Here’s an awesome rabbit hole for all you nerds: the Princeton University online lecture series. From discussions on the writings of Jane Austen and the presidency of John Adams to racial injustice in America and the art and science of the motorcycle, this site is full of material that will get you thinking.

I recently created a photo lightbox out of cardboard and tissue paper using this Strobist How-to guide. Grand total for out-of-pocket expenses: $2.49. Photos coming soon.

If you’re into science fiction or even if you’re not, here’s a great list of what science fiction writers consider the most controversial science fiction books.

I’m wondering why the U.S. is suddenly so interested in Zimbabwe when we had very little interest in Rwanda and Darfur, and have even less interest in Equatorial Guinea.

I’m wondering what the impact will be of Google and Yahoo adding search capabilities that enable users to look inside Flash files.

I’m wondering if Barack Obama’s suggested expansion of George Bush’s faith-based programs is about appealing to Christians come November, understanding that churches are better positioned to serve communities, or a bit of both.

I’m wondering why the number of stories about photographers being harassed by security guards and police officers continues to rise.

I’m wondering where Elton Brand and Baron Davis will end up now that they’ve opted out of their current NBA contracts.

Two weeks ago, rapper Kanye West was booed at Bonnaroo before and after his show began nearly two hours late. Since then, many have criticized West for being an egomaniac who didn’t give his all in the 4:26am performance. Yesterday, West responded in a blog on his web site.

“Never say I didn’t give my all! This shows no matter how hard you try to be good at something there will be people there to lie about you and bring you down … I’m fucking hurt by this one. Bonnaroo should have released a statement in my defense … [Note: I've removed the ALL CAPS from West's original post.]

For full disclosure purposes, aside from one or two tracks, I’m not a big Kanye West fan. Despite my preference for other hip-hop artists, however, I can honestly say that West appeared to give his all in his Bonnaroo performance. But the problem was not so much the quality of or effort behind his performance. It was that he never addressed what was clearly a major issue.

What does that mean? I’m not suggesting that West should have apologized for events that may or may not have been entirely his fault (Pearl Jam went long and West’s stage took an inordinate amount of time to construct). What I am suggesting, however, is that he would have done well to acknowledge the fans who stuck around to see him.

Bonnaroo is a four-day music festival where performances begin around noon. The ‘day’ West performed, many people, including myself, had been watching shows for more than 12 hours. During each performance, from Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and Gogol Bordello to Ozomatli and Lupe Fiasco, each artist addressed the crowd and the sheer awesomeness of the entire festival. (Anyone who’s been to Bonnaroo knows that someone can merely yell Bonnaroo and nearly everyone within shouting distance will respond with a hearty “woo!” signifying the beauty of the event.)

Despite all this and despite knowing that the audience had waited for him for nearly two hours, Kanye decided not to break the theatrical wall of his crashed spaceship. While he may have given his all in the performance, he failed to demonstrate, as he wrote in his blog, that he does this all for the fans. Had he said, “Thank you for staying up with me, Bonnaroo” or something similar, the boo birds would have likely stopped, the glow sticks would have ceased flying on stage, and the audience would have been able to focus on a relatively dynamic, one-person performance.

Unfortunately, West did nothing to dissuade people’s frustration with being made to wait for nearly two hours. Maybe the delay wasn’t his fault and maybe everyone had a choice to stay or leave, but the failure to recognize the situation as such meant that people didn’t leave the show saying, “Jesus Walks brought the house down.” Instead, they walked back to their tents at dawn saying, “I can’t believe I waited two hours for that”, “That spaceship thing was wack”, and “He really is an egomaniac”; all of which had nothing to do with his effort and everything to do with his brand.

Doubting the effectiveness of abstinence-only education, many states are rejecting the program that the Bush administration claims slows teen sexual activity. Not only is participation down 40 percent over two years, recent studies show that abstinence-only program participants have as many sexual partners as nonparticipants.

Wouldn’t a critical-thinking Congress see dwindling participation, lack of empirical evidence of any type of success, and studies demonstrating an actual lack of effectiveness as signals to not only reduce abstinence-only funding, but to abolish the entire program in favor of more comprehensive sex education? Or is Congress too focused on appearing to obey alleged Biblical teachings that it can’t wrap its collective minds around reality?

The Chinese government has fired twelve officials for dereliction of duty and misuse of supplies following the May Sichuan earthquake. How many United States government officials were sacked after their disastrous handling of Hurricane Katrina, a much smaller natural phenomenon?

The House of Representatives today voted 293-129 to give telecommunications companies immunity for warrantless wiretapping. Called a ‘compromise‘, House Resolution 6304 seems to compromise only the souls of those who voted for it and the Constitutional rights of the American people.

Gloucester High School, which normally has about four pregnancies per year, now has 17 students expecting. The sudden rise in expectant teens is apparently due, at least partially, to “an agreement to get pregnant.”

What if you asked strangers what they think about you? After you’ve stepped inside a restaurant, office, or whatever, and seen someone shoot you a look you couldn’t place, wouldn’t it be interesting to circle back to ask that person about their initial impression? (Assuming, of course, they didn’t run for the hills.) Maybe they were thinking the precisely what you imagined, maybe they concluded the opposite, or, and this just may be the most troublesome possibility, maybe they didn’t notice you at all.