Category: Quickhit

[Is the Star Trek Federation of Planets really a federation](http://volokh.com/posts/1190182117.shtml). Almost as fun as a debate as [‘Is Star Trek communist’](http://stardestroyer.net/Empire/Essays/Trek-Marxism.html)

[The environmental benefits of manual transmissions](http://www.slate.com/id/2176867/fr/rss/). The US obsession with automatic transmissions is bizarre. Personally I’d pay more manual…

[The most disturbing pencil sharpener ever](http://www.boingboing.net/2007/10/30/decapitated-doll-hea.html). Really creepy, but I want one!

[Kevin Smith protests his own film](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QepgKVOVfZ8). Sadly, probably funny than *Clerks II*.

[Beautiful typographic art](http://www.kottke.org/remainder/07/09/14138.html). I love fonts.

[A very unstable bookcase](http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/concepts/topple-bookshelf-concept-is-as-unstable-as-the-dollar-311563.php) Probably not what you want if you are trying to encourage people to read.

[A guide to when it’s safe to eat people with various diseases](http://mcsweeneys.net/links/lists/30MaryamAkbariandSeanMichaels.html). Hopefully I’ll never need it, but handy to know…

[Where plants and animals fit in the scheme of things](http://www.boingboing.net/2007/10/29/plants-and-animals-o.html). It’s amazing just how much of the genetic variation in the world is in things smaller than can be seen.

[The new version of Microsoft Live Maps will give you directions that include signs that you’ve gone too far](http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/29/live-search-maps-getting-better/). Better, but the future is probably when the online maps begin to link up with GPS systems.

[Petter Sellers runs through the various English accents](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLsVh6Qrpew). Quite brilliant.