A few items

One of the downfalls of military histories is maps, or the inadequate use of maps. To be fair, many of the battles in history are so complex that one map won't due. Most military campaigns lack the cartographic simplicity of the Battle of the Bulge. For those interested in the Civil War, Civil War Animated is of great help. The site uses maps and succinct descriptions to show the situation in which a battle developed and how it happened. I can't speak to the accuracy of the detail, but it looks great, you see how the regiments moved in relation to one another. I was always confused by the description of the battles of the Seven Day's during the Peninsula Campaign but this animation made it much more clear. (via Tocwoc)

The kids have spent the past few Fridays watching the Indiana Jones films. We've been slightly uneasy with the body count in the movies, but we are the more uneasy about the Indy play acting. The kids sing the theme song all day long and have been attempting Indy like moves, including jumping down the stairs to grab a raincoat and swing to another step. Still I have to admit that the new Indy Legos, like this Flying Wing, and especially the computer game are a lot of fun to play with the kids.

Take a look at this back and forth on why science fiction novels are so long. Peter Hamilton aside, I think scifi novels are a fine length, but that could be my exposure to endless fantasy series. Still they did use to be shorter. I recently read Rendezvous with Rama and was amazed at the length.