Now at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto, CA: Living LEGO-cy, a “spectacular Holiday season display” of Lego creations, including a 12 x 25 foot train layout of scenes and buildings from the Bay Area.

Although it’s now part of Warner Music Group, the former upstart Rhino Records is still alive and kicking out retro tunes such as New Order’s back catalog, boxed sets of all sorts, and an eclectic selection of vinyl.

The Pet’s Eye View camera gives you snapshots of your cat and dog’s day, just as Seattle kitty Cooper’s owners did with a regular camera attached to his collar.

Sakurako Shimizu, creator of the unique laser cut waveform jewelry (including wedding bands with “I Do” waveforms) has a man’s ring which “features a precise cast of the original Atari computer chip out of 18 karat gold.” A bit chunky for my taste.

If you wanted to get your cat-of-ample-girth a fancy Hepper Pod cat bed for Christmas last year but weren’t sure if she’d fit through the door, well, they’ve redesigned the Pod. The opening is bigger and the improved frame is stronger with two legs. It also now has a removable pad made out of sherpa fleece and microfiber. But it’s still $155. I think our kitty is doing just fine in her cardboard box.

A sweet little story from the local paper in Fulton, N.Y. tells the fate of an old maple tree that was damaged in the blizzard of 1996. As the dying tree was being cut down, violin maker George Thomas approached the owner, an older lady who refused to speak to him the first time he knocked on her door. He persisted and gave her his condolences on the loss of her tree. Then he made his request: he wanted a few pieces of wood to make the tree live again as a violin. She agreed and the resulting stack of wood has become more than 30 violins. Thomas gives the wood away to those he know will make an instrument from it.

Take a brief visit behind the scenes at Madame Tussauds New York with The N.Y. Times. In the repair room shoes, wigs, eyebrows, arms, hands and other waxy appendages are stored on shelves and workbenches. It’s an eerie artists’ loft full of limbs.

Pigeon Point lighthouse in Pescadero, California was built in 1871 and houses a Fresnel lens powered by 5 kerosene lamps that are lit once a year, which you might remember from this amazing photo taken last year. The Coast Guard still operates an automated electric light in the tower, but the lighthouse structure is crumbling, a victim of its harsh environment and time. An estimated $5 million to $7 million is needed to fully repair and restore the stone and brick structure. The California State Parks Foundation has raised $400,000 so far, and $54,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express has already provided new windows.

Jewelry may be considered a luxury, but it is also a very personal accessory that often carries meaning. Volunteers at the Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project sort through items donated at various Seattle area locations and put together bracelets, earrings, and necklaces for cleaning. The pieces are given to the homeless and victims of domestic violence to mark personal milestones, a job interview perhaps or a birthday. For women who feel they have lost everything, a small token can be a great boost.

Tired of watching YouTube in the solitude of your home or office? Someone in Palo Alto, CA is. There’s a “YouTube Faves” night at the Midpeninsula Community Media Center next week. 90 minutes of YouTube videos with free popcorn. I guess it’s like community movie night in the Internet age.