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A place where light rain makes the news. An Arab country where, according to the CIA World Factbook, 50% of the population is actually of South Asian descent. And a place that could really use a better flash intro.
posted by namespan at 9:24 PM PST - 8 comments

Cryptographever -- a secret message discoverer. Just type or paste in text from anywhere and the hidden messages are revealed...When I pasted in all of today's posts, it gave me: BUY NOW SHARE, but yesterday's reveals JOHN DREAMS. hmmmm....
posted by amberglow at 8:35 PM PST - 32 comments

Are you tired of being alone and your friends and family thinking that you are gay or just can't get a girlfriend.  If so, then I am the woman you are looking for.
Oh... me, me, me, me, and me too. And then there's the nun.
posted by travis at 7:58 PM PST - 26 comments

Has Howard Dean Sold Out?
One of the most prominent themes of the Dean's insurgency campaign, was the call to "Throw the Bums Out!" Dean, in most speeches talks about his rivals as "Washington and Party Insiders", and he draws contrast with himself. One of his battle cries has been to get rid of the "special interests" and "take back America" for the people.

Why then, has Dean fired his campaign manager Joe Trippi, who is often credited with the candidate's fast rise and strong organization, and replaced him with Roy Neel, former adviser in the Al Gore 2000 presidential campaign, and former chief lobbyist for the U.S. Telecom Association? (A nice combo of a "Washington Insider" and a "Special Interest," if there is one)

Howard, what happened to "taking America back" from the Special Interests?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 6:49 PM PST - 106 comments

The DOD Wargames Abrupt Climate Change: Turning inward, the U.S. effectively seeks to build a fortress around itself to preserve resources. Borders are strengthened to hold back starving immigrants from Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean islands—waves of boat people pose especially grim problems...As the planet's carrying capacity shrinks, an ancient pattern reemerges: the eruption of desperate, all-out wars over food, water, and energy supplies. Wars over resources were the norm until about three centuries ago. When such conflicts broke out, 25% of a population's adult males usually died. As abrupt climate change hits home, warfare may again come to define human life.
posted by alms at 6:20 PM PST - 22 comments

Scientists at JILA have announced the creation of a new form of matter known as fermionic condensate the sixth known form of matter -- after gases, solids, liquids, plasma and Bose-Einstein condensate, created in 1995 also by JILA which won the Nobel Prize in 2001. Scientists believe fermionic condensate is one step closer to an everyday, usable superconductor. Abstract (full text subscription only).
posted by stbalbach at 5:08 PM PST - 15 comments

CyberTracker is a program that allows users with GPS-linked handheld computers to record, collect and analyze observations in the field, thereby improving scientists' ability to monitor changes in an ecosystem and turning traditional tracking into a modern scientific profession. [Via World Changing.]
posted by homunculus at 3:25 PM PST - 2 comments

Whirly Ball looks like a ton of fun. It's Jai Alai meets basketball meets bumper cars. What a great sport for those of us who are athletically challenged!
posted by Fantt at 3:04 PM PST - 20 comments

Snakes. An animated film based on a woodcut by M.C. Escher. Slow to load, beautiful to watch (and listen to).
posted by jonah at 1:18 PM PST - 16 comments

"Circuit bending is the electronic art of the implementation of the creative audio short-circuit. This renegade path of electrons represents a catalytic force capable of exploding new experimental musical forms forward at a velocity previously unknown. Anyone at all can do it; no prior knowledge of electronics is needed." - Reed Ghazala. More proselytizing from Ghazala, and a LiveJournal for up-to-the-minute advice, feedback and opinions.
posted by jon_kill at 12:04 PM PST - 20 comments

Rebellion brewing in Saudi city The tiny city of Sakaka in the remote al-Jouf province that borders Iraq may seem an unlikely setting for the beginning of a revolution against the ruling al-Saud family. But one does not have to spend too long here to realise that this is what is happening.
posted by Postroad at 11:23 AM PST - 44 comments

Is SCO, the most hated company in tech attempting to improve it's image by offering a bounty for the creator of MyDoom virus? Now being considered the fastest growing virus ever. Can companies with a similarly low public perception *cough* win favor by similar good deeds?
posted by omidius at 10:24 AM PST - 35 comments

Bon air! Nuit d`fête! More than likely, if you're of a certain age (I won't pretend to know the exact one) and live in the U.S., you know the theme song in English, at least. It's Green Acres, which came out on DVD on Jan. 13, and will hit TV Land this spring, after years of being hard to find and in bad condition when you could find it. Its reputation has been bolstered over time by praise from, among others, Matt Groening (see No. 50), who has reportedly called it one of the primary inspirations for "The Simpsons." Have you rented any old TV shows on DVD, ones you can't necessarily catch on cable or syndication, and reconsidered your opinion of them? Do shows that seemed modern at the time now seem backdated, or vice versa, or more influential than you might have guessed?
posted by raysmj at 9:11 AM PST - 45 comments

Infinite Illusions: Juggling Supplies, Unicycles, Yo-Yos and Tops.
posted by hama7 at 9:06 AM PST - 8 comments

CBGB Photographic History. Includes one of the coolest Ramones photos I've ever seen. (One or two of the thumbnails are probably NSFW, but they're small, so unless you're really paranoid, I wouldn't be too concerned about it). (via things magazine)
posted by Ufez Jones at 9:04 AM PST - 12 comments

Yer OUT!!! Minor league pitcher in Cleveland Indians organization admits that appearing in gay porn was perhaps not the best idea.
posted by psmealey at 8:52 AM PST - 82 comments

I, for one, welcome our new telepathic parrot overlords. "The bird, a captive African grey called N'kisi, has a vocabulary of 950 words, and shows signs of a sense of humour." This may be old news to some, since USA Today wrote about the parrot a few years back. You can also check out the project's site which features Real Audio of N'kisi talking, in which I can only assume he is plotting to overthrow humanity.
posted by patgas at 8:50 AM PST - 30 comments

The Hutton Inquiry has concluded its investigation. It unanimously vindicates the British Government, castigates the BBC for lying and criticising the Government's honour, and mildly criticises some aspects of the Intelligence services and Dr. David Kelly himself.
An accessible PDF to HTML version of the Hutton website - The Guardian's Hutton site - The BBC's Hutton site - Google News UK.
posted by Blue Stone at 7:25 AM PST - 57 comments

The Drift Table lets you float gently over the British landscape from the comfort of your living room. Other projects from the Equator research group include a tablecloth that glows and a key table that responds to your mood. Hi-tech knick-knacks, or a glimpse of the subtle way we'll interact with the domestic environment of the future?
posted by jack_mo at 7:14 AM PST - 8 comments

It's an interesting week in British politics (and not just because of Hutton). On Tuesday evening, British MP (and noted blogger) Tom Watson raised the subject of RFID tags in a House of Commons debate (text here) - as a result of being alerted to the threat to civil liberties by fellow bloggers. Indeed, he even talked about his website in the chamber. Can blogs continue to affect British democracy? Quite possibly...
posted by ascullion at 6:59 AM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Presidential Market 2004 is an online game in which players buy and sell "shares" of the major 2004 presidential candidates. If you finish on Election Day with one of the two highest-valued portfolios — by executing savvy trades throughout the primaries and general election campaign — you'll win a trip to the inauguration next January.
posted by Brilliantcrank at 6:59 AM PST - 5 comments

Harmonia Macrocosmica. A digitised book of seventeenth-century astronomy.
posted by plep at 6:37 AM PST - 4 comments

Worst. Toy. Ever.
posted by PenDevil at 4:14 AM PST - 30 comments

GEODE (Geo-Data Explorer) is a free service offered by the U.S. Geological Survey.
It allows the user to retrieve, display, and manipulate multiple types of information, such as satellite images, geologic maps, graphics, live camera feed, three-dimensional images, and spreadsheet data.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 3:11 AM PST - 1 comments

The Lucky W Amulet Archive : "A folkloric resource that contains hundreds of interlinked pages describing and illustrating amulets, talismans, lucky charms, and good luck pieces from around the world and all eras".
posted by taz at 1:58 AM PST - 10 comments