Friday, July 31, 2015

Flora & Fauna Friday - Snakes, Snakes, Snakes

Over on wptv.com, a "Python more than 18 feet long [was] caught in Everglades National Park."  Learn more here.


Also, on discovermagazine.com, a "Four-Legged Snake Shakes Up Squamate Family Tree – Or Does It?"  Find out here.


Finally, on atlasobscura.com, check out the "Cave of the Hanging Snakes" here.


Examining animals, plants, and the
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Thursday, July 30, 2015

Historical Thursday - Bobby, Pete, & Ed

Over on historytoday.com, they've shared an article from Volume 51 Issue 7 first published in July 2001 titled "Robert of Normandy Invades England" here.


Also, on historytoday.com, they've published an article earlier this month proclaiming "Peter the Hermit dies in Flanders" here.


Finally, on medievalists.net, an article looks at "Edward III and the Hundred Years War" here.


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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Monmouth Fortress, Ancient Huts, & Stonehenge

Over on westerndailypress.co.uk, a recent article discusses how a "Fortress older than the pyramids is uncovered in Monmouth" here.


Also, on space.com, they tell us that "Ancient Huts May Reveal Clues to Earth's Magnetic Pole Reversals" here.


Finally, on aboutstonehenge.info, get some more information on some of the little know backstory of Stonehenge here.


Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

The Tuesday Sundries - Blue Moon, Twisted Taxidermy, & Golden Spirals

Over on whio.com, we learn that "A full moon, this one a Blue Moon, to shine Friday in the night sky."  Find out more here.


Also, on nationalgeographic.com, "An Artist’s Twist on Taxidermy Blurs the Boundaries of Humanity" here.


Finally, on smithsonianmag.com, "Archeologists Have Found 2,000 Ancient Golden Spirals and They Have No Idea What They Are."  Check it out here.



The Tuesday Sundries on GRYMVALD.com
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Monday, July 27, 2015

RPG Media Monday - Apocalyptic Horror, Album Covers, & Comic Book Movies

Over on craigdilouie.com, you can keep an eye on what is happening in horror, apocalyptic, and thriller fiction for inspiration for your tabletop RPG games here.


Also, on geek.com, check out "The 11 geekiest album covers of all time" and see if one or two don't spark an adventure idea here.


Finally, on io9.com, though this article is from May, watch for "All The Upcoming Comic Book Movies That Aren’t From Marvel Or DC" here.


What can be gleaned from Media
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Sunday, July 26, 2015

Setting & Society Sunday - Æthelstan, Alfred the Great, & Viking Human Sacrifices

Three from the Medievalists.net website this week with the first being a look at "Æthelstan, Anglo-Saxon King of England" here.


Also, check out some contrast in "Alfred the Great and Æthelred II ‘the Unready”: the Viking Wars in England, c. 850-1016" here.


Finally, get the behind the scenes skinny on "Viking Human Sacrifices: Hollywood vs Reality" here.


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Saturday, July 25, 2015

Saturday in Space - Asteroid Mining, Dark Matter, & Pluto's Underworld

Over on sciencealert.com, an article this week discusses how an "Asteroid-mining company deploys first prototype spacecraft into orbit" here.


Also, on space.com, they answer the question "What is Dark Matter?"  Learn more here.


Finally, on ourpluto.org, check out the naming conventions they are informally considering for the features discovered on Pluto including one that utilizes "Underworld Beings" here.


Saturday in Space on GRYMVALD.com
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Friday, July 24, 2015

Flora & Fauna Friday - Centipedes, Sailing Spiders, & Assassin Bugs

Over on tpwmagazine.com, they give us a look at the giant redheaded centipede of Texas here.  This thing can deliver a nasty bite, indeed.


Also, on gizmodo.com, they warn us that "Spiders Sail Across Water to Colonize the World" here.  Dropping by a line, jumping into the air, now sailing?  Are none of us safe!?!


Finally, on mentalfloss.com, check out the ever-dangerous assassin bug here.  "The Bug That Wears Its Victims Like Armor!"


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Thursday, July 23, 2015

Historical Thursday - Urban Jousts, Medieval Superheroes, & Lost Kingdoms

Three from the Medievalists.net website this week with the first being an article on "Urban Jousts in the Later Middle Ages: The White Bear of Bruges" here.


Also, learn about the "Top Ten Superheroes of the Middle Ages" here.


Finally, discover "Ten Medieval Kingdoms and States that No Longer Exist" here.


Sifting through History to
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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Ancient Mosaics, Rosetta Stone, & the Minotaur

Over on nationalgeographic.com, they tell of "Surprising Mosaics Revealed in Ancient Synagogue in Israel" here.


Also, with this week marking the anniversary of the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, have a look at britishmuseum.org where they detail this wonderful find here.


Finally, on the TED-Ed YouTube channel, a recent video discusses "The scientific origins of the Minotaur" with Matt Kaplan.  Enjoy!



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Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The Tuesday Sundries - Philip's Bones, Hellenistic Bronze, & Viking Sword

Over on popular-archaeology.com, a recent article tells us the "Bones of Philip of Macedon Identified" here.  That's pretty amazing that we've managed to span the millennia to identify the remains of a specific person.


Also, on popular-archaeology.com, they've let us know that a "Hellenistic bronze exhibit makes an unprecedented showing" here.


Finally, on pasthorizonspr.com, "A unique Viking sword goes on display for the first time since its discovery."  Find out more here.


The Tuesday Sundries on GRYMVALD.com
Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics on GRYMVALD.com
not covered elsewhere or wanting a particular focus.
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Monday, July 20, 2015

RPG Media Monday - RPG Podcasts, Roll for Initiative, & Fear the Boot

If you're unfamiliar, have a look at rpgpodcasts.com here.  It's a directory of freely available audio and video shows about roleplaying games.  But just to highlight a couple . . .


Check out Roll for Initiative here.  It's the original 1st Edition AD&D Podcast and has been running for years.


You might also like Fear the Boot here.  It's "an irreverent look at tabletop roleplaying games and a little bit more."


What can be gleaned from Media
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Sunday, July 19, 2015

Setting & Society Sunday - Mummy Toe, Largest Maze, & Half Dome

Over on archaeology.org in their archive section, check out the artificial toe from approximately 950—710 B.C. made from Wood and leather and discovered in the tomb of Tabeketenmut located in the necropolis of Thebes, near Luxor.  It is about 4.7 inches, from tip of toe to point of attachment, and is currently located in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.  See a bit more here.


Also, on smithsonianmag.com, they want you to "Get Lost in the World's Largest Maze" here.  The Masone Labyrinth is located in the northern Italian city of Parma.  It is "a 20-acre, star-shaped bamboo labyrinth that winds its way around a golden pyramid."  Mapping it must be a difficult task.


Finally, on smithsonianmag.com, as well, they ask, "How Did Nobody Notice Five Million Pounds of Rock Fall Off Half Dome?"  Apparently, a large portion of the famous monument sheared away and it was realized until some hikers familiar with how the area should look happened by the rubble below.  Find out more here.




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Saturday, July 18, 2015

Saturday in Space - New Horizons, Charon's Mountain Moat, & Pluto’s Surprise

Over on the discovermagazine.com blog, they discuss how "New Horizons Skims Past Pluto" here.


Also, on NASA.gov, check out "New Horizons Close-Up of Charon’s ‘Mountain in a Moat’" here.


Finally, on astronomynow.com, they look at "Pluto scientist’s biggest surprise so far" here.  Also, check out this picture from Discover Magazine of some of the features on Pluto.



Saturday in Space on GRYMVALD.com
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Friday, July 17, 2015

Flora & Fauna Friday - Volcano Fish, Saving Whales, & Shark Rescue

Over on grindtv.com, a recent article told of "Bizarre fish species, ancient volcanoes discovered off Australia" here.


Also, on express.co.uk, they let us know "Whales saved by passersby in dramatic rescue off the coast of Scotland" here.


Finally, on azfamily.com, "Beachgoers help rescue stranded great white shark" here.


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Thursday, July 16, 2015

Historical Thursday - Bastille Day

Just this last Tuesday was Bastille Day.  Over on ibtimes.com, they have a few "Facts, Traditions And History Of French National Day" here.  One of these days, I need to visit France, and I'd love to do it during this time of year.


Lest we forget amidst all the celebrating, Bastille Day is a holiday commemorating the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, at the height of some of the bloodiest days of the French Revolution.  It was an incredibly violent two years, perhaps all the more so because everyone was on their own turf and had no place else to call home.



Finally, HistoryToday.com also had an interesting article on an escape that took place from the Bastille a couple of centuries prior tot he revolution.  The article is by Joan Hasler and originally published in History Today, Volume 17 Issue 11, in November 1967.  Read it here.


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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Disasters & Extinctions

Over on io9.com, an article from last August foretells "This Is What Famous Landmarks Would Look Like After A Global Disaster" here.


Also, on science.howstuffworks.com, they ask "What will the Earth look like in 50,000 years?"  Learn more here.


Finally, on nationalgeographic.com, they wonder "Will Humans Survive the Sixth Great Extinction?"  Check their thoughts on the matter here.


Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
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