"About this talk: The Inventables guys, Zach Kaplan and Keith Schacht, demo some amazing new materials and how we might use them. Look for squishy magnets, odor-detecting ink, "dry" liquid and a very... more inside

"Why do societies fail? With lessons from the Norse of Iron Age Greenland, deforested Easter Island and present-day Montana, Jared Diamond talks about the signs that collapse is near, and how -- if we see it in time -- we can prevent it." [/ted]

This little girl underwent a complete hemispherectomy of the right half of her brain at the age of 3. Miraculously, the space occupied by her right lobe filled with cerebrospinal fluid, and her left brain completely took over. She was walking 10 days after her surgery.

All captured on the home-owners security cam: A cop pulls into the owner's driveway to ask for directions. A harmless looking dog trots up to the cop who is standing next to the driver's side front fender.... more inside

From YT: Henry Waxman's Congressional Committee questions Alan Greenspan. Greenspan meets greed, shows in one answer why "trusting the markets" is epic fail. Waxman: So where do you think you made a mistake then? ... more inside

this is my new plan B.

From BBC news: Yat-chan and Fuku-chan (macaques) serve customers hot towels and drinks, and are given soya beans as tips. The monkeys are family pets who have been allowed to help in the bar. Animal... more inside

You don't stop a woman during football season.

Some guy does a fantastic peter griffin impression

The fate of Iceland, which has extensive interests in the UK, has been seen as a warning sign for the rest of the world, after a long boom fuelled by debt, a dependence on its banking industry and a buoyant housing market. (Guardian.co.uk)