Keanu Reeves in A Scanner Darkly

Dear God, why?

Just weird

I don't know what this is, but it's hilarious. (Link found at The Daily Column.)

You always knew this was the case

Exploring the Hostility of Things:

"During some research into the relation between periods of the day and human bad temper, Clark-Trimble, a leading Cambridge psychologist, came to the conclusion that low human dynamics in the early morning could not sufficiently explain the apparent hostility of Things at the breakfast table - the way honey gets between the fingers, the unfoldability of news-papers, etc. In the experiments which finally confirmed him in this view, and which he demonstrated before the Royal Society in London, Clark-Trimble arranged four hundred pieces of carpet in ascending degrees of quality, from coarse matting to priceless Chinese silk. Pieces of toast and marmalade, graded, weighed, and measured, were then dropped on each piece of carpet, and the marmalade-downwards incidence was statistically analysed. The toast fell right-side-up every time on the cheap carpet, except when the cheap carpet was screened from the rest (in which case the toast didn't know that Clark-Trimble had other and better carpets), and it fell marmalade-downwards every time on the Chinese silk. Most remarkable of all, the marmalade-downwards incidence for the intermediate grades was found to vary exactly with the quality of carpet."

Your toast knows what kind of carpet you have.
(Link found at Cylindrical Primate Storage Unit.)

No explanations for 'fairy circles'

Scientists in South Africa are baffled by Namibia's 'fairy circles.'

The circles comprise innumerable discs of completely bare sandy soil, ranging from two to 10 metres across, found in grass on Namibia's coastal fringe.

Scientists looked at three explanations: the milkbush, termites and radioactive soil. All of them have been discarded.

Lead scientist Gretel van Rooyen, a botanist at the University of Pretoria, is now exploring the theory that, somehow, toxic elements are deposited in the shape of the circle, making it impossible for plant life to get established there.
"But even if we find them, how they came there is the next problem," New Scientist quotes her as saying in next Saturday's issue.
For the moment, she admits wryly, "we're left with the fairies".

More Godzilla plushies

Toy Vault will be releasing a plush Baby Godzilla, 50th anniversary Godzilla, Gigan and Megalon.

ROMA ANNO DOMINI C: LOCI

Here's a clickable map of Rome in 100 AD. (Link found at Rogue Classicism.)

Computer zombies

Look! Night of the Living Dead is in the public domain and free on the Internet now! Go and get it.

Manuscript of bizarre creatures

Here are illustrations and descriptions from Marvels of Things Created and Miraculous Aspects of Things Existing, an illuminated Persian manuscript. There are centaurs and dragons and flying fish here, but also men with heads on their chests, fish with a man's head, a yellow monkey and lots more. (Link found at Maud Newton.)

Because even mermaids should have a body complex

A Polish town wants to give its mermaid symbol a boob job and a diet.

"There was a discussion about the coat of arms and one female councilor said jokingly that the mermaid's breasts were too small and that she was a bit fat," city hall spokesman told Reuters.
The joke became a serious idea when local and national media got wind of the debate, giving sleepy Ustka plenty of coverage.
"We are now considering altering the mermaid slightly by making her breasts bigger and making her leaner," the spokesman said. "She will become more attractive and Ustka will gain publicity."

Allegedly, you can see a picture of the mermaid at this site: http://www.ustka.pl/ustka.html?section=40, but I can't get it to work.

Enemies of the state

According to a new book, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff in the early 1960s wanted to blow up civilians or soldiers to justify going to war with Cuba. The plan was drafted and accepted by the Joint Chiefs and then presented to President Kennedy's defense secretary Robert McNamara. The plans didn't go any farther and the head of the Joint Chiefs, Army Gen. Lyman L. Lemnitzer, was removed shortly afterwards.

Code named Operation Northwoods, the plans reportedly included the possible assassination of Cuban émigrés, sinking boats of Cuban refugees on the high seas, hijacking planes, blowing up a U.S. ship, and even orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities.
The plans were developed as ways to trick the American public and the international community into supporting a war to oust Cuba's then new leader, communist Fidel Castro.
America's top military brass even contemplated causing U.S. military casualties, writing: "We could blow up a U.S. ship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba," and, "casualty lists in U.S. newspapers would cause a helpful wave of national indignation."

A real big foot found

A giant foam foot was found in Buckmaster Pond in Westwood, Mass., Monday morning.
The unusual item is about 5 feet long, 3 feet high, black in color, and very detailed, including well-defined toes and toenails. Sicard said there were reports that the foot might have been sitting on a park bench in the area during the weekend.
Police are seeking the owners of the foot.

Overlooked gems

Here's a list of "100 movies that deserve more love." (Link found at Metafilter.) I'm amazed at how much I agree with what I've read so far. If I didn't love the film, it's something I haven't seen yet. Check it out.

Sonic weapon

Marines will use a bizarre new "Secret Scream" gun to disable people.

The actual sound used is a recording of a baby's scream played backwards.
"For most people, even if they plug their ears, it will produce the equivalent of an instant migraine," said Woody Norris, chairman of American Technology Corporation, the Californian company that has produced the weapon.
"It will knock some people to their knees."

The gun was created through secret Pentagon research:

A secret division in the Pentagon has been financing research on futuristic weapons for more than 15 years.

He probably only painted the tip

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - An artist with 780 gallons of red paint, three fire hoses and a 20-member crew at his disposal went to Greenland in search of a blank canvas large enough to accommodate his creative impulse.
The result is a blood-red iceberg now sitting off the country's western coast.

A photo can be seen here at the artist's Web site.

A little about the artist:
Evaristti, who was born in Chile, drew widespread attention - and disdain - when he displayed 10 working blenders filled with goldfish in a Danish gallery in 2000.
He invited guests to turn the devices on and someone did, grinding up a pair of goldfish.
The gallery director was tried on charges of animal cruelty, but acquitted.

Hell's Angels, Atlantis chapter

My god, Underwater Times is filled with good stories today. For instance, there's the Scubadoo, an underwater motorcycle. Includes pictures!

Keeping your giant octopus busy

Aquarium workers have created an "octobox," a puzzle box to keep a playful giant squid busy. Apparently, the giant squid, "Titan", already can open jars and is generally very curious. No picture at the link, sorry.

Glow in the dark shark

Fishermen save 1 in a million albino shark. Although, albino may make you think this shark is pale. No sir, he's bright yellow and has been named Mango. There's a picture at the link.

SCUBA terrorists

Hamas troops used SCUBA gear to attack a Jewish settlement. Israeli troops killed them before they made it. Count on the New York Post for a sedate and learned headline: "Scuba scum slain."

Psychics beat the odds?

Researchers at the Scottish Society for Psychical Research say psychic mediums beat the odds in their survey. It's interesting, but sounds a little suspect to me. Here's how the survey was handled:

A total of 13 mediums took part in the SSPR study, carried out in Scotland and London. In each test the medium would sit in a different room from the participants and choose seat numbers they wanted to read from the audience. The audience, usually around 30 people, would enter a room out of sight of the medium and on their way in be given a random seat number. After the reading, adjudicators would distribute lists of what the mediums had seen and the audience had to tick which of the mediums’ statements applied to them.

That last bit sounds the most questionable. If I choose which one sounds like it applies to me, isn't that going to skew the results? I'm just thinking out loud here.
Also, they don't talk like scientists:

“I am aware that critics will say the tests were somehow rigged. But, rest assured, we could not have been more scientific in the way this was carried out. If anyone claims it is fixed or rigged, we would sue.”

The SSPR is an amateur group that is peer reviewed.

Also speaking at the Muncaster conference is Dr Hugh Pincott, who believes that one day society will look at the work of amateur investigators with the same respect given to the amateur astronomers of the 15th and 16th centuries who broke ground on discovering new planets and comets.
He said: “There is a large expansion of regional groups who are using their own time and money to carry out research and are making headway. Most academic seats are privately funded and so it really is gifted amateurs who are doing all the work.”

UFOs over Canada

Canada Prime Minister Paul Martin's plane had a close encounter with a UFO. But it looks like it was nothing more than a shooting star.
Martin and his entourage were cruising above Alberta when their Challenger jet came within an otherworldly whisker of a luminous object streaking through the night sky.
In a report to Edmonton air traffic controllers, the pilot of Martin's plane noted seeing a "very bright light falling" through the air, with smoke trailing, while the aircraft passed over Suffield, Alta., on Sun., March 21.
People aboard at least two other planes also saw the plummeting object, which was travelling "at a very fast rate of speed" from a high altitude, says the report.