Golden Girls Turn Hobos Into Cold Hard Cash. Are they the Burke and Hare of the AARP set, or just another example of geezers gone wild? via

At $0.30 a pop, you have to sell a lot of photos to take that dream vacation But if they were just sitting on your hard drive anyway, is it that big of a deal? Are 'micropayment' stock photo sites like this ruining photographers' lives (and their bank accounts) or simply a sign of how the Internet is changing yet another industry?

Scientists pour molten metal down ants' nests.

Pouring red-hot aluminum in the bottom of a 2-meter pit runs the risk of having ones socks catch on fire from the radiant heat.

Those wacky scientists. Via

Alchemy Notebook This gallery chronicles the creation of a modern notebook of alchemy, full of beautiful illustrations and mystical writing. more inside

Leek Spin It's the Hamster Dance for the 21st Century. Only good.

Beatle Moments pt. I and and II. A nifty blogbit on various bites of the Beatles. Trivia for some, scholarship for others. via some bluish thread

Diebold shouldn't design anything security related Diebold has essentialy stopped caring, "If it so happens that someone not supposed to use the machine—or an election official who wants to put his or her thumb on the scale of democracy—takes advantage of this fast track to fraud, that's not Diebold's problem," about public opinion, they have us locked in, thanks to our great leaders.

The Butterfly Ball. And from the department of I-had-no-idea comes this blast from the past (Youtube video). more inside

This 3150 m (1.95 mile) long tunnel in Russia is the longest in-city tunnel of Europe. There is a river running over it and water leaks at some points. When the temperature reaches -38 degrees like it did during this footage, the road freezes and the result is the attached video taken during a single day with the tunnel camera. more inside

Could this be Hoff Jr?

Hourly Weather Hourly Point Weather forecast is a site I use almost everyday. I can't stand running in cold weather, so I try to plan my afternoon runs for the warmest part of the day. This site lets you factor in wind-chill and cloud cover, which makes a big difference when you're out in the elements. gmap-pedometer.com is another useful site that will let you map a route for distance and elevation. more inside

TVfolk.net hosts videos from a variety of Finnish traditional (and not so traditional) folk groups, as well as from many other Northern European countries - over 400 videos in all. And if you like what you hear, several of the artists are sold (at least in the US) through North Side, Nordic roots music, where there are mp3s and more information on the performers. (via metafilter) more inside

How do females chose mates? {[While big-antlered red deer are busy fighting each other to show a female who has the best rack, the doe sneaks off to mate with less well-endowed stags. Female red-winged blackbirds are not easily impressed, either. Having the most macho plumage has no detectable effect on how many offspring a male sireS" more inside

Global news, as it happens, via a nifty flash-based map of the world. May be an addictive way to get your news.

Nathanael Ritz has created many amusing music videos featuring himself. [Google video--six links.]

10 Things Your iPod Won't Tell You more inside

Write a 100-word essay and get two free steaks! Write a 100 word essay on why you love to barbecue. If you're in Ontario, you get two sirloin steaks. Free! If you're not, you get...uh, a 100 word essay on why you love to barbecue. Heck forget the steaks, just make something up and post it. Monkeys love barbecue? Or no?

Darth Vader lets Palpatine know about the Death Star [youtube]

Pat Robertson predicts distaster Well, actually [G|g]od(ess) has, and delivered it through his chosen messenger. But what do scientists think the most likely natural disasters are for the US? Are tsumanis really coming to wash away those unchurched liberals in the Pacific Northwester?

Underwater sub-tectonic UFO bases under construction. They came from within!! Via FMH.