Take University Courses for free over the Web. Type in your subject. Check out the courses available. Now you to can study cognitive robotics at MIT, pathophysicology of infectious diseases at Tufts, or causal and statistical reasonaing at Carnegie-Mellon. Or how about some artsier stuff? more inside

New Bill Stewart Album. World renowned jazz drummer Bill Stewart has released his newest album via cdbaby. As well, he plays on Kevin Hays' what survives, also released on cdbaby. Anybody know of any other well known artists who have chosen to self release albums instead of dealing with the record label mafia? All styles of music welcome; we monkeys have broad tastes. more inside

Gorillas have been seen for the first time using simple tools to perform tasks in the wild Scientists were particularly amazed that they were able to post extensively on a certain metafilter clone site.

White slavery in the UK Police in Birmingham, UK, are reported to have rescued nineteen women from ten countries from white slavery. (The term is archaic; the practice, sadly, isn't.) They were allegedly being locked in the establishment at night, and kept in by day with the assistance of an electric fence around the back garden. more inside

15th-16th century woodcuts. There are more here. And a dozen more here. more inside

Baseball Apocalypse II Pretty exciting weekend coming up, yes? more inside

The forest of rhetoric Terms and definitions of rhetoric, from antiquity to the Renaissance. more inside

Puberty explained... by a talking penis. NSFW unless your workplace doesn't care too much about talking cartoon genitals and some frank depictions of sexual acts. Voiced by Amy Sedaris, of Strangers With Candy fame and sibling of that writer guy. Warning: Flash Aaaah! He'll save every one of us! more inside

Trouble vs Tribble-ations A scene-by-scene deconstruction of how digital video artists repurposed parts of the ST:TOS episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" to create the ST:DS9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" 30 years later. Mmmmm, Trekky goodness...

Woogle - words in pictures (stolen from the blue)

Friday Film Fun What would a preview for the classic film The Shining look like if it were made today? Not quite the movie you'd expect... [MOV 1st link]

I had been warned of Turkmenistan's liking for bureaucracy. Peter Forwood, who has been travelling around the world on his Harley motorcycle since 1996, has just visited Turkmenistan. more inside

Donate $100 to Katrina victims, get a call from Brian Wilson.

I'll give you a bullet point.

Totally Killer Hotties via

It's art, and it's moving. [flash] WARNING: This might disturb some people. "We stuffed it with approximately 75kg of ice'

A horrible kind of hydroplaning can occur when kissing too glossed lips And other cartoons in the style of the Far Side. Some are deliciously twisted, some are chuckleworthy, and some are just plain odd.

Ante up, punk. I need some negotiating skills pronto. This recommended reading list has a selection of general interest tomes and if any monkeys want to weigh in on which books they also recommend I'd be internally grateful. I'm going up against a master in the next two weeks, for a whole lotta moola and a huge time commitment from me, and I'm stoked to stock up at Chapters. more inside

Curious, George: Immigrating to France How hard is it to move to France to live? more inside

What's a little bull semen to boost bilateral ties? According to International Enterprise Singapore, 200 straws of it did wonders for ties between Singapore and the province of Shandong! *Imagines what owl semen might accomplish*