This Photoshop disaster looks as if someone noticed it was 5PM and went home, fully intending to finish the job the next day, but hit publish out of habit. See the entire screenshot from the J. Crew online catalog (which shows where her hair ended up) at PSDisasters. Link

On February 2 every year, we watch the skies to see if they are clear enough to throw a scary shadow over our local groundhogs. But how much do you really know about these rodents? They’re not endangered, they don’t chuck wood, and they’re not all that great at predicting weather. On the one day of the year that we pay attention to groundhogs, find out more about the habitat and lifestyle of these critters at Environmental Graffiti. Link

(Image credit: Flickr user Matt MacGillivray)

You may or may not already know that Neatorama author John Farrier is also a librarian. The two jobs aren't as different as you may think! He wrote about the process of "content curation" in an essay on the skills librarians need and develop in the digital information age. For Neatorama, John sifts through an amazing amount of internet material in order to find the neatest items for the site, then condenses them down to bite-size while still giving just enough information for you to decide whether a link is worth exploring further.

Does all of this sound familiar? It’s what reference librarians do every day. We navigate the world of information to find the best content for our patrons in a timely manner. Have we discerned what the patron is looking for? What are the best sources for it available? Can we get to it quickly? How do we effectively present it to the patron? These are questions that reference librarians ask and answer during the reference interviewing process. They’re also what content curators do.

I’ve noticed that my mental habits and thought processes as a librarian have served me well as a content curator. Many, possibly most, curators are trained as freelance writers, so they know how to write in an amusing and witty manner. That’s important. But my ability to find content efficiently with the readers’ preferences in mind – a skill formed and honed at the reference desk – has given me an edge in the curation business. So I’m proposing that librarians look at digital content curation as a potential career.

You can read more about what goes into content curation, both in blogs and in libraries, at Library Journal. Link

(Image credit: Flickr user Rob Ireton)

Those who jot the date down in a certain style today may have noticed that it is 2-1-12. Fans of the Canadian rock group Rush are celebrating the date as it is written by listening to the 1976 album 2112. Or any of their favorite Rush songs.

Hopefully most of you know that today’s date is Feb. 1, 2012. Or 2.1.12. If you’re a Rush fan, there’s a good chance that you’re geeking out over the fact that it’s as close as you’re going to get to the year 2112 — barring any success achieving the same immortality already enjoyed by Rock Gods Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart.

“2112? is, of course, the conceptual title track of the veteran Canadian rock trio’s masterful prog rock epic and breakthrough album from 1976 that, when boiled down from it’s far-out, intergalactic plot, basically sets the idea of individual versus the state. More important: it freakin’ rocks!

If you don't have your favorite Rush songs handy, you can listen to eleven fine selections at Reverb. Link -via Rush is a Band

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Science fan and mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn sings the ingredients of a Twinkie. That is all. -via Improbable Research

Atlas Obscura has a roundup of tragic love tales from classic literature.

In Ovid's story of Pyramus and Thisbe, two young lovers, forbidden to marry because of family rivalries whisper their forbidden love through cracks in the wall. Their story met its fateful end when the lovers decided to escape their families, and meet under a mulberry tree. Thisbe arrived at the rendezvous first, and narrowly escaped a lion attack, dropping her distinctive veil in the process. When Pyramus arrives and finds the blood soaked veil, he throws himself on his sword; when Thisbe returns to the scene, she does the same.

Does that plot sound familiar? Pyramus and Thisbe are considered to be the inspiration for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. There are several more stories in the post, plus links about places connected with the tragic lovers. Link

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Giorgio Fareira and Tim Bittar serenaded a Sonic waitress with their order. The gap you hear in the communication was most likely when she ran and made all her co-workers gather around and listen. The guys, who make up the band The Interstate Life, say that the Sonic crew got every bit of the order correct. -via reddit

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will present The Princess Bride Quote-Along & Feast on February 14th. In conjunction with the event, they are launching their signature wine collection called The Bottle of Wits, featuring Inconceivable Cabernet and As You Wish White. The wines will debut at the Valentines Day event, then will be offered for sale to the public only through the end of 2012. Link -Thanks, Andrea Kinnison!

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Tessie is a red fox Labrador with her own Facebook page. She is a well-behaved spectator, but instinct tells her she really, really wants to play! -via Buzzfeed

Police were called to the home of producer and TV host Don Cornelius early this morning after gunshots were heard. Cornelius was found unconscious and was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Cornelius was best known for his television show Soul Train, which aired from 1970 to 2006. Cornelius hosted the show from its beginning until 1993.

“Soul Train” was one of the longest-running syndicated shows in television history and played a critical role in spreading the music of black America to the world, offering wide exposure to musicians such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson in the 1970s and 1980s.

“I am shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden passing of my friend, colleague and business partner Don Cornelius,” said Quincy Jones, according to the Associated Press. “Don was a visionary pioneer and a giant in our business. Before MTV there was ‘Soul Train.’ That will be the great legacy of Don Cornelius. His contributions to television, music and our culture as a whole will never be matched. My heart goes out to Don’s family and loved ones.”

Mr. Cornelius, a former disc jockey, created the show in 1970 in Chicago on WCIU-TV and served as its writer, producer and host. Quickly becoming a success, the show was broadcast nationally in 1971, beginning its 35-year run. Besides the performers, the program showcased young dancers who would strut their stuff, laying the groundwork for countless dance programs , including current hits like Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance?” and MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew.” “We had a show that kids gravitated to,” Mr. Cornelius said.

Cornelius' death is being investigated as a possible suicide. He was 75. Link

(Image credit: MadVision Entertainment)

The planned expedition led by Norwegian Jarle Andhoy was already shady, and now there's an unwilling member along for the ride. The yacht took off in a hurry as immigration officials arrived to investigate Andhoy at an Auckland harbor, while a mechanic was on board repairing an anchor on the 52-foot boat Nilaya.

Mr Andhoy and three crew members have embarked on an unpermitted voyage to Antarctica's Ross Sea, in defiance of both the Norwegian and New Zealand governments.

A previous trip he made to Antarctica almost a year ago ended in disaster when his yacht Berserk sank in a fierce storm and three men died.

Declaring himself "a Viking", the Norwegian adventurer says he is seeking the wreckage of the Berserk, which was serving as a supply ship for an attempt to reach the South Pole on quad bikes.

New Zealand authorities, who co-ordinated an extensive search and rescue operation last year in which Mr Andhoy and a companion were airlifted to safety, are furious about his return voyage.

Authorities are looking for the Nilaya, which Andhoy has said does not have a locator beacon. It is assumed to not have adequate provisions for an extra expedition member, either. Link -via Arbroath

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An "image enhancement engineer" explains how he cleans up images of outer space so we can make out the details. His most common challenge? Photobombers. -via Buzzfeed

Uh-oh! This shark has been slimed! The hagfish is also called the snot eel for a good reason. If attacked, it instantly oozes slime from its pores that teach a predator to never try that again. Watch this scene in action at National Geographic. Link -Thanks, Marilyn!

If you ever flip through the cable TV channels, you've probably noticed how many reality series cluster around an existing idea. Yes, there's a lot of shows set in Louisiana. And quite a few set in Alaska, too. I once quipped that a network sees no use in wasting a field office on just one show, or two, or three. But what you see here is just a small portion of the Reality TV Venn Diagram by Margaret Lyons and Jen Cotton. See the full-size version of overlapping ideas at Vulture. And yes, I am aware that this is actually an Euler diagram, which shows existing sets and relationships, and not a true Venn diagram that would show all possible relationships. Link -via Metafilter

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By Carl LaFong & the Spunk Holler Boys. From the YouTube page:

Not knowing the real lyrics to the song, Carl wrote his own and as a result debased a timeless traditional folk classic.

Warning: listening to this song may raise your cholesterol level. -Thanks, Steve Cloutier!