Cornell researchers build a robot that can reproduce "Admittedly the machine is just a proof of concept -- it performs no useful function except to self-replicate -- but the basic principle could be extended to create robots that could replicate or at least repair themselves while working in space or in hazardous environments, according to Hod Lipson, ... in whose lab the robots were built and tested."

Put down that Nalgene! A recent study[pdf] suggests that a chemical commonly used in polycarbonate plastic containers may raise the risk of prostate cancer in humans. California is considering banning its use in baby bottles, and the plastic industry (which maintains that it is safe) has set up a website to educate the public about Bisphenol-A. Is this a real concern, or just a bogus chemical scare?

May 16-20 is Bike to Work Week Next week is Bike to Work week in the US. Are you monkey enough? (If not, no sweat, but check this out to see what may befall you otherwise!) more inside

Excellent debate on the Gender/Science issue Steven Pinker and Elizabeth Spelke have the deepest clearest discussion I've read on the issue.

The Petrol Crime Bureau is on the lookout for 4x4s. [Quicktime]

Curious George - Tiger, Mac's new operating system So, is it worth shelling out $100? I know I am going to have to upgrade sooner as Final Cut Pro 5.0 will require the new operating system, but does it deserve all the hoopla?

Log Homes for Us. We are a unique log home company that caters to the needs of the Gay and the Lesbian community as well as their friends and family.

Get Outfoxed! There are over 8 billion web pages. Most of them suck. Outfoxed uses your network of trusted friends and experts to help you find the good stuff and avoid the bad. more inside

Omnipelagos lets you find some KevinBaconesque connection between two different entitities, whereas Grokker presents search results graphically under topics, with mouseover descriptions and the ability (show tools, bottom left, on search result page) to define date and yahoo search ranking. I'm not sure of the utility value, but they are fun to play around with. via

100 pieces of art left on the beach in Nova Scotia. Anyone live out that way? Might be worth grabbing one if they haven't all gone.

Curious, George: How to convert VHS into DVD/MPEG?? I had a few seconds of lime light on ABC news last month. The news station gave me a copy on a VHS tape. I don't own a VHS player, but I can borrow one. My laptop has a DVD burner. I'd like to send a copy to my grandma. Can anyone help me??

The 'act making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief' includes the real-id. Monkeys, this is serious. The US senate passed what is basically a spending act for Iraq that included a rider for the new real-id, which is a national id card, which will be required to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, or take advantage of nearly any government service. Use google news to understand what this means or get real paranoid. more inside

Worst Jobs in (British) History

Mind your manners! A (rather Pythonesque) game on Victorian etiquette. [flash] And other interesting games from the McCord Museum of Canadian History.

"Curious, George: Browser popups in dsl" I have had dsl for a week and I have this problem of a new brower window popping up pretty regularly with the Mozilla homepage on it. I use Firefox and just updated to the new version but it keeps happening. Qwest has never heard of this prob. Any ideas? Thanks.

Celebrity Blog "The Huffington Post", Day 2 After our step-sister site thoroughly trashed the "next big thing in blogging", there are signs that, less than 48 hours in, "The Huffy" (a nickname I take full credit for) is showing signs of either (A) getting a sense of humor or (B) jumping the shark. more inside

Kusturica in the NYT. "I remember he called me on the phone and told me the story of the guy in 'Life Is a Miracle' -- you know, it's a true story, it really happened, this man and woman together -- and we made it into a song. And I tell you, for us, this song, this movie, it felt like a window in this windowless room we had been stuck in, this bloody Balkan room without any exit, and we recognized a way out."

Sci Fi as it should be The months in advance sneak previews of Serenity have been selling out in a matter of hours Word of mouth reviews so far is that this is a very, very good movie indeed. Yay! Joss Whedon comes through! And if you try to tell me spoilers, I'll stick my fingers in my ears and go "lalalalalalalala" until September.

Kenneth Parker - photography.

Pavarotti loves elephants. Elephantssssssss YEAH. more inside