Pistol Shrimp! A shrimp with the ability to stun prey via a super laser claw. Or something. (embedded YouTube video) via linkfilter

SUV Sales are Up. The bigger the guzzler, the better the numbers. Sales of GMC's Yukon XL were up a whopping 72 percent last month, and the totals for its Chevrolet sister, the Suburban, rose 38 percent. Topping off the tank on either one can cost as much as $120. via SUVfilter

The Secret History of the Potato Awww baby . . I love the sexy, sexy subjects of history and the sensual hot-buttered passion of the potato. Also, it's interesting. 'Cause taters is good eatin'. see also. via linkfi more inside

Steely Dan - The Making of "Peg" Y'know I'm starting to see the benefit of this whole U-2be thing. Here's a great 10 minute video with solo'ed tracks and commentary from the Steelers about the making of one of the hippest "13-bar blues" songs, "Peg". Also, The Dissection of "Deacon Blues". via Fagenfilter more inside

Harsh Words Die Hard on the Web The US law-school-related blog AutoAdmit contains message boards that are reportedly "essentially, a massive toilet of racism and sexism". Said message boards are suspected in preventing some women, otherwise well-qualified, from getting high-profile legal jobs after they were allegedly maligned, objectified, and even threatened therein. The message board's "Chief Education Director"also had a pending job offer rescinded, following publicity of these incidents. Defending the message board's activities as Free Speech proved ineffective relevant to the rescinded job offer. Some say, "Cry me a river." What do You think? via BlueAdmit

Babies Watch Lots of TV , so claims a new study from the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute. . . by 3 months of age 40 percent of infants are regular viewers. (10-20 hours/week) That number jumps to 90 percent of 2-year-olds . . . "This study is important because it teaches us about the media diet of infants who are too young to speak for themselves." via linkfilter more inside

Poll: Americans love the queen A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Monday during the queen's six-day U.S. visit finds that eight in 10 Americans have a favorable view of the British monarch. This comes despite the fact that four in 10 believe Britain would be better off without a royal family. Quite.

Facebook is being mined for your personal information. (flash movie) Yeah, Newsflash. Someone read the Terms of Service. It provides boatloads of marketing data on kids for free. The short animation claims venture money came from a very a conservative PAC. Plus some ties to "The Company". Apparently. more inside

Curious George: Firewire -> USB Help me geekmonkey, you're my only hop. I have a USB port (notebook) and a Firewire device. That's it. I need a Firewire-to-USB adapter. PCMCIA is not an option. Don't need a hub. Ack! more inside

Socially Responsible Design (slideshow) Minimalist. Humanitarian. Environmentally sound. Invention-y. You could do this, y'know. via Mr. Bluejangles more inside

Kent State Shootings May 4, 1970 - Days of protest and riots culminated in the shooting death of four students at by Ohio National Guard troops. An iconic image from that day and its events have made "Kent State" synonymous with violent reaction to protest. A recently discovered audiotape purports to document the order to fire on the students.

The Case of the D.C. Madam Newsfilter: An attorney for Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the alleged "D.C. Madam," rejected accusations Monday that releasing a list of phone numbers used to dial Palfrey's high-end escort service amounted to blackmail. The "sexual albeit legal" practices of the "erotic fantasy service" in Washington D.C. has wags squawking over the potential names dropped in the 46 pounds of documentation released to ABC news. more inside

TV Turnoff Week! Previously! Also! And here! A week to turn off your TV (and computer?) in order to better understand what role TV plays in our daily lives. more inside

Sheryl Crow Sez: "Limit Your Loo Paper!" which brings us to today's Curious George: The Environment: What are your suggestions for helping the planet? more inside

Super Monkey Collider Loses Funding Congress voted Monday to cut federal funding for the superconducting monkey collider, a controversial experiment which has cost taxpayers an estimated $7.6 billion a year since its creation in 1983.

The Power of the Penis *Bam!* straight outta the blue, it's a thread about a public access show which has been posted to YouTube and thusly transcribed in-thread. That's all, but it's enough. more inside

Clean City - No Outdoor Advertising Imagine a modern metropolis with no outdoor advertising: no billboards, no flashing neon signs, no electronic panels with messages crawling along the bottom. Come the new year, this city of 11 million, overwhelmed by what the authorities call visual pollution, plans to press the "delete all" button and offer its residents unimpeded views of their surroundings. Oh yeah, and the advertisers are angry about it. Waah. via boinkboink more inside

Boomshine Friday Flash Fun - click them dots t'blowed 'em up good! (flash, sound) via Stupid MetaGarbagefilter

Project Linus makes security blankets for kids who are "seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need". Security blankets are a good thing. more inside

The Dry Valleys of Antarctica Amazing pictures of some places you didn't know existed.* The terrain looks like something not of this Earth; the valley floor occasionally contains a perennially frozen lake with ice several meters thick. Under the ice, in the extremely salty water live mysterious simple organisms, a subject of on-going research. Indulge in a little armchair touring and see fantastic minimalistic landscapes of rock and ice! *Offer does not apply if you knew this place existed