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Before the era of mass entertainment, we watched kittens playing to amuse ourselves. Then came the cinema, radio, TV, and the internet. Now we use the internet to watch kittens play -and they are still entertaining! -via Arbroath

Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss is about Larry David and his TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's designed to get you through 'til the new season begins. I scored 20%, probably because I have never seen the show. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/16098

The Boy Scout Store has merit badges available for purchase for accomplishments that aren't spelled out in the Boy Scout Manual. Show off your accomplishments in the fields of drinking, cat herding, belching, and going bald! http://www.boyscoutstore.com/store/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=252 -via Everlasting Blort

The St. Petersburg Times reports on a feral child found living in an urban apartment under horrific conditions. Danielle was almost seven years old, yet she had never been to school, didn't speak, and did not react to human contact. The story is heartbreaking.

Dr. Kathleen Armstrong, director of pediatric psychology at the University of South Florida medical school, was the first psychologist to examine Danielle. She said medical tests, brain scans, and vision, hearing and genetics checks found nothing wrong with the child. She wasn't deaf, wasn't autistic, had no physical ailments such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.

The doctors and social workers had no way of knowing all that had happened to Danielle. But the scene at the house, along with Danielle's almost comatose condition, led them to believe she had never been cared for beyond basic sustenance. Hard as it was to imagine, they doubted she had ever been taken out in the sun, sung to sleep, even hugged or held. She was fragile and beautiful, but whatever makes a person human seemed somehow missing.

Armstrong called the girl's condition "environmental autism." Danielle had been deprived of interaction for so long, the doctor believed, that she had withdrawn into herself.

The most extraordinary thing about Danielle, Armstrong said, was her lack of engagement with people, with anything. "There was no light in her eye, no response or recognition. . . . We saw a little girl who didn't even respond to hugs or affection. Even a child with the most severe autism responds to those."

Danielle's was "the most outrageous case of neglect I've ever seen."

The special report includes the story, videos, and a photo gallery, and well as links to child abuse, adoption, and historical information. Link -via trendalicious

A perfectly good reason to close down the business and go on vacation. Link -via Gigglesugar

This just makes sense. Bandaids are imprinted with exclamations that may serve as the story of how the "boo-boo" happened! "Ouch!" pretty much says it all. Link -via Geek Like Me

The Hong Kong LEGO Users Group created this miniature version of the Olympics in Beijing in less than 100 hours. In this picture, you can see the National Aquatics Center. Other photos show the Olympic Stadium (also known as the Birds Nest), Olympic Park, and other venues. Link -via Digg

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Total nonsense, but I enjoyed it! The Dark Knight meets The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Lyrics available at the Youtube link.

China, Mongolia, and parts of Russia experienced a total solar eclipse yesterday. A partial eclipse was seen in a larger part of the world. This picture was taken yesterday in Gaotai, Gansu province, China. See more eclipse pictures from around the world at the Huffington Post. Link -via Digg

(image credit: Aly Song/Reuters)

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You're a musician? Oh, what do you play, the saxophone, the sousaphone? What...the telephone? -via Arbroath

Axel Peemoeller designed a "way-finding-system" for the Eureka Tower Carpark in Melbourne. When you're driving in the building, you see directions as you need them. http://de-war.de/eurekacarpark.html -via reddit

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Edgar Allen Poe animated by Jim Clark. See other poets at his poetryanimations YouTube channel. Link -via Digg

Joanna Lopianowski-Roberts recreated Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in cross-stitch! Ten years of labor are now committed to a 40x80 cloth containing over 600,000 stitches. The results, and patterns you can use to do it yourself, are in a self-published book. There is a Yahoogroup of cross-stitchers who are working on their own versions, using Lopianowski-Roberts' patterns. Link -via Nag on the Lake

The new cartoon short from Pixar is about a hungry bunny and the revenge he takes on a stingy magician. Presto can be seen in high definition at Gamaniak. Link -via Andy's Blog

Debbie Herot arrived at the veterinary clinic she managed last week to find a dog and a note on the doorstep.

"Dear Drs., please forgive me for this horrible transgression. I have no where else to turn so I ask you to mercifully, gently and lovingly please help him sleep. His name is Kaiser and he's 16-and-a half years old. He's been my friend, my teacher, my pupil, my lifelong loving and loyal companion," the letter said.

On the envelope, the author of the letter said that he thought Kaiser had two strokes the night before.

"Be good to him as you would your own child, for he's been mine for a loving lifetime," the envelope read.

The note continued, describing the life Kaiser led with the homeless disabled veteran who wrote the letter, and how close they were. Herot could not euthanize this dog. The rest of Kaiser's story involves a deceased clinic worker, veterinary staff, a Los Angeles newspaper and TV station, and Bob Mikolasko, who was reunited with Kaiser. http://ktla.trb.com/news/ktla-vet-dog-reunited,0,5137067.story (with video) -via Simply Left Behind