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More dinosaurs had feathers than we thought
Realistically, we'll probably never successfully clone a dinosaur -- but if we ever do, we may be surprised by how the beast turns out. A fossil found in Siberia threatens to change our perception of what history's giant lizards may have looked like. We already know that not all dinosaurs were scales and teeth -- fossils from the 1990s show that some carnivorous theropods may have worn feathery coats -- but the new fossil suggests that far more dinos were covered in birdlike feathers than previously suspected. The Siberian discovery suggests that plant-eating dinos may have had feathers too.
The Road to Mordor: A conspiracy of hats
The hat, as they say, makes the man. Or the woman. Or the Dwarf. Unfortunately, in Lord of the Rings Online, the hat often makes the man completely silly. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but the hats in LotRO have garnered the reputation as being goofy as all get out. Sure, this is hardly a fresh observation, but I've wanted to address it in this column for a while now, so it might as well be today! Rumor has it that Turbine's artists drew upon actual medieval outfits to lend an authentic, renaissance faire vibe to the game. This is perhaps why there is such a distinct fashion style in LotRO that you don't see in other MMOs. Our modern sensibilities, with such fashion achievements as tank tops and crocs, make hauberks and codpieces seem quaint and ridiculous. Truly, we are seeing the height of human civilization in 2010. So while it's laudable that Turbine tried to give us the real deal, that doesn't quite excuse the fact that many of the hats -- especially the light armor versions -- are unbearably weird. It's as if, as The Pix'led Life speculated, there's a conspiracy of hats afoot: "Let's see what we can make them swallow!" one artist cackles. "Ooh, I know -- how about 16 varieties of dunce hats?" laughs another. I kid, I kid. There are 17. Hit the jump and let's take a terrifying journey through headgear that seeks to conquer Sauron by making the Enemy laugh himself to death.
World of Warcraft pom-poms
I have no idea how to describe pom-poms. I guess they're like little furry balls that you can assemble, along with the usual crafting supplies, into cute little figurines or objects. And as you might expect, since you're reading this here on WoW Insider, someone has assembled these materials into World of Warcraft-related objects, and as usual, the results are awesome.This time it's Eldrian, sister of Pike over at Aspect of the Hare, and her creations are amazing. She's a Druid, so there are all the Druid forms for both factions (there are the two moonkins above), and she's also made a Hunter and pet, a Warlock and a Voidwalker, and even mounts and little Warsong Gulch flags. We've compiled a few of the best shots of the figures in the gallery below, but don't forget to head over and check out her page to see front, side, and back shots of everything. Very awesome, and very meticulously created -- one of the figures took over 10 hours to make. %Gallery-41673%
World of WarCrafts: Runed copper rod
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts.Everyone needs a good rod. This runed copper variation is the ideal candidate for the apprentice enchanter. Just be mindful of where you whip out your magic stick because everyone will want to get their hands on it.Here is what you will need: Wood Dowel (1/2" x 12") Wood Dowel Cap (1 1/2" x 3/8" Hole) Metallic Craft Paint (I actually used a deep bronze) Fine Gold Glitter Brown Suede/Leather Cord Small Feathers (2 red, 2 green) Craft Glue (wood friendly) Scissors Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-23442%
