It's the bicentary of Louis Braille inventor of the writing system for the blind. But does it matter?

My Genome, My Self. "In the coming era of consumer genetics, your DNA will have much to tell you about the biological bases of your health, your physique and even your personality. But will this knowledge really amount to self-knowledge?"

A prenatal test for autism would deprive the world of future geniuses. [Via]

The Odyssey retold as part choose-your-own-adventure, part amusing multiple choice quiz. Test your classical knowledge or just ask yourself "What would Odysseus do?" more inside

Russia has agreed to cut gas supplies via Ukraine, claiming Ukraine have been siphoning off gas. Unfortunately, the Ukraine pipeline also supplies Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, France, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. 100% of Slovakia's gas is supplied via the pipeline and they have declared a state of emergency.

On the Wings of Love: At Temple's Aviary, Problem Birds Find Feathered 'Friends'. [Via]

Google has a new year's present for Mac users. Picasa for the Mac is finally available (in beta, like all Google products). Now I can finally wave goodbye to iPhoto. (I am doing a happy dance right now.) more inside

Best fiction of 2008. I haven't read a single one of these. Have you? What else would you recommend from last year's new books?

How would you feel about a half-human half-chimp hybrid?

The Uninvited - how to seriously disconcert the new guy in the building. If you need help with your costume let me know, I have made mine by wrapping a black t-shirt around my face with a hooded jacket and cut finger holes in black socks for the gloves. I do not have any black pants so will spray paint my legs on the night.

Child elopers' Africa plan foiled Bless.

Singapore in 1938. The Singapore Grand Prix then and nowish.

Curious, George: Paypal Customer Service? Asking for a friend-filter. Buddy bought a refurb Xbox Elite for his kids on Ebay. Worked for a few days, then red circle of death. Tech looked at it and determined that he'd been sold a modded POS with a non-Elite motherboard, and either it failed or MS detected and bricked it. more inside

How the city hurts your brain ...And what you can do about it.

'I expected an ambulance, but a donkey cart carried the injured.' Ewa Jasiewicz is one of the only international journalists on the ground in Gaza. Here is her account of a week spent trying to document the attacks.

Hunter S. Thompson Motivational Posters. [Via]

The Secrets of Walrus Nookie Exactly how walruses reproduce is a big unknown to scientists, but at Six Flags they're eagerly trying to understand. They've even created an artificial vagina in an effort to arouse the mysterious 2,100 pound Jocko.

Burglar scared off by man dressed as Thor

Vintage photography in slide form. Well, online copies of slides. Kitschy, some with great back stories, all very retro-American.

Monkeys categorize objects in the same way as humans.