Friday, July 12, 2013

Fantastically Fun Fridays: July 11, 2013

It's been a while since we've done one of these posts, but it seems like a good thing for a mid-summer Friday when everything should just slow down and be a little lazy...

For starters, just a reminder: if you are interested in Ofir Touché Gafla's The World of the End, we are giving away a copy!  Full details about the giveaway are available here--good luck!

Yesterday, I was driving around, and I came across this:


So, for starters, this is a Little Free Library--which is this awesome program that started in Wisconsin that is pretty much just what it says it is.  Individuals or organizations can set up and care for these library boxes, and the books inside are free for anyone to take.  You can return the books you take, and even contribute some of your own.  It's designed to promote a sense of community, as well as increase literacy.

On top of that, many of the Little Free Libraries are unique works of art--and this one that I found seems to be a TARDIS!  I was quite excited, particularly since it was almost in my own neighborhood.

Here are some of the other fun things we found for you this week:

  • Recently, two Fantasy Matters readers sent us infographics that they thought we might find interesting.  First, Paul Bastistelli put together his thoughts on some recent Hollywood prequels, ranging from The Hobbit to Prometheus.  (You'll want to click to enlarge.)  
  • Similarly, Keith Patterson's infographic takes an interesting look at energy usage in some well-loved films, including Monsters, Inc., The Matrix, and Star Trek. (Again, click to enlarge; from EnergySavings.com)
  • Cats + Game of Thrones characters.  I hope this doesn't make the Internet explode with glee. 
  • Beautiful photographs by Alexander Semenov of jellyfish, suspended seemingly in mid-air.  
  • Forbes' list of the top 15 richest fictional characters.  The big news this year--Smaug from The Hobbit has taken over the top spot.  Check out the article to find out how much he (and others) are worth!
  • And finally, Judith Shulevitz's article on why the liberal arts are vitally important, and what science fiction has to do with it.

Have a great weekend, everyone!  And don't forget to enter the giveaway by midnight tonight.

By Jen Miller