Lord of the Rings This Nazgûl morning routine is the best worst way to start your day Thom Dunn

No basement The San Antonio zoo just unlocked a 300-year-old Alamo mystery Jason Weisberger

RIP Gene Hackman found dead at home — along with wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog Carla Sinclair

Google Earth Bizarre black hole in Pacific Ocean spotted on Google Earth Allan Rose Hill

Science That city-killing space rock now has even better odds of ruining everyone's day by instantly vaporizing them Ellsworth Toohey

music Green Day to Chili Peppers: Artists rally for fire-ravaged Los Angeles Mark Cerulli

medical myths Ish sucks venom from a snakebite in Earth Abides. But experts agree: Don't do this! Carla Sinclair

christmas "Christmas in Middle-Earth" is the lord of ringing in the holiday spirit Thom Dunn

books Jonathan Lethem ponders: "Did Philip K Dick dream of Palestinian sheep?" Thom Dunn

conspiracies Conspiracy-minded cartophiles spot massive hidden doorway in Antarctica Allan Rose Hill

photography This photography book shows people just standing in front of Danzig's house Thom Dunn

unexplained phenomena Laser-cut by giants? How did this massive rock in the Saudi Arabian desert get split so cleanly? Mark Frauenfelder

unsavory gentlemen Scotty McCreery stops concert when he sees unhinged man in crowd: "That's a lady you just hit, Sir!" Carla Sinclair

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Optimize your hell by adding RFK, Jr. to the mix via his online "Real Debate" Jennifer Sandlin

lego Gigantic Lego Barad-Dûr is $460 Rob Beschizza

science fiction "Big Germs" — short fiction by Rudy Rucker Boing Boing

the last video stores Blockbuster's final stand: the lost charm of physical media Yoy Luadha

earthquake Giant rock hits car in heart-stopping video taken during Taiwan earthquake Mark Frauenfelder

NASA Dead battery from the International Space Station crashed through man's house David Pescovitz