Link roundup

1. I highly recommend The Dala Horse by Michael Swanwick. Imagine a post-apocalyptic Dora the Explorer adventure. (Or A Dora the Explorer episode taking place in Dan Simmons's Ilium world.) It's part of the best of Tor 2011 collection that's a free download at Amazon.

2. This is a very good cat animated gif. Via.

3. Why is the Ace the high card?:

The use of the ace as the highest card in the French deck gained more widespread acceptance as a result of the French Revolution. Examples of the ace being a high card include the game Hearts.

The promotion of the ace symbolised the removal of the nobility (especially King Louis XVI) and the promotion of the common man. In addition to this move, the traditional court card imagery of the nobility had the crowns removed so as to give human personifications to chosen democratic ideals (Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité). Upon the rise of Napoleon to Emperor, royalty became more popular once more and the royal court was re-established on the imagery of the cards. Napoleon commissioned an artist to depict a more historically-correct court, but the move proved unpopular and the medieval court figures were quickly reinstated.

4. "Meet The Convicted Felon Who Defrauded The NFL, Made Reggie Bush Ineligible, And Funded The Saints' Bounty Program."

Link roundup

1. Comment and win plush.

2. John Carter of Mars paper toy.

3. Tim Schafer:

FYI: In the Reddit AMA I'm doing this Sunday, I will ONLY be taking questions about Woody Harrelson's new movie RAMPART.

4. If NFL players were paid bounties to injure other players (and it seems that they're admitting it) then criminal charges should be considered.

Link roundup

1. From a Q&A on The Old Republic:

GnovaD: Are there any plans to introduce mobile apps to the game? Eg. Use smart phone/tablet to send companions on missions while offline.

Damion Schubert: Let's just say that this has always been a dream of mine for crew skills - it's almost as if this design was created specifically with this in mind, doesn't it? Good news, sometimes dreams do come true! The bad news is that I have no ETA for you, though, as this is a significant technical endeavor.

2. Assassin of Secrets was supposed to be a hot new spy novel, but then readers started to recognize entire passages lifted from other novels. The resulting investigation into the mysterious author is almost certainly more interesting than the novel itself.

3. GQ has An Oral History of Tim Tebow. Sample:

JOHN FOX (head coach, Denver Broncos): The minute you meet him, he has that presence. I went and met him for dinner during the draft process down in Gainesville. He's got a notebook, and he's into it. He just likes talking ball. And he picked up the tab—I've never had that happen before.

4. How to Prevent YouTube from Keeping a Record of The Videos You Watch .

Link roundup

1. The new shirts by Last Exit to Nowhere I featured recently are now on sale.

2. 25 animated gifs from Madonna's halftime show. My favorite moments were the pulsating numbers on the field, and when the field was sucked up and turned into a star field.

3. The Game of Thrones first season blu-ray set is $45 (half-off) at Amazon.

4. New painting by Dave MacDowell (NSFW).

Link roundup

1. Modder's Guide: Planescape: Torment.

2. Grantland's suggestions for improving the Pro Bowl.

3. Artist copies of Mondo's Adventure Time posters are on sale right now.

Link roundup

1. Chipotle's spinoff ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen is doing well enough to justify a second restaurant in DC.

2. Belichick Breakdown's are weekly posts by Bill Belichick explaining football plays. Relatedly, here's some detailed analysis of what to expect in the Saints/49ers and Broncos/Patriots.

3. ESPN suggests that Kobe is driven to humiliate Steve Nash:

When Bryant got the chance to go one-on-one with Nash in the first half Tuesday night, he even changed his signature sound. Normally Bryant calls for the ball by using his tongue to push staccato bursts of air through his teeth. It sounds kind of like the Smoke Monster on “Lost.” As soon as Nash switched onto Bryant, however, Kobe made sure he wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity. He posted up Nash on the right block and let loose a holler that could be heard throughout Staples Center.

“Whooo!” he yelled. “Whoo!”

4. Artist looking for commissions.

5. 50% off t-shirts at Zazzle with the code FFHSFRIDAY13. I recommend Miskatonic University, Vonster, Steve Thomas, Franco Brambilla, Adam Koford, and my own store. (FYI, at least in my store you can customize with a wide variety of shirt types and colors.)