Link roundup

1. Jimmy Kimmel has a great article at Grantland about his dad. Here's a taste:

Sun Devil Stadium was about half full. My Dad and I were in Dave's seats. Between the first and second quarters, the PA announcer called out a section, a row number, and a seat. Whoever was in the seat they picked would get a chance to kick a field goal for a sum of money I can't recall. We were nowhere near the winning section, so we paid little attention to the contest. The game resumed. At halftime, we were not among those in line for overpriced beer or a five-dollar hot dog. "That's what they want you to eat!" We remained in our seats. The announcer said something to the effect of "Hey, Cardinals fans — it's time for the Fan Field Goal challenge. Today's fan is from Section 43, Row H, Seat 5 — and let's welcome her now!"There was some cheering, not much — mostly, I'd guess, from Section 43. The first thing that caught my eye was the dog walking across the field. A German shepherd. The next thing I noticed was a man who looked like a Cardinals team representative slowly leading an older woman by the hand. And then I knew the woman was blind. And the stadium fell silent.My father looked at me with the same threatening eyes I'd later turn on my 5-year-old son when he spotted a very fat man in the supermarket and started to point. "Don't say a word," they told me. I didn't. Back to the action. At about the 15-yard line, a boy placed a football on a tee. Slowly, very slowly, the team representative led the woman to the ball, allowing her to "feel" it with her foot. I couldn't even begin to process what was happening. A BLIND WOMAN was going to try to KICK A FIELD GOAL in an NFL STADIUM! "Good for her!" you might be thinking, "Now, there's a woman who refuses to let her disability get the best of her!" And, in retrospect, I agree, but at the time my brain felt like it was loaded with Pop Rocks.The crowd remained frozen. Still holding her hand, the team rep cautiously backed the sightless woman five steps away from the ball. It was happening. No one made a sound. The only relaxed person in the stadium was a dog, which was now lounging on the turf. "And here we go!" the PA announcer boomed.

2. Pretty cute - - when you transfer DSiWare games to the 3DS, Pikmin do the heavy lifting.3. "A Chinese firm has been 'secretly' copying an entire UNESCO-listed village in Austria, called Hallstatt."*Buy Pikmin toys at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Fast Company:

In the latest installment of Butterfly Effect, we examine China's cheap knockoff cell phones. After being forced out of China and India, Chinese counterfeiters brought their product to the Middle East, where the sudden availability of information had unintended consequences for the region--and for China itself.

2. Ben Wilson paints chewing gum.3. Map of undersea cables from 1901. Via.*Buy vintage maps at Amazon.

Illustration roundup

Syd Mead gallery.Portal fan art by Lissa Treiman.Illustration by Chris Buzelli for an article in Global Brief magazine about China's arrogance toward its neighbors. He has numerous prints on sale here.Jock updated his site to include his Batman covers.Rosie the Roboteer by Simon Wilches. See also: Ultraman makes a cup of ramen.

Link roundup

1. Misconceptions about China.2. Two lackluster reviews of Samsung's Chrome laptop. Tablets, I understand (although I'll wait until they're half the price). But mostly reading the review of the Chrome laptop I'm left wondering why anyone would buy such a thing instead of buying a Windows laptop with a Chrome browser.3. If you're a Batman Brave and the Bold obsessive, the latest episode starring The Atom(s) was placed for sale at iTunes ($3) and Amazon ($2) before airing. Via.

The Empty Chair

"The Empty Chair" by Maarten Baas for Amnesty International in honor of imprisoned artist Liu Xiaobo. Via these sites.

Link roundup

1. Comment and win a copy of the 3D Art Book.2. "China used prisoners in lucrative internet gaming work. Labour camp detainees endure hard labour by day, online 'gold farming' by night" Via.3. I actually didn't like Baldur's Gate very much, but this makes me wish I had. (The 4 in 1 box set mentioned is $18 at Amazon.) Via.

Link roundup

1. "Infographic: Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus."2. "In China, where a growing demand for organ transplants coupled with a dramatic shortage of donors has fuelled a rampant black market trade, selling your organs for cash is a mouse click away." Via.3. Guidance (but not instructions) on how to knit the Companion Cube sweater that was featured on various sites last week.