Link roundup

1. Lord of the Flies book cover design competition.

2. NY Times:

For some 15 years, Mr. Weston has been providing the New York Police Department with “fillers” — the five decoys who accompany the suspect in police lineups.

Detectives often find fillers on their own, combing homeless shelters and street corners for willing participants. In a pinch, police officers can shed their uniforms and fill in. But in the Bronx, detectives often pay Mr. Weston $10 to find fillers for them.

Via.

3. Frankenstein/Dracula/Mummy paper toys.

Link roundup

1. NY Times headline: "Police Rarely Turn to Psychics, Texas Report Aside."

2. Chris Sims offers a detailed look at the history of DC Universe reboots.

3. Destructoid has high praise for the Aliens: Colonial Marines demo.

Link roundup

1. "In 2005, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) predicted that there would be 50 million refugees in 2010 due to climate change." Apparently, when a reporter tried to follow up on that prediction, "UNEP tried to erase the evidence of its initial claim."

2. CBS News: "A major ticket fixing scandal is rocking the NYPD, and as many as 400 cops could face bribery and larceny charges for making tickets disappear in exchange for gifts." Via.

3. Gawker media's traffic has either totally nosedived, or not.

Image Roundup

A few gems from Reddit:


Vigo the Catpathian.




Voltron fan.




SUV seized from a drug dealer.





Delightful giftwrapping.




Dragon playing a saxophone.

*Buy Ghostbusters toys at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Roll a katamari around a web page (I haven't tried it).

2. "San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced today that his office will drop at least 57 drug cases due to perjury, illegal searches and other misconduct by police officers."

3. Former Philadelphia superstar safety (and huge Wolverine fan) "Brian Dawkins can’t count how many concussions he’s had."

*Buy NFL bobbleheads at eBay.

White woman put on a book cover (link roundup)

You might be thinking that the cover to Magic Under Glass is instantly forgettable, but it becomes way more interesting when you realize that the book is about a woman with brown skin. Bloomsbury regrets the mistake.

And a few more links:

1. A bit more on why the Supreme Court's decision on campaign spending is a good thing.

2. Anyone writing online for a living is crazy if they're not working to establish a personal brand. The entire editorial staff of video game site Crispy Gamer was just fired.

3. In an effort to bust smugglers, the ATF has put 250 million illegal cigarettes on the market. Via these sites.

*Previously: The black couple was airbrushed out of the British version of the movie poster for Couples Retreat.

*Buy book cover collections at Amazon.

Building Face (link roundup)

Funny face on a building via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. Disturbing allegations of police officer corruption in Philadelphia.

2. In response to an officer's death, the bar at the LAPD's Police Academy will be closed on paydays.

3. Disturbing findings of negligence in New York's crime lab.

*Previously: Funny face cupcakes.

*Buy forensic kits at Amazon.

Jack Sparrow amigurumi (link roundup)

Amigurumi Jack Sparrow by Deadcraft.

And a few more links:

1. Iron Man 2 ARG. Via.

2. SWAT officers in Los Angeles ended a 12-hour standoff by smashing into the building with a bulldozer. I couldn't find video, but here's video of a modified bulldozer rampage from several years ago.

3. Target popup shops with a limited selection of pre-wrapped gifts. Via.

*Previously: Eight hour standoff ends when officers realize home is empty.

*Buy Iron Man toys at eBay.

Ewok Lego CubeDude (link roundup)

Ewok Lego CubeDude by Larry Lars.

And a few more links:

1. The One Laptop Per Child Computer won a design award in 2008. But here's how it worked in the real world.

2. There's a Japanese-style cosplay café in Culver City California with its own photography light box to help food bloggers take nice photos. Via.

3. Hello Kitty meets the police. Ironic to see a Ffffound user threaten anyone who wants to use his images without permission.

*Previously: Ewok driving a velociraptor.

*Buy Lego minifigs at eBay.

King Kong armature (link roundup)

King Kong armature from the 1933 film was recently auctioned off by Christie’s of London.

And a few more links:

1. A good example of how an advertising campaign can be intentionally misleading as to the film's subject matter.

2. After going missing 100 years ago, Galileo's missing fingers were found at an auction. Via.

3. I'm amazed at how much this description of the more lawless parts of the Los Angeles River sound like the secret opium dens in Dan Simmons' Drood.

4. This police artist sketch has been mocked for its crudeness, but my understanding is that the current thinking about such profiles is that they work better when they exaggerate certain features.

*Previously: Polish King Kong poster.

*Buy King Kong toys at eBay.

Steven Seagal's energy drink (and more)

First, Steven Seagal has an energy drink called Lightning Bolt. It has inspired various fanmade commercials at Youtube. Via.



Which reminded me, Steven Seagal has a new show starting next month called Steven Seagal Lawman. It's a reality show following his adventures as a sheriff's deputy:





*Previously: Steven Seagal is Cockpuncher.

*Buy Steven Seagal toys at eBay.

Build Robots Today t-shirt (link roundup)

Build Robots Today To Fight Aliens Tomorrow. Possibly on sale here. Via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. Extremely positive review of Dead Space Extraction.

2. Looks like there's new strict rules for bloggers who review items they receive from companies. (Presumably coming soon: disclosures that are longer than my reviews.)

3. Creepy (or maybe welcome) news for anyone who lives in LA: the FBI is investigating the Burbank Police Department for alleged civil rights violations.

*Previously: Watch the first 15 minutes of Dead Space Extraction.

*Buy Dead Space toys at Amazon.

Build Robots Today t-shirt (link roundup)

Build Robots Today To Fight Aliens Tomorrow. Possibly on sale here. Via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. Extremely positive review of Dead Space Extraction.

2. Looks like there's new strict rules for bloggers who review items they receive from companies. (Presumably coming soon: disclosures that are longer than my reviews.)

3. Creepy (or maybe welcome) news for anyone who lives in LA: the FBI is investigating the Burbank Police Department for alleged civil rights violations.

*Previously: Watch the first 15 minutes of Dead Space Extraction.

*Buy Dead Space toys at Amazon.

Dog wearing a muzzle

Photo of a police dog wearing a muzzle found amongst this excellent collection of Pittsburgh G-20 photos.

*Previously: Horse gas masks.

*Buy gas masks at eBay.

Dog wearing a muzzle

Photo of a police dog wearing a muzzle found amongst this excellent collection of Pittsburgh G-20 photos.

*Previously: Horse gas masks.

*Buy gas masks at eBay.

Tiger and boy (link roundup)

Photo of tiger and boy via these sites. Source unknown.

Update: Thanks to the tipster, here's the tiger, available as a print. That's a major complaint I have about sites like Digg, Reddit, and Found - - users frequently show no respect at all for intellectual property holders and often craft links in such a way that you can't figure out where the images originated.

And a few more links:

1. An officer handcuffed a nurse and put her in a squad car because he was dissatisfied with the speed the hospital was moving to draw a suspected drunk driver's blood. There's video of the incident at the link (which I haven't watched). Via.

2. Funny anecdote about apparent senator to be Paul Kirk.

3. T-Rex with a Tommy Gun.

*Previously: Excuse me, is that a T-Rex in your pocket?

*Buy handcuffs at Amazon.

Tiger and boy (link roundup)

Photo of tiger and boy via these sites. Source unknown.

Update: Thanks to the tipster, here's the tiger, available as a print. That's a major complaint I have about sites like Digg, Reddit, and Found - - users frequently show no respect at all for intellectual property holders and often craft links in such a way that you can't figure out where the images originated.

And a few more links:

1. An officer handcuffed a nurse and put her in a squad car because he was dissatisfied with the speed the hospital was moving to draw a suspected drunk driver's blood. There's video of the incident at the link (which I haven't watched). Via.

2. Funny anecdote about apparent senator to be Paul Kirk.

3. T-Rex with a Tommy Gun.

*Previously: Excuse me, is that a T-Rex in your pocket?

*Buy handcuffs at Amazon.

Lego boy with backpack and sneakers (link roundup)

Lego boy with backpack and sneakers by Polywen. See also: Lego football player.

And a few more links:

1. Nature is ghastly. Don't read about this Isopod and what it does to a fish's mouth. And definitely do not look at a photo. Via.

2. The city of Santa Monica wants to install a net under the Santa Monica Pier to keep pigeons away in the hopes that it will cut down on the tremendous amount of bacteria in the nearby ocean. Animal rights activists have "blasted" the plan. Via.

3. Two Los Angeles Police Officers have been placed on leave, under suspicion that they leaked photos of Rihanna to TMZ.

*Previously: Ghastly Mickey Mouse sculpture.

*Buy books about parasites at Amazon.

Rabbis with guns (link roundup)

Does any newspaper even come close to the NY Post in terms of irresistible covers and headlines? Click through to see the "Temple of Boom" and "Mazel-Tough Guys." Via.

And a few more links:

1. Great interview in which Alan Moore talks about the genesis of the Miracleman stories that he wrote. Looking back, he says the stories are so "grim and ugly" that he doesn't want his name on them when they're republished. He's certainly right, they are grim (and excellent) in the manner of Watchmen (Neil Gamain's Miracleman: The Golden Age is also frequently horribly depressing), but I wonder how he distinguishes them from the graphic rapes and other misdeeds that star in his League books. Via.

2. Photo gallery of the interior of the new LAPD headquarters downtown. Via.

3. Hot rod pedal car.

*Previously: Jewish Journal April Fool's cover.

*Buy Miracleman toys at eBay.

Metroid Lego (link roundup)

Samus vs. Metroid Lego diorama by Moose Greebles . Relatedly, there's a couple of Metroid Prime Trilogy desktop wallpapers available for download here.

And a few more links:

1. Stylish drawings of the Alien and Colonial Marine.

2. How did the major driving direction programs deal with the Bay Bridge closure in San Francisco this weekend? Of Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, two out of three provided directions indicating that they were aware of the problem. One did not. Want to guess which one failed?

3. Wild story about apparent police corruption in the town of Jericho, Arkansas.

*Previously: Samus enjoys some sausage.

*Buy Metroid toys at eBay.