Scientology Claims Another Victim Apparently Isaac Hayes is a nutjob Scientologist, and the Tom Cruise in the closet episode was too much for him, so he's quitting the show.

Your wireless USB MP3-playing, glittery silver footwear has arrived, Sir.

Your Latest Nightmare Meet your new drunk surgeon.

Boing Boing to net-censors: Get bent! Instead of kowtowing to organazations trying to make the Web "safe" for kindergarteners everywhere, BoingBoing has declared war on Secure Computing's SmartFilter, because they were classified as a "nudity" site, despite 99.6% of their content being nudity-free, and the other 0.4% comprised (primarily, we all know about Xeni's posts) of artistic expression, including Michaelangelo's David. As a result, users in the UAE, Qatar, and even in the USA have been blocked from seeing ANY content from the site, not just the allegedly offensively naked posts. This is a big deal: who do you want deciding what websites you (or your kids) to see? more inside

"McElwain, you're in!" The autistic team manager of the Greece, NY, high school basketball team suited up for their final game, and, after never playing in a game before, when he went in for the final four minutes, scored 20 points (six 3-pointers and a 2)! General mayhem and well-deserved adoration for the boy ensues.

Marriage Contract... FROM HELL! You think your spouse is demanding? Nuh-uh... not like this piece o' work, Travis Frey. This is the contract he presented (now ex-) Mrs. Frey before they married. Wisely, she never signed it. He's now facing charges of trying to kidnap her, as well as child pornography charges.

Drunken Tree Gets Axe The Stanford Tree has been fired for drinking on the job. Yes. You read that right. Stanford University, here in the ever-puzzling Bay Area, has a mascot, The Tree, and the woman inside the tree suit was found to be drinking at a basketball game, and subsequently tested to have a .15 blood acohol level. Just another entry in the long-running rivalry between Cal and Stanford.

Curious George: Mac OS X error -10810 Since MoFi lately has embraced Mac tech support, I thought I might try my luck here too... I am finding that after a while I cannot launch any new apps... sometimes quitting one of the open apps allows me to open another, but more often than not, I just get an error -10810 when I try to open the new application. I'm using a dual 2.0 G5, and upgrading from 10.4.4 to 10.4.5 made no difference. I did some googling and all I found was a suggestion to repair permissions from my install dvd-- did that with no effect. Nothing on apple's boards either. Logging out or rebooting cures it for a while, but the problem keeps coming back. I would be grateful for any help or suggestions.

I probably shouldn't do this... but I just saw the most flabbergasting commercial on the evening news. I cannot remember the last time I was this floored by a commercial... so I reshot it so I could digitize it and show you all-- apologies for the crappy audio, the camera has a lousy mic. It's not a parody, I'm not a company shill... despite hosting it on my server, I hope this doesn't count as a self link, 'Bashi... Enjoy until I'm made to take it down... the company's site is sineoff.com.

Popularity breeds popularity People often rely on popular buzz to make choices of what they like, rather than just their own instincts, a study shows. In other words "at least one key to musical success is the buzz, or bandwagon effect. The same is true for books and other products... Once an author has a best seller, the next book he writes is likely to also become a best seller, and once a brand name has recognition it is more likely to do well."

Curious George: New Design Business I have quit my fulltime job to start and run my own design and creative services shop. I plan to provide all sorts of print and web design services, as well as web hosting and other services like copywriting and photography. But, with all my creative-fu, my business-fu has been a little shortchanged. I like to think I have a decent amount of common sense, and I'm already planning to go to the SBA and to meet with an attorney and a CPA.... But, I was hoping that monkeys out there had experience generally starting businesses, or specific experience with a design shop or setting up in CA/the Bay area.... What else can you all suggest?

Big Bat Balls = Small Bat Brains

Star Trek New Voyages In which people love ST:TOS enough to resurrect it and film new episodes. Lots of original Trekkers are getting involved, including DC Fontana, Walter Koenig, and George Takei. Wired did a bit on them as well.

Next on CourtTV, Jesus Christ! Fable or fact? Italian courts must decide.

Blow Monkey Nail Dryer Something Ms Swan would use at the Lucky Pretty Beauty Nail Salon?

Suicide Pact Observed In a tale strangely reminiscent of Harold and Maude a 106 year old woman and her 30 year old caretaker died together in their apartment. "They left notes dated Dec. 27 indicating that Lund had strangled the widow when she decided she couldn't take her own life, then swallowed a fatal dose of antifreeze, police said."

Honda Monkey Limited Chrome Monkey... "Feels so cool." [via]

monkey mondays [via].

Out-Dada-ing the Dada-ists In which an interloper does damage to what has been called one of the most influential works of modern art, Duchamp's Fountain. The same "performance artist" vandalized the artwork back in 1993 when he tried to use the repurposed urinal for its original indended purpose. Art lover or hater?

GervaisFilter He's written and will be starring in a new episode of The Simpsons in a plotline based on those charming wifeswapping shows...