Zombies descend on American Idol auditions in Texas shouting "Television rots your braaaaaaaiiiins." Some lighthearted fare for those of us watching too much hurricane coverage today. And for those of us who think it'd be terribly fun to be part of a zombie flash mob.

Scientists decipher chimp DNA. "It's a huge deal," said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, which provided some support for the project. "We now have the instruction book of our closest relative." (via Wired)

Tom Cruise is Totally Fucking Nuts "When I was languishing in prison before being sent to exile, [Katie Holmes] used to send me notes hidden in the collar of her pug dog." "I really would have preferred being a brain surgeon or a research scientist in this life." "[Brooke Shields] was the mistress of Sigmund Freud, you know. Is it any wonder she promotes his discredited theories? She's so confused." ...and other pearls of utter in(s)anity... sorry, seems like a slow day, thought this might cause mirth...

Tips for getting better gas mileage. more inside

carbonated ice cream.

Free registration codes for Opera, for ad-free surfing. Only for a couple more hours. Apparently it's their birthday.

Naughty Brion is playing WoW past his bedtime. Coolest mother ever. more inside

Bush compares Iraq to WWII . . and I disagree most strongly. A link currently underfoot of the blue is ostensibly a defense of the US invasion of Iraq and subsequent decade + long occupation. So - help me out here - can YOU make a case justifying this war? Even if you don't agree with it? more inside

More photo ops! I'm leaving 17th Sept (*sob*), and am thinking of going to London either 15th or 16th Sept and spend a bit of time there before flying off. So, anyone interested in a meetup then? Anybody?

Get off me, you Joey! Playground insults. more inside

Fuck you, Sir! Pupils are being allowed to swear at one Northamptonshire secondary school - as long as they limit their use of bad language to five times a lesson.

The World Challenge An interesting BBC World & Newsweek competition aimed at "finding individuals or groups from around the world who have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level" with a focus on environmental responsibility and community development. The 12 final projects are interesting in their own right, and also for a look into the communities being helped by the innovation. Highlights include coconets in the Philippines, rechargeable batteries in Vanuatu, and cooking fat as diesel substitute in Malta. more inside

Radio images of Cygnus X-1 and the bubble it is blowing.

Daily Scans. A pack of Livejournal users sharing and troping on the slash subtext juicy bits of their favorite DC/Marvel comic books. more inside

Sexy Games Everybody has heard of hot coffee mod and Rock Star games has paid heavily for the controversy. But has anybody heard of the new enemy of Jack Thompson, the Hot Biscuit mod? [NSFW] more inside

Map of Native American Tribes - and another you can click to zoom in on. more inside

In the 1950s, Dr Miner rediscovered a poorly-studied group. Dr. Miner wrote what might be seen as a typical (albeit brief) ethnography for the time, focusing on rituals and health. This group was revisited in the 1970s by a Mr. Thompson, who focused on the environment. more inside

Curious George: On The Road Howdy doo, monkey types. Me and a buddy are coming up with plans to travel round America from Britain next summer. We're both students, so cost is absolutely at a premium. We're thinking of visiting a few of the big cities: New York, LA, San Francisco, Washington, New Orleans (God hoping), etc, etc. more inside

Monkey sightings on the Simpsons via memepool Need I say more.

Cartoonists/Cartoons [via]