OOH, SHINEY! Interesting messing about by astrophysicists. "Ooooo, it makes ya wonder .." Or is it .. "Well hell, I knew that!"

World's smallest pancake recipe. Via

StoryCorps. "StoryCorps is modeled—in spirit and in scope—after the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the 1930s, through which oral history interviews with everyday Americans across the country were recorded. These recordings remain the single most important collection of American voices gathered to date. We hope that StoryCorps will build and expand on that work, becoming a WPA for the 21st Century." Some great stuff here.

"If the host is sitting there thinking about his next joke, he isn't listening." Merv Griffin, creator of "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!", is dead at 82.

Prime Vertebrae: PZ Myers discusses the critical difference between having six or seven cervical vertebrae.

The Vectrix zero-emission scooter unveiled - Zero-emission advocates got their first test ride recently on a zestful new all-electric motor scooter that can take two commuters on a silent ride that will cost them mere footling small change in electrical power. more inside

Maybe I can not buy them harder. Or something.

Poems from Guantanamo. THE JUST-released "Poems from Guantánamo: The Detainees Speak" is a collection of 22 poems by 17 detainees at the US detention center at Guantánamo Bay. Edited by Marc Falkoff, each poem had to be cleared by the Pentagon. The result offers a rare glimpse into the lives of the prisoners. The following is an excerpt.

Madchester/sadchester: Tony Wilson ... who set up Factory records and the Hacienda has died of cancer ... without him there would be no New Order or Happy Mondays. House music would probably not have taken off in the UK, and all round the world would be a poorer place. He inspired a biopic - '24 Hour Party People' with the memorable tagline, 'Genius, Poet, Twat' ...

Why you shouldn't make your glass fronted building shaped like a parabolic mirror Via more inside

Two-nosed Dog.

Beefy Beaver Beats Beldam - beck-bathing bashfully, biddy bashed by big brown beaver. Bloodletting begins.

The science of big waves. "The monster waves at Mavericks attract big wave surfers from around the world. But what exactly makes these Half Moon Bay waves so big?" From Quest, a production of KQED-TV, the San Francisco public television station.

Curious George: help find video that goes with figurine! There is a strange little video on the web that this figurine comes from... more inside

Coo-coo ka-choo, Mrs. Britney... (Yes, this is far from FPP-worthy, but a story this trashy shouldn't be lost on an old thread.) K-Fed supposedly dating Britney's mom. Half of me feels revulsion at the sheer white-trashery of it all, the other half wants to applaud.

PR Nightmare? Or valid lawsuit. Johnson & Johnson slated to sue Red Cross over trademark infringement. They state that the Red Cross can only use their symbol in not for profit venues. Apparently the Cross has been selling emergency kits with the Red Cross symbol, and JNJ wants these items destroyed. more inside

Lopped off at the ARMs. Is the recent failure of a number of mortgage companies and the turbulence in the stock market just a small indicator of what's to come? "The peak month for the resetting of mortgages will come this October...when more than $50 billion in mortgages will switch to a new [higher] rate for the first time. The level will remain above $30 billion a month through September 2008." Particularly worrying is the default of borrowers with supposedly better than subprime credit. This is likely to result in the first major recession in years. Are we ready?

"I did it" No, not OJ, but a Pole who wrote too detailed a novel after committing murder. He has been arrested.

Battle at Kruger Astounding video of lions and buffalo contesting a calf at Kruger national park. Brief third species guest appearance too. Apparently all over the 'Net, so apologies if you've all seen it already

Hitler's Record Collection Surprise! He was a hypocrite!