Current and recent inputs: music

I covered books last time, so now here are some recent music purchases:

• James Blunt "All The Lost Souls" - I enjoyed his first big release, and like this second one as well, though I think it lost some of the naivety and simpleness that made the first good. I definitely need to listen more before judgment, but it also has a bit of the "every song sounds the same" syndrome to me.
• Queens of the Stone Age "Era Vulgaris" - I think QOTSA continues to produce solid rock albums that are consistently good and consistently evolving. I never quite know what the style and theme will be, but I'm pleasantly surprised, as I was with this one.
• Linkin Park "Minutes to Midnight" - I used to be a big Linkin Park fan, and I definitely think this is a good CD, but it just doesn't capture my attention like their older albums did. It is definitely a more mature album, and there are some nice touches in style.
• Shiny Toy Guns "We Are Pilots" - This is a fun one; some discotheque beats and synthesizers, with some wailing lyrics and voices. I like the combination of the great male and female lead vocalists.
  

Home alone, master song, optical confusion, stupid test

Hello there. Just some more quick links today:

• Home becomes an island when they refuse to sell to developers. But at least they won! They did win, right?
• Master's thesis hits the Billboard top 10 single list. Overachiever. Way to ruin it for everyone else in the class.
• The Neave Strobe optical illusion will make you dizzy. It's cool, but be sure your PC speakers aren't turned up too loud.
• I did well on the Stupid Test, or rather I did poorly (less stupid):