RAPatton

"The ESA's Herschel satellite has instruments aboard that created this never-before-seen image of a star factory inside a dust-shrouded, mysterious region of the galaxy called "Gould's Belt." It's a vast ring of young stars that encircles our solar system. Nobody is really sure what created Gould's Belt, but many researchers speculate that there was some kind of giant supernova or possibly rogue dark matter that sent out such massive bursts of energy that it created "ripples" spreading outward from the event. The Belt would be the result of those ripples. Here's a map showing some of the Belt's major features." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"The image above is the first clear view of one of these features. According to ESA: Some 700 newly-forming stars are estimated to be crowded into these colourful filaments of dust. The complex is part of a mysterious ring of stars called Gould's Belt. This image shows a dark cloud 1000 light-years away in the constellation Aquila, the Eagle. It covers an area 65 light-years across and... more... - RAPatton

1) "Zero" Yeah Yeah Yeahs With her gift for sod-off squawking and tear-streaked realness, Karen O was born to lead the frisky rock revolt that the aughts never earned. So here, with a regal hip check, she strides off by her lonesome, resplendent synth riff all aquiver, cooing, "Get your leather on," as we gambol on the grave of 2009’s tragic, orgiastic flimflam. - RAPatton

Maybe it wasn't Spin, maybe your filter knew it came from moi and therefore was offensive - RAPatton from iPhone

"2010 Gold Comics Archie's Summer Splash! #1 Doctor Solar/Magnus Fractured Fables G.I. Joe #155 ½ Iron Man/Thor Mouse Guard/Fraggle Rock Shrek & The Penguins The John Stanley Library Toy Story War of the Supermen #0 " - RAPatton

"2010 Silver Comics Sonic: The Hedgehog Worlds of Aspen Fearless Dawn S.E. Hinton / Fame Bongo: Free-For-All Irredeemable #1 DC Kids Mega-Sampler Del Rey Showcase Green Hornet #1 Weathercraft! The Overstreet Guide Library of American Comics #0 Artifacts: First Look Love and Capes #13 Iron Man: Supernova The Tick #1 Oni Press Free-For-All! The Sixth Gun #1 Radical: Bigger Books! Atomic Robo Freedom Formula: Speed Metal he Stuff of Legend/Mortal Instruments Preview Owly And Friends " - RAPatton

" In 2008, Kings of Leon wondered if they'd ever be as popular at home as they were over-seas. In 2009 they got their answer. But as Caleb Followill and family celebrate their victory, they're also learning they need to be careful what they wish for. " - RAPatton

""Shot and a beer?" says Caleb Followill as he bellies up to a bar in Manhattan's West Village. "Patrón, please—Silver, chilled." (He quit drinking whiskey earlier this year. "The hangovers.") He could use a drink—just 72 hours earlier, the Kings of Leon frontman was jetting back from the United Arab Emirates, where his band headlined a private show for 20,000 at a Formula One racetrack... more... - RAPatton

"Tera Patrick's ex-husband, Evan Seinfeld, is striking back at her claim that he chose continuing to do porn over his marriage to her. "I'm very grateful to have worked with her, but I'm disappointed in the way she's handling things," Seinfeld told us. "It was a very amicable split, so this feels like a cheap shot." Seinfeld, who starred in HBO's "Oz" and who produces events for Hell's Kitchen strip club HeadQuarters, adds, "While it was great that we were the 'First Couple' of porn, the fact is Tera hates the industry. She's not a sexual person. We barely had sex in our own marriage. She's desperate to break into the mainstream, and just wants to generate press." He continued, "I didn't choose porn over her. Our marriage had a lot of holes in it, despite what she claims. I chose freedom." Seinfeld's personal Web site, RockStarPornStar.com, launches next week." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

++++Iain - RAPatton from iPhone

"She told Das Neue magazine: "I doubt that fidelity is absolutely essential for a relationship. It's worse to leave your partner and talk badly about him afterwards. "Neither Brad nor I have ever claimed that living together means to be chained together. We make sure that we never restrict each other."" - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

I love how people think because they are actors or musicians in the public eye, that we care about what they think about things. Hey Angelina, try picking a good script and leave relationship talk to those with degrees in it. - Derrick

"From the local bar to celebrations like Santarchy and Santacon, these Santas are letting loose." - RAPatton

I think it is more than santa sluts, there are santa gamblers and santa drunks too - RAPatton

"Happy Comic Release Day! In this holiday season, it seemed appropriate to focus on something that can be enjoyed for free and in the spirit of the holidays. Summary: Batman & Sons is a web comic that is an adorable riff on Batman as the father of not only three Robins–Dick, Jason and Tim–but little baby Terry from Batman Beyond. Officially, DC has the Tiny Titans but I like this fan comic better. Most of the humor comes from Batman as the harried but loving father of four boys who don’t always get along. For instance, as above, Jason is the bad boy. Other DC comic characters and their offspring also make appearances." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

I like Tiny Titans better, but this isn't bad - RAPatton

"Even as Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III, the writer and artist of Detective Comics, are leaders in our Reader Favorites of 2009 Polls, the writer dropped a possible bombshell on his Twitter account Tuesday afternoon. The writer linked to a post on the official DCU Blog, The Source, talking about the end of the current storyline in the critically-acclaimed title, telling the origin of Batwoman. Rucka's accompanying statement, however, suggested not the end of the storyline, but the end of their run altogether, saying "JH and I finishing our Detective run... more news to come." That news may have actually already come a week or so back. In a soon-to-be published exclusive podcast interview with John Siuntres of Word Balloon conducted December 8th, Rucka stated that not only will his and William's run conclude at least for now with Detective #860, but the creative team's current plans are to reunite to launch a new Batwoman title in 2010. In the interview with Word Balloon, Rucka says... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"The Taliban blew up a girls' school in Pakistan's Khyber district, where troops are fighting against militants in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan, an official said Wednesday. Militants detonated explosives overnight at the government-run school in Bazgarah town, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Peshawar, capital of the violence-plagued North West Frontier Province. "The building had 21 rooms. All have been completely demolished," local administration chief Shafeerullah Wazir told AFP by telephone. There were no casualties because the property was empty at the time. "Taliban and their local allies are responsible. They are destroying educational institutions to avenge the military operation against their hideouts in the area," said Wazir. "This was the ninth educational institution blown up in Khyber over the past six weeks," he added. Islamist militants opposed to co-education and subscribers to sharia law have destroyed hundreds of schools, mostly for girls, in northwest Pakistan in recent years." - RAPatton

"Now that Avatar has raised the bar thanks to its cutting-edge visual effects, the folks at Pixar are taking notice. Their next big picture is the other-worldly epic John Carter of Mars, and Avatar just changed the game for them. In an interview with Collider actor Mark Strong discussed how Avatar made everyone at Pixar sit up and take notice, mere days before they go into production in January. Strong, who plays Matai Shang, the God-like ruler over the Fern people who spends his time being ripped and keeping tabs on the Universe, shared his thoughts on how Pixar's Andrew Stanton is ready to dominate James Cameron's Avatar with their own mo-cap/live action scifi film. " - RAPatton

"I mean it's "Avatar" type territory, and I think the point I was making before [is that] these Pixar guys are always wanting to be in the vanguard. They want to be leading from the front. They're giving the public stories that the public don't even know they want. I mean a story about a fish? A story about an old guy keeping his house? On paper, these must seem like, you know, how on... more... - RAPatton

"Most sports fans assume that once a stadium or arena is replaced by a newer model, the old house is immediately blown to smithereens in a pyrotechnics show that would make James Cameron proud. But many more than you think are still around. Some have historical value, while others are still bringing in funds to cash-strapped municipalities. Who knows, some may even be available to well-heeled holiday shoppers looking for a last-minute gift. Here are a few: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Mich. ... Reliant Astrodome, Houston ... Pyramid Arena, Memphis, Tenn. ... Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington ... Balboa Stadium, San Diego ... Olympic Stadium, Montreal ... Beijing National Stadium, Beijing ... Alamodome, San Antonio ... The Forum, Inglewood, Calif. " - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"Alcohol has many ways of sneaking up on you during the holidays. For starters, you might be tired from holiday chaos with one family visit piled on top of another. Alcohol hits you harder when you're tired. Also, alcohol doesn't completely burn off when cooked in those festive dishes you might encounter, counter to what is said colloquially. Alcohol evaporates at around 175° F, so slow cooking and simmering won't burn off anything. Baking for an hour will still leave 25 percent of the booze. Flaming it for that dramatic walk to the table can still leave most of alcohol behind. So consider your rum-accented glaze as fully spiked. When fixing yourself or a friend a drink, it's easy to be too generous. Short, wide glasses typical in formal settings are easier to over-pour compared to tall glasses. Legitimate studies have been conducted on this, such as one published in 2005 in the British Medical Journal finding that even experienced bartenders routinely overestimated a shot of booze by... more... - RAPatton

"Like America itself, the jolly figure we call Santa Claus is a melting pot of cultures, blending elements of folklore with the fantastical. Santa Claus the man is actually loosely rooted in fact, though he hasn't always looked the way he does today, having evolved from a gift-giving Catholic saint who lived during the third century. The Protestant Reformation and the emigration of European traditions to America morphed that pious figure into the red-suited character that is now one of the most famous images in the world, complete with his iconic army of elves and a magical transportation system." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"St. Nicholas the Generous Ol' St. Nick wasn't always the rotund, bearded fellow you see gracing Christmas cards. The historical St. Nicholas was the revered Bishop of Myra, a Roman town in what is now Turkey. Born around the year 270 A.D., historians believe, Nicholas became bishop as a young man. Nicholas was dedicated to helping the poor throughout his life, famously (and... more... - RAPatton

"What We Learned: The Yale Las Vegas Studio and the Work of Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates,” which is on view at the Yale School of Architecture Gallery through Feb. 5, looks at the extensive research the architects did in Las Vegas, though it doesn’t place the results in a context that would allow you to reevaluate the impact the project had on a profession starved for a new way forward. Nor do you get a feel for the place Las Vegas held in the popular imagination four years after Tom Wolfe celebrated the city’s “incredible electric sign gauntlet” in Esquire in 1964. Still, it is a must-see for those who want to recapture momentarily the euphoric sense of discovery that came out of those early trips, as well as get a refresher course on their conclusions, which still have things to teach us. The show includes roughly 100 photographs taken of Las Vegas, beginning with that first trip. A particularly sweet one shows Ms. Scott Brown with her feet firmly planted in the Nevada desert,... more... - RAPatton

That's awesome. - Jimminy Fuller

I was always most excited about the books that I received at the holidays. Good for you and them. - Mathew A. Koeneker

"Researchers found that around one in three people actually feel physical discomfort when they see someone else in agony. The findings could explain why some people are more empathetic to other people's misery. Dr Stuart Derbyshire, a psychologist at the University of Birmingham, made the discovery after inviting 123 university students to watch video clips and photographs of patients and sports stars in painful situations. The videos included a footballer breaking his leg, a tennis player turning over his left ankle and a patient getting an injection in the hand All the students said that, for at least one of the images or videos, they had an "emotional reaction" - such as feeling sad, disgusted or fearful. But a third, also claimed to feel real pain in the same part of the body as the victim they were watching." - RAPatton

Very true, good to see it is getting researched and attention. If we could learn to feel each others pain, the world would be in a lot better shape - echostreamer

"In 1999, the L.A. Times asked dozens of writers to look back at the prior century and share books they considered lost treasures -- books they loved that had slipped out of sight. Although the authors were formidable -- including Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer, theorist Susan Sontag and popular novelist John Le Carré -- most of their books remain relatively unknown. Not for want of trying: Editor Robert Giroux worked with E.E. Cummings in the 1950s and tried -- but failed -- to acquire the rights to Cummings' book "The Enormous Room" -- it was his selection for this list. What follows are lost treasures from 25 writers, as they looked back in 1999." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"André Aciman: "Count d'Orgel's Ball" by Raymond Radiguet Margaret Atwood: "Doctor Glas" by Hjalmar Söderberg Anthony Bailey: two by Marc Bloch - "Strange Defeat" and "Souvenirs de Guerre 1914-15" John Banville: "By Love Possessed" by James Gould Cozzens Jacques Barzun: "Practical Agitation" by John Jay Chapman Alain de Botton: "The Unquiet Grave" by Cyril Connolly Thomas Flanagan:... more... - RAPatton

"Hollywood actress Christina Ricci stars in a new short film called Four Play, inspired by the "versatility" of Donna Karan's Eldrigde bag. Directed by Sting's son Jake Sumner, the film shows Ricci portraying four different personalities (the 'Dreamer,' 'Expressionist,' 'Paramour,' and 'Voyeur') that meet in the end. "I didn't want it to feel like advertising," Sumner said. "I wanted it to feel like something that could be viewed in itself, but using the aesthetic of Donna Karan. There's a thin line between very unsubtle advertising and doing something that stands alone and has its integrity." Karan's move comes after a long series of artistic short films replacing classic fashion ads in 2009, a trend that is set to stay through 2010: following the news that surrealist filmmaker David Lynch shot the new 'chapter' to the 'Lady Dior' commercial starring Marion Cotillard; the French fashion house also launched a new series of online short films to accompany its 'New Lock' bag." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"Dior competitor Chanel is considered to have started the trend with its Baz Luhrmann-directed commercial for the 2005 'No. 5' fragrance ad, starring Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman, and is rumored to have tapped Martin Scorsese for its 'No. 5' follow-up. Labels as diverse as Vanessa Bruno, Victoria Beckham, and Victoria's Secret all hired movie directors for their short films this... more... - RAPatton

"Let's face it: Santa Claus just isn't cutting it anymore. In this era of movie superheroes, who wants to see an old fat guy with a beard coming down their chimney on Christmas Eve? Here're some suggestions for possible replacements" - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"Superman If ever there was a superhero who embodied the Christmas Spirit, it's Clark Kent's alter-ego. It's not just the ability to move at superspeed and get the deliveries done in time - And if he forgot anyone, he could always just fly backwards around the world, go back in time and fix that oversight - or his ongoing (and, in almost every sense, entirely successful) attempts to... more... - RAPatton

"The Venerable English College has claimed that England's leading playwright was a secret Catholic who spent "lost years" in Rome. Father Andrew Headon, the vice-rector of the college, said that college records correspond with a previously undocumented period in Shakespeare's life after he left Stratford in 1585 and before he emerged as a playwright in London in 1592. "There are several years which are unaccounted for in Shakespeare's life," said Father Headon." - RAPatton

"A leather parchment kept by the college is signed by "Arthurus Stratfordus Wigomniensis" in 1585, "Shfordus Cestriensis" in 1587 and "Gulielmus Clerkue Stratfordiensis" in 1589. The college believes these signatures are: "(King) Arthur's (compatriot) from Stratford (in the diocese) of Worcester," "Sh(akespeare from Strat)ford (in the diocese) of Chester" and "William the Clerk from Stratford". Shakespeare's family was Catholic and he had many friends who where loyal to Rome" - RAPatton

The friend and Shirley were traveling and there were cars, hotels, diners and cabs. Everything was very colorful and somewhat art deco. The inside of the train was more like the inside of a 747 in the way the seats were arranged, but the seats were much nicer red velvet. The taxi was a very colorful VW Bug, that had so much color you could barely see any yellow. The diner, was very retro and had huge windows like nighthawks, but it had round edges instead of angular ones - RAPatton

a friend who has trouble being on time? gee, could be me. ;) - edythe

"So what was Mia Wasikowska’s experience filming the new Tim Burton extravaganza “Alice in Wonderland”? Very “isolating” admits the 20-year old Aussie who won the title role after the producers went on a major casting search. Lonely, perhaps, because 90% of the filming was on green screen, the special, bare background used for special-effects shots. Every time Alice speaks to an animated character such as the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat or the Caterpillar, Wasikowska was actually communing with a piece of sticky tape or a tennis ball or a cardboard cutout standing in for one of Lewis Carroll’s nonsensical creations. “I was basically planted in this sea of green," the Aussie said. "I really had to use my imagination."" - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"One of Alice’s friends in the film is the mad, mad, mad Mad Hatter, played by Johnny Depp in a tangerine fluorescent wig, with lime-colored eyes rimmed in red, and a pallid complexion. “I think he’s so brave and smart with his choices. He can play a crazy character but still give it a core humanity which I think people can identify with,” Wasikowska said. (Depp, who prepares for his... more... - RAPatton

I can't wait to see this. It comes out the day before my birthday. - joey

"Baking your body inside a tanning bed has always been detrimental to your skin. But it may soon also wreak havoc on your wallet. This past weekend, the Senate amended the embattled healthcare bill by replacing the proposed 5% tax on elective plastic surgery procedures with a proposed 10% tax on indoor tanning. The tax would raise an estimated $2.7 billion over 10 years. The so-called "Botax" on elective surgeries raised the ire of the American Medical Assn., which cried discrimination against women (as they're more likely to opt for plastic surgery than men). Apparently, the tanning bed industry doesn't pack as much clout -- so weekly trips to the local tanning salon might be significantly more expensive in the future. Lawmakers love to tax things that are bad for you -- the higher costs are meant to be a further deterrent. And like smoking a pack of Camels every day, "bronzing" your epidermis regularly has been inextricably linked to cancer. Nose jobs may be steeped in vanity, but they at least have the power to improve mental states." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"Before he took the career path which turned him into one of the most influential individuals in the history of fashion, Tom Ford acted in TV commercials. He made a decent living from it, at one point featuring in 12 national advertising campaigns simultaneously, but once he surrendered himself to the siren song of fashion, that act in his life seemed over. Except that Ford went on writing the script, honing the role of a lifetime: himself. "When I was asked as a child what I wanted to be, I'd say, 'I want to be rich, I want to be famous, I want to live in the big city, I want to have a fabulous life'," he once said. "All I've done my entire life is fulfil my destiny." The critics who have been galled by such supreme self-confidence (and he has had to deal with his fair share of snipers) should prepare for a further galling, because now, at the age of 48, Ford could be staring down the barrel of an Oscar nomination, every actor's dream – and for his very first film, to boot. The fact... more... - RAPatton

My hero!!! I think you knew I might like this article! ;)) - Emma

ME WANT. - Spidra Webster

The J H William III work inside that series is gorgeous - RAPatton from iPhone

This pic gave me a wonderfully devious idea....Thanks! - ‘-.-’ Tutivillus Grift

"Although the ape will be looked after by a robot on the mission, the decision is expected to spark controversy with animal rights groups. The Russians first succeeded in putting monkeys into orbit in 1983. “We have plans to return to space,” said Zurab Mikvabia, director of the Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy in Georgia which supplied apes for the programme in the 1980s. The Institute is in preliminary talks with Russia's Cosmonautics Academy about preparing monkeys for a simulated Mars mission that could lay the groundwork for sending an ape to the Red Planet, he said. Such an initiative would build on Mars-500, a joint Russian-European project that saw six human volunteers confined in a capsule in Moscow for 120 days earlier this year to simulate a Mars mission. Mr Mikvabia said: "Earlier this programme was aimed at sending cosmonauts, people (to Mars). "But given the length of the flight to Mars, and given the cosmic rays for which we don't have adequate protection over such a long trip, discussions have focused recently on sending an ape instead of a person."" - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

I really don't like the idea of sending animals into space. If a human wants to volunteer, that's one thing. Monkeys (or dogs or other animals) cannot give that consent. - vicster is...

"Dan Lin: No, it’s very, very different. I mean, the best way tonally again is Shrek meets Lord of the Rings. Very fantastical but between the Bone characters just a lot of comedy." - RAPatton

Jeff Smith comes from an animation background (owned his own animation company after graduating from Ohio State, and that is often attributed to his success), so I am hopeful any animated effort will benefit from it - RAPatton

I need to pick up that album. - Derrick

Tell us what you think after you've heard it all. I've only been getting that one track, but living in Ohio we will hear more because The Black Keys are from Akron. - RAPatton

"Are you a fan of Christmas? I’ve had some really weird Christmases. There was one where we went to China. That was pretty un-Christmassy. Last year I was in Dubai visiting my grandfather – it’s a very strange city, quite soulless and pretty much the most un-Christmassy place you can be. I was really depressed and it just wasn’t fun at all. I wouldn’t advise Christmas in the desert. It was really hot. What will you be doing this year for the holidays? I’m going to get some time off and be at home. Hopefully my mum won’t suddenly plan a trip to Paraguay or something. I’m a south London girl. London on Christmas Day is really interesting because it’s really empty and very quiet, like a ghost town. Christmas here is exciting; London smells different. The air’s crisp. " - RAPatton

I just added Lungs to my collection this past weekend. - Jason Toney

#TWSS - Ayşe E.

It was jewelry commercial I find amusing - RAPatton from iPhone

"A long-elusive goal of physics has been reached – producing a pulse of light so short that it contains just a single oscillation of a light wave. The flashes are almost as short as a light pulse can be, according to the laws of physics. The new super-short pulses could used as flashguns to sense very small, very fast events such as a single photon interacting with a single electron, says Alfred Leitenstorfer of the University of Konstanz in Germany. A single-cycle pulse packs in energy more densely than a pulse containing more wave peaks and troughs. They could also show the way to boosting data transmission through fibre-optic cables, by shrinking the minimum amount of light needed to encode a single digital 1 or 0. Leitenstorfer's group shunned the crystalline lasers typically used by physicists looking to make super-short light pulses and used optical-fibre lasers and wavelengths of light like those standard in telecommunications. " - RAPatton

"The key to success, says Leitenstorfer, was using a single source to generate the two light pulses that combined to produce the short pulse. "It's because it's all-fibre technology that we can recombine these two parts," he told New Scientist. "The biggest challenge in this entire paper was to measure the pulse." A series of the short pulses were compared with each other to verify that... more... - RAPatton

I was always confused by Feynman's dual-slit light experiment because I couldn't figure out how they could be certain that only a single photon was released to navigate through the dual slit partition. This would seem to be a solution to that quandary, but I still don't know how Feynman did it! - Mark "DerBingle" J

Amy Reeder Hadley has done excellent work on Madame Xanadu - RAPatton

"WE'RE lucky Earth resides in the Milky Way's suburbs. Intense comet bombardment near the galaxy's centre may make it tough for life to gain a foothold there. Earth and the other planets of our solar system suffer occasional impacts when comets are disturbed from their orbits around the sun by the gravity of nearby stars and gas clouds. The effect is stronger closer to the galaxy's centre, where stars and gas clouds are more tightly packed. More than twice as many comets are shaken loose to potentially hit planets at half our distance to the centre, according to simulations by Marco Masi of the University of Padua, Italy, and his colleagues (arxiv.org/abs/0911.5533). " - RAPatton

"An ad for a TV dating show has been banned for suggesting that redheads are unattractive, Britain's advertising watchdog said on Wednesday. Virgin Media's newspaper advert for the program Dating in the Dark included the text: "How do you spot a ginger in the dark?" Virgin said the premise of the show was to challenge people's perception of attractiveness and to encourage decisions based on personality as well as looks. However the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) agreed with three complainants that the ad was likely to cause serious offence and should not be used again." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

10? That's ridiculous. - MiniMage TKDteacher of FF

"Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation in Congress on Monday to protect a million acres of the Mojave Desert in California by scuttling some 13 big solar plants and wind farms planned for the region. But before the bill to create two new Mojave national monuments has even had its first hearing, the California Democrat has largely achieved her aim. Regardless of the legislation’s fate, her opposition means that few if any power plants are likely to be built in the monument area, a complication in California’s effort to achieve its aggressive goals for renewable energy. Developers of the projects have already postponed several proposals or abandoned them entirely. The California agency charged with planning a renewable energy transmission grid has rerouted proposed power lines to avoid the monument. “The very existence of the monument proposal has certainly chilled development within its boundaries,” said Karen Douglas, chairwoman of the California Energy Commission. For Mrs.... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"Not only is the desert land some of the sunniest in the country, and thus suitable for large-scale power production, it is also some of the most scenic territory in the West. The Mojave lands have sweeping vistas of an ancient landscape that is home to desert tortoises, bighorn sheep, fringe-toed lizards and other rare animals and plants. As conflicts over building solar farms in the... more... - RAPatton

This is a tough situation. We can have our cake and eat it too. Some parts of nature must be consumed to meet our energy requirements. I would argue those 13 solar plants have less environmental impact than comparable initiatives for coal or petroleum. If I'm wrong, I'd love to hear why. - Aaron Schaub from iPod

"Quick Stop Entertainment is hosting a webcomic starring Paul Dini's Jingle Belle; the first one went up last week, and a Christmas Eve story will be posted Thursday. Dini also says Belle will return in 2010 with "more winter fun."" - RAPatton

Jingle Belle is one of the coolest comics ever - really ended up enjoying it. I only have one or two of them unfortunately. - Alternating Reality Books

"Facebook, the popular networking site, has 350 million members worldwide who, collectively, spend 10 billion minutes there every day, checking in with friends, writing on people’s electronic walls, clicking through photos and generally keeping pace with the drift of their social world. Make that 9.9 billion and change. Recently, Halley Lamberson, 17, and Monica Reed, 16, juniors at San Francisco University High School, made a pact to help each other resist the lure of the login. Their status might as well now read, “I can’t be bothered.” “We decided we spent way too much time obsessing over Facebook and it would be better if we took a break from it,” Halley said. By mutual agreement, the two friends now allow themselves to log on to Facebook on the first Saturday of every month — and only on that day." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"Facebook will not reveal how many users have deactivated service, but Kimberly Young, a psychologist who is the director of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pa., said she had spoken with dozens of teenagers trying to break the Facebook habit. “It’s like any other addiction,” Dr. Young said. “It’s hard to wean yourself.” Dr. Young said she admired teenagers who... more... - RAPatton

"“You’re getting a feed of everything everyone is doing and saying,” Ms. Simmons said. “You’re literally watching the social landscape on the screen, and if you’re obsessed with your position in that landscape, it’s very hard to look away.” It is that addictive quality that makes having a partner who knows you well especially helpful. Monica said that when she was recently in bed sick... more... - RAPatton

"A stronger-than-expected Sunday boosted the weekend box-office total for "Avatar" by $10.3 million, a sign of strong momentum going into the holidays. The James Cameron-directed 3-D adventure ended up selling $77 million of tickets in the U.S. and Canada, distributor 20th Century Fox said today. On Sunday morning, the studio estimated it would reach $73 million by the end of the day. In the 106 foreign countries where "Avatar" debuted last week, it grossed $165.5 million through Sunday. The studio's estimate Sunday morning was $159.2 million. Its final worldwide opening weekend total is $242.5 million. Studios predict total weekend grosses on Sunday mornings based on Friday and Saturday ticket sales. It's rare that they significantly underestimate such figures. When it happens, it's usually a sign that word-of-mouth is particularly strong, resulting in a smaller drop from Saturday to Sunday than is typical. In fact, domestic ticket sales for "Avatar" dropped only 3% from Saturday to... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"The picture's strong Sunday performance and its average grade of "A" from moviegoers are signs that "Avatar" won't be leaving the top of the box-office charts anytime soon." - RAPatton

"Women double the risk of developing cervical cancer if they have sex at an early age, warn researchers. A study shows they are at greater risk from the disease by becoming sexually active at a young age, prompting campaigners to repeat calls for the screening age limit to be lowered. In England, women do not qualify for NHS screening until they reach 25, perhaps ten years after they may have contracted HPV, the sexually transmitted virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer. The study in the British Journal of Cancer into why poorer women have a higher risk of the disease found they tended to have sex four years earlier than more affluent women. The age at which a woman had her first baby was also an important factor, according to a study of 20,000 women by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. But smoking and the number of sexual partners - both long thought to be important factors - did not account for any of the difference. Study leader Dr Silvia Francheschi said... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

Shhhhhhhhhh.... - MVB (Grinch of FF) from iPod

As an aside, I didn't learn until recently that the FDA just approved Gardasil for use in males. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEve... - Victor Ganata

"It's a good thing that Avatar made more money this weekend than was initially believed, because it's only the first film in a planned trilogy according to director James Cameron. But what's next for our giant CGI alien smurf friends? Cameron told MTV that he knows what happens after his current movie-that'll-change-movies-forever: We'll follow Jake and Neytiri [in the next movies.] I have a trilogy-scaled arc of story right now, but I haven't really put any serious work into writing a script. This being James Cameron, of course, he'd much rather talk about the technology than the story: From the time we capture and finish the capture, it's literally nine to 10 months to get the CG characters working, to get their facial musculature working. So now we have Jake, we have Neytiri. Sam can step right back into it, the characters will fit them like a glove, and we'll just go on. So a lot of the start-up torque that had to be done for one movie really makes more sense if you play it out... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

I would assume 'Avatar II: The Search for More Money' - MVB (Grinch of FF) from iPod

"So far you can only visit Pandora in the movies, but Singapore's planned Marina South Gardens project will combine its own man-made and natural wonders — with lush, vertical gardens scaling gigantic artificial solar trees. Singapore is currently developing its largest garden project ever, showcasing plants from various climates. Giant fake trees collect rainwater and solar energy to power the conservatory, with vertical gardens climbing up their stems. The garden will feature separate biomes for different kinds of plants — a cool, moist biome for plants from the cloud forest and a cool, dry biome for Mediterranean plants. The first phase of the project will be completed in 2011. Now, if only they could find biolumiscent plants to light the way in addition to the artificial lights from those solar trees." - RAPatton

"Using snake-like fangs, saber-toothed dinosaur relatives of velociraptors likely subdued their prey with venom, scientists now suggest. Paleontologists analyzed the skulls of Sinornithosaurus, whose name means "Chinese bird lizard." This narrow-snouted raptor was the fifth and most bird-like dinosaur species ever to be discovered, and lived roughly 125 million years ago in the warm, moist forests of northeastern China during the late Cretaceous. "This is an animal about the size of a turkey," said researcher Larry Martin, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum in Lawrence. "It was almost certainly feathered. It's a very close relative of the four-winged glider called Microraptor." Their investigation revealed its upper teeth are grooved, long, and fang-like, and its upper jaw contained pockets that could have housed venom glands. These pockets are connected to the base of the teeth by narrow ducts. "People are probably sorry they missed... more... - RAPatton

♫ So I'm sorry if I ever resisted ♫ I never had a doubt that you ever existed ♫ I only have a problem when people insist on ♫ Taking their hate; placing it onto your name ♫ - RAPatton from Blip.fm

Slow Hands by Interpol - RAPatton from iPhone

That is it for today and maybe 2009 due to travel and holiday obligations, but fear not, boring repetitive genius lists will return Jan 4 2010 - RAPatton from iPhone

Got Nuffin' by Spoon - RAPatton from iPhone

I love that song, try Dog Days are Over too, that is one MWM rightly has an affection for - RAPatton from iPhone

1. Blondie 2. Garbage 3. Julian Casablancas 4. The Bravery 5. The Police - RAPatton from iPhone

this is very funny !!!! very cute !!! - vasilios palmas

"​Entertainment Earth is currently taking preorders for Acme Archives' new Disney Underground series of prints that feature reinterpretations of Disney's classic characters. Calling in a rogue's gallery of culture-jamming contemporary artists for the project, the company commissioned works from Eli Trinh (whose epic Mickey re-envisioning "Super Maku" appears above), Grant Searcey, Lola, Steven Daily and Brit Pete McKee, who previously released pieces for Acme featuring characters from The Simpsons and Futurama. These giclées -- a fancy French word meaning art prints that were created from digital sources with high-end ink-jet printers -- are easily the most adorable things you will see today. More than that, they are the type of whimsical gems you'd expect to see in LA's renowned Gallery 1988 space. So with Disney characters meeting the world of underground pop art, can Shepard Fairey-inspired "Obey Donald" works be far behind? Because that would be kind of awesome." - RAPatton

Love the artwork, but man that website is downright fugly. - Fleagle

"In what marks the 752nd piece of True Blood casting this week, The Beast’s Lindsay Pulsipher — she played Travis Fimmel’s neighbor-slash-love-interest — has been tapped to play the recurring role of Crystal. Who dat? I’m glad you asked. Crystal is a mysterious and haunting beautiful young woman who shares an “electric connection” with Jason. I can’t be sure, but I think electric connection is a euphemism for having sex outside during a thunderstorm. " - RAPatton

"For his list of comics from the decade just past which he'd be comfortable discussing, Collins and I settled on Craig Thompson's massive Blankets, published by Top Shelf in 2003." - RAPatton

I didnt find this book until 2006, and loved it. - Archangel ωαřмaiden

"Despite recent reports that Frank Miller’s “Sin City 2” is fully on track to begin production next year, director Robert Rodriguez recently indicated that that filming may not start as soon as we expected. “I can't say no, because I don't know it's no,” said Rodriguez when asked about the status of “Sin City 2” during an interview with ComingSoon.net. “I know Frank wants to do it. I know I want to do it. It's always sort of a 'time permitting' kind of thing. But it's not like I can tell you definitely we're starting . It's not my next picture, I know that. It doesn't mean that it's not the picture right after 'cause that's still a possibility.” Rodriguez also indicated that the script for “Sin City 2” was written back in 2007 and may need additional revisions. He also confirmed that the script was based on pre-existing “Sin City” stories along with some additional material created for the film — as opposed to the previously rumored completely original story. “Well, it's one Frank... more... - RAPatton

"The remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth that has been dated back to the time of Jesus have been unveiled - just days before Christmas. The find that could shed new light on what the hamlet was like during the period the New Testament says Jesus lived there as a boy, Israeli archaeologists said. The dwelling and older discoveries of nearby tombs in burial caves suggest that Nazareth was an out-of-the-way hamlet of around 50 houses on a patch of about four acres.It was evidently populated by Jews of modest means who kept camouflaged grottos to hide from Roman invaders, said archaeologist Yardena Alexandre, excavations director at the Israel Antiquities Authority, Based on clay and chalk shards found at the site, the dwelling appeared to house a 'simple Jewish family,' Alexandre added, as workers at the site carefully chipped away at mud with small pickaxes to reveal stone walls. Nazareth holds a cherished place in Christianity. It is the town where Christian tradition says Jesus... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"Alexandre said her team also found a camouflaged entry way into a grotto, which she believes was used by Jews at the time to hide from Roman soldiers who were battling Jewish rebels at the time for control of the area. The grotto would have hid around six people for a few hours, she said. However, Roman soldiers did not end up battling Nazareth's Jews because the hamlet had little... more... - RAPatton

Our old farmhouse had a secret hideway under a false floor in the attic and a secret passageway. - RAPatton

"A rumbling volcano in the Philippines was on the verge of a major eruption today – but thousands of villagers living on its slopes are refusing to leave their homes. Already, 40,000 people have fled the no-go zone around Mount Mayon, which oozed crimson lava during eerie scenes captured last night. But around 3,000 residents, mostly farmers, remain – with some even returning after being evacuated up to three times by authorities.As well as being covered by rivers of lava, those who stay face the additional danger of suffocating ash explosions, experts said. Scientists warned that powerful booms emanating from the country's most active volcano - 200 miles from capital Manila - indicated that a major eruption was imminent. After a week of puffing out ash and sending bursts of lava trickling down its steep slopes, the 8,070ft mountain overlooking the Gulf of Albay and Legazpi city in Albay province, in the central Philippines, has caused nearly 2,000 volcanic earthquakes and tremors... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

Pink? Pics! - Derrick

I have a haircut later this week that would have helped, but I didn't want to risk waiting any longer since it expires next week - RAPatton from iPhone

"Between new character posters, movie clips and the approaching series-concluding release of the comic book source material's 8th issue, fans have plenty of reason to wonder if the pre-release buzz for Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s "Kick-Ass," could already amount to a second helping of costumed vigilante brutality. Now, Millar's begun projecting the series' pending publishing schedule for 2010 and beyond. While discussing the upcoming "Kick-Ass: Creating the Comic, Making the Movie" book set to arrive in stores on February 23 from Titan Books, Millar clarified his vision for the franchise, even before it saw print. "We always saw this as at least a trilogy. There might even be more. I had the whole second series worked out two years ago," Millar told Comic Book Resources. Millar revealed that he not only has a storyline in mind, but also a tentative title and launch schedule. "The working title is 'Balls to the Wall,' and we're thinking about launching it round about San Diego time, right around August," " - RAPatton

"Millar commented that since the first volume of the "Kick-Ass" comic series took nearly two years to release from start to finish, that he'd like to have a backlog ready for after the movie is released. Considering he's had the series in mind since before the first eight issues saw print, Romita Jr. could have another busy illustration schedule ahead of him. There's no official word on... more... - RAPatton

Ultimate Valkerie's costume is less flashy and now more bondagy - RAPatton from iPhone

"As they relaxed in the dimly lighted lounge, awaiting the sold-out screening of "Invictus," Stephen Galloway and his wife, Tina, were perusing the menu between sips of champagne. A waiter had just brought a chilled $49 bottle of Schramsberg sparkling wine and was ready for their order. Tina was contemplating the $14 plate of fried calamari with ginger and lemon, while Stephen had a hankering for the $19 New York strip steak sandwich. The Galloways are hardly high rollers -- he's a property manager and she's a social worker. Still, the Pasadena couple were more than willing to fork over $29 each for a movie ticket, on top of the bill for champagne and finger food. "We've never experienced anything like this," Tina said of the Pasadena movie house, which opened this month. Forget Milk Duds and popcorn. Welcome to the movie theater industry's equivalent of the first-class tourist cabin: the luxury theater." - RAPatton

I might have to check it out - RAPatton from iPhone

"Apart from the mundane problems of budgets and political will, the major roadblock is that our dominant space-flight technology – chemically fuelled rockets – just isn't up to the distances involved. We can send robot probes to the outer planets, but they take years to get there. And as for visiting other stars, forget it. As an example of why, the Apollo 10 moon probe is currently listed as the fastest manned vehicle in history, having reached a maximum speed of 39,895 kilometres per hour. At this speed, it would take 120,000 years to cover the 4 light years to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system. So if we want to explore the depths of deep space and journey to Alpha Centauri and beyond, we're going to need some new technologies. Here, we look at 10 of the most intriguing. The technologies range widely in their plausibility. Some, we could more or less build tomorrow if we wanted to, while others may well be fundamentally impossible." - RAPatton

Very WANT! - Jason Hill

"Some 4,500 years ago, as the solstice sun rose on Stonehenge, it is very likely that a midwinter feast would already have been roasting on the cooking fires. Experts believe that huge midwinter feasts were held in that period at the site and a startling picture is now emerging of just how far cattle were moved for the banquet. Recent analysis of the cattle and pig bones from the era found in the area suggests the cattle used were walked hundreds of miles to be slaughtered for the solstice celebrations – from the west country or west Wales. Professor Mike Parker Pearson of the University of Sheffield and his team have just won a grant of £800,000 from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, to answer some of the riddles about the enigmatic prehistoric monument. The grant is to fund Feeding Stonehenge, his follow-up research on the wealth of material, including animal bones, pottery and plant remains, which they found in recent excavations at Durrington Walls, a few miles from the stone circle – a site which Parker Pearson believes key to understanding why Stonehenge was built and how it was used." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"Huge crowds of Iranians chanted anti-government slogans during the funeral of leading dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri in the holy Shi'ite city of Qom on Monday, websites reported. Montazeri, who died late on Saturday aged 87, was viewed as the spiritual patron of an opposition movement that blossomed after a disputed presidential election in June and has proved resilient despite repeated efforts to suppress it. Violence flared when security forces around Montazeri's house clashed with stone-throwing protesters, the reformist website Norooz said. There was no immediate official comment." - RAPatton

چه محشر کبرایی اینجا - Bahar

"To the frustration of many travelers, the nation's 10 largest airlines have collected about $740 million in baggage fees in the third quarter of this year -- a 111% increase over the same period in 2008. With those kind of numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, it's hard to tell who is profiting most from the baggage fees -- the airlines that charge to check bags or Southwest Airlines, the lone large carrier that still doesn't make passengers pay to check their first two bags. In the third quarter, Delta Air Lines, the world's largest airline, collected the largest amount in baggage fees -- $130 million, a 172% increase over the same period in 2008. But Southwest Airlines doesn't seem to be hurt by the decision to forgo the fees." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"Julius Maldutis, an economist and consultant to the airline industry, called Southwest's no-bag-fee strategy "absolutely brilliant." "That is their key marketing strategy, and they are winning big," he added. Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst with Forrester Research Inc., agreed, saying the strategy has helped Southwest gain market share. But he said the fees charged by the... more... - RAPatton

"Many 4-year-olds cannot count up to their own age when they arrive at preschool, and those at the Stanley M. Makowski Early Childhood Center are hardly prodigies. Most live in this city’s poorer districts and begin their academic life well behind the curve. But there they were on a recent Wednesday morning, three months into the school year, counting up to seven and higher, even doing some elementary addition and subtraction. At recess, one boy, Joshua, used a pointer to illustrate a math concept known as cardinality, by completing place settings on a whiteboard. “You just put one plate there, and one there, and one here,” he explained, stepping aside as two other students ambled by, one wearing a pair of clown pants as a headscarf. “That’s it. See?” For much of the last century, educators and many scientists believed that children could not learn math at all before the age of five, that their brains simply were not ready. But recent research has turned that assumption on its head —... more... - RAPatton

"“Teaching is an ancient craft, and yet we really have had no idea how it affected the developing brain,” said Kurt Fischer, director of the Mind, Brain and Education program at Harvard. “Well, that is beginning to change, and for the first time we are seeing the fields of brain science and education work together.” This relationship is new and still awkward, experts say, and there is... more... - RAPatton

"Over the past four years, the couple has tested Building Blocks in more than 400 classrooms in Buffalo, Boston and Nashville, comparing the progress of children in the program with that of peers in classes offering another math curriculum or none at all. On tests of addition, subtraction and number recognition after one school year, children who had the program scored in the 76th... more... - RAPatton

"Think that order of eggs and orange juice you enjoy at your local cafe is a healthy choice? Think again. Experts warn that those who ditch the classic wheat cereal and milk in favour of a restaurant breakfast could be consuming the equivalent of a high-fat, high-sugar junk food meal. Whether it is grabbing a bacon-and-egg roll on the way to work or scheduling catch-ups over Sunday brunch, nutritionists agree that dining out for breakfast may be contributing to rising obesity levels. A study by Women's Health magazine found that a slice of banana bread can contain more kilojoules than a KFC Zinger Works burger (2339kJ), while two slices of Turkish bread spread with a teaspoon of butter are equivalent to two Mars Bars (2300kJ). Breakfast favourite eggs benedict - about 2900kJ - is almost as bad for the waistline as a McDonald's bacon double cheeseburger. A hot chocolate? That is an extra 1406kJ and 15.5g of fat to the calorie count. The Dietitians Association of Australia recommends a daily saturated fat intake below 24g." - RAPatton

I think I need to start using these "OMG! DO ANYBODY KNOW WHAT YOU EATING" articles as a guide for things to foodporn, eat, and then blog about. - Wirehead

"Known as Innéov Fermeté, it is claimed that taking one of these pills just once a day will lead to a younger appearance by harnessing the health-giving properties of tomatoes. Scientists who designed the pill claim that trials have shown it dramatically slows down the ageing of the skin. Jointly developed by food giant Nestlé and L’Oréal, the world’s biggest cosmetics company, the pill uses a compound found in tomatoes to promote the regeneration of new skin cells and protect old ones from damage. The sweet red pill has already gone on sale in parts of Europe and South America." - RAPatton

"Scientists developing the pill based it on lycopene, the red carotene pigment found in tomatoes. They modified it into a form more readily absorbed by human cells, then combined it with a form of vitamin C and with isoflavones — chemicals extracted from soya beans. All three ingredients are powerful antioxidants which, scientists believe, help protect tissue against damage. The... more... - RAPatton

"Virtually unrecognised in Australia, Ryan Kwanten is a huge star in the US, thanks to his role in cult HBO series True Blood. Amanda Hooton meets the Manly boy who's making quite a splash. Oh, the hell of being beautiful. It's a Friday morning in the city, on one of those early summer days when Sydney sparkles like a showgirl: bright-eyed and shining, all cancan kicks and tassels and showing her teeth when she smiles. In a rooftop pool in the centre of the city - right in the showgirl's dimple - Ryan Kwanten is floating on his back. He's fully clothed, and his white shirt is transparent, and his waterlogged jeans must feel ridiculous, but he still manages to look not only relaxed, but ineffably cool. On the edge of the aquamarine water, a photographic team of nine stand watching him, bending and cooing and sometimes breaking into little rounds of applause. A nine-person photo-shoot - 10 if you include me, lurking on the outskirts - is not unheard of for superstars, but it's unusual... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

Jason could get it. - Derrick

"2010 I think, we don't know how long we've been off the air" -- ha! Great way to break the 4th wall - RAPatton from iPhone

Yup. Clearly they're seriously condensing the season. they didn't plan to double-up episodes for the last three weeks and last Friday's should have run in January. 3 more episodes! Ack! I hope they don't kill of Anya! - Kevin Fox

"It might be hard to tell from the picture, but that B.O.S.S. controller, built by Performance Designed Products, is no controller at all. Instead it's a SNES controller-shaped, super-sized shell that slides over a regular Wiimote and turns it into a monstrosity of memories and oversized buttons. Kudos for ingenuity, but unfortunately the playability suffers and the bulk is just too much to handle, according to Ars Technica. For $10 you can't fault it too much (and it least it isn't reliant on its own batteries, a sore subject for the manufacturer), but we think we might save that cash for some international postage to write Nintendo about its unconscionable neglect of the Wii Classic Controller with New Super Mario Bros. Wii." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"Altair Maine said he was so little supervised in his first few years of teaching at North Hollywood High School that he could "easily have shown a movie in class every day and earned tenure nonetheless." Before second-grade teacher Kimberly Patterson received tenure and the ironclad job protections it provides, she said, "my principal never set foot in my classroom while I was teaching." And when Virgil Middle School teacher Roberto Gonzalez came up for tenure, he discovered there was no evaluation for him on file. When he inquired about it, his school hastily faxed one to district headquarters. "I'm pretty sure it was just made up on the spot," Gonzalez said. There is nothing to suggest these teachers didn't deserve tenure, but the district did little to ensure they were worthy. A Times investigation found that the Los Angeles Unified School District routinely grants tenure to new teachers after cursory reviews -- and sometimes none at all. Evaluating new teachers for tenure is one... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

Makes me want to be a teacher. - Will Higgins™

"We've already expressed our opinion on the PEN E-P2's price point (hint: it's not positive), but for those with more cash than problems to throw blank checks at, Olympus' second-ever Micro Four Thirds camera is now on sale and shipping from a wide variety of respected e-tailers. Just in time for the holidays, don'tcha know? If you're still wondering if $1,099.99 is worth blowing on this, The Online Photographer has published an hands-on critique, complete with a few luscious sample shots and interesting gripes about the viewfinder. Make no mistake -- the image quality looks fabulous, but man, that MSRP. It's large." - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

I got to shoot with a pentax 4/3, and it's really quite good. It's pretty astonishing holding it, shooting it just like a point+shoot, and getting shots from it like a DLSR. It's funny, watching the stumpy lens whiz about autofocusing. I'd definitely have one if someone gave it to me. - Will Higgins™

"The holidays can be a romantic time and there will be plenty of guys popping the question along with the champagne corks in the next few weeks. And if you'll need a diamond to go along with that proposal, now is the time to buy. While prices vary widely based on the quality of the cut and the rarity of the stone, diamond costs in general remain about 10% below year-ago levels. Eric Palma Those prices have started to creep up from their lows in March, though, and the relative bargains won't last long as the effects of the recession wear off and an oversupply of polished gems diminishes, retail diamond sellers say. "There is a fair amount of inventory still out there because of the weak demand and because of a general aversion to wearing bling during these economic times," says Dione Kenyon, president of the Jewelers Board of Trade, an industry credit bureau. But don't be blinded by love when diamond shopping. The process can be intimidating because of the lofty prices involved and... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"What to Look for... Here are some tips from jewelry experts if you are in the market for a diamond: Shape and cut are often used synonymously. While shape describes a diamond's form, such as round or oval, cut is a grade that refers to a diamond's light return, or what we generally think of as sparkle. Don't get hung up on carat weight. The sparkle of a well-cut diamond can actually... more... - RAPatton

"After a storm is, I am told, ideal. And as the December rain lashes down and an angry sea boils, it seems our timing is perfect. For it is under assault and battery from the elements that these crumbling, black shale cliffs are most likely to give up their treasures. This is wet, slippery and sometimes dangerous work. We pick our way along Monmouth Beach, an untidy strand just to the west of Lyme Regis on the Dorset-Devon border. Every few minutes, boulders the size of my head tumble gently down the cliff, dislodged by wind and rain. Monmouth beach will not win any beauty contests, consisting as it does of slimy limestone slabs, rusting ironmongery, and coal-black cliffs, but to a growing number of people these rocks are beautiful - as a source of serious cash. For not everything precious glisters like gold, and at 9am on this miserable morning, a handful of figures in muddy waterproofs, faces contorted against the rain, are already bent over the rocks, hammers in hand.And yet, as I... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

"If the wet, crumbling cliffs of Dorset are the coalface for fossil collectors, Dale Rogers's shop in Belgravia is the showcase. Ammonite 2000 is London's premium dealer in rare fossils and minerals, and relies heavily on the Dorset fossil-hunters for its supplies. 'We sell to interior designers, hotels, celebrities,' explains Rogers. Here, Earth's treasures are freely available for... more... - RAPatton

Are you a lost fan?! - Nathalie, Dreamer of FF

Yes, I am Nathalie - RAPatton

flash forward would be more interesting if it weren't a subpar copy of lost's approach - Richard Lawler

"A few years ago, Battelle scientist Chad Bouton wired the brain of a paralyzed woman to the controls of an electric wheelchair and watched as she moved it with her thoughts. At the time, he called the work "a step toward the man-and-machine gap being closed." And on a recent day, in a corner of Battelle's cafeteria, Bouton attempted something similar. Sort of. Bouton strapped on a simple headset and tried to levitate a small foam-rubber ball with his mind. After about an hour of experimentation, Bouton was not so sure Mattel's Mindflex is doing much to close that gap. "I think it's probably picking up general brain activity," Bouton said. "I didn't see a lot of correlation with what I was trying to do by modulating my brain activity." Maybe not, but Mattel is onto something. The company famous for Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars is marketing one of this year's must-have toys. Mindflex is impossible to find in stores. Those who can't live without one under the Christmas tree are... more... - RAPatton

#scobleapprovedconversation - Jeremy (quasimodo)

"Lost star Josh Holloway narrowly risked disaster as he relaxed in Hawaii today. His low-slung boarder shorts looked as if they were about to fall down as he enjoyed a cigarette. The 40-year-old was accompanied by his Indonesian wife Yessica Kumala and their seven-month-old daughter Java Kumala Holloway. Josh, who plays Sawyer in Lost, was last year named one of the top ten sexiest TV stars. He will soon be moving on, with filming nearly over for the sixth and final series of the hugely successful show. And with the end of the show, based around a group of aircrash survivors stranded on a desert island, questions will be answered. 'We will answer a lot of the mysteries,' said producer Carlton Cuse. 'For example, what's the Four-Toed Statue? What's the Smoke Monster?' Throughout the last five years, fans have constantly been surprised by the twists and turns of the plotline. Matthew Fox, who plays the show's flawed hero Jack Shephard, said he was equally confused. 'Every week I get surprised. There have been so many plot twists that I never see coming.'" - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

Can I just say that I love low-slung shorts like that on some guys? The exposed hipbone... sigh. - Lis Miller