The Boston Globe has a roundup of lovely photographs of Antarctica from various sources. The penguin in the first picture has a sad story.

After waiting for over two weeks for his mate to return from the sea and relieve him of nest duty, this Adelie penguin's hunger helps him make the decision to abandon his egg in search of fish and krill in the sea.

Other photos depict the Aurora Australis, Antarctic workers, and other wildlife. Link -via the Presurfer

(image credit: Melanie Conner/National Science Foundation)

Genre
(Atom Films link)
Another classic by Don Hertzfeldt, in which his 'toons explore different film genres, including some you've never heard of. -Thanks, Katherine!

After two and a half years, Joff Summerfield has completed his quest to ride around the world on a penny farthing {wiki}. He built the bicycle himself.

Mr Summerfield, 40, visited 23 countries in four continents after setting off from 0 degrees longitude at the Greenwich Observatory.

He averaged 11mph and covered up to 40 miles a day as he cycled across Europe into Turkey before riding through Australia and New Zealand.

In Australia, he raced in the Penny Farthing World Championships and came second in one of the 'novice' categories.

From China - where he cycled without the correct permits - he managed to sneak across the border into Tibet despite his bike's giant front wheel that is 1.2 metres in diameter.

He then took in India and Nepal, where he crossed the Himalayas at 17,000ft (5,200m) and made it to Everest base camp.

Mr Summerfield, who was forced to abort two previous attempts through injury, next rode through south-east Asia, the USA and Canada before heading for home.

Believe it or not, he is not the first to ride around the world on a penny farthing! Thomas Stevens did it in 1887. Link -via Arbroath

(image credit: Tim Stewart/TSW)

(YouTube link)
The new Australian ad for the Toyota Corolla features two of the internet's favorite subjects: ninjas and kittens! -Thanks, Moeda!

This intricate cardboard sculpture was made by artist Ana Serrano. Cartonlandia even has little cardboard residents! Reuben Miller has an interview with Serrano and close up pictures showing the details. Link -Thanks, Reuben!

Tony and Albert Fagler of Englewood, Colorado were cleaning out their grandparent's home after their grandmother died in 2000 and found three canisters of 16mm film. They took the film to the local TV station, but it was so old and brittle that the TV station sent it to the Library of Congress to be converted to video. There, historians asked that the original film be donated to the national archives. It contained footage of Tony and Albert's grandfather Albert Fagler in World War II, including scenes with their grandmother, whom he met and married in England during the war.

There was another reason why the Library of Congress wanted the original films. They are a treasure trove of historic video of the aftermath of D-Day.

They contain cockpit video of American fighter planes in dogfights over the skies of France and Germany.

There is also footage of American planes taking out German convoys on the ground and attacks on ships.

The photographer also documents American soldiers on the ground in their advance across the French countryside.

The film has been called a national treasure, and will be available for future historians. Link (with video clips) -Thanks, SenorMysterioso!

(YouTube link)
A grandmother dies and goes to heaven, where she discovers a way to keep an eye on her family. Animation by Maya Weksler, music by Assaf Rinde. -Thanks, corinne!

The Mars Phoenix Lander has been guest blogging at Gizmodo. Today, it sent its last post.

This final entry is one that I asked be posted after my mission team announces they’ve lost contact with me. Today is that day and I must say good-bye, but I do it in triumph and not in grief.

As I’ve said before, there’s no other place I’d rather be than here. My mission lasted five months instead of three, and I’m content knowing that I worked hard and accomplished great things during that time. My work here is done, but I leave behind a legacy of images and data.

The Martian winter produces insufficient sunlight to recharge the lander's solar batteries. NASA will continue to update the Phoenix Twitter feed as the data sent from Mars is interpreted. Link -via Digg

See some suggested epitaphs for Mars Phoenix at Wired. http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/marsphoenixs-tw.html

Also worth noting is the Twitter message from October 30th:

Take care of that beautiful blue marble out there in space, our home planet. I’ll be keeping an eye from here. Space exploration FTW!

(YouTube link)
Did you ever think you'd be able to see an immolation from the victim's point of view? Tim Ireland built a "guy" (named Bob) for Guy Fawkes Night with a wireless CCTV camera in his head! Friday night, he was ceremoniously burned in effigy while Tim recorded the video at a safe distance. Link -Thanks, Tim!

Some of the things you've always heard about recycling may have been true at one time, but times change. Other things may be partially true, but you'll get the whole explanation at Popular Mechanics, in the post Recycling Myths: PM Debunks 5 Half Truths about Recycling. Altogether, recycling is becoming easier and more cost-effective every year! http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4290631.html -Thanks, Geekazoid!

(YouTube link)
How neat to discover a portable hole you can take anywhere! Just be careful how you choose to use it. -via Digg

You may have heard these quotes all your life, but can you identify the source? Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss will give you a phrase, and you decide whether it's from the Bible or the works of Shakespeare. I scored 70%. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/20033

(YouTube link)
What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs? Everyone knows it's Slinky Cat! -via Cynical-C

A contractor finds a stash of cash inside a wall. Who gets the money, the person who found it, the homeowner, or the descendants of the person who left it there? The fight over just such a case has left all three parties with little money. Bob Kitts found $182,000 in the wall of Amanda Reece's bathroom. When the two couldn't agree on how to split the money, the resulting publicity alerted the family of Patrick Dunne, who hid the money when he owned the house decades ago.

Reece testified in a deposition that she spent about $14,000 on a trip to Hawaii and had sold some of the rare late 1920s bills. She said about $60,000 was stolen from a shoe box in her closet but testified that she never reported the theft to police.

Kitts said Reece accused him of stealing the money and began leaving him threatening phone messages. Marcinkevicius doesn't believe the money was stolen but said he couldn't prove otherwise.

A court has divided the remaining money, but the exact details were not published. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hHJNCy_68fJtiIPaltzwBwynBdkAD94AUVCO0 -Thanks, Em!

(image credit: AP/Bob Kitts)

Check out this large collection of interesting bus stops all over the world, Some have whimsical touches, some are covered with art, some are designed to surprise you, and some are interesting in their decline. The bus stop shown is in Curitiba, Brazil. Passengers pay when entering the bus stop, then go directly from the tube into the bus! http://www.lifeinthefastlane.ca/worlds-most-bizarre-and-intriguing-bus-stops/offbeat-news -Thanks, Jon Jason!