A 10-foot spinning orb to replicate Earth’s magnetic field. [Via]

Chronophage The hour approaches. The beast's jaws gape, its tail quivers and then snap! Another minute has been devoured, and the hour strikes with the ominous clonk of a chain dropping into a coffin. The creature blinks twice in satisfaction. more inside

Your Guide To The Language Of Financial Disaster.

MEDICAL STONER You think we didn't know this? Cannabinoids, chemical compounds found in cannabis, are drawing the interest of medical scientists, as they contain compounds that may lead to treatments for ailments ranging from bacterial infections to nausea from chemotherapy. In a report from the journal Pain, British scientists attempted to figure out how cannabinoids affected (surprise!) pain and determine if they are effective against chronic pain. At least scientists are actually taking a look at it! Another bounce out for the reality of folk-medicine.

Yahtzee reviews Spore - flash video.

Toxic Utah . March 17, 1968 July 4, 1976 more inside

Getting to the bottom of evolution: Genetic study investigates the origin of the anus. [Via]

Norman Whitfield, dead at 67. ...here to make right everything that's wrong...

Curious George needs some podcasts. Do you monkeys have any favourite podcasts you'd care to recommend? I do a few from among the ceeb's offerings (usually C'est la vie and Quirks & Quarks), but I'm looking for something a little different. Downloadable preferred over streaming. Suggestions?

Cephalopod consciousness: Behavioural evidence - by Jennifer A. Mather from the latest issue of the journal Consciousness and Cognition. more inside

Paintings of Fred Einaudi . Mmmmmm, Monkeys are gonna love this. scroll for a few not on his site may be NSFW Fred blathers more inside

Beauty and the Brain. "Neuroaesthetics promises to reinvigorate science's search for a theory of beauty."

Shhh, Listen — Rare Soundscapes of Vanishing Habitats.

The Curse of the African Grey.

MY KIND OF PEOPLE "Zeitgeist" and "paradigms" in the same paragraph. Irresistible! And that pic is just like the framed portrait of my son I have displayed (as prominently as his brows) upon my mantle. :D

Now we know what happened to the nose of the Sphinx... more inside

Crazy shit on a skateboard (skip ahead to about the two minute mark) plus skateboarding on the autobahn not to mention skiing down an escalator. via

History's Ten Most Terrifying Contraceptives . Don't buy that? How about sneezing? Or stewed onions!!! No wonder Herodotus wept! Back in the day we used fennel under our flannel. Best be takin' some precautions. need I say may be NSFW in certain prissy offices?

Interactive *Table of Elements* Clicking on an element uses QuickTime to show samples of mixed media animation produced by Curious Pictures, New York. It's an interesting demo, I think, from an animation house that uses everything from CGI to stop motion. more inside

Thoreau on the moose: "The great American writer found nothing heroic in hunting the gentle creatures. Rather, he saw their killing as a great tragedy." [Via]