Maybe CT Scan of the Week is more accurate. But we all know what a mummy-scan means… To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum opened this past weekend, highlighting ancient Egyptian art from the Brooklyn Museum!

This summer, I was at the IMA leading up to the debut of the website, and now during the exhibition opening. It has been really exciting to see all of the planning and thought that goes into making a website entertaining and informational for the online visitor.

The works of art in the exhibition detail Egyptian beliefs of afterlife, including where you go, what happens, and what you need. The IMA web team has tried to highlight a variety of the objects that are in the exhibit on the website with an online gallery, an interactive mummy-scan, and an interactive timeline of the objects, showing the works from Brooklyn contrasted with works from the IMA’s collection.

The Nugget Factory also filmed and produced videos with Brooklyn’s conservator (below) and curator, which are featured on the website, as well as being played in the gallery. New videos will be going onto the website throughout the run of the exhibition

There is also a page from the TLF Flickr set, featuring pictures of people around the Indianapolis community and their answers to the question, What can’t you live or die without? Check out some of the hilarious answers. I don’t think my picture is up yet, but I think my choice is black mascara and my cat Osiris. That surely will get me some bonus points with the green guy.

I also got to be a part of a very unique event the IMA hosted this past Saturday. Despi and Daniel decided to preview the digital content of the TLF site, as well as some other aspects of the advertisement and design, to the other museums who will be hosting this traveling show at a later date.

I think there was generally a lot of excitement about what they would be able to do for their own exhibitions with access to content like this. It’s also a great way to show a wide variety of audiences and professionals in the field the type of work that is done here, increasing the renown and reputation (and notoriety?) of the staff at IMA. I don’t know if anything like this has happened before, but I think it’s brilliant.

The IMA is also hosting a handful of events in celebration of the TLF exhibition, which will be the meat of your bullet list this week.

• Friday July 18th, starting at 6pm, is an afterlife Double Feature with Performance Immortal, a dance show by NoExit Performance, inspired by the To Live Forever exhibit, and after that, Summer Nights features The Mummy.
• August 9th at 11am and 14th at 7pm join us for the tour Immortality in Art, a look at To Live Forever and immortality in cultures throughout the IMA’s galleries.
• Thursday, August 28th at 6:30pm is Deciphering Egyptian Art, a lecture on some of the forms seen in the To Live Forever exhibition.
• You can always check out programs and events for classes, tours and lectures on the IMA calendar.
• Some ancient Egyptians painted their coffins yellow in imitation of the gilded coffins of royalty.
• The Nile river flows North through Egypt, and is 4135 miles long.

Enjoy poking around the website and let us know what’s thrilling you to death.

Good news, right? Until the day when scientific advancements make living forever possible, everyday blogger-types like myself can pursue other life-extending options gleaned from those who do it best.

The Danish people seem to have figured something out. Ranked (once again) as the “happiest people in the world” in a recent international survey, one would expect the Danes to also have a longer life expectancy. Some suspect it’s low expectations that keep them content, while others say it’s the city’s way of life, with nearly one-third of Danes biking to work and another one-third taking public transit. Others suggest it’s the laid-back, carefree lifestyle they lead with free healthcare and top-notch education systems. I am not sure how Americans can avoid worry, but Hoosiers can certainly benefit from a better public transit system. The sooner it is on track, the sooner we’ll be whistling our way to work.

Next up, Japan boasts the healthiest population in the world, with a woman’s life expectancy averaging 86 years. A diet rich in fish, rice and seaweed helps keep heart disease and cancer under control, while government-sponsored fitness programs help the Japanese stay trim. My advice — spin class and sushi for dinner tonight. I hear the Wii Fit is also to die for.

Leading the world in smarts, the Finnish students come out on top. They attribute a good education system to student-teacher relationships, pupils’ enthusiasm to learn and an environment conducive to learning mathematics, with strict rules minus the high anxiety. Determining the smartest population is impossible because there is no standardized global exam. Staying mentally fit has been a proven factor in reducing the onset of disease. So it’s back to reading Middlemarch and playing Settlers of Catan next Friday for me.

To state the obvious, I think we can agree that happiness, health and intelligence all contribute to longevity. So my plug for an instant fix — RSVP for tomorrow’s exhibition preview and party for To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum at the IMA. Bring a friend, have a drink and learn a little about the ancient Egyptians’ quest to live forever.

• Get your tickets here