I, for one, would like to welcome our hoop jumping, tuna munching overlords.

At the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Mississippi, Kelly the dolphin has quite a reputation. All the institute’s dolphins are trained to hold onto any litter that falls into their pools until they see a trainer, when they can trade the litter for fish. Kelly took this task one step further. When people drop paper into the water she hides it under a rock at the bottom of the pool. The next time a trainer passes, she tears off a piece of paper to give to the trainer. After a fish-reward, she goes back down, tears off another piece of paper, gets another fish, and so on. This behaviour is particularly interesting because it suggests that Kelly has a sense of the future and delays gratification.

At Kewalo Basin Marine Laboratory in Hawaii, Lou Herman and his team have developed a sign language to communicate with the dolphins, and the results are remarkable. Not only do the dolphins understand the meaning of individual words, they also understand the significance of word order in a sentence. For example, they generally responded correctly straight away to “touch the Frisbee with your tail and then jump over it.” This has the characteristics of true under- standing, not rigid training.

Just how bloody smart are these dolphins anyway? [Environmental Graffiti]

If my boss is reading - I don't know what they're talking about and I just liked the pictures, I didn't read the article.

In between typing up reports and poring over spreadsheets, we use our office PCs to keep up with our lives. We do birthday shopping, check out funny clips on YouTube and catch up with friends by email or instant message. And often it's just easier to accomplish certain tasks using consumer technology than using the sometimes clunky office technology our company gives us -- compare Gmail with a corporate email account.

Here's only one problem with what we're doing: Our employers sometimes don't like it.

To find out whether it's possible to get around the IT departments, we asked Web experts for some advice. Specifically, we asked them to find the top 10 secrets our IT departments don't want us to know. How to surf to blocked sites without leaving any traces, for instance, or carry on instant-message chats without having to download software. But, to keep everybody honest, we also turned to security pros to learn just what chances we take by doing an end run around the IT department.

Here, then, are the 10 secrets your IT department doesn't want you to know, the risks you'll face if you use them -- and tips about how to keep yourself (and your job) safe while you're at it.

Ten things your IT department won't tell you. [WSJ]

Wet = Rain, Bright = Sunny, Windy = High probability of the Marilyn Monroe effect.

My favorite part of the entire page is the warning at the end:

Don't risk your life or well-being based on these indicators and proverbs. Predicting the weather in this manner is not an exact science.

Considering even Meteorologists are usually batting only about .200, I'd have to agree. That said, the advice isn't totally useless. Though some are better than others.

• Check the grass for dew at sunrise.
• Remember the rhyme: "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; Red sky at morning, sailors take warning."
• Look for a rainbow in the west.
• Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and smell the air.
• Watch the clouds.
• Observe animals. They are more likely to react to changes in air pressure than we are.
• Look at the moon during the night.

How to predict the weather without a forecast. [Wikihow]

No tv and no beer make Homer something something.

Fantasy vs. Reality:
Marge: Homer, is this how you pictured married life?
Homer: Yeah, pretty much, except we drove around in a van solving mysteries.
Things always seem to play out better in your head. Except in the case of threesomes.

Knowledge Needs to be Prioritized:
Homer: How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?
Sports stats, winning poker hands, what goes in a Gimlet? Stored. Her phone number? That's why God invented speed dial.

Compassion for Your Fellow Man:
Homer: Well crying isn't going to help. Now, you can sit there feeling sorry for yourself or you can eat can after can of dog food until your tears smell enough like dog food that your dog comes back, or you can go out there and find your dog.
Bart: You're right.
[Gets up and leaves]
Homer: Rats. I almost had him eating dog food.
No matter how bad your buddy is feeling, you'd be remiss if you let an opportunity pass to screw with him while he's vulnerable.

21 things I learned about being a guy from the Simpsons. [thebachelorguy.com]

SIM Planet: Coming Soon to a console near you.

The late Carl Sagan once asked this question, “What does it mean for a civilization to be a million years old? We have had radio telescopes and spaceships for a few decades; our technical civilization is a few hundred years old... an advanced civilization millions of years old is as much beyond us as we are beyond a bush baby or a macaque.”

Although any conjecture about such advanced civilizations is a matter of sheer speculation, one can still use the laws of physics to place upper and lower limits on these civilizations. In particular, now that the laws of quantum field theory, general relativity, thermodynamics, etc. are fairly well-established, physics can impose broad physical bounds which constrain the parameters of these civilizations.

This question is no longer a matter of idle speculation. Soon, humanity may face an existential shock as the current list of a dozen Jupiter-sized extra-solar planets swells to hundreds of earth-sized planets, almost identical twins of our celestial homeland. This may usher in a new era in our relationship with the universe: we will never see the night sky in the same way ever again, realizing that scientists may eventually compile an encyclopedia identifying the precise co-ordinates of perhaps hundreds of earth-like planets.

Today, every few weeks brings news of a new Jupiter-sized extra-solar planet being discovered, the latest being about 15 light years away orbiting around the star Gliese 876. The most spectacular of these findings was photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope, which captured breathtaking photos of a planet 450 light years away being sling-shot into space by a double-star system.

But the best is yet to come. Early in the next decade, scientists will launch a new kind of telescope, the interferome try space telescope, which uses the interference of light beams to enhance the resolving power of telescopes.

The Physics of Extraterrestrial Civilizations. [mkaku.org]

One box, two box, red box, green box that could potentially eliminate carbon emissions.

The world's richest corporations and finest minds spend billions trying to solve the problem of carbon emissions, but three fishing buddies in North Wales believe they have cracked it. They have developed a box which they say can be fixed underneath a car in place of the exhaust to trap the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming -- including carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide -- and emit mostly water vapor.

The captured gases can be processed to create a biofuel using genetically modified algae. Dubbed "Greenbox", the technology developed by organic chemist Derek Palmer and engineers Ian Houston and John Jones could, they say, be used for cars, buses, lorries and eventually buildings and heavy industry, including power plants.

A box to make biofuel from car fumes. [Reuters]

File the Real ID under "Stupid ideas that are now dead stupid ideas that should stay dead".

The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the failure of an amendment offered to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that would have authorized $300 million of federal funding for states to implement the Real ID driver’s license program, which has been estimated by DHS to cost $23.1 billion. The ACLU deemed the proposal "sucker money" because it aimed to entice states to accept a paltry amount of funding for a flawed program that would ultimately cost millions more in state taxes and licensing fees.

The amendment was killed when a motion to table it passed 49 to 45, after both the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senators Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Thad Cochran (R-MS), respectively, spoke passionately against the funding proposal. The death of this amendment means the states will receive no additional federal funding to implement Real ID, dealing a crushing blow to the viability of the unworkable program.

"Real ID is dead in the water, and it is clear that no amount of money can save it," said ACLU Legislative Counsel Tim Sparapani. "The only solution to Real ID is to scrap and replace it, and Congress has caught on. With seventeen states opposed to this program and the U.S. Senate standing behind them, this is the beginning of the end of Real ID. $300 million does not even come close to covering the costs of the program, and it is not enough to lure Americans to give up their privacy."

Failure of Real ID Funding Proposal. [ACLU]

How do you know if you have a tough mosquito? You slap him and he slaps you back.

You're flipping burgers for the neighborhood barbecue, and the mosquitoes have already begun their feast -- on you. As you swat madly at the pests, you notice other folks seem completely unfazed. Could it be that mosquitoes prefer dining on some humans over others? This may clear up the mystery.

It's true. Mosquitoes do exhibit blood-sucking preferences, say the experts. "One in 10 people are highly attractive to mosquitoes," reports Jerry Butler, PhD, professor emeritus at the University of Florida. Incidentally, it's not dinner they're sucking out of you. Female mosquitoes -- males do not bite people -- need human blood to develop fertile eggs. And apparently, not just anyone's.

"People with high concentrations of steroids or cholesterol on their skin surface attract mosquitoes," Butler tells WebMD. That doesn't necessarily mean that mosquitoes prey on people with higher overall levels of cholesterol, Butler explains. These people simply may be more efficient at processing cholesterol, the byproducts of which remain on the skin's surface.

Mosquitoes also target people who produce excess amounts of certain acids, such as uric acid, explains entomologist John Edman, PhD, spokesman for the Entomological Society of America. These substances can trigger mosquitoes' sense of smell, luring them to land on unsuspecting victims.

"Any type of carbon dioxide is attractive, even over a long distance," Conlon says. Larger people tend to give off more carbon dioxide, which is why mosquitoes typically prefer munching on adults to small children. Pregnant women are also at increased risk, as they produce a greater-than-normal amount of exhaled carbon dioxide. Movement and heat also attract mosquitoes.

Are You A Mosquito Magnet? [WebMD]

If you have an overwhelming desire to stare at the sun, now would be the best time to do so.

While sidewalks crackle in the summer heat, NASA scientists are keeping a close eye on the sun. It is almost spotless, a sign that the Sun may have reached solar minimum. Scientists are now watching for the first spot of the new solar cycle to appear.

The 11 year long solar cycle is marked by two extremes, solar minimum and solar maximum. Solar minimum is the period of least solar activity in the solar cycle of the sun. During this time sunspot and solar flare activity diminishes, and often does not occur for days at a time. When spots begin to appear on the sun once again, scientists know that the sun is heading into a new season of extreme solar activity. At the cycle's peak, solar maximum, the sun is continually peppered with spots, solar flares erupt, and the sun hurls billion-ton clouds of electrified gas into space.

The Sun Loses Its Spots. [NASA]

Beans, beans they make you smart...well these don't. They actually make you laugh...hysterically.

Remember when we said that we had an affinity for the insanely genius? This fine example requires you to have your speakers turned on, though we don't recommend turning them up. You don't want to see this turned up to 11.


Screaming Beans. [simonpanrucker.com]

It is sort of like trying to throw a doughnut between two fat kids.

Gravity Pods is a vector-based physics shooter/puzzle. The objective is simple: shoot a projectile at a target. Of course, there are some barriers, and naturally there is a way around those barriers. By strategically placing Gravity Pods around the screen, you can bend the path your projectile takes, so that it goes around walls, down halls, curves back on itself etc. The trick is figuring out where to put them to lead the projectile to the target. The first levels are simple, but it gets progressively tougher as the courses get harder, and more elements come into play.

Gravity Pods. [Wicked Pissah Games]

Open source is the new Bill Brasky.

More love for open source software.

Great Free Files: 20 fantastic open source downloads. [PC World]

The easiest way to scare off a stalker is to stalk them better than they're stalking you, and here's how...

You can use the web to find lots of things: information, videos, books, music, games, and yes, even public records. While our most private information can (usually) not be found online, you can track down items like birth certificates, marriage and divorce information, obituaries and licenses on the web. Keep reading to learn where to find public records online.

All of the following web sites and methods of discovery are absolutely free, unless stated otherwise. There are many sites out there that advertise themselves as being free, but charge for their services - and they are not providing anything that you can't find yourself. If you do end up having to pay for something, it will most likely be at a physical location (i.e., a courthouse) in order to procure a copy of a particular public record.

Where to find public records online. [Lifehacker]

The Director of Programming at Fox couldn't find his ass with a map and wouldn't know a good show if it shit in his cereal.

Pissed about Deadwood no longer being on the air? How about those gorram idiots over at Fox canceling Firefly and Arrested Development without thinking twice? Miss last week's episode of Entourage? Have you somehow never seen footage of the Hindenburg disaster? Itching for a good battle scene involving the Dinobots? Did you laugh hysterically while your girlfriend screamed in horror as Brad Pitt was doing an Oscar-worthy impersonation of a pinball in Meet Joe Black?

TV Links. [tvlinks.co.uk]

Thanks Salvy.

Dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot.

We've known for years that color laser printers can embed a series of tiny yellow dots on pages they print. The dots—almost invisible under normal circumstances—can be used to determine which particular printer produced the image. Essentially, each printer outputs its own serial number. This is great for busting counterfeiters but raises all sorts of privacy concerns. Now, MIT students are getting involved in the campaign against the dots with the new Seeing Yellow project.

Seeing Yellow is the brainchild of MIT's Computing Culture research group, which "want to preserve the right to anonymous communication by fighting both printing dots and the government bullying used to sustain them." The project was conceived after the team received word that an anonymous hacker had called his printer manufacturer to complain and was subsequently visited by the Secret Service, who were curious to know why someone with nothing to hide would want to disable the tracking dots.

Seeing Yellow now encourages waves of people to contact printer manufacturers, enough so that the Secret Service and other government agencies cannot simply single out those who call to complain. The project is simple: suggest that people call manufacturers, then provide contact information and talking points. That's it. So far, according to the site, 434 people have called.

MIT project aims human buffer overflow at Secret Service. [ARStechnica]

The question you're asking yourself right now is why aren't 'stupid people' on the list.

One would do well to point out that for as amazing as the human body is, that this finely tunned machine of thousands of large and small and tiny parts that function together to allow one of the most complex of all creatures to walk the Earth has more than a few spare parts that really aren't necessary. These vestigial items, for the most part, are more trouble than they're worth. That said, some are remnants of some very cool functions from our less evolved days. Just a few of them are listed below.

• Appendix
• Paranasal Sinuses
• Coccyx
• Third Eyelid
• Palmaris Muscle
• Wisdom Teeth
• Body Hair
• Thirteenth Rib...
  
  

What Evolution Left Behind on Humans. [decimation.com]

I say throw a blender in there and see if a hole is ripped in the fabric of spacetime.

There are some questions that have plagued mankind for centuries. Some we've answered, some we've theorized about, and some we've failed miserably to even understand. There is one question that some consider to be the ultimate question and the answer to it is not 42. More often than not the answer to the question is "yes."

• The Apple iPhone?
• A lit tiki torch?
  
• A baseball?
  
• A plunger?
  
• A golf club?
  
• A crowbar?

Will it blend? [www.willitblend.com]

You can save a bunch of money by switching to Geico, but can you convince Megan Fox to leave Brian Austin Green for you?

Dear Mr. Prime,

We have received your accident-claim reports for the month of June—they total 27. I regret to inform you that GEICO will not be able to reimburse you for any of those repairs. I feel that I have sent the same letter to you once a month for the last six months, and I am now sending it again.

Since becoming a GEICO customer in January of this year, you have reported 131 accidents, requesting reimbursement for repairs necessitated by each one. You have claimed not to be responsible in any of them, usually listing the cause of the accident as either "Sneak attack by Decepticons" or "Unavoidable damage caused by protecting freedom for all sentient beings."

The only repairs for which you were reimbursed were the replacement of a cracked fender and a headlight, required after a Mr. I. Ron Hide backed his van into your truck; these cost $1,286.63. Our own investigation concluded that you were not at fault and that Mr. Hide had been drinking prior to the accident. Though police were unable to test his blood-alcohol level—Mr. Hide claimed that it would be impossible for police to examine his blood-alcohol content with a Breathalyzer, because he "doesn't breathe"—under Washington-state law, refusal to take a Breathalyzer test is equivalent to returning a result above the legal level.

But, I repeat, those were the only repairs for which you have been reimbursed, and it was a very minor accident in comparison to your other claims. I mention a few to illustrate the larger trend...

A letter to Optimus Prime from his Geico Insurance agent. [mcsweeneys.net]

Oops, I burned the chicken. Do you have any idea how hard it is to grill chicken when you're hammered?

What qualifies as an "oops"? Bumping into someone on the street while reading the paper? Dropping a pint glass full of good beer? Backing your car over your neighbor's garden gnome? I think we can all agree these are mistakes one can punctuate with "oops". Losing, dropping, or accidentally blowing up a nuclear weapon, however, should require some more colorful language (use your imagination...then take a hit of acid and try again).

One of my favorite atomic butter fingers is the one that almost plays out as a Zucker Bro’s gag: A bunch of US sailors at a Scottish base, rollicking it up, maybe wolf-whistling at some highland cutie, did a boo-boo and dropped (yes, I said dropped) a fully-armed Poseidon missile some twenty or so feet. It is pretty safe to say that the base laundry was very busy that night getting stains out of underwear.

In 1961 a B-52 decided to do a shake-and-shimmy over North Carolina, dropping two 24-megaton nuclear weapons. One of the little toys released its parachute and glided down to a less-than-gentle landing.

The other device though smacked down somewhere in waterlogged farmland. Not at sea, not in 20,000 feet of water, not "off the coast" of anywhere. Farmland, near North Carolina. Anyone live in North Carolina? Come on, a show of hands - gee, quite a few of you. Isn’t North Carolina a great place to live? You might, though, reconsider because even though this little boo-boo happened over twenty years ago the capable US military never recovered that little gizmo. It’s still out there. Tick, tick, tick, tick ....

I can hear some of you die-hard optimists mumbling something about "safety" and "redundant backups". Well, you just keep mumbling that comfortable little mantra to yourself while I casually bring up that other bomb, the one that parachuted down.

Well, while they found that little fissionable puppy, the guys that inspected it found something very interesting. You see, a device of that type has six safety devices...and five of them had failed.

The Thermonuclear "Oops" List. [Dark Roasted Blend]

If you need the list of the 1,473,528 that do, you obviously haven't spent enough time on the Internet.

There are some great places to further one's education with regards to technology, and in the age of the internet the blog isn't a bad place to start...assuming you can find one that is reliable and worthy of your time; here are a few tech blogs that qualify (you may have already come across some of them here).

1. Gizmodo
2. Nanocr.eu
3. Techcrunch
4. A VC
5. PMarca
6. Simpy Blog
7. Glenn Wolsey
8. Dan Blank
9. Doc Searls
10. Sci-Tech Today
11. Lifehacker
12. Newsome
13. Paul Stamatiou
14. ValleyWag
15. Kottke

69 tech blogs that don't suck. [micahville.com]

*Yawn*

Rather than being a precursor to sleep, yawning is designed to keep us awake, say US researchers. But why does seeing someone else yawn make you to do the same?

Yawning is an involuntary action that everyone does. We start before we are born and most creatures on the planet do it - even snakes and fish. New research suggests rather than being a precursor to sleep, the purpose of yawning is to cool the brain so it operates more efficiently and keeps you awake. The theory could explain a puzzling question about subconscious human behaviour - why many of us yawn when we see or hear another person doing it, or even read about it or even just think about it?

The brain cooling theory says that when we contagiously yawn we are participating in an ancient, hardwired ritual that evolved to help groups stay alert and detect danger.

Why is yawning contagious? [BBC]

Norman Bates framed by shower curtain?

To attack the shower curtain problem, I used software designed by Fluent Inc., a New Hampshire-based software company that contracted my consulting firm, Convergent Thinking LLC, to add advanced spray models to their software. The simulation took advantage of the fruits of this project. I was able to include the effects of the drops breaking up. Even more important, the new spray models captured the distortion of the droplets, which tends to increase their aerodynamic drag. This drag is the force between the air and the water that imparts motion to the air and slows the droplets.

To do the calculation, I drafted a model of a typical shower and divided the shower area into 50,000 minuscule cells. The tub, the showerhead, the curtain rod and the room outside of the shower were all included. I ran the modified Fluent software for two weeks on my home computer in the evening and on weekends (when my wife wasn't using the computer). The simulation revealed 30 seconds of actual shower time.

When the simulation was complete, it showed that the spray drove a vortex. The center of this vortex¿much like the center of a cyclone¿is a low-pressure region. This low-pressure region is what pulls the shower curtain in. The vortex rotates around an axis that is perpendicular to the shower curtain. It is a bit like a sideways dust devil. But unlike a dust devil, this vortex doesn't die out because it is driven continuously by the shower.

Why does the shower curtain move towards the water? [Scientific American]

Need to grease a pig in a hurry?* Out of grease?

• WD-40 can remove ink from a pair of blue jeans instantly, just a little spray should do the trick.
• Do you have children who love glue, but get in on furniture? A little WD-40 will get it out in no time.
• Love to fish? WD-40 polishes fishing lures.
• Have bugs been making your windshield dirty? WD-40 will remove all dead bugs on your windshield.
• Love to cheat in games? Spray WD-40 on Twister mats for more fun.
• Have a nasty piece of gum on your favorite shoes? WD-40 will clean it right off.

15 Uses for WD-40. [Gomestic]

* We don't judge.

I'm sailing! I'm a sailor. I sail.

Tom Perkins had done it all. He'd made a fortune, conquered Silicon Valley, even been Danielle Steel's fifth husband for a time. His venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, was an early backer of Genentech, Netscape, and Google. But when he turned 70 a few years ago, Perkins decided to do something even grander and a bit crazier: He would build the biggest, riskiest, fastest, most technologically advanced, single-hulled sailing mega yacht in the world. The 289-foot Maltese Falcon, launched in spring 2006, is that engineering dream come to life.

If the 1,367-ton Falcon were anchored in New York Harbor, its masts would nearly reach the tablet in the arm of the Statue of Liberty. The exterior has teak decks, a varnished cap rail, and exquisitely finished surfaces — all attributes of a classic ship — yet the overall look is sleek, metallic, and ultramodern, almost foreboding. When Darth Vader builds his own intergalactic yacht, it will look like this.

Under sail, the square-rigged Falcon evokes the magnificent clipper ships that raced across the oceans in the late 19th century. But Perkins' creation is more New Old Thing than mere tribute to the past. The heart of the boat's technology is a novel rigging system called the DynaRig, designed by Dutch naval architect Gerald Dijkstra and based on a half-century-old German concept. The genius — and risk — of the DynaRig is its use of freestanding masts that rotate to adjust sail trim and tack the boat. There are practically no external ropes or wires, no traditional rigging of any sort to brace the spars or control the nearly 26,000 square feet of sail. The 15 sails deploy at the push of a button, rolling out from inside each hollow mast along recessed tracks on stationary horizontal yardarms.

Highlights

• 289 feet
• $130,000,000
• 1367 tons
• Advanced rigging system (DynaRig)
• 15 sails (26,000 sq. feet)
• Three 192 ft. masts
• 131,000 ft. of hidden cable and wire
• Vessel not sailed by computer
  

Extreme Sailing: The Biggest Boat in the World. [Wired]

Move along. There is no fun to be had here.

Close your eyes and try to relax. Take a few deep breathes and calm yourself. Now picture yourself as a rectangular block who likes to do cartwheels. Good. Now you're falling through a hole in the ground, but this is a good thing...

Bloxorz. [Albino Black Sheep]

Kind of makes Robert Redford and Cesar Millan look like a couple of pansies.

Animal behaviorist Kevin Richardson has such an intimate bond with big cats that he can spend the night curled up with them without the slightest fear of attack. Richardson, 32, who is based in a wildlife conservation area near Johannesburg in South Africa, works his unusual magic on other species too. Cheetahs, leopards and even unpredictable hyenas hold no threats for him.So instinctively in tune is he with these beasts, whose teeth are sharp enough to bite through thick steel, that mother hyenas even allow him to hold their newborn cubs without pouncing to the rescue.

But lions are his favorite. He lavishes them with unconditional love, he says, treating each individual differently, speaking to them, caressing them and, above all, treating them with respect.

The Lion Whisperer. [The Daily Telegraph]

The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Shortcut: through his ego's stomach.

Upon reading this we had a few immediate thoughts.

1. These are all true.
   
2. We make a kiddie pool look deep.
3. Our girlfriends need to read this.
4. Wait! If they read this they'll be able to manipulate us without having to show any skin.
5. Why the **** can't you unsend an e-mail?!
   

10 compliments that wow a man. [Yahoo! Health]

Those squirt gun fights you had as a kid would have been a little more interesting. That is for certain.

If fire were water. [Bored Stop]

Did your dad ever push you on the swings at the park? That's just like this...only less cool.

First Place - Mammals - Professional, National Wildlife Awards
Humpback Whale and Dolphin
Kauai, Hawaii, USA
Lori Mazzuca
Canon EOS 10D; 70-200mm lens with 1.4x extender; digital capture.

I was observing a strange interaction between a pair of bottlenose dolphins and a humpback whale, when it became apparent that the two species were collaborating in some way. The dolphin was lying on a humpback whale’s head while it was slowly swimming along. Looking through my camera lens the stunt appeared to be orchestrated by mutual “agreement.” The whale very slowly—and vertically—lifted the dolphin into the air. I expected the dolphin to wriggle atop the humpback’s head to get off, but it just laid still and arched, trying to stay on top of the whale’s snout. In this frame the dolphin was beginning its slippery return to the sea. Once back in the ocean, the dolphin swiftly swam away with the other dolphin, leaping joyfully as if they had just scored a coup!

Humpback whale and dolphin. [The Smithsonian]

Love and kisses. - Zaphod

You may or may not need to be something of a science buff or outright geek to appreciate this Java applet. Here you get the opportunity to play Flying Spaghetti Monster and create a mini solar system. You can have a single star (sun) or two and have as many planets as you like orbiting around them. Warning, don't become particularly attached to any single world as quite often you'll find that some are bound to smash together and obliterate all the denizens worshiping you.

Plant simulation. [Dan Ball]

Yes, I'd like to put a floor to ceiling window in my shower. No I don't need to order any blinds. I live on the first floor, why?

I just heard a piece on NPR about Experian selling your credit history to collection agencies. They constantly monitor your credit activity and if you start to pay off your credit and are getting back on your feet, they notify the collection hounds and let them have at you. This sounded pretty damn wrong to me so I got on Google and found out some more about this.

As a former mortgage broker, Adryenn Ashley thought she knew what to expect when she refinanced her house in March. Yet Ashley was unprepared for one twist she encountered: a barrage of phone calls and e-mails from rival lenders vying to sell her a better mortgage.

Some of the callers apparently knew just how much money she was borrowing. Others made such misleading come-ons such as "We need to update your information" or "We need to complete your application," Ashley recalls.

"I have privacy concerns over that," she said from her home in Petaluma. "My information should be confidential."

These days, mortgage shoppers like Ashley are supreme telemarketing targets, thanks to "trigger leads" that the credit reporting bureaus sell to lenders the instant a consumer's credit file is pulled by a loan officer. So when Ashley's lender checked her credit to prepare her loan, dozens of other mortgage companies were tipped off. These alerts can be had for a few bucks per name if bought in bulk.

So you give the lender you are working with the authority to pull your credit report. And then Experian sells it to anyone who is willing to buy that info. Does that sound like an invasion of privacy?

Yes.

Heard of credit triggers? You should. [Daily Kos]

This goes against everything we've ever learned, but the trick is NOT to focus on her.

We're dedicated to bringing you the best of the internet without the porn. We're not prudes, we're just trying to prove a point. We appreciate the form of the human body as much as the next person who is honest with themselves, so trust us when we say that we're not compromising our principles in this instance. This is more than just a silhouette of a woman who is in excellent shape and has been blessed by God, it is fascinating example of the tricks our mind can pull on us...

We were initially skeptical that this was a hoax, till we figured out the "trick" to make it work consistently well. We recommend reading the text (use the link below to view the image) and using your peripheral vision to view the image. Then close your eyes for a few seconds and the image will change. We can't promise this will work 100% of the time, but it worked best for us using this technique.

Spinning sillhouette optical illusion. [moillusions.com]

Teach both theories...Let the kids decide.

Teach both theories... [Free Forum]