Tossing Around the Odd News Awards

Here are some odd news items that caught my eye which is enough to qualify for an Odd News Award.  Congrats to all the winners!


New Stretchable Solar Cells Will Power Artificial Electronic 'Super Skin' from Science Daily
"ScienceDaily (Feb. 23, 2011) — "Super skin" is what Stanford researcher Zhenan Bao wants to create. She's already developed a flexible sensor that is so sensitive to pressure it can feel a fly touch down. Now she's working to add the ability to detect chemicals and sense various kinds of biological molecules. She's also making the skin self-powering, using polymer solar cells to generate electricity. And the new solar cells are not just flexible, but stretchable -- they can be stretched up to 30 percent beyond their original length and snap back without any damage or loss of power."  Read More

You have to admit that this is kind of odd news.  What energy crisis?


Minnesota couple wake up to deer in bed from azcentral.com
EAGAN, Minn. - "A deer smashed through a window, skittered across a couple's bed and landed in the bathroom. Colleen Slattery and her partner, Beau Williams, were sleeping in Saturday and immediately thought someone was breaking into their first-floor apartment here.

"The glass shattered as the deer galloped across us in bed," Colleen Slattery said."  Read More

Wonder if the wolf pack chasing the deer followed?

Magnetic Boy!  Wonder if a bath could fix this problem?

Too Fat or Too Thin: Where to Begin

I was sitting in a doctor's office some time ago and noticed a cartoon on the wall. It was a political cartoon that had an obese American or Brit next to an emaciated African. The caption with the cartoon said something like: "A common issue: the Food Crisis." Starvation, malnutrition, and obesity in the same world is a peculiar and embarrassing situation. What is less important but, more peculiar is that any western developed country would have to make a law discouraging promotion of thinness. It happened, in France. French lawmakers have had enough of looking at models with their ribs showing so they passed a law to discourage the fashion industry from promoting thinness.

I think I have found a perfect solution for law breakers in France: send them to Uruguay. Recently, Uruguay smashed the previous world record by 4 tons for the world's largest barbecue. Uruguay barbecued 26,400 lbs of beef! Texans, better take notice. You are not the barbecue destination any more. That may be a bit overstated. Texas does not hold the world record for the largest barbecue. That is odd news.

Confusing world we live in where France has to pass a law against thinness, Uruguay is proud of its world record barbecue and still somewhere in the world someone is starving to death right now and someone else is dying from complications of obesity.

Sources:
http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/080415-france-thinness.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN1331282920080415

Going to the Bar to have your Taxes Done

What an odd idea. In Hoboken, New Jersey you can go to a bar and get your taxes done while you drink. The concept sends my mind into a spin. The tax accountant and the bar owner are brilliant. What could make you feel like you need a drink more than seeing what you owe the government this year? This Reuters article did not say, but, I wonder if the bar owner pays the tax accountant to do business in his bar or if the tax accountant pays the bar owner for using his space? By the way, the accountant does not drink while on the job. Wonder if they have a franchise on the horizon, a sort of H. & R. Block type bar?

Link to the full article:
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN1034276220080410

Ships made of Popsicle Sticks and The God Particle: Dream Big!

Sit back, relax, and imagine that something really great is possible. Your wildest dreams are within your grasp. You know, dreams really do come true. In the news this week there were two odd stories. Both were odd and filled with hope.

Today a viking ship made entirely of Popsicle sticks set sail from the Netherlands head to England. The ship and this journey were the dream of U.S.-born stuntman Robert McDonald. He, his son and over 5,000 school children glued together more than 15 million recycled Popsicle sticks. McDonald said that he just wanted to show the children that helped him that if you put your mind to it anything is possible. Stick to your dreams.

McDonald filled his 50-foot long Viking ship, "Thor", with lots and lots of toys that he will deliver to children that he visits in hospitals. Are you thinking that with the suffering that you have endured, you could not possibly accomplish such a feat? McDonald is visiting these children probably because of his experience. As a child, McDonald spent quite a while in a hospital after an explosion that killed both of his parents left him badly injured. Take heart! We human beings have capacity for greatness, sometimes beyond what we believe.

Another story of another man in the news this week is odd and uplifting at the same time and it points to a greatness of our intellectual capabilities. British scientist, Peter Higgs thinks in that area between science fiction and science fact. "Higgs, a veteran professor at Edinburgh University, told journalists in a rare interview that he hopes a vast experiment in the tunnels deep underground the CERN laboratory on the Franco-Swiss border could finally prove the existence of an elusive and unstable particle to which he has lent his name.

The so-called 'Higgs Boson' has been dubbed the 'God Particle' because so many have searched for it but no-one has seen it, despite Higgs using scientific deductions to claim its existence as far back as 1964." If this experiment reaches the hoped for outcome, then a new chapter in particle physics will have to be written. Finally, scientist will understand the origins of mass and why some particles have and others do not.

Higgs has devoted nearly his entire adult life to this dream of understanding the very nature of the universe and this experiment may allow him insight that many can scarcely comprehend, but, it is a gigantic gamble. The cost of this experiment is in the billions and the risks are even greater than the cost. Some have speculated that this experiment may "create massive black holes which could reduce Earth to a lump of hot, strange matter." Higgs is not worried and believes that those fears are the result of negative, wild speculation. This is a man that has dared to dream big.

Imagine what wonderful things you can do. If you dare to dream, work hard, and never give up.

Sources: 1. "Ice-cream stick ship sails for England" Reuters April 8, 2008 http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/oukoe_uk_dutch_ship;_ylt=Aj7e6BFoq.ty74JY8PnjhB0DW7oF
2. "Veteran physicist hopes secret of universe lies underground" by Patrick Baert April7,2008 http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080407/ts_afp/sciencephysicscern;_ylt=ApRl7a4ZpQE72hkuxRqsHHIDW7oF

Things You Must Know Before You Consider A Serious Relationship

There have been four studies all over the news that every girl should know: information about men. One of these studies even reveals something about women that every guy should know. What strikes me as odd about these studies is that someone actually: 1. did not know this information that has been "discovered" and 2. that someone actually spent time, money, and intellectual resources to conduct the studies.

In a nutshell, here are the findings of the studies: men are attracted to beauty and women are attracted to money, men are more likely to take financial risks if they are thinking about sex, men are slightly more tolerant of discrimination - particularly discrimination against overweight people, and after marriage women have an increase in housework and men have a decrease in housework.

I bet most everyone knew at least most of these findings. If you were unaware of any of these findings, you certainly should know these things before entering into a serious relationship. I think what these findings say for many women is that men are pigs. I should point out that the one revelation about women is that you are all likely to be gold diggers. Now that I have pointed out the origins of many of the arguments that you have been in with the opposite sex, let's do a little more analysis of the findings in the four studies.

Some of these findings prove how we are hardwired for success. Let's look at the first finding that Men are attracted to beauty and Women are attracted to money combined with the study finding that Men will take financial risks when thinking about sex. These two studies confirm that we are hardwired to perserve our genes. Beauty is usually associated with physical fitness and physically fit women are more likely to have healthy children. I bet there is a study that has found that men are more attracted to younger women for the same reason.

Women are attracted to money for the same reason. What ensures the success of children more than parents that can provide for them? And since women are more likely to want to have sex with a rich guy, that explains why men will take financial risks when sex is a player. I bet women are also attracted to stronger or more physically fit men for similar reasons. In our society, a man being physically fit would naturally play second fiddle to financial wealth. Financial wealth is a much better indicator of being able to provide advantages for future children.

What about the finding that Men are more tolerant of discrimination? The "being tolerant of discrimination concerning overweight people" is much like being attracted to beauty. Men are looking for beauty and physically fit women for reasons already touched upon and that explains why men would be more tolerant of discrimination against overweight people. What we guys have not figured out yet is that when a woman is either way underweight or way overweight she has an increased potential to have fertility problems. Actually the thin women that are often desired in modern society have a real increased chance of miscarriage. As for discrimination based on other reasons, some of that has to be explain by the competition to spread our genes and some of that is because of man's traditional role as protectors. There are unknown, largely imagined, risks when dealing with people that are different from ourselves. The study found that we generally profile based on groups that are associated with violence. There has been a marked increase in discrimination against Arab Americans similar to discrimination against Japanese Americans during World War II. Notably, it no longer seems to be tolerated beyond the personal level. This study did not find that men are tolerant of discrimination a large percentage of the time indicating that more often than not that we work beyond our natural tendencies to discriminate. The study did find that men were only slightly more tolerant of discrimination than women. This gender differences makes sense since the study did not examine discrimination based on social class or wealth. Bet this study's findings will be challenge by some future study that includes social class and wealth.

The last finding that Housework increases for Women and decreases for Men after marriage seems to be supported by what I have observed. I am surprised that the study found that a woman's household work increased and average of seven hours a week and a man's housework decrease only about an hour a week.
The findings of this study may be changing in the near future because of an article that I covered a while back that found that women are increasingly attracted to men who do housework. (You can find the article link in "odd news reviews" with something like "Do her dishes" in the title of my post.) By the way, I and several of my friends started doing more housework after that article. We must all be married to old fashion girls because we did not observe the desired results. Maybe the increased attraction by women or in my case my woman/wife is only prior to marriage.

Sources: 1. http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/080403-discrimination-tolerate.html
men are more likely to tolerate discrimination

2. http://www.injuryboard.com/national-news/Women-Do-More-Housework-Men-Less-Upon-Marriage.aspx?googleid=235106
A University of Michigan study finds that for married woman, having a husband actually means more housework, an extra seven hours of extra housework a week.
And the upside for him – having a wife saves him from an hour of chores around the house each week.

3. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iR-4iCM4kKkuynBTa_uQZQeodVCwD8VRAIO03
A new brain-scan study may help explain what's going on in the minds of financial titans when they take risky monetary gambles — sex. When young men were shown erotic pictures, they were more likely to make a larger financial gamble than if they were shown a picture of something scary, such a snake, or something neutral, such as a stapler, university researchers reported.
The arousing pictures lit up the same part of the brain that lights up when financial risks are taken.
4. http://www.canada.com/topics/lifestyle/relationships/story.html?id=4a3e28ce-f8f6-437d-ae9a-834439855e77
Men attracted to beauty, women to money: study

New York Mom Travels to South Korea to Save Her Kidnapped Son

Mr. Denton from Louisiana sent me a link to this Foxnews article and asked that I share my perspective on this story. Thanks for emailing me.

My first reaction was "Wow! Never underestimate a mother from Queens." Another first emotion was a strong feeling of relief. What are the odds of finding a kidnapped child, particularly a kidnapped child that has been taken to another country thousands of miles away. I am so happy for the reunion of this mother and son.

Now that I have read the article, I have discovered that the boy's kidnapper was his father. That is still wrong, but, my fear for the safety of the boy evaporated, especially since there was no mention in the article of abuse by the father. The boy even admitted that he was unaware that he had been "kidnapped."

In my opinion, it sure complicates matters when a couple makes the choice to have a child without making a commitment to jointly raise that child. Can you raise a wonderful child without getting married? Yes. Can a married couple mess up a child. Yes. Now that I have answered those questions, think about this question: What family arrangement is most likely to give that child the best opportunity to grow up healthy, happy, self-confident, and successful? I think you know the answer. One day almost all of us will realize that selfishness hurts others and that when we commit to doing all we can for others, we are all better off. By marrying a couple gives the whole family an advantage. To gain the advantage, it has to be a real marriage. A marriage based on love and that love has to be given the chance to mature to the point that the couple works out differences and teams up to overcome obstacles.

My point relative to this article is: if this couple had committed to focusing on what was best for their son and also made a commitment to provide a full time two-parent loving household, then the "kidnapped" son would not have been kidnapped and would have a much better chance in life.

Admittedly, there are sometimes extenuating circumstances that make this idea situation impossible, but; more often than not, all it takes is a little bit of selflessness and a mature loving, committed relationship.

Thanks for sending this one in Mr. Denton.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,342550,00.html

Shades of Cruella de Vil - 101 Dalmatians

You might recall the sick villain in the Disney Movie: 101 Dalmatians, Cruella de Vil. Her dream was to have a coat made of Dalmatian dog fur. Really, really odd even for fiction. You know how truth is sometimes stranger than fiction? An article in the Daily Mail British newspaper proves this saying.

According to the article, linked below, people are wearing dog fur sweaters. The link below includes pictures. In real life it is not some psychopath collecting 101 puppies. No, that would be really sick. In real life former pet owners are commemorating their deceased pet by using its hair to make a sweater. How do you respond when you say: "Nice sweater, George. Is it new?" George tears up and says "Thank you. Remember my dog, Fido? This used to be his coat."
What do you say? Do you run away screaming? Do you burst out laughing? Do you pat George on the back or stroke his sweater and say: "This reminds me of the last time I petted Fido. Boy, do I miss that dog." I don't know what the appropriate response is but, I do think that this is pretty odd stuff.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=538108&in_page_id=1770

Woman Goes for Leg Operation, Gets New Anus Instead

I have heard of surgeries getting mixed up. In fact, I read somewhere today about a woman in Minnesota that went in to have a cancerous kidney removed, the surgery got mixed up and her healthy kidney was removed. Your heart has to go out to all involved in that surgery, particularly the patient. While that story is tragic, this one from foxnews is just out and out weird. In the model of nationalized health care programs: German, a woman went into a hospital to have her leg operated on and got mixed up with a woman who was supposed to be having anus surgery for incontinence. According to this article, the leg surgery patient still has not had leg surgery but instead got a new anus. That almost seems like the start of a joke but this German woman isn't laughing she is suing the hospital. This is definitely the odd news of the day! Thanks to my buddy Sam for finding this one!
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,339270,00.html

Updated April 3 2008:
Those wacky German surgeons are at it again. According to an article today, a woman went into surgery to get some wrinkles surgically removed and came out with bigger breast. It turns out the woman had lost a lot of weight and had wrinkled skin around her breast that she wanted removed. The surgeons gave her breast implants. I guess that tightened up the skin in that general area. What a great nationalized health care system. You go into the hospital to have wrinkles and come out with bigger boobs . . . and most likely fewer wrinkles too.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,344829,00.html

High School Student Becomes a Hero While Skipping School

Amanda Rouse, a 15-year old Marina High School student, was in the right place at the right time. Amanda apparently decided that she was too sick to go to school and talked her way into a ride home from a bus driver make rounds with a bus load of elementary students.

During the route the bus driver became incapacitated when she fell out of her seat and hit her head. The bus hit two parked cars before Amanda was able to jump into the seat and bring the bus to a halt. Miss Rouse's actions certainly qualify as heroic. Her quick think very well may have averted a real tragedy. God does work in mysterious ways and this time he had a clear purpose for this 15-year old.

By the way Miss Rouse was evidently playing hooky at the time and may have to serve detention. I bet this will be the most pleasant detention ever.

While I believe that God regularly turns our missteps into opportunities to do good, it is all too rare that we find out about it in the news.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080316/ap_on_fe_st/odd_school_bus_drama;_ylt=AqDxauup_P3bWnkWP29wSeztiBIF

New Airport Cameras Defy Logic

You would think that a camera that allows you to see drugs or bombs hidden on a person from 80 yards away would also reveal anything else that you may be covering up, like your private parts, but, according to billing this camera can see drugs and bombs from 80 yards away but not your privates. I am suspicious. After all, a lot of these science guys were deprived of seeing privates and kind of sneaky about catching a peek. It just sounds like a bunch of guys standing around explaining to some gorgeous gal "no, we can't see a thing, maim. Just drugs and bombs, nothing else." "No, really: just drugs and bombs." "Well, let me take one more look. Nope. Just drugs and bombs." You know the flaw here: drug dealers and bomb makers will just start disguising their stuff as private parts.

I am sure that the science is astounding and the claims are all true. It is fun to question it though.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336287,00.html

Direct from the Vatican: "Recycle or Else!"

Today the Vatican has announced that it is a sin not to recycle. That is taking a good cause to a whole new level. This reminds me of the humor of a particular episode of Family Guy (Season 2, Episode 2) that is centered around Grandpa Griffin's retirement and his lack of outward affection for his son, Peter. This Family Guy episode is funny in large part because of Grandpa Griffin's over-the-top intolerance. Grandpa Griffin is a staunch Catholic who believes all who commit the smallest of transgressions and all non-Catholics are going straight to hell. While this Family Guy episode is intended as humor, today's edict from the Vatican is to be taken quite seriously. Wonder if we are to expect more edicts on other specific environmental issues? I thought somewhere in the Bible it is written that God will eventually scrap this world for a much better place. That still doesn't mean that we should avoid our responsibilities of being good stewards of this world. Recycling is definitely a good issue and I am glad to hear that God is weighing in on this one. We are all going to have to rely on the grace of God for many transgression and this is yet another issue for which I am glad that grace exists. I do recycle but occasionally on this issue, I sin. Watch what you toss away. If you don't, it is a one way ticket to hell. You have to admit this is odd news.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/03/10/eavatican110.xml

American Idol: Two Shows in One

One of the things that makes American Idol so successful is that it is really two shows in one. One show is the talent show where we witness future pop stars emerge and another where we visit familiar characters.

The familiar characters are Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, and Ryan Seacrest. They are entertaining but I'm not sure that we are ready to spin off a reality sitcom based on these four characters. On the other hand, years ago, I could not believe that the Simpson's cartoon was being made into a show of its own or that the "Jeffersons" were being spun off of "All In the Family" and still both shows have achieved great success. In this first show of familiar characters Simon is clearly a "House" like character: blunt, enjoys seeing people react to his assaults. Paula is the mother/big sister cheerleader character that encourages and tries to protect others from Simon. Randy is the cool dude with the style and catch phrases that become part of our adopted culture. And Seacrest is sometimes moderator, sometimes opponent of Simon. On second thought, I could see this being spun into a full blown show. The show could be a kind of historical fiction that shows us the main characters interact behind the scenes - before and after the show. Wouldn't you love to be in on the discussions about the talent? or Wouldn't you love to hear Seacrest and Cowell exchange playful barbs at dinner out? It would be fun to see them particularly Randy and Paula rehearsing to perform music or see Randy or Simon directing professional musicians in a studio environment. Maybe this will get to a decision maker that wants to hire me for a bunch of money to help develop this show. It is bound to be a big hit and you read about it first here.

The other reason why American Idol is such a wildly popular show is the second show: the Talent show. Part of it is that we are being treated to some really great music by some extremely talented performers and part of it is that we are seeing the human side of these performers when they lay and egg. Still another more compelling aspect is that we are watching a star or in many cases stars in the making. We are there the first time a Carrie Underwood sings on national TV and we get the feeling that we are part of that experience. I can't wait to see what stars emerge this year.

Cow Power!

Some California dairy farmers are brilliant! Remember that study from years ago that said that methane emissions from cows (cow farts) were contributing to the rapid increase in global warming? While the guy who founded the Weather Channel is not so sure about global warming, a group of California dairy farmers have ignored the global warming debate altogether and have done something practical with the cow-methane data. These farmers have created a large holding pond where they have collected cow manure and lots of water to separate the methane from the manure. This holding pond, which is about about 500 yards wide and 33 feet deep, is lined with plastic and domed to funnel the methane into a central pipe. The methane is then piped into a power plant and turned into electricity. One cow power pond provides about all the power needs for 1,200 homes. Talk about a renewable resource! Can you imagine how much power is available in Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and many many other places in the South, Southwest, and Midwest? We need a national initiative to hop on this idea and I am not kidding this time. Hope lots of farmers,ranchers, and government types find this post and/or the article linked below. This could be and should be big!
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN0440606220080304?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Vultures Eating Roofs and Cars in Florida

Vultures in Florida are eating the shingles off of roofs and the black rubber gaskets off of car windows and doors. Bubba says: "shoot 'em." That is what the residents of this Florida town asked the police to do. As if this story was not already odd enough, the police have told the residents that they can't. They can't because the two species of vultures that are eating roof shingles and car parts are endangered and federally protected birds. It is a $500 a day fine to even attempt to scare the birds off! I guess the reasoning must go something like: "since the birds cannot defend themselves, we must put their needs above the needs of human beings." Yes some of us are all very ashamed of our place on the food chain. I'm not. Shoot the birds! I could live without vultures. Tell the Paul Ehrlichs of the world that thousands of dangerous and annoying species have been wiped off of the planet and the end result has not been the collapse of the ecosystem. Here is a theory to contemplate: Constantly putting other species ahead of our own may ensure that a variety of life thrives for eons on this planet. However, a slippery slope still exists. By putting other species first, we may eventually cause our own extinction. Those vultures may be smarter than they look or act. Oh well: Viva la Vultures! The Odd News Award winner of the day!

http://www.local6.com/news/15499175/detail.html

Odd Times: Gygax and Buckley Die, Favre Retires and Seven-of-Nine Gives Birth

These are odd times for various nerds and geeks. Today, Gary Gygax passed away. Gygax brought all sorts of nerds and geeks together in the mid to late 1970s with Dungeons and Dragons. You have to be smart to play D&D because the game requires at least two or three books just to get started. The original game also required graph paper and a really good imagination. Gygax is as well known to gaming nerds as William F. Buckley is to conservative intellectual nerds.

I knew some nerds who played D&D in their early teens that transitioned into following Buckley's intellectual brand of conservative politics in their late teens and early twenties. Strangely enough, without weaving our way through Gygax's imaginary worlds, I am not sure our brains would have been developed enough to figure out what the heck Buckley was trying to tell us. Without Buckley, I feel sure that more intellectual nerds would have outright rejected Ronald Reagan which would have left Reagan's history solely in the hands of liberal historians. Left in the hands the liberals, we would all probably still be apologizing for being Ugly Americans. Gygax and Buckley will both be missed.

Brett Favre will also be missed in the NFL next season. Favre has become such an icon that he has quite a following of his own brand of geeks. I think they call themselves cheeseheads.

With so many bummed out geeks, we sure needed something positive to start to balance things out. Fortunately, Trekkies everywhere have something to cheer up geek nation. The most famous and best looking Borg: Seven-of-Nine, aka Jeri Ryan to non-Star Trek fans, just gave birth to a baby girl. I am sure some Trek fans, who long ago lost the ability to distinguish Star Trek from reality, wondered if Borgs or former Borgs were capable of having children. I am certain that many would have lined up to try and assist Seven-of-Nine in that final frontier.

Al Gore: Closing Speaker at the Technology, Entertainment, and Design Conference?

Here's a bit of peculiarity: Former Vice President Al Gore gave the closing speech at the Technology, Entertainment, and Design conference in Monterey, California. Honestly, my first thought was: Is this because that group believes Gore's wild widely reported claim that he invented the internet? I get it, Al Gore promotes green technology and green technology is important to our future. Still, I wonder if this has something to do with Gore's upcoming role of brokering a peace between various factions at the Democratic National Convention.(see my Feb 29 post) I still find that possibility kind of funny. Al Gore is a peculiar fellow often found in the middle of odd news. I suspect there will be an Odd News Award with his name on it before too long. Tune in for more on this later. I just know that Mr. Gore will provide an opportunity for further discussion.
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/03/al-gore-makes-i.html

Duking it out at the Chuck E. Cheese

This foxnews report tells of two mommas engaging in fisticuffs at the Chuck E. Cheese. Evidently, one young man was dominating a particular game that another boy wanted to play. Since it was one of the boy's 9th birthday celebration, his mom decided to spare no indignities to try to make him happy. How embarrassing! I cannot believe that the mothers of two nine year olds could not take such an opportunity to show their sons lessons in civility and sharing. I would like to say that I am surprised but, I'm not. Our family enjoys going to Chuck E. Cheese however, we avoid going there during peak times. What a memorable birthday. Years from now I can hear the conversation between mother and son, "Mom, remember when I turned nine and you got in that fight with that other mom and they had to call the police?" Mother: "Sure how could I forget. Those were good times, huh?" Son: "Yep, good times." Police officer: "Visiting hours are over. Maim, your son will have to return to his cell now."

Added March 4th: Here is an interesting fact about Chuck E. Cheese. Nolan Bushnell, the guy who built the first video game, Pong, is the founder of Chuck E. Cheese. He started the company after he sold Atari to Warner Communications for $28-million. Here is a good video on Nolan Bushnell's Pong experience from the History Channel. By the way, starting Atari reportedly only orginally cost Bushnell $500.
http://www.history.com/media.do?id=historyrocks_pong_broadband&action=clip

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334571,00.html

Hells Angels Versus Mick Jagger

According to this article, the death of Meredith Hunter at a Rolling Stones concert marked the end of the 60s. Meredith Hunter was killed by members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang that were hired as security for the concert. This much is historical fact. The odd bit of news that I was unaware of was that members of the Hells Angels, angered by Jagger's lack of support, had plotted and begun an attempt to murder Mick Jagger . It turns out that the plot included approaching Jagger's estate from the ocean to avoid security. The plot may have had a much better chance of succeeding had a storm not appeared and left the would be murderers swimming in the ocean. Some of you may be saying, "ah, that settles a question I had not thought of - who does God like better: Hells Angels bent on murder or Mick Jagger?" The thought crossed my mind briefly but I figure that God was probably saying something like "knock it off, you guys" when he turned the boat over in the ocean. None of the Hells Angels were harmed in the incident. You would think one or two would have died if God was really weighing in one way or the other. Still, the would be murderers must have also taking the storm as a sign from the almighty because there was no second attempt on Jagger's life. As far as I can tell, these momentarily outraged gang members decided for whatever reason to no longer pursue vengeance against Jagger ever again. Perhaps they will all meet in another place, another time. Today's Odd News Award Winner!
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/hells-angels-plotted-to-kill-mick-jagger-agent-says/?hp

Evidence of a Sea Monster Large Enough to Eat a Small Car

The fossil of a 15 meter (50 ft) long "sea monster" found in Arctic Norway was the biggest of its kind known to science with dagger-like teeth in a mouth large enough to bite a small car, researchers said on Wednesday.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL2771508220080228

Remember the story of the coelacanth? The Coelacanth was a species of fish that was thought to have gone exctinct during the Cretaceous period (several million years ago). "Thought to have gone extinct" because in 1938 a fisherman caught a a live coelacanth. However, the coelacanth is clearly not a sea monster. The pliosaur fossil discovered in Norway does represent what could only be described as a sea monster. Here is a thought: If the coelacanth existed long after science had declared it extinct, why not specimens of this pliosaur? Cleary, we would notice one of these giant creatures today and not have to wait for a fisherman to either catch or be caught by a pliosaur. Still, if I recall my history correctly, sailors in the early stages of European exploration, around the 1400s, told tales of sea monsters. Wasn't that the fear of sailing too far from land? (That you would be attacked by a sea monster.) Who knows maybe one day we will discover that a few of these pliosaurs existed as late as 1000 or even 1200 a.d. My choice for the Odd News Award today.

Bullfrog Slimmy Skin is a Powerful Anitoxidant

"A team led by Professor Kim Se-kwon of Pukyong University in Busan says it isolated a peptide with antioxidant properties from bullfrog skin." Oh boy! Bubba is going to be excited. His frog giggin' passion may finally make him some big bucks. For those of you not from the South: Bubbas do hunt bullfrogs already because you can eat the frog's legs. I understand that they taste like chicken.

Now that Korean scientist have discovered this health benefit, there is even more reason to go out frog giggin'. This development was totally unforseen by most of us and it just proves once again that God does have a sense of humour. Probably the oddest idea and maybe one of the grosser ideas came from this article. Professor Kim Se-kwon was quoted in this article touting the bullfrog substance as superior to tocopherol (vitamin E). He said 'Because it is water-soluble, the substance may be consumed in much more diverse ways than the oil-soluble tocopherol. You may put it in soft drinks, for example.' Bubba wants to know if you just squeeze the juices out of the frog or if you have to puree the frog skin in the blender before adding it to Coke. Gross!

When thinking about this article, the other thing that comes to mind is that Grimm Fairytale, "The Frog Prince". You remember the story: Princess loses a crystal ball in a water well; talking frog makes a deal to get the ball if the princess will invite him to dinner or a party or maybe a dinner party; frog shows up to the event and the princess acts ugly to the frog at first but, her parents make her act like a lady and keep her word. Somewhere in the story she kisses the frog and he turns into a prince who had been turned into a frog by an evil witch. What did those Grimm brothers know? Kissing that frog, if he was a bullfrog, may have helped keep that princess younger. Wonder if that frog prince retained those antioxidants after he turned back into a man? The prince and princess probably looked younger and were healthier for the whole ordeal. Princes and Princesses seem to usually be lucky. Who knows?

Clearly with all the possibilities found in this article, it rates The Odd News Award of the Day!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/healthskoreabullfrogoffbeat;_ylt=AhzTssaN7DMO5Dy8NGmaRBvtiBIF