It's hard to say why, but as a culture, we adore lists. They're easy, natural and fun to make. You can make lists of places you want to go, lists of people to invite to a party, lists of things you need to do before the end of the week (OK, maybe that's not so much fun … but still.) At findingDulcinea, we're kicking off our own series of lists to keep you in touch with Web resources. To get you in the mood, we've found a few unique lists from around the Web.
1) The Village of Joy Blog lists "50 Strange Buildings of The World." Maybe strange isn't the right word: these buildings are universally architecturally awesome. A variety of shapes, styles and colors make each one of these buildings, new and old, entirely distinct.
3) 7summits is a shorter list, but the seven items on it are of far greater magnitude: the highest mountains on Earth. Look at pictures, read stories and legends, or even consider making a trip to visit one—the site can help you figure out how much training you'll need to make the climb.
Whether you're inspired to go climb a mountain, or complete the equally arduous journey of heading home for the holidays, check out our own top 5 list, 5 Sites for Last-Minute Travel.
In this video from Current TV, Aaron Krane, former host of the Web TV show "Buzz!" introduces viewers to his groupies and entourage, and sheds light on the ins and outs of being a microcelebrity, someone famous only to a few.
Visit findingDulcinea's Must-See Video section for more videos of the day.
For many individuals, poetry seems to lack the pop and pizzazz of other forms of artistic expression and entertainment. While this may be superficially true, I have come to realize that the energy and drive of a poem (at least the good ones) become apparent only from multiple readings and intense interpretation. To extract the soul of a poem, the reader must first be willing to bare his own. Unlike modern Western theater and the contemporary cinematic experience (where the viewer is rather passive, a recipient of expression), the poem requires an active participant.
While I would love to write for hours on Keats, or Yeats, or Blake, I haven't the time. However, because it is National Poem in Your Pocket Day (see today's impressive Netcetera feature), I feel compelled to share a bit of Auden: "Musée des Beaux-Arts." While the poem covers a lot of philosophical and aesthetic territory, I have always valued the continual relevance of its subject matter: our ability as humans to continue our daily routines, our work, and our entertainment (or poetry reading) with the knowledge that tragedy and suffering are occurring simultaneously.
Of course, not all poetry is this somber (see Mark Doty's "Golden Retrievals").
The folks at findingDulcinea, the Librarian of the Internet, are searching the Internet all day long to find the most amazing quality sites to recommend to you. On our blog, we'd like to share our discoveries, tips for searching the Web, thoughts about the content we are featuring on fD, and ideas about the Web community.
Being the Librarian of the Internet, it is only appropriate that we mention that this week is National Library Week (April 13-19). The American Library Association is celebrating with the theme, "Join the circle of knowledge @ your library" (http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/campaign/campaignamericas.cfm). According to the ALA, "The first National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme 'Wake Up and Read!'" I don't know what it is, but I feel immediately at peace as soon as I enter a library. Maybe it's the quiet, maybe it's the potential of an afternoon of uninterrupted reading or maybe it's how ordered the library is.
Whatever it is, I could spend an entire day at a library and come out feeling like I couldn't have spent it better (well, only better if you can take that book out on a sunny day). In college, I spent countless hours studying in various cubbies on the second floor of my library. No matter how I felt going in- anxious about exams, stressed about papers or just simply disorganized, I always felt peaceful and organized coming out. So, if you get a chance this week, take a moment to visit your local library and take a moment of peace and quiet (and possible organization) for yourself.