Stuff I learned today: Big Stick Diplomacy & Dead Reckoning.

On my to-do list: have dinner in this restaurant .

They didn’t study is an overview of real tests and papers by US students. Although they didn’t know the right answer, they sure thought up some funny stuff - often showcasing their brilliance in other manners.

Pretty cool story by Nick Tosches about his obsessive quest for the location of the standard Windows XP wallpaper named ‘Autumn’.

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Designer Nicholas Feltron has created a very cool looking 13-page annual report for 2006, offering maps and graphs outlining how he lived, what he did, and what he consumed last year.

Although I’m not particularly interested in the life of Nicholas, the concept is very appealing to me. It’s the perfect way to tell your environment what really matters to you and is a personal reminder of the level of pollution you create, your work-life balance and your possible drinking problem.

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We have all been there: fighting the silent fight over the armrest on a plane. You’re tired and looking for much needed comfort in the most tiny and uncomfortable place thinkable: a tourist class seat on an airplane. And then there’s this guy next to you, who somehow feels he owns the plane -and the armrest. Wired has instructions on how to capture the armrest.

Fast Company’s Good Citizen Award goes to… Starbucks! We’ve all been there:

It’s early morning, and I’m running late for a meeting with a Big Deal Designer downtown. I’ve had too much coffee, with predictable results. The last thing I want to do on meeting this guy is to say, “Hi, how-are-ya, can I use your restroom?” It’s a mortifying way to begin a conversation.

The reason you had to go was their coffee in the first place, but thank God for a public restroom (with coffee counter) on every corner of the street (that is: if you live in NYC or London).

Interesting thread over at Askmefi: “Where did the phrase “It’s ____, stupid!” come from & what was originally in the blank?”

Turns out that it is derived from the Clinton campaign of 1992, where “It’s the economy, stupid” was coined by Democratic Party strategist James Carville, who possibly lend it from the K.I.S.S. principle or this movie.

Skilling stood stoically, his hands clasped before him, as presiding Judge Sim Lake handed down his sentence. His wife Rebecca, however, sobbed quietly in her seat as victims of Enron’s collapse watched the proceedings stone-faced.

Tragic, but well-deserved. Read the whole story over at CNN.