Neal Stephenson is profiled in this Wired article in preparation for the release of his new book Anathem.

My favorite history blog, The Edge of the American West, takes a break from history to post two funny muppet videos. First, Cookie Monster discusses trends in snack foods with Stephen Colbert. Second, the Count sings.

Ricky Gervais presents the inspiration for The Office in this Saturday Night Live film.

Final Jeopardy is a blog with video clips of every day's Final Jeopardy answer and question.

This Washington Post article profiles Adam Chodikoff, The Daily Show's "investigative humorist."

"Chodikoff, 37, doesn't perform on the show or write the gags that pepper Stewart's take on the day's news. But as the show's chief researcher and video wiz, he's the vital link in the program's comedic ecosystem. Chodikoff's job is to dig through the vast quarry of TV news footage to find the nuggets that form the program's pointed, often eye-opening "reporting." In a manner of speaking, he's an investigative humorist."

"Charlie Rose" by Samuel Beckett

Supercuts are video montages created by obsessive superfans from "every phrase/action/cliche from an episode (or entire series) of their favorite show/film/game." Waxy.org collects a list of supercuts in this post, including every couch opening from the Simpsons and every "yeah" from the movie Fargo.

Nerve and IFC present The 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time. (Many with video clips.)

Michael Chabon examines superhero costumes in this New Yorker article.

Garfield Minus Garfield is the blog that asks the question, "Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?"

Stuff White People Like is the blog devoted to stuff that white people like.

Charles Fawcett died in London on February 3rd. He was 92. You may have heard of him from the book and movie Charlie Wilson's War, but as this Telegraph obituary shows, the war in Afghanistan was only a part of Fawcett's amazing life. One example:

"In Paris Fawcett also took part in the rescue of a group of British prisoners-of-war who had been placed under French guard in a hospital ward by the Germans. By impersonating a German ambulance crew, Fawcett and a comrade marched in at 4am and ordered the French nurses to usher the PoWs out into the yard. "Gentlemen," he announced as he drove them away, "consider yourself liberated."

"You're a Yank," said a British voice.

"Never," came Fawcett's lilting southern burr, "confuse a Virginian with a Yankee."

Eric Rauchway explains the similarities between the Nixon and Bush administrations in this New Republic article.

Ten Star Wars Toys that Unintentionally Look Like Other Celebrities

Eric Rauchway explains how American political coalitions fall apart in this New Republic article. According to Rauchway, Republican "coalitions fall apart because they can't govern." While Democratic coalitions fail "because the party has overreached after governing successes."

The best book I've read recently is Steve Martin's memoir "Born Standing Up." In this excerpt from the book published in Smithsonian Magazine, Martin discusses his approach to comedy and his appearances on the Tonight Show. The article also includes a great story about Elvis Presley. You can watch Martin's breakthrough Tonight Show performance by following the link at the top of the article. It's worth watching, particularly because it begins with Johnny Carson wearing an amazing suit.

This New York Times article explains the origin of the fortune cookie.

"Some 3 billion fortune cookies are made each year, almost all in the United States. But the crisp cookies wrapped around enigmatic sayings have spread around the world. They are served in Chinese restaurants in Britain, Mexico, Italy, France and elsewhere. In India, they taste more like butter cookies. A surprisingly high number of winning tickets in Brazil's national lottery in 2004 were traced to lucky numbers from fortune cookies distributed by a Chinese restaurant chain called Chinatown.

But there is one place where fortune cookies are conspicuously absent: China.

Now a researcher in Japan believes she can explain the disconnect, which has long perplexed American tourists in China. Fortune cookies, Yasuko Nakamachi says, are almost certainly originally from Japan."

The world's flags given letter grades

For the sixth straight year, Fimoculous has compiled his list of Best of the Year Lists.