"I was bitten by a radioactive reindeer the other day..." Apparently, Mark Foley's IM exchange with an underage page was taken the wrong way, and he was only conversing with a guy who wants to be a hand model but is mutating into a reindeer. Here's an excerpt. more inside

A paradise may soon be lost. The island of Guimaras, known for its natural splendor and rich coral reefs, faces disaster: An oil spill from a sunken tanker is endangering this place, a home to threatened species of dugong and green and hawksbill turtles. more inside

You: Gorgeous. Me: A Gamer... "I’m pretty sure if I can just pay you for that drink that we will soon be making hot monkey love back at my apartment. However, I am disappointed at how much dating is already costing me, and how many obstacles one must overcome to simply buy a girl a drink..."

Get with the George Liquor program. I'm a week late in posting this, but in case you haven't seen it yet, check out a new caricature blog from John Kricfalusi, creator of The Ren and Stimpy Show. Happy Happy Joy Joy!

Not your daddy's Superman. A collection of iconic comic book characters isn't new--unless they're all reinterpretations of the original characters done by prominent artists like Moebius, Alex Ross and Yoshitaka Amano. (French)

The original "cam whore"? The nineteenth-century Countess de Castiglione was obsessed with capturing her own image in over 400 photographs that recreated significant moments of her life. Like today's "cam whores," she liked to pose for "risqué" shots that revealed a bare foot or thigh. more inside

"After raiding a few Army camps, two communist guerrillas hid in a forest gorge and fell in love." Resulting in the first gay marriage between communist rebels in the Philippines. (An oddly cute love story a week before Valentine's.)

Make an mp3 player out of a tin of mints. Also check out this post pointing to more resources on building your own mp3 player. via EmptyFree.com

Songs from Juliana Hatfield's music vault. Having released In Exile Deo last year, Juliana Hatfield is now sharing songs that didn't fit on any of her albums. She explains in a letter that she'd rather freely share these songs than let them sit around "gathering dust." Those who download the songs can opt to make a PayPal donation. I've always thought this could be a viable business model for some artists -- distribute your work freely and get fans to give you donations. I think most people would love to support their favorite artists in this way. more inside

"I am dreaming while I am awake." That's how Haruki Murakami describes the writing of his surreal fictions. Now out is his novel Kafka on the Shore, a fantastical Oedipal tale that was a bestseller in his native Japan, selling 460,000 copies in two months. Read an extract from the novel and check out John Updike's review in The New Yorker. more inside