Link roundup

1. The original Kindle was codenamed Fiona in honor of one of the main characters in Neal Stephenson's outstanding The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer.

2. Apparently the research indicating the health benefits of red wine was falsified. Via.

3. From Drew Magary's weekly football preview (which is mostly about why the "Patriot way" failed in Kansas City, and why Gregg Easterbrook's columns are nonsense):

My kid was taking her sweetass time getting ready for school this morning when I looked at the clock and realized she had all of four minutes to get dressed, brush her teeth, put on her shoes and jacket, and get to the bus stop. And so I made like Tom Coughlin and just started laying into the kid. HURRY UP! WE ARE GOING TO MISS THE BUS AND IF THAT HAPPENS WE WILL ALL DIE. So she's dressing as fast as she can and I'm jamming her jacket on and yelling at her to show some hustle, and the tension is building to unfathomable heights. It felt like we were racing to stop a ticking bomb. I get her out the door and we sprint up the hill to the bus and we get there jusssst as the bus is pulling up. SO MUCH ADRENALINE. From now on, we're always gonna be in danger of missing the bus. The rush is intoxicating. For me, THE ACTION IS THE JUICE.

4. Really interesting (and fairly gross) article about cultural differences in Afghanistan.

Time Out Timer Stool

Time Out Timer Stool. Via these sites.

Medicine lollipop

When your child won't take his medicine, make a medicine lollipop. You can buy lollipop molds at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. Tips for fighting bullies.

2. Smart Football:

I can think of really only one example of a guy whose arm now seems significantly stronger than it did earlier in his career as a college player and rookie, and that’s Tom Brady. And, well, Tom Brady is Tom Brady. But it does seem like this is generally true, at least at the higher levels once a quarterback is physically mature: There are almost no examples of guys whose arms went from “popgun” to bazooka through discipline and training, not matter how tall they are or how many weights they lift.

Also, Buddy Ryan's insidious defensive tactic.

3. Weird to see so much anticipation for new comics in the Watchmen universe - - the whole point of Watchmen is that the characters were just knockoffs of other characters. The genius of Moore and Gibbons is what made them special.

4. Lackluster review for the new Deus Ex downloadable content.

Reviews of baby toys

Chris Mohney reviewed several baby toys.

Canadian kids > American kids?

Intriguing playground sign.

Link roundup

1. Neca posted a few WIP photos of the upcoming Team Fortress 2 and Half-Life figures.

2. "Why Do So Many Left-Handed Kids Grow Into Superstars?" (I'm just bookmarking this for my son.)

3. Megan McArdle on kids graduating with useless college degrees and endless debt:

No matter how inflated your expectations may have been, it is no joke to have your confidence that you can support yourself ripped away, and replaced with the horrifying realization that you don't really understand what the rules are.

More here.

4. Gallery of vintage high school photos.

*Buy Neca toys at eBay.

Super villain training school, perhaps?

Elite Tae Kwan Do and Math Academy. Via.