Today is the first weekday in the first full week of October. May yours be full of chills, thrills, and things that go bump in the night!

On this subject, I'd like to recommend a podcast I recently discovered thanks to ankh_hpl. MonsterTalk is well worth your time this Halloween season. I've listened to the Cthulhu and Bigfoot shows, and I'm looking forward to the other episodes waiting for me on my iPod. To quote the official description, MonsterTalk is "a free audio podcast that critically examines the science behind cryptozoological (and legendary) creatures, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or werewolves. Hosted by Blake Smith, Ben Radford, and Dr. Karen Stollznow, MonsterTalk interviews the scientists and investigators who shine a spotlight on the things that go bump in the night. For once (and unlike mystery-mongering television shows) a monster-themed program gives skepticism more than just a couple minutes of lip service!" Check it out here.


Of course, before we celebrate the things that go bump in the night, we should probably define our terms, right? Fortunately for us, Wondermark by David Malki can help. (Thanks to The Hog's Head!)



Text of the Day: I hope this starts your week off in the right spirit: "Voices in the Air" by Thomas Lovell Beddoes (1803-1849).

As sudden thunder
Pierces night;
As magic wonder,
Wild affright,
Rives asunder
Men's delight:
Our ghost, our corpse; and we
Rise to be.


As flies the lizard
Serpent fell;
As goblin vizard,
At the spell
Of the wizard,
Sinks to hell:
Our life, our laugh, our lay
Pass away.

As wake the morning
Trumpets bright;
As snow-drop, scorning
Winter's might,
Rises warning
Like a spright:
We buried, dead, and slain
Rise again.