Greetings, I can't believe it's Thursday already. The weeks seem to fly by and certain projects outside which I'd like to see completed keep getting carried over for (yet) another week... My excuse of late has been the weather, or more specifically the rain, which we have now had quite enough of thank-you-very-much :) Our inclement weather has me spending even more time on the net than usual.

The above is a map of Middle-Earth and if you are a Tolkien fan, you may find this news story of interest. I was bemused last night to read that in an effort not to alarm it's residents, Hungary's disaster management agency tested the country's emergency broadcast system with warnings of severe storms... in Middle-Earth! I expect they were trying to avoid a 'War of the Worlds' scenario. Messages broadcast a few weeks ago, mostly on state radio and television, warned Hungarians about floods and catastrophic weather in Gondor, Rohan, Rivendell, Helm's Deep and other fictional locations inhabited by Hobbits, Orcs, Elves, Ents and Dwarves. These methods were also an attempt to gauge how effectively the emergency messages reached Hungary's youth.

It's amazing when you stop to consider just how deeply entrenched our daily lives are with popular culture. It seems to permeate everything. The line between what's real and what's not continues to blur...

Here's an interesting art form. Is it real or is it cabbage?

Using vegetables of all shapes and sizes, Chinese artist, Ju Duoqi, recreates famous masterpieces like The Last Supper and Mona Lisa.

The artist, Ju Duoqi, in her studio.

And finally, 

A new study from Austrailia's LaTrobe University has found a connection between caffeine and auditory hallucinations. In other words, coffee might make you hear things! The study involved a lot of coffee and Bing Crosby's White Christmas being played over headphones. The participants were to buzz each time they heard the crooner, but in reality all that was coming through the speakers was white noise. It was found that those who had injested at least 13.5 ounces of coffee incorrectly pressed the buzzer three times more often. Granted, these results are pretty inconclusive, but interesting all the same. Salon 

In parting, I leave you with the words of William Shatner: 

"Weird or What?"