We spent the day at the office constructing lists of the Literary Works of the Great and Near-Great; thus, we had occasion to search-engine ourselves silly in pursuit of various bits and pieces of information. In our more-or-less purposeful meanderings, we happened across a few things you might desire a gander at, viz:

1. The Centaurian, the website devoted to All Things Updikean; in a peculiar form of tribute to the writer's lyricism and subtle command of description, the site is as deliberately ugly and unsubtle as a ninety-nine cent store. Headline after headline, brought to you in many a screaming color, providing the lowdown on all that goes on in the fast-paced world of Updike studies & fandom.

Professor Yerkes (the Chief Centaurian) has collected some great photos -- man, that Young Updike knew he was the shit.

2. Can't get enough of that Old-Tyme Wombat File Quiz Goodness?. Hooked on factoids like the patent date of the the Underwear Steamer? Strain your brain Gilded-Age-style with the Mark Twain Memory Builder.

3. There's nothing special about the ad-clogged Isaac Bashevis Singer bibliography on this page, but what happens after you leave it is noteworthy; those curious should open the page and then close it again; when you do, you see a typical schlocky pop-up ad -- and a surprising pop-under message from an organization that wants your help in an important cause.