Interesting reading…

Top 10 Incredible Recordings - “Before I start on the list, I feel that I should advise that a couple of the items here are quite horrific and I would recommend that those who are weak of heart or who have a nervous disposition avoid them. The items I am referring to are marked in the text. The items are not in any particular order as it is very hard to rate the historical importance versus the just plain weird value….”

VW Confirms 1L Concept Will Become Reality in 2010 - “There’s been talk about the VW 1L concept for years. Since VW built the original, fuel economy, safety, price, and release date has been speculated upon and argued about, and I’d finally stopped thinking it was ever going to happen. However, according to VW’s CEO, it should hit the market in 2010…”

6 Excellent Firefox Extensions Made To Save You Time - “If you are a die-hard Firefox user then I am sure you are always on the look-out for tips and tweaks to get more out of Firefox in less time and hence be more productive…”

Gates says big changes in store for Internet in next decade - ” “We’re approaching the second decade of (the) digital age,” the software mogul and philanthropist told Lee at the start of their meeting at the presidential Blue House, according to a media pool report. “The Internet has been operating now for 10 years,” Gates said. “The second 10 years will be very different.” ”

Folding your arms can help your brain - “The mere act of folding your arms increases perseverance and activates an unconscious desire to succeed, new research shows…”

Atomic Extremeophiles Thrive Where the Life-Giving Energy of the Sun Never Reaches - “The hardy organisms have a unique biology with a very refined palate, consuming the by-products of radioactive breakdown to stay alive. Uranium decay cracks water molecules apart, recombining into peroxide (which you might know as bleach). This combines with fool’s gold (pyrite) to release ions, which the cells’ specialized metabolism can derive energy from…”

5 Garage Inventions That Might Outperform Their Big-Name Predecessors … at Half the Cost - “Like all great DIY projects, the 3rd annual Maker Faire bonanza here this weekend had all the key hands-on ingredients: tools, geeks and BBQ. From fire-breathing robots and algae-gargline biofuel pumps to inspiring talks from PM’s own MythBusters, our buddies at MAKE Magazine threw one helluva gonzo builderfest…”

Gamble your life away in ZT Online - “The main Southern Weekly article on ZT Online follows a gamer as she first becomes interested in the game, through her rise to power, and her eventual disillusionment with the money-sink it had become…”

Boom Blox (Wii) Review - “I’ve been waiting to say something like this for a year and a half: If this is the future of casual gaming, motion controls, and Wii, count me in. Boom Blox may not be the best Wii game, depending on your proclivities, but it’s definitely the best use of the Wii yet. It’s immensely accessible, wonderfully tactile, and stands as one of the best treatments of gaming in a 3D space.”

What can you do with a second Ethernet port? - “he big distinction between your options lies in the effect each has on the other devices on your network (computers, routers, and other appliances) — intelligently routing network traffic between them, linking them together transparently, and so on…”

Manhattanhenge - “Manhattanhenge (sometimes referred to as Manhattan Solstice) is a semi-annual occurrence in which the setting sun aligns with the east-west streets of Manhattan’s main street grid…”

Part Of Universe’s Missing Matter Discovered By XMM-Newton X-Ray Observatory - “ESA’s orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has been used by a team of international astronomers to uncover part of the missing matter in the universe…”

The Linux ultraportable opportunity - “This summer seems to be shaping up as a key time for ultraportables with new powerful and power-optimized processors coming to market, the highest-profile of which is Intel’s Atom. However, the first real consumer test for these products will be this fall, when the key target market of students see them as a price-competitive alternative to the 15-inch budget notebook…”

Turn Your Point-and-Shoot into a Super-Camera - “If you’re using a consumer grade point-and-shoot Canon digital camera, you’ve got hardware in hand that can support advanced features way beyond what shipped in the box. With the help of a free, open source project called CHDK, you can get features like RAW shooting mode, live RGB histograms, motion-detection, time-lapse, and even games on your existing camera. Let’s transform your point-and-shoot into a super camera just by adding a little special sauce to its firmware…”

13 More Things Your Auto Mechanic Won’t Tell You - “Real mechanics reveal more tips to help you avoid an auto-repair scam…”

New wi-fi devices warn doctors of heart attacks - “The Bluetooth wireless technology that allows people to use a hands-free earpiece while making a mobile telephone call could soon alert the emergency services when someone has a heart attack…”

The Largest Insects on Planet Earth - “Cannibals, dancers, and pheromone emitters—some of the largest (and endangered) insects in the world are nurturing mothers in the wild, wearing poison as perfume, and crawling up human backs as friendly pets…”

Behind the Reactive Materials Revolution - “Few people are willing to talk about Reactive Materials, but Danger Room will be bringing you the whole story on the Reactive Revolution and how it is changing warfare. This is a new technology which will transform everything from bombs, missiles and bullets to mines and torpedoes, as well as creating completely new weapons that are unlike anything we have today…”

History’s Worst Software Bugs - “Sixty years later, computer bugs are still with us, and show no sign of going extinct. As the line between software and hardware blurs, coding errors are increasingly playing tricks on our daily lives. Bugs don’t just inhabit our operating systems and applications — today they lurk within our cell phones and our pacemakers, our power plants and medical equipment. And now, in our cars. But which are the worst?”

Autism Risk Linked To Distance From Power Plants, Other Mercury-releasing Sources - “How do mercury emissions affect pregnant mothers, the unborn and toddlers? Do the level of emissions impact autism rates? Does it matter whether a mercury-emitting source is 10 miles away from families versus 20 miles? Is the risk of autism greater for children who live closer to the pollution source?”

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