Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project – The picture above is from an early unmanned scouting probe, sent to the moon as part of the preparation for the Apollo landings. The resolution and detail are amazing, but the story behind its salvage is even more astonishing. It's a tale of hacking at its best, as determined volunteers spent years working on technical archaeology to help save thousands of unique astronomical records. It's a fascinating intellectual adventure story, and I'm pleased to note that my namesake Dr Pete Worden played a key role.

Der Kritzler – A homebrew robot suspended from two ropes, that draws on a window by motoring itself along them.

Civil War Diary Code – Looks like a worthwhile puzzle, I just wish I was any good at ciphering. Despite my general geekiness, I've never been much good at code-breaking!

Apache Considered Harmful – For sanity's sake I normally try to avoid open-source disputes, but this article has a lot of good points about the changes in the free software world, and the implications of "Community > Code" now that github has made our coding practices much more social.

The Defeated – An examination of the effect of Sri Lanka's recently-ended civil war on the Tamil community. A long but moving piece of reporting, telling the detailed stories of a civilian and a combatant, intertwined with the causes and repercussions of the violence.