Weekend Update

Several interesting things:

• Let me recommend the DVD Occupation: Dreamland, a documentary about a squad of the 82nd Airborne assigned to Falluja in the months prior to the March 2004 escalation of violence in that city. It's very good, and it might be interesting to watch in conjunction with Gunner Palace, a doc I blogged about some while ago.
• I've added some new links to the blogroll in the past few days, including the blog of European Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy Margot Wallström; The Carnival of Bad History, which introduces itself such: The world is full of bad history. Best-selling novels are full of it. Nostalgia-dripping reruns on Pax and the Hallmark channel are full of it. Blockbuster summer movies are full of it. Statements by the leaders of public opinion are full of it. Boy, are they full of it. Alan and John thought the world needed a place to expose bad history. This is that place.; The blog of Lawrence Lessig, the net-friendly attorney about whom I have been reading in Lasica's Darknet book; and others. Check 'em all out!
• Via Eric Zorn, here's How to Solve Sudoku (Without Even Thinking). Last year I made an Excel doc that kind of helps you do that. One of these days, I'm going to figure out how to post an Excel doc to the Internet and share it with everyone.
• Here's a new Smithsonian article on artist David Hockney, whose work I have enjoyed ever since seeing him featured on an episode of the excellent series Behind the Scenes with Penn & Teller. Here's one of his pieces:

• Speaking of P&T, one of the benefits of having a laptop is that we can sit in bed and watch TV while I blog. We're watching Penn & Teller's Magic and Mystery Tour, featuring the boys taking us on a virtual tour of the magic traditions of China, Egypt, and India. So far so good! I don't think there are any projects or shows I've ever seen them work on that I have not enjoyed very much.