1. Paper Vs. Rock: I love this sign. I want to know who made it, so I can buy one and hang it in the foyer of my house. Then I’ll make all guests need to defeat me in a Rock, Paper, Scissors Throw-down before allowing them to enter. It will be just like Thunderdome, but much, much nerdier.

2. The Cicada Principle: If you are at all involved in web design, you cannot miss reading this article by Alex Walker on background tiling, and the usage of primes. Excellent, interesting stuff. (Coutesy of John Hutchinson)

3. 5 Essential Document Templates for Freelance Designers: Ok, so this is a little old-hat knowledge for those in the business, but this is a great article in terms of breaking down the basic documents you need to maintain an accurate, organized relationship with clients.

4. Gateways To Geekery: Kate Bush: I am a little obsessed with Kate Bush. It’s really not healthy. This article does a great job explaining some of the reasons why she is so wonderful, and why you should be listening to her often and frequently. Please wake me when its 1985.

5. Brand Name Pencils: This is a site built after my own, Type A sensibilities. Bob Truby is REALLY into pencils — so much so he has made a well-designed database, listing all the models he can get his hands on. I bet you didn’t even know there were pencil models, noob.

6. Mundane Dream: Just read it. You won’t be disappointed.

7. Space Invaders: EVERYONE NOT ON TYPEWRITERS: Cut it out. The act of putting two spaces after a period is one of the most frustrating, infuriating edits that designers have to endure — I can’t even tell you how many years of my life have been sucked away backspacing copy. This comprehensive article by Farhad Manjoo explains exactly why this act is so wrong on so many levels.

Finally, it’s time you learned about THE BEST DINOSAUR:;

Have a nice weekend, folks!

1. Abandoned Six Flags – New Orleans: An incredible and rare set of photos of the abandoned Six Flags Great Adventure in New Orleans, Louisiana. Haunting, sad and lovely.

2. Dean Enslaves Students: The former dean of St. John’s University is currently in serious trouble for making terrified work-study students do things like drive her to the hair salon, empty her garbage and shovel her snow. I know I should feel enraged, but I can’t help being incredibly amused.

3. Australian Model FAIL: Australia’s Next Top Model just took home the AKWARD AWARD when host Sarah Murdoch announced the wrong winner during the live television finale. I gotta be honest: when I first heard about this, I was convinced it was a publicity stunt. But you can’t fake the look of utter horror on Sarah’s face when she realized what happened. Excruciatingly cringe-worthy.

4. Love Locks: I can’t even put into words how much I love this: LJCFYI reports on the phenomena of “love locks” on the Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne, Germany. What are my chances trying this on the Brooklyn Bridge?

5. Hotel Creates Accidental Death Ray: Yeah, that’s EXACTLY what it sounds like: apparently the architecture of the new Vdara Hotel on the Vegas Strip emits burning beams of light. That, or George Clooney keeps flashing people from the penthouse.

6. New Nail Trends: Seriously, it’s not fair. I am cursed with tiny, breakable nails that are utterly impossible to do anything with, and these awesome new nail fashions are making me very jealous of my be-clawed peers. Enjoy, jerks!

7. The Subliminal Reassurances of Procedural Dramas: An oldie, but a goodie – Derek Powazek outlines all the ways you can die on a televised drama.

Finally, Ricky Gervais sings Elmo to sleep. And once you watch that, watch this.

1. 1908 Lens on a Digital SLR: I love anything that even vaguely resembles a mad scientific experiment, and this is no exception: acclaimed director of photography and fine artist Timur Civan straps the lens of a 102-year-old camera to a 5DmkII, and takes some haunting and lovely photos of New York City. (via NOTCOT)

2. Children At Play: A unique and somewhat disturbing art installation in Vancouver aims to get driver’s to slow down in an area with a high population of children. (via Lost At E-Minor)

3. Reconsidering What Makes Us Happy: The New York Times investigates the changing landscape on consumerism and happiness. Fascinating read.

4. Beards Through History: Technabob schools the masses on the significance facial hair has had on the foundations of our society.

1. “The Worst Oil Spills in History” by Script & Seal on Flickr: This wonderfully designed map in the throwback style of old textbook materials by design duo Gavin and Liz really puts our most recent oil disaster into a global perspective.

2. “Animals I Enjoy Imagining” by Felix Muhl: An amusing and lovely musing on animals that are not.

3. Fold A Shirt Napkin For Father’s Day: Having dinner with your dad this Sunday. Decorate the table for the occasion with this fun and easy project by Jessica Jones of How About Orange.

4. My Four-Year-Old Son Plays Grand Theft Auto: Before you get your knickers in a bunch, read the article – a fascinating study on how a child views and transforms a very adult game.

5. Children’s Dictionary Dumps “Nature” Words: This is very sad indeed: to accommodate newer, more futuristic words like “celebrity” and “bungee jumping,” the newest edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary has opted to drop terms pertaining to old nature. Some I can understand, but no more “goblin”? No more “leopard”? No more “bacon”?! Future world, I reject thee.

6. First Photos of Universal Studio’s “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter”: I have to admit, I’ve been a little nervous about this. I don’t like it when bigger enterprises ruin books I like (example: all the Twilight movies). But if the pictures are any indication, it appears Universal at least got the look and feel of the place spot on. Now, if I can only convince them to Fedex me a butterbeer…

7. Surra de Bunda: Dear All the Brazilian Ladies: We gotta talk. It’s been a tumultuous relationship between us, to say the least. I thought I would never forgive you for creating the Brazilian wax, a form of torture so crazy it’s only trumped by the fact that you have somehow managed to insinuate it into so many women’s standard beauty rituals. You bounced back though with the Caipirinha. Wow, did you. I was ready to let bygones be bygones, probably because I was so drunk on your delicious juices. But now, this. I….we can’t be friends anymore. And no, you can’t have your drink back. PS: Unless you want me to call your tia, stop doing that! You’re gonna pull something!

Finally, armed with one hell of a camera, Leon Godwin took this stunning time-lapse video of Yosemite Valley that reminds you that the world is truly made of magic.

The Yosemite Valley from Leon Godwin on Vimeo.

1. 35 Surreal Examples of Multiplicity Photography: Multiplicity photography is a technique where a single object is copied into the same photographic frame in numerous different instances. The results are often amusing, whimsical and occasionally very lovely.

2. I Am Not A Brand: Digital media aficionados, listen up: author Maureen Johnson has a beautiful vision for the internet, and it is completely against the idea of “selling yourself”. An extremely insightful and refreshing article.

3. Yahoo Answers Fail: Yahoo has a service that provides a forum for people to get their questions answered. Unfortunately, sometimes people ask some real doozies. Fortunately, someone has compiled the gems for our reading pleasure.

4. Everybody Hates BP: At least we can turn our hatred into art.

5. Willow Smith: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s daughter is a young adult with a killer personal sense of style. I mean, what were YOU wearing when you were NINE?

6. Advice From the Frugal Traveller: After four years, New York Times travel writer Matt Gross is ending his column about traveling the world on a budget. Here he bids adieu, and offers his helpful take-aways about globe trotting on the cheap.

7. New Penny Please: Did you know we were getting a new penny? I didn’t. They are changing money so much nowadays, I actually thing they are encouraging forgery. Because at this point someone could hand me a Post-it Note with a line drawing of an elephant on it, tell me it’s the new $8 bill, and I would probably believe them.

Finally, did you know that Jim Henson did work for IBM? Apparently he made some educational training videos in the ’70′s for them. Here’s one featuring an incredibly early (and rather frightening – teeth!) version of the Cookie Monster:

1. Nightscapes: Unfortunately, I don’t know the language on this site, but this compilation of landscape photography is a perfect example that a picture is worth a thousand Cyrillic words.

2. The Making of a Sand Mandala: Buddhist monks have been perfecting for years the art of making intricate, gorgeous mandalas out of sand, only to destroy them upon completion. A beautiful study in art, patience, cooperation, and the impermanence of the universe.

3. DIY Fendi: Don’t have the disposable cash to drop on crazy-expensive designer accessories? Refinery 29 demonstrates that a pair of pantyhose and a pair of scissors are all you need to be stepping pretty.

4. Man Infects Himself With Computer Virus: Remember all those terrifying movies they made in the late eighties/early nineties where technology becomes an infection, and everybody is a half-cyborg? IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING. I’ll be under my bed for, oh, the next million years.

5. Yoga For Morning And Bedtime: Daily Candy hosts this great instructional video by New-York yoga instructor Tara Stiles on soothing yoga moves you can do in bed to end and greet the morning. Now I can stop kicking Mr.Kaboom in the face when I perform my downward-bed-dog.

6. Hamster Vacuums: You don’t know what this is, you say? Well click the link, and then be amazed that you have lived your life up until this point in terrible, uncute darkness. YOU’RE WELCOME.

7. Bad Booms: Are the booms being put up to stop the oil actually working? A gentleman with the pseudonym “FishGrease” begs to differ. An interesting and alarming article.

Finally, salvation for the small apartment: an amazing line of Italian-designed space-saving furniture…