Bloggers may not be the most reliable fountain of information, but when an event like Thursday's terror attacks in London takes place, they can be an indispensable source of first-hand reports and eyewitness accounts. And bloggers in the British capital set right to work after bomb explosions paralyzed central London and killed, according to the latest official report, 38 people and injuring hundreds more. Many on the Web site "Metroblogging"  describe being caught in the chaos that gripped the city while others write of their frantic efforts to reach friends and loved ones to find out if they are safe.

One particularly well-written piece  on the atmosphere in London following the attacks was written by blogger Leonie. She describes the scene in central London and writes convincingly of her own confusion. Thoughtfully, she also links to a number of personal accounts from those more directly affected , which were collected by the Guardian.

Art Goes Microscopic

On the face of it, everything looks straightforward; another banal reproduction of a famous master, a photographic online reprint -- entirely uninteresting to even the most uncritical art lover. Except it's not what it seems. Click on the image  and the clarity of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" begins to fall away. Delve down even further, and like Alice falling down the Rabbit Hole, you'll discover a whole world whose existence you hadn't the faintest inkling of: The world of the photomosaic.

The principle is a simple one. Photomosaics take the basic model of a Greco-Roman mosaic, but take the idea one step further. Whereas ancient mosaics used tiny colored pieces of tile to make up a grandiose final image, the photomosaic uses a series of miniaturized color photos to produce a familiar picture when viewed under normal circumstances. It is only when you look closely, with a magnifying glass, microscope or computer-aided zoom, that one realises the awe-inspiring complexity of the work.

Magazine covers frequently employ the technique nowadays to illustrate a particular point, often with ill-hidden irony. Thus, should one have the inclination, a photo of Dubbya might be produced by combining, for example, a series of tiny images of exploding bombs and rolling tanks. Photomosaics are also popular with corporations  wishing to instill a particular message in consumers. The photomosaic offers the best of both worlds. A total image, underlain with tiny photographs illustrating the same idea. Simplicity and totality all in the same boat. You'll never look at a Van Gogh the same way again....