Weekend Links 4-13-18

It's been a really full week of fun stuff on the internet. Here are the stories that caught my eye.

I'm generally not a fan of colorized photos but I have to admit these colorized photos of old baseball players are amazing.

Minor league baseball teams always have to be creative with their promotions. Case in point: the Richmond Flying Squirrels will have an Edgar Allan Poe Bobblestache night (Poe lived in Richmond).

Speaking of the minor leagues, here is a terrific profile of the brief, colorful history of the Saratoga Phillies, where baseball was played for the fun of it.

Disneyland has updated its monorails with some pretty cool Pixar themed artwork.

Many young girls dream of being a princess. The next best thing is to attend a royal wedding.

This 12-year-old Manchester attack survivor has landed an invite to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding - and she couldn't be happier about it ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pbRiFcU5yB

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) April 11, 2018

The idea of being a location scout always seemed interesting to me but once you know their secrets it's not as glamorous a job as you might think.

Strange but true: how a typographical error might have helped end World War II.

Matt Walsh has some interesting observations about how our culture destroys boys.

No doubt this was a shock among Purdue fans: head football coach Tony Levine has stepped down to run a Chick-fil-A in Houston. But read the whole article to discover why he made this unusual career move.

Tweet of the week:

“I acted for what I deemed the best.”
“Another time try acting for the worst. Then we may possibly escape with a mere flesh wound.”
-Right Ho, Jeeves

— DailyPlum (@DailyPlum) April 6, 2018

Daily Links 12-23-13

A roundup of links to get your week off to a great start. In today's edition: the pros and cons of the new NIV, hilarious warning labels, advice on being a better writer, and more.

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This is a great side-by-side comparison of the original 1984 NIV and the 2011 updated NIV. I still have a 1984 NIV and will use it from time to time in my own personal Bible study. However, I am not comfortable with the new NIV for reasons that are well documented in this article. (Hat tip: Challies)

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Via Neatorama, a hilarious collection of warning labels. It's sad to think that we have declined to a point in this country where such labels are necessary.

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It's not politically correct to say so but the fact is that both boys and girls do better when their father and mother are together. It's even more politically incorrect to point out that it's the boys who suffer disproportionately when the family disintegrates.

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Here are six pieces of advice from successful writers on how to become a better writer. The first step is easy. Write. Then write some more. Repeat.

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From the Smithsonian, the wonderful history of the crossword puzzle which just turned 100.

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Before there were e-books, paperback books turned the publishing world upside down.

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Finally, Opening Day of the 2014 Major League Baseball season is still a few months off but here's a little something that makes me wish it was back a lot sooner: a 1998 clip of Vin Scully singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".

An Indispensible Book

love to read and am always on the lookout for something new and exciting to explore. The other day I picked up a book from my library that I was excited to get to read. In fact, I wish it had been around when I was a boy. It's a safe bet that if I had this book when I was younger I would have been involved in much greater adventures (and no doubt my fair share of trouble) than I did. It's The Dangerous Book For Boys by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden.

Even though I only have girls, I found the book thoroughly entertaining. Less a narrative and more a handbook of things that boys should know, it's a highly engaging and occasionally irreverant look at the things that fascinate boys. As I was reading the book I thought about the fact that (1) girls are much different to parent than boys (they don't have nearly the same interests) and (2) it's never too late as a guy to get involved in the stuff of adventure.

This is a book that covers everything from baseball, rugby, and soccer to poetry, grammar, and how to treat girls. Famous (and not so famous) battles are explored. Skills such as tanning skins, hunting and cooking rabbits, and tying proper knots are all documented. They also include profiles of courageous individuals and the things that we can learn from them. The section on Douglas Bader alone makes the book worthwhile.

The best thing about the book is it offers endless possibilities of activities for fathers to enjoy with their sons. Things such as building treehouses, making proper paper airplanes, or carving your own bow and arrow are the types of activies that will become wonderful memories that father and son can cherish for years to come. This is not a book to read through but rather one that you pull off the shelf anytime you need to know how to wrap a package in brown paper and string or find a coin trick to teach to your son. It's a book that a father and son could spend years working through and never get tired of trying out its projects.

Even if your a dad and you don't have any sons, go get this book. There's plenty as a guy that you need to know that you weren't taught in school. Then buy a book for your friends that do have sons. Make sure you have a copy to give to your future son-in-law. It's a book you'll want to come back to over and over again.