In regards to all the budget woes, and where are we really with shortfalls and all that... (in diagram form.)
I've always been keen on the open-office layout, new study's are showing that privacy is best for creativity (with quick access to group meeting areas).and on the side note...
With all the news about the wrecked cruse ship Costa Concordia, and the mess it has created, comes an interesting article from the past regarding the huge car transport ship MV Tricolor, who sunk in the English channel and how they salvaged her.
Emily Hanford at American Public Media writes about how collages are rethinking teaching, specifically by coming up with other methods of teaching other then lecturing. A choice quote from Dr. Joe Redish from UM:"With modern technology, if all there is is lectures, we don't need faculty to do it," Redish says. "Get 'em to do it once, put it on the Web, and fire the faculty."Emily also wrote a short (7min) report on NPR titled "Physicists Seek To Lose The Lecture As Teaching Tool", and she notes
"But lecturing has never been an effective teaching technique and now that information is everywhere, some say it's a waste of time. Indeed, physicists have the data to prove it."
Simon & Jasmine Dale have built a fantastic Low Impact Woodland Home in the Wales. It took him (and friends) four months to build and a total of 3k in cash! Fantastic job, and wonderful place (I only wonder how the site will age over time. Things like rotting, sagging walls/ceiling, etc.) His site is fantastic with a very good writeup on how he put everything together.
Mechanically separated meat! 
Frugal Dad has a great infographic on how bad things have gotten in the media world.
"VI" produces these great stop motion videos that explain all sorts of math stuff in a really fun way!
