A DVD that fire chief Barry McCroy of Walterboro, South Carolina, was carrying protected him from a stray bullet on Saturday. He was in a local Waffle House when a fight between two men led to gunfire. The DVD stopped a bullet from entering his stomach. From the Charleston Post and Courier: Maj. Ken Dasen of the Walterboro Police Department said the bullet grazed the suspect's head, shattered the glass window and then ricocheted into McRoy's abdo
73 words

In the discussions following my post about Alice In Wonderland Syndrome, WAREQ linked to this absolutely fantastic psychedelic music video for Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit starring the original Star Trek crew. Link...

The Spanish-language blog Decoesfera spotted Roca's new urinals with built-in dividers. They might be helpful for the pee-shy and to discourage peeking. Link to translated blog post (via Neatorama)...

Rogue archivist Carl Malamud writes: Paul Jones of iBiblio tipped me off to some recent M&A activity by Microsoft, this time involving the Library of Congress. This deal involves the donation of "technology, services and funding" (e.g., mostly not money) with a purported value of $3m from Microsoft to the Library of Congress. The Library, in turn, agrees to put kiosks running Vista in the library and to use Microsoft Silverlight to "help power th
41 words

Art galleries have been showing the work of graffiti artists for quite some time now. Right now, large graffiti pieces are also on display in the "hallowed halls" of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. The pieces, by Tim Conlon and Dave Hupp, are part of an intriguing new exhibition titled Recognize! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture. Along with graffiti, it features the work of a poet, photographer, filmmaker, and portrait artis
186 words

This German exibition is showcasing bright infrared LED devices that overwhelm the CCDs in security cameras, allowing you to move through modern society in relative privacy. I used this as a gimmick in my story I, Robot -- now I want to own one! The URA / FILOART developed device promises to the citizens of a more reliable protection against security measures of the state (and other Überwachenden). In addition to monitoring purposes organised sys
57 words

Reuters - Maybe it was the crippling writers' strike or the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or was it something in the expensive bottled water in Beverly Hills where Oscar organizers are based.

AP - A judge put the brakes on Britney Spears' driving-without-a-license case Wednesday after her lawyers said they don't believe the troubled pop star is capable of resolving the matter.

Digital rights activist Larry Lessig considers trying for the late Rep. Tom Lantos' (D-Calif.) congressional seat. Lessig, a Stanford Law School professor, is a former former Wired magazine columnist.

Experts predict there will be a record number of retailer bankruptcies in the coming months, due to rising costs and some of the weakest consumer spending in years.

Silicon Knights' technically awesome hybrid looks like a winner for the Xbox 360.

In a speech at Stanford University, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates touted his company's plan to give away free Microsoft Developer Kits to students. He also talked about the future of technology and fielded questions about social justice.

More than 1,000 police raided housing projects outside Paris early Monday, detaining over 30 people in a bid to find rioters who led an outburst of violence last year, police said.

Gunmen killed at least three police officers and several civilians in an assault Sunday night on a small town in Guyana, authorities and local media said, in the second such attack in recent weeks.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Kenya promising American help if the crisis can be resolved.

Mark Faje a comedian catches a flaming bowling ball, with knives sticking out of it, on his face. From America's Got Talent.

Five myths about torture In a Washington Post column, Darius Rejali, author of Torture and Democracy, explains why five beliefs about torture are wrong. In a Harper's interview, he answers six questions. "Yes, torture does migrate, and there are some good examples of it both in American and French history. The basic idea here is that soldiers who get ahead torturing come back and take jobs as policemen, and private security, and they get ahead do
123 words

"Iron Chef America is more bogus than even I had imagined." Iron Chef America is a strange beast. The trans-Pacific knockoff of a beloved and quirky Japanese cooking game show (wikipedia) didn't have a very successful first attempt at localization. The current incarnation seems to have ironed out many of the original kinks, even though it seemed like something wasn't quite right. previously discussed on MeFi: 1, 2, 3 (also mentioned above)
4 words