's House (link roundup)

Todd Oldham visited Bedrock City and put out a book of his photos. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Funny logo for the Cake Wrecks book tour reboot.

2. January 2, 2010 is a palindrome - - 01022010. Via.

3. A man took home a statue of Thurman Thomas because it was so ugly that he "thought it might have been part of some radio station promotion that was left behind and that no one cared about."

*Previously: Clever Ugly Betty mall ad.

*Buy Flintstones toys at eBay.

Flintstone's House (link roundup)

Todd Oldham visited Bedrock City and put out a book of his photos. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Funny logo for the Cake Wrecks book tour reboot.

2. January 2, 2010 is a palindrome - - 01022010. Via.

3. A man took home a statue of Thurman Thomas because it was so ugly that he "thought it might have been part of some radio station promotion that was left behind and that no one cared about."

*Previously: Clever Ugly Betty mall ad.

*Buy Flintstones toys at eBay.

Drudge takes a shot at Obama (link roundup

Photo and headline by Drudge - - linking to this article, which includes the following line: "Unlike recent presidents, Obama has two young children, and the first couple is adamant that the girls be left alone." (Except when they make useful props.)

And a few more links:

1. A cautionary tale about just how miserable practicing law can be.

2. U.S.'s Most Over-Rated Tourist Attractions. The description of the Queen Mary as a Ramada Inn crossed with a rusty old ship is dead-on. Via.

3. Just maybe, all that alarmist nonsense about highly developed countries failing to reproduce enough is nonsense. Via.

*Previously: Papercraft Obama.

*Buy Obama toys at eBay.

The more you say the less you say (link roundup)

"The more you say the less you say" by Frank Chimero.

And a few more links:

1. The world's deepest pub was in an abandoned gold mine at Gold Reef City in South Africa.

2. Chibi mecha paper toy.

3. Jar-Jar Binks encased in carbonite.

*Previously: Jar-Jar in carbonite sketch card.

*Buy carbonite toys at eBay.

An octopus and his pet boy (link roundup)

An octopus and his pet boy - - lots of colorful art on display at Dav Bordeleau's site.

And a few more links:

1. Prosecutor claims defendant killed his girlfriend and stored her body in a trunk, prosecutor displays and opens trunk in court, prosecutor unleashes such a stench that the courtroom had to be cleared and disinfected. Via.

2. Useful, detailed tips on shipping lots of comic books.

3. Some great photos of indoor water park Great Wolf Lodge.

*Previously: Porcelain Laura Palmer in The Black Lodge.

*Buy octopus toys at eBay.

Giraffe Manor, where the giraffes join you for breakfast

You can get up close and personal with giraffes at Giraffe Manor in Kenya.

*Previously: Plane-eating giraffe.

*Buy plush giraffes at eBay.

Space Kook (link roundup)

Space Kook by Eric Wiryanata for the Villains of Scooby-Doo art contest (which features a $100 Threadless gift certificate prize). Eric also recently posted a new paper toy - - TV Boy.

And a few more links:

1. The Bionic Commando celebrates the 4th of July by barbecuing.

2. Victorian versions of Daredevil and Spider-Man.

3. The meal deals at chains like TGI Fridays are so good franchisees are furious with the parent company. Via.

4. For the locals, nice photos of Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks.

*Previously: Plush glow-in-the-dark Space Kook.

*Buy Scooby Doo toys at eBay.