Bits from around the Web

Mark Twain sealed his autobiography until 100 years after his death. Time's up (with thanks to the_monkey_king).

Photographer Philippe Halsman believed that people reveal their true natures when they jump. To see those natures, he asked the good and great (including the likes of Salvador Dali, Marilyn Monroe, Richard Nixon, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, among others) to leap before his camera. An exhibit of the resulting photographs is going on in NYC. You can read about it at the New York Times and/or go directly to the exhibitors' Web site and see these marvelous black-and-white photographs. (Scroll down the gallery page to see the pix.)

Religion Dispatches has discovered Doctor Who and is completely smitten. They're running a thoughtful and occasionally downright fannish series of articles on the philosophical themes of the new series and the current season. Read part one and part two. Good stuff.

The Yankees are banning iPads from Yankee Stadium. On the one hand, I get it--it could prove a distraction to other game attendees, like a smartphone in a movie theater; on the other hand, how...odd. (Thanks to frankwu.)

Saturday night, when I went to bed, I heard the oddest percussion on the air. I thought maybe it was wind or some muffled music from a neighbor's yard. It turns out that the sound was fireworks from a private party in Ballard. Hey, ironymaiden, invite me to the party next time, will ya? :-)