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Habanera {wiki}, the familiar aria from the opera Carmen, performed by your favorite Muppets. -Thanks, Andrew!

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This is not a Hollywood special effect. This is an actual video of the Earth and moon taken from 50 million kilometers away.

First, the setup. The Deep Impact spacecraft was the one that smacked a chunk of copper into a comet so that we could see what materials were below the surface. After the impact, the spacecraft kept going (with the mission renamed EPOXI), and it’s being used to do all sorts of interesting observations.

In late May, 2008, it turned its cameras back to Earth and observed us over the course of a several hours. During this time, from EPOXI’s point of view, the Moon passed directly in front of the Earth! The images were put together (by my old boss, Don Lindler!) into, well, one of the most astonishing animations I have ever watched. Ever.
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This is a view that is literally impossible from the ground. Only a spacefaring race gets the privilege of this view from a height.

Bad Astronomy Blog has more information, and links to even more. Link

Today, the ABC World News Webcast reports from the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles on new trends in video games. Virtual musician games are hot! Get a sneak peek at Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World Tour, and Wii Music. Link to the segment. http://www.worldnewswebcast.com/ to the entire webcast.

You may have thought Treebeard or the apple trees in The Wizard of Oz were creepy (I did), but real trees can be pretty creepy, too! Environmental Graffiti has a collection of the strangest, scariest, and even funniest trees caught on camera. Link -Thanks, Chris!

(image credit: doyle_saylor)

Previously at Neatorama: 10 Most Magnificent Trees in the World.

The Zižkov television tower in Prague, Czech Republic features crawling babies by artist David Cerný. They were attached in 2000 as a temporary exhibit, but people liked them so much, they are still there! See many more pictures at deputy dog. http://deputy-dog.com/2008/07/17/ever-seen-a-creepier-tower/

(image credit: the-tml)

Classic toys don't go away, they just go digital for a new generation. Wooly Willy, the classic metal-shavings toy from your childhood, is now available for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Decorate Wooly Willy, Hairdo Harriet, or you can upload your own image and add "hair"! Link -Thanks, Wesley Booker!

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To Snaggle Puss, Bubbles the orphan bunny is just another kitten in her litter. -via Arbroath

Office work came to a stop when it was time for ten baby ducklings to leave the nest.

"Something really amazing happened in Downtown Spokane this week and I had to share the story with you. [My colleague] Joel is a loan officer at Sterling [Savings] Bank. He works downtown in a second story office building, overlooking busy Riverside Avenue. Several weeks ago he watched a mother duck choose the cement awning outside his window as the uncanny place to build a nest above the sidewalk."

To get to the river, the ducklings had to fall ten feet, then cross two blocks of busy streets and sidewalks! Bank employees helped them out and took pictures, too. Link -via Cynical-C

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A nonsensical little story done in a clever style using popsicle sticks, from the Brothers McLeod. See more at their website. http://www.brothersmcleod.co.uk

see famous look-a-like faces
Totally Looks Like is a new blog from the folks who brought you I Can Has Cheezburger? in which celebrities are coupled with a picture of who (or what) they look like. The submissions range from spot on to embarrassing. Link -via Underwire

The words to song you hear (or maybe sing) at every baseball game, Take Me Out to the Ball Game were written 100 years ago by Jack Norworth, who had never been to a ball game! In fact, it was 32 years after he wrote the lyrics that Norworth attended his first major league game.

He was riding on the subway in New York, when he saw a sign advertising "Ballgame Today - Polo Grounds". The Polo Grounds were the name of the stadium used most notably by the New York (later San Francisco) Giants baseball team.

During the 30-minute subway ride, Norworth, an accomplished songwriter, dashed off the words to the song. Soon thereafter, he took the lyrics to composer Albert Von Tilzer who created the popular tune, which later that year, became a #1 hit.

Stamps of Distinction has the story of how the song became a tradition across America, leading to the issuance of a commemorative stamp released today. Link -Thanks, Tony!

I don't know how comfortable this elegantly-modded mouse would be to use, but it sure is pretty! The box made to house it is a work of art, too. http://66.196.80.202/babelfish/translate_url_content?.intl=no&lp=ru_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fforum.modding.ru%2fviewtopic.php%3ft%3d27791%26start%3d0%26p -Thanks, Lance R!

Speechable is an easy way to add speech balloons to your photos. Upload a photo, then select a balloon and add text. Use the buttons below to resize your font, and resize the balloon by clicking its lower right corner. Grab the top line of the balloon to move it. My daughter's cat Biscuit was happy to try it out. Link -Thanks, Ryan!

July is National Hot Dog Month, and the Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss will test how much you know about hot dogs, the food and as a pop culture reference. I only scored 50% because I am a pop culture weinie. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/16535

The Atomic Age began 63 years ago today, when the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated at the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range in a remote part of New Mexico.

The Trinity test, as it was known, was the culmination of the American effort to win the race against Germany (and, ultimately, the Soviet Union) in building an atomic bomb. A mere three weeks after the test, the United States used atomic bombs to destroy the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

But prior to the 16th, none of those involved in the project knew if they had built a devastating new weapon or a spectacular dud.

Even those who designed the bomb were moved by its performance. J. Robert Oppenheimer famously quoted the Bhagavad Gita:

"If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one. Now I am become Death, destroyer of worlds."

More prosaically, Dr. Kenneth Bainbridge, site director of the Trinity test, said: "Now we are all sons-of-bitches."

Wired has the story and a photo gallery. Link