My links for June 3rd

So, this week I thought I would try something different with my blog. I am now employing the WordPress plugin Postalicious, which allows me to automatically bookmark all the links that I tweet then publish them in a blog post. It seems a bit redundant, yes. But at the same time, I wish I had a record of some of the tweets that I sent out years or even weeks ago. The Twitter engine keeps on moving and it’s not always easy to go back and find what you’re looking for later on.

I’m also considering giving these bookmarked links a name: Renzullinks. Is that too much? It made me laugh when I thought of it but I can’t quite work up the gumption to actually call them Renzullinks in the title. So, for now, it’ll be a tag. Please do weigh in on the cheesiness of the made-up name and let me know if you find the following links useful, fun, informative, or downright-stupid-and-you-should-just-stop-blogging-because-you-are-filling-our-RSS-readers-with-garbage. By the way, I’m doing this as an experiment on my usatourismboard site, too. I think it’ll make a lot more sense over there because the links will be more targeted towards a subject whereas these are a jumble of things I find cool, interesting, worth a look.

So, without further ado, these are my links for June 3rd through June 4th. If you think I should do a daily post or stretch it out to a weekly post, let me know.

• Secretly Reading “50 Shades of Grey”? Meet Washington’s Real-Life Top Dominatrix, Domina Vontana – No, I’m not secretly reading “50 Shades of Grey” and wondering why I need to when there’s the, uh, Internet. Nevertheless, I this Washingtonian piece on a local dominatrix an interesting read.
• Cats away! Artist turns his dead pet into flying helicopter after it is killed by a car – Because this is the weirdest headline (and accompanying photos) you may see for a while. (h/t Andy Murdock)
• The International Meteorite Market – A thorough look at the international meteorite market, from prices to legal problems when “the interests of science and private collectors often collide.” via @Travelreads @audreytempe, @nakedscientists
• 71-Year-Old Grandmother To Bike From Russia To France – Here’s a short little piece I wrote for Gadling on a 71-year-old Russian woman who will bike from Tver, Russia, to Paris, France, this summer, putting just about everyone younger than her to shame.
• Jason Alexander Apologizes For Gay Joke – I had not even heard of the flap concerning Jason Alexander telling gay jokes. But his apology is so sincere and thorough, it’s worth a read. via @davitydave
• Banksy: From Still Life to Real Life – This links to my Tumblr, where there are photos that are inspired by the graffiti of Banksy. I love this kind of stuff.
• Behold! The Mixtape Table!! – Another Tumblr link. Go on over and behold the darn table, will ya?
• Seinfeld Episodes That Wouldn’t Work Today – Exactly how it sounds. Welcome to Oldsville, oldie! (That means you!)
• Worst Companies At Protecting User Privacy: Skype, Verizon, Yahoo – Slashdot links to a blog post/study of the best and worst companies at keeping your data private. The good news? Twitter and Dropbox are among the best.
• Napoleon’s 1812 Russian Defeat – I was doing research for the Russia piece I linked to above and came across this map. My tweet: “Easily impressed 2003 history website posts ‘best statistical graph ever drawn’ was snarky. But then one of my followers (Ben Lamb, @bennyfactor) told me this was no joke and pointed to this link
• Space shuttle visiting the Coney Island beach – Twitter/Instagram user @Lola_Star_ tweeted out this incredible shot of Enterprise en route to the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York City.
• How to Start a Super PAC – Now you know.
• Map of Italy’s Earthquake Zones – After learning that yet another earthquake hit Italy yesterday, I wrote up this quick post on Italofile. Could the latest wave of earthquakes in Italy be due to fracking?
• The Rap Map — Mapping the Gangsta Terrain of the Planet | Rap Genius – Google Maps used in the coolest way yet: to map the rap history of the United States. It goes way beyond New York City.