Last chance to get in on the June CD swap! Signups close June 1. Groups will be announced shortly afterwards, and the tentative mailing deadline is Friday, June 17. more inside

Curious George: Amazon.com gift certificates. Is there any way to convert amazon credit to paypal or cold hard cash?

Political Friendster is a brilliant parody of Friendster: a user-maintained database of politicians, corporations, and the vast web of underground and often surprising connections between them. Hysterical and stomach-churning. (the blue got there first. shh.)

MoFi CD Swap 4! The title says it all: who's in for another round of CD-swapping goodness? more inside

Typographic George. I'm currently in the process of laying out my school's literary magazine. I've been basing my design templates and whatnot off of other literary magazines and publications I've studied, but what I really need is a comprehensive resource to help me give this magazine a well-structured, innovative, visually pleasing layout. I'm sure there are monkeys out there who do this stuff for a living; does anyone know of anything online (or off, I guess) that could help me out? more inside

So yeah, Google maps' new satellite images feature has really been turning heads since its inception. myGmaps (alpha) "enables you to create, save and host custom data files and display them with Google Maps." A booming new Flickr pool, MemoryMaps, lets users share their old neighborhoods with others using Google Maps satellite captures and Flickr's note-labeling feature (blame mathowie - he started it.) Also of interest is the cool new blog Google Sightseeing, which links satellite Google Maps of famous US locales such as Area 51, the Hollywood sign, and the Golden Gate Bridge. more inside

GAWKER MEDIA INTRODUCES SPLOID, ANARCHO-CAPITALIST ANSWER TO THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER

80's music nostalgia wave! Duran Duran's new album was only the beginning. Billy Idol's new CD is upon us, while New Order's new album is almost here too. Mötley Crüe, meanwhile, are working on their new CD, as are Kate Bush and Bruce Springsteen; even Paula Abdul is planning a comeback. If Duran Duran can do it, anyone can! Right? Let's hope so. more inside

I love t-shirts - especially hunting down and buying clever ones online. Anyone have any cool, cheap online stores they'd like to share? 'Cause I do. more inside

It's all about the O. Guess I wasn't the only one whose eye was caught by that commercial. probably USian monkeys only.

Dumbass George: I'm a senior in high school and a matriculate at Tufts University for the 2005-06 school year. My grades since my acceptance have taken a nose dive, however, and I'm nearly failing calculus. Does the university have the right to withdraw my acceptance if I academically nosedive in the remainder of my senior year? Anyone have success/nightmare stories on the subject with regards to this school or others?

My addicted son. A father's story in the NY Times Magazine about dealing with his son's crystal methamphetamine addiction. more inside

The religious right is getting pissed at Bush: they won't support his Social Security "reform" unless he backs their crusade against gay marriage. "We'll only help you fuck over social security if you make discrimination constitutionally legal" - that's how I'm reading this. Am I being unreasonable? via Devoter. more inside

Calling all monkeys: Come help us break in our Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel, #mofirc, tomorrow (or today technically - January 23.) more inside

Broken George. Had a terrible but very, very clear-cut breakup over the phone. I'd greatly appreciate any advice on how to keep myself from going insane with grief. What's your best post-breakup plan of action? more inside

Yikes! A bill in California (PDF text of bill) may send the heads of some filesharing companies rolling by making it illegal to distribute the software without ensuring pornography or copyrighted material isn't being shared. But who has the time to take "reasonable care" to prevent copyright infringement of all those users? The bill's author: "Even if you aren’t selling crack, you can’t have a crack house." more inside

What's better? Japanese schoolgirl uniforms or the Episcopal Church? A hot dog toaster or Bobby Brown's mugshot? The letter E or Calista Flockhart? Now YOU decide. Warning: addictive as all hell, but probably a double. I try.

Curious George: paid surveys. The idea of earning a little extra cash just for answering questions seems tempting to all of us, I'm sure. Having seen sites like these recently, it seems easier than ever, too. Do any monkeys have success stories (or warnings!) they can share? Which sites are most lucrative? Which are scams? Which are simply raffle entries, not actually paying sites? Any and all information or experience you can share would be very helpful.

Curious PC Fixer - yeah, I'm having some PC issues. I know you guys, like, just answered one of these sorts of things, but any help you could give me as to why my CD/DVD drive just stopped working would be greatly appreciated. more inside

Curious George: From where or whom did the saying "I'm a lover, not a fighter" originate? Apologies for such a worthless post.