Wired reminisces about Mad magazine.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 7:53 AM

Hacking is easier than ever.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 3:31 AM

A giant crater has been found under the North Sea, probably from an old asteroid impact. Scientists are excited about the discovery because of some unusual geological features of the crater.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 1:10 AM

A service in New York City is offering "designer kidnappings" for clients willing to pay thousands of dollars to be violently abducted. These mock kidnappings can include being bound, gagged, and incarcerated for up to days. It sounds like a bizarre version of the cheesy Michael Douglas/Sean Penn movie The Game. The NYPD doesn't approve of this business, but says it's perfectly legal. (Via BBspot.)
posted by Paul Hsieh on 7:52 AM

More nanotechnology innovation -- this time an advance in nanowires used to connect electronic components. These wires are so thin that they only allow electrons to move in one direction through them.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 7:42 AM

Have you herniated one of the discs in your lower back? Then consider getting it replaced with an artificial disc. As usual, these have been available in Europe for several years, but are just now beginning clinical trials in the USA.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 4:04 AM

It's not called "high" tech for nothing: Approximately 92% of IT workers have reported smoking marijuana. (I'd be very curious to learn the figure for my own field of diagnostic radiology, which involves lots of staring at intricately detailed images on computer monitors.)
posted by Paul Hsieh on 3:30 AM

An unexpurgated copy of the famous "Patton speech", along with some interesting historical background. (Via Linkfilter.)
posted by Paul Hsieh on 1:42 AM

Carnegie Mellon AI researchers have created the first robot able to "register for a symposium, find a conference room and deliver a lecture" while remaining polite about it.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 12:25 AM

Weblogs are helping to keep the mainstream media honest.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 11:24 AM

Black boxes for your car.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 6:53 AM

Spam victims: Here's everything you wanted to know about deciphering e-mail headers.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 4:06 AM

The game of Go is one of the most ancient and elegant board games in the world. It's also one of the most difficult for a computer to play.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 3:07 AM

Many high school and college students routinely use search engines like Google to help them with their homework, instead of going to the library. Although many teachers don't like this, personally I think this is fine, provided that students are also taught critical thinking skills. It's much better than relying uncritically on hard-copy library sources. As one of my friends says, "There's a lot of great information on the internet -- and some of it is even true." (Via Plastic.)
posted by Paul Hsieh on 2:21 AM

The Japanese like some pretty weird ice cream flavors, like octopus or ox tongue. I have to confess that I'm intrigued by the wasabi ice cream... (Via Boing Boing.)
posted by Paul Hsieh on 1:29 AM

"Whether or not you believe in the paranormal may depend entirely on your brain chemistry. People with high levels of dopamine are more likely to find significance in coincidences, and pick out meaning and patterns where there are none."
posted by Paul Hsieh on 12:17 AM

Monkeys cooperate to release an imprisoned fellow monkey. (Via Daily Rotten.)
posted by Paul Hsieh on 10:18 PM

"Research and Risks": Glenn Reynolds looks back at the earlier debates from the 1970's regarding research into recombinant DNA technology. Back then, critics of the research warned of dire Frankensteinian consequences, even as supporters predicted major scientific advances which would benefit mankind. Guess who was right? The implications for the current debate on therapeutic cloning should be obvious.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 9:55 AM

"Defenders of the Earth": Are humans Gaia's immune system?
posted by Paul Hsieh on 3:18 AM

What's the best way to get admitted to the University of California school system? Get good grades and do well on your SAT? Or score hardship points for having divorced parents or living in foster care? (Via Linkfilter.)
posted by Paul Hsieh on 2:07 AM

Picking your nose is good for your health. (Via Aberrant News.)
posted by Paul Hsieh on 1:37 AM

It would be frighteningly easy to smuggle one of these plastic-knives-hidden-in-a-comb onto an airplane. (Via BoingBoing.)
posted by Paul Hsieh on 12:43 AM

Ars Technica has a detailed review of Mozilla 1.0.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 9:55 PM

Going to jail soon? You can get your prison bitch name here. (Via Linkfilter.)
posted by Paul Hsieh on 10:54 AM

Water is 19 times more dangerous to kids than guns.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 10:03 AM

Boeing will be testing a controversial Russian "antigravity device" to see if it has any scientific merit and/or commericial applications.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 8:16 AM

Extra mousepads? Here's an idea of what to do with them. (Via Metafilter.)
posted by Paul Hsieh on 7:51 AM

Spam takes up 10% of your day.
posted by Paul Hsieh on 7:46 AM