Weekend Links 2-26-21

Welcome to the last Friday of February. Spring is right around the corner. Spring training baseball games start next week which means it's only a matter of time before teams will be playing games that count. I'm ready for baseball season to start. In the meantime here are a few articles of interest for you to enjoy.

How Star Trek helped NASA dream big. NASA also helped Star Trek stick around. 

Victory over Nazi Germany would not have been possible during World War II if it hadn't been for a group of artists. 

This week one of my favorite shows All Creatures Great and Small finished its first season on PBS. The ending of the season was absolutely pitch perfect. Caution: spoilers abound in this article. 

Mystery solved? Uncovering who was responsible for the hidden message inscribed in Edvard Munch's "The Scream". 

In an upcoming Netflix series, Holmes and Watson are the villains and the Baker Street Irregulars solve all the mysteries. 

If I ever get to Kansas City I am going to be sure to pay a visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. 

This is a fascinating story about Willie Mays' days in the Army and a personal connection for the author of the article. 

Though they were briefly teammates, Satchel Paige once pitched to Henry Aaron in a game. You have to read the whole story to believe who won the battle. 

Clearing up some misconceptions about Colonial America. 

She might not be a household name but she did help avert a nuclear war. 

Podcast of the week: I am a huge fan of Golden Age detective fiction. I was especially thrilled to listen to this interview with Martin Edwards who is the author of The Golden Age of Murder and The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books along with two dozen other books. If you are like me and a fan of Agatha Christie and other Golden Age authors you won't want to miss this. 

Weekend Links 2-18-21

Winter has been asserting itself with a vengeance here in the United States this week. Hopefully you are safe and warm wherever you are. For your enjoyment are a plethora of interesting reads this week. 

Why Hercule Poirot is the sleuth of the century. Warning: this article contains spoilers. 

Tips on reading more when you're really busy. Lots of good advice in this article. I try to take advantage of opportunities to read as they come and always have at least one book I am reading.

Willie Nelson has a new tribute album to Frank Sinatra coming out later this month. The first single is a  duet with Diana Krall of "I Won't Dance" that is accompanied by a terrific animated video (embedded in the linked article). At first this seemed like a somewhat odd pairing (the two couldn't be more different vocally speaking) but it really works. 

Truth be told it was his physicality that made Cary Grant a great actor. 

Speaking of actors, Nicholas Ralph may not be a household name yet but he has made a tremendous impression in his acting debut as James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small. 

My youngest daughter has another terrific review up at Cine-Pop. This week she takes you into the world of Korean Drama with a review of Crash Landing on You. If you haven't discovered the world of K-drama yet this series is a great place to start. 

Fifty years ago, Satchel Paige, arguably one of the greatest pitchers of all time, brought the Negro Leagues to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 

This is fascinating: how the Boeing 747 changed the way airplanes are designed. 

Ask Jeeves: six reasons why P. G. Wodehouse is Stephen Fry's hero. 

"You never know, you might meet her." A sweet love story that is well worth your time. 

Now I should go read Pride and Prejudice again: what Jane Austen teaches us about resilience. 

Lego announces a new set based on Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Starry Night". If Legos aren't your thing you can always have the painting recreated in your swimming pool. 

Weekend Links 2-12-21

What a week it has been. If you've been watching the news (and I don't recommend doing that) you know that there have been lots of disturbing images this week. Maybe it's just me but this week has felt like one where some distractions are especially needed. As difficult as this week has been the good news is Spring Training starts next week. In just a couple of weeks there will be baseball games. Winter is almost over. Spring will be here soon. Here are a few links that hopefully will serve as a welcome distraction from a difficult week. 

When it comes to '80s songs and music videos few are as iconic as A-ha's "Take on Me". Here is the story behind the song and the animated video. 

The origins of the term bookworm. 

Ranking the best prison escape movies. I haven't seen all of these but I can definitely agree with the top choice. It's one of my favorites.

This article and the accompanying photographs are guaranteed to make you hungry: ranking the best doughnuts in every state. Anyone up for a road trip?

Speaking of sweet stuff, a tasty history of Boston Cream Pie.

Longread of the week: an incredible case of identity theft that started with a simple help wanted ad. 

Meetings these days are taking place over Zoom instead of in person. Unfortunately things don't always go as planned. 

Someday I would love to visit the Yorkshire Dales. In the meantime I will just have to enjoy looking at these locations that are featured in the new adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small. 

Invariably when researching articles for these posts I run across a story I had never heard before. That's certainly true of this story which also happens to be my personal favorite of the week: Audrey Hepburn's Favorite Song.

Shameless plug alert: my youngest daughter reviews the newest version of Carmen Sandiego. By the way, the site is a new one that was created by a couple of friends of mine. It's worth a regular check. 

Finally, a theme park is developing a new attraction featuring a replica of Howl's Moving Castle. 

Weekend Links 2-5-21

It's been cold and snowy this week in my corner of Virginia. Makes me long for spring to arrive soon. We're only a couple of weeks away from Spring Training which means baseball will be back before you know it. There's quite a bit of baseball related content this week which I have put at the end of the post.

Here are some things of interest that I discovered this week. Hopefully these will come as a welcome distraction from the events of the past few days.

Meet the man who has made it his mission to take high resolution photos of snowflakes. The photos in this post are stunning. 

If you are being bombarded with unsolicited spam emails or texts there is one thing you should not do: unsubscribe. I honestly hadn't thought about this but it makes a lot of sense. 

I don't know what it is about the Brits and their metal detectors but every few weeks some new amazing discovery gets made. The latest is the detectorist that found part of Henry VIII's crown. Not to be outdone, a four year-old girl in Wales discovered a dinosaur footprint. 

Longread of the week: the audacious CIA plot to steal a Russian satellite. It's fascinating stuff. 

Maybe he was guilty after all. A new study suggests Richard III did kill the princes in the tower. 

What could have been: Orson Welles, Lucille Ball, and the thriller that was never made.

Remembering the most famous golf shot ever made: Alan Shepherd hits a golf ball on the moon. 

A look at the hobby boom of the 1950s. My dad used to build Revell model airplanes. Brings back a lot of great memories. 

And now, the baseball stuff:

New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra becomes the latest baseball great to get his own stamp. 

The man who photographed the home run kings. 

I've been a baseball fan for years and have never thought about this: why aren't there any left-handed catchers in the majors?