What makes it into Facebook's News Feed? Thomas Weber's article covers some basic research findings based on a one month trial. Getting more in depth, the EdgeRank algorithm (summarised here) does influence the running order of your news feed (from f8 video - April, skip to 21m15s, duration: 26m30s).

"Keep Calm and Carry On" just appears, it's the Hello Kitty of graphic design. What actually is this? Going gradually viral over a ten year period, since rediscovery in the bottom of a box at Barter Books. Originally the unused third of three WWII propaganda posters from the erstwhile Ministry of Information. Currently also a soundtrack to cutback Britain.

Video of twin baby rabbits in paper cups. From Japan, where cute comes from. (宮古島, 1m01s)

Dubious destinations of London buses: Friern Barnet, Brockley Rise, Penge.

A 2008 review of 9 websites as they were in 1996, including McDonalds, Pepsi and the New York Times (with the instruction: "Please open your window to the width of this line of text"). (via Alex Steer)

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A photo of an impala with red-billed oxpeckers. (This isn't my photo, although I have one in the same key)

Are you in the mood for a lengthy discussion of Inception (2010) between Ben Walters and J. M. Tyree? (2000 words)

Fire a bullet into ice at the right angle and it will spin on the surface like a top. (40 seconds)

Who will feed your pet after the Rapture? Eternal Earth-Bound Pets employ atheists to do just that, for a small fee.

On the floor of the Tate Modern, 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds, handmade in Jingdezhen, China. From artist Ai Weiwei: "If you tell them it is for an exhibition nobody really understands why you have to accept this... 'We really love your work and can you give us more work?'... It's going to be some kind of myth for the history of this town" (video, 14m41s).

On Quora: What's the difference between user interface design and user experience design? Answered by Xianhang Zhang with reference to urinals.

How would computers translate poetry? A paper on some Google research into machine translation constrained by rhyme and metre; and what one reviewer sent back.

A map of London by where it's most photographed (in geotagged, uploaded photos). Red represents tourist photos, blue shows locals' photos and yellow for not sure. London's the most photographed by locals in this gallery of cities, by Eric Fischer.

Terminology: diegetic and non-diegetic sound in cinema.

Photo: Good times, bad Times

A letter from 1974 regarding the certification of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Includes swearing and the phrase, "to retain 'fart in your general direction'". (via Letters of Note)

Is there nothing capitalism can't assimilate and co-opt? Apparently not. Banksy's opening credit sequence for The Simpsons may still be available here (1m44s). Some background from executive producer Al Jean.

500 words on Facebook comments vs Twitter replies.

The premise of UnLogo: that brand logos represent an intrusion into your digital media. The technology: software to automatically filter out logos from video footage. The Execution: in this demo video the logos are masked by the faces of their respective CEOs. Eerily counterproductive, but yes. (1m51s)

How could you graph current excitement about new technologies? Gartner is 15 years into talking about the "Hype Cycle": "the typical progression of an emerging technology, from over-enthusiasm through a period of disillusionment to an eventual understanding of the technology's relevance and role in a market or domain."

French Connection are being fairly innovative on YouTube, including this video on "How to eat spaghetti - in a gorgeous dress and bolero" (42s). Related: a YouTube showcase of creative marketing, in partnership with the ADC.

Video: "No One Likes M. Night Shyamalan" (2m16s, opens with screaming).

Here's what this owl would look like if it was wearing a hat. (hat tip robjdlc)

The clothing and design brand Holstee has a manifesto. It's not bad. I prefer that old tube poster, "If you don't like your life you can change it!" (Mark Titchner, 2007). Other unrelated life advice: Mary Schmich's article which became the Baz Luhrmann "Sunscreen" track.

Philip Pullman on freedom of speech, earlier this year. (1m25s)

BlindType's software should make typing on phones and surfaces easier. Demo video (3m26s). Acquired by Google last week.

Yesterday Germany paid off the final instalment of its First World War reparations debt.

This painting is not available in your country.

A good pastiche of newspaper articles about science, from Martin Robbins earlier this week. See also, Charlie Brooker on the visual language of tv news.

Using 3 layers of air to fill a room with clouds, at the Venice Biennale of Architecture till 21st November: Cloudscapes (Tetsuo Kondo and Transsolar, in the Arsenale Corderie)