Link Round-Up: Spooky Stories for Halloween

All Hallow's Read is a Hallowe’en tradition. It’s simply that in the week of Hallowe’en, or on the night itself, you give someone a scary book. Scholars have traced its origins as far back as this blog post.  Of course, All Hallow's Read isn't a substitute for the tradition of giving away candy.  Trick or Treating is a rite of passage. This is just a great excuse to give someone a book.

Goodreads has generated a helpful list of 536 books to get your fright on this Halloween!  Of course, if you're looking for something short to while away the dark hours tonight without a trip to the store, here's a list of terrifying reads available around the web.

Illustration: Lovelace and Babbage

"The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage" by Sydney Padua

Graphic novel available for purchase from Amazon. US$18.42

For Ada Lovelace’s 200th birthday today, the thrilling illustrated story of how she and Charles Babbage invented the world’s first computer.   This excellent comic by Sydney Padua, is about the life of Ada Lovelace, widely considered to be the world’s first computer programmer.

The remainder of The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage chronicles the power-duo’s tragicomic demo of the Analytical Engine for Queen Victoria and explores how their different temperaments.  Babbage was an obsessive and perfectionistic while Lovelace possessed the original fail-forward startup spirit.

Set in an age when is wasn't just uncommon for a woman to participate in scientific inquiry but often actively discouraged, the book is a reminder that genius is as much the product of an individual’s exceptional nature as it is of the culture in which that individual is nourished.

Illustration: War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds by Brazil-based Henrique Alvim Corrêa

Original drawings by the Brazilian artist, Henrique Alvim Corrêa, from the Belgium first edition of H. G. Wells’ classic science-fiction novel, War of the Worlds, published in 1906.

Papercraft: Game of Thrones Silhouette

"Game of Thrones Silhouette Scenes" by Alarm Eighteen

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$128.64

Quick Pic: Biloxi Junior High Lockers

Biloxi Junior High Lockers

Source: WLOX via Mental Floss

School hallways can be grim places, but a group of teachers at Biloxi Junior High School found a way to lighten the mood. They’ve turned the 8^th grade English hallway into an “Avenue of Literature” by transforming 189 unused lockers into the spines of books! This seems like the best possible thing that could ever happen to a locker. One question though: if you paint them to look like C.S. Lewis books, will the lockers become doorways to Narnia?

Humor: The Martian

"The Martian" by Randall Munroe of XKCD

I don't think I've ever heard a book's plot explained more eloquently.  Bravo.  Bravo.

P.S. Here's "The Martian" explained at Explain XKCD.

Humor: Habits of the Common Bookworm

"Habits of the Common Bookworm" by Sarah Andersen of DoodleTime

Video: How I, Robot Changed The World

"Looking at I,Robot by Isaac Asimov" by StarShip Sofa

The folks at StarshipSofa have launched a new podcast on YouTube called StarshipSofa HQ, in which they look at great books and authors in the science fiction genre.  One of their first episodes is a discussion of Isaac Asimov’s classic story collection I, Robot.  Another episode looks at Alfred Bester.

Video: Origins of Cyberpunk Culture

"The Origins of Cyberpunk Culture" from USC Annenberg Innovation Lab

Moderated by Henry Jenkins, this April 2015 Cyberpunk panel features a discussion between Rudy Rucker (the Ware Tetralogy), Nalo Hopkinson (Brown Girl in the Ring, Midnight Robber), and Bruce Sterling (Bicycle Repairman, Taklamakan, Mirrorshades) on the cyberpunk genre. Watch more videos on the topic at the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab.

Illustration: Tolkien Book Covers

The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings Book Covers by Sara Kipin

Event: Independent Bookstore Day

Independent Bookstore Day in NYC

Saturday, May 2, 2015

The first EVER! national holiday for indie bookstores, Independent Bookstore Day, is coming on May 2!  Over 20 New York City bookstores will be celebrating their first ever national holiday all day long on Saturday, May 2 with special activities, events, author visits, and lots of fun.  Get involved!

• Check out what’s going on at NYC stores; see how many you can visit in one day!
• Finish the day off right by coming out to the official Afterparty.
• Get in touch! The coalition of NYC stores can be reached at info@bookstoredaynyc.com.
• Share pictures, stories, and book stacks with #bookstoredaynyc and #bookstoreday, and we’ll be reposting you from here, all day! And follow us here.
• Visit Participating NYC Stores! (duh.) 

Crafts: Epic Star Wars Yarns

Epic Star Wars Yarns by Jack and Holman Wang of the Cozy Classics series

Books available for purchase from Chronicle Books.

This series of books called Star Wars Epic Yarns was created by Vancouver, British Columbia-based twin brothers Jack and Holman Wang of Cozy Classics.  The brothers have recreated iconic scenes the original Star Wars trilogy in felt, starting with Star Wars Epic Yarns: A New Hope, followed by Star Wars Epic Yarns: The Empire Strikes Back, and finishing with Star Wars Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi.  Visit the Cozy Classics website to check out more of the brothers’ delightful needle felted projects.

Jedi apprentices and little princesses will delight in this (heart)felt retelling of the Star Wars saga. And so will Star Wars fans of any age! The series launches with the original trilogy, and every word counts in these small but perfectly formed yarns. That’s because each volume features 12 iconic scenes, handcrafted in felt and pithily summarized in just a single word. The attention to detail is eye-opening; the proportions are just-right for small hands; the fun is guaranteed.

Link Round-Up: April 8, 2015

"The carrier of carriers" by PowerSimon

I guess it's not turtles all the way down after all.

Infographic: Interstellar timeline in one convenient graph

Apocalypse Kowloon creates a dystopia based on a Hong Kong he's never seen

Because we all need more art in our lives, check out this amazing celebration of women in fantastical art from Tor.com.

Brilliant Service Turns Your Facebook Wall Posts Into A Beautiful Journal

George RR Martin, Game of Thrones and the triumph of fantasy fiction

OK, fine, you’ve hunted and skinned a Cookie Monster. We don’t agree with this choice, but as long as it’s Cookie Monster Season, there’s nothing we can do to stop you. Having said that, what are you thinking letting your child eat cookies atop a Cookie Monster pelt??? We think the next time you look in a mirror, you will find the true monster. You can learn how to make your own rug here, sicko.

A studded case that let’s you add LEGO bricks to your laptop. Yes!

This website helps you understand Game of Thrones better with Infographics

Street Art: Terry Pratchett Murals

London Sir Terry Pratchett Mural by Dr Zadok and Jim Vision

Source: The Telegraph

Painted memorials to the fantasy author, who died earlier this year, have appeared in Bristol and London,

This East End mural was created by street artists (who The Telegraph calls "muralists") Dr Zadok and Jim Vision.  It's located on Code Street, near to where Brick Lane meets Sclater Street, and features author Terry Pratchett, along with some of his best known characters, including Death, Binky, Rincewind, A’Tuin, the Death of Rats, and Albert.  You can check out a progress picture that was tweeted last week.

It's a fantastic tribute, especially considering that Pratchett was notably pro-graffiti, once being quoted as saying, "You ignore graffiti at your peril. It's the heartbeat of a city. It's the voice of the voiceless."

Tattoo: This one.

"This one."

Source: RunawayJohanna

This is a brilliant tattoo. It's one of the small inside joke sort of things that will help you identify other Pratchett fans.

Infographic: Disworld Reading Order Guide

"The Disworld Reading Order Guide" by Krzysztof Kietzman

In case, like me, you're thinking about how you should finally get around to reading that Discworld series everyone's always raving about, let me share with you this really useful chart that I found. Discworld is kind of a collection of loosely connected sub-series, which can be intimidating when you're standing in the aisle of a book store.  This chart very helpfully shows you where you can start reading the series.

Click through to download versions of the chart in other languages, including Spanish, Italian, and German.

Quick Pic: Tigger Warning

"Tigger Warning" by Neural Wasteland

Papercraft: Lord of the Rings Silhouettes

Lord of the Rings Handcut Silhouette Scenes by Jack Tuckwell

Original pieces available for purchase from Etsy. US$147.56

Each of these beautiful pieces of artwork is individually handmade from pages from the Lord of the Rings.

Illustration: PulpNintendo

"Taken... Again" by San Diego-based Ástor Alexander

Ástor Alexander created this series that imagines classic video games as pulp noir novel covers. 

Video: Tools Everyone Should Own

"Cool Tools with Kevin Kelly - Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project" by Tested

Wired and Whole Earth Review editor Kevin Kelly recently joined the Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project podcast to discuss his current passion project, Cool Tools. Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities is a collection of 1,500 tool reviews from Cool Tools, the tool recommendation site founded by Kevin Kelly. The book is edited by Kelly and features reviews of hand tools, how-to books, vehicles, software, and more.

Kelly and Savage discussed holiday gifts and the starter tools everyone should own, as well as the genesis of Kelly’s project.