Science Fair for December 29th-January 4th

Hi everybody, did you have a lovely New Year's? It was tame here in the Bay Area since the sky was covered in fog and clouds--no fireworks for us! What a shame. Otherwise, I got to watch Kouhaku, eat delicious Japanese New Year's food, and work all though the vacation time. I can't complain, it is only my first six months at this job, right?

This week's Science Fair is classically eclectic as you'll see, only the best of the past week's news, music, crafts, art, and fashion. What can I say, I share only what I love with you all!

-Business Week, a publication not often utilized by those of us here at Periodic Style (we are all about Jezebel for our daily business news, hello), had an interesting article about the new economy of blogging. Will Work for Praise points out the amazing business innovation that is blogging for profit...except for when you don't get paid to contribute. Fascinating! It says a lot about the "new" fame phenomenon in America, when a short video or blog post can give you your fifteen minutes in the spotlight for minimal effort.

-For a broader spectrum review of the past year, Newsweek has their list of the Most Overlooked Stories of 2008. Overlooked, really? I was paying pretty close attention to all of those, Newsweek. What are you saying here? Am I addicted to news that I shouldn't know about these things happening? I was particularly concerned about those missile nose-cone components in Taiwan and the missile defense system deal in India, it may not be my specialty but it is certainly my field! What stories do you think the mainstream media really missed out on in 2008? Care to share?

-As you may recall, I have a newfound love for the country of my paternal grand-forefathers, Sweden. This Sverige passion was particularly sparked by Hello Saferide and its members, Annika Norlin, Maia Hirasawa, and Firefox AK. Check out Hello Saferide's blog for their new music video! The transcribed dialogue is great. Hello Saferide, will you be my friends forever?

-To satisfy your weekly historical-loveliness quota, I present Miss Philadelphia 1924, Ms. Ruth Malcomson!

-Did you know that you can cover your bare walls, contribute to a good cause, and support independent artists? WallBlank offers neat-o art and photo prints on high-quality paper, I've been checking them out. I love the story behind this Bowl-O-Rama photo. I also am quite good at bowling, FYI.

-Now on to the girly stuff! I've read DomestiFluff's tutorial on hwo to make the most adorable pom-pom flowers a thousand times over, but I can't imagine mine would turn out that CUTE! I love that she adds one to a simply-wrapped present, sometimes those are the little touches it takes to make something really special. Lovely!

-Only Style Remains the Same presents, for your approval, a week's worth of date night outfits. Personally, I only ever have first dates and then I am bored, so all five are not an issue. What would you wear for a blind date VS a friend-date VS a group date, pray tell? This may become a Polyvore challenge, so put your thinking caps on, ladies!

Have a great week, everybody--coming up we've got our Favorite Things from 2008, Jeanne shares all about her under-eye problems, and true crime book reviews from me!