Transform the Transformer

Here is your chance to create the perfect transformer. USA Today is running a contest... design your transformer, tell them what it does and you could see your creation in the paper.

Submission are due June 18. Good Luck!

Celebrity tweeters, for real

You know Ashton Kutcher tweets, but can you be sure the celebrity tweeter you're following is the real deal.

Celebrities have been complaining and even suing Twitter because someone is impersonating them online. St. Louis Cardinals Manager, Tony La Russa sued the company for allowing someone to create an account in his name.



In response, Twitter is creating a way to verify accounts and ultimately place a symbol on the account so you know it's a real celebrity.

Playing Hooky, Get Excuse note from the President

President Obama was in Green Bay talking about his health care plan when a father got up to ask a question. The man said his daughter, Kennedy was missing the last day of school to be here. He hopes she doesn't get into trouble. President Obama offered to write Kennedy an excuse note.

Here is the exchange:

John Corpus: My name is John Corpus, I am fortunate enough to be here with
my 10 year old daughter who is missing her last day of school to be here, I
hope she doesn't get in trouble..

President Obama: Oh no. Do you need me to write a note?

Corpus: Actually I'll take you up on that Mr President..

Obama: Okay go ahead, I'll start writing. What's her name?

Corpus: John Corpus

Obama: No, her.

Corpus: Oh...(laughter)...well considering I have some people here from
work, they're very interested..

Obama: No no I'm serious, what's your daughter's name?

Corpus: Her name is Kennedy.

Obama: Kennedy, all right, that's a cool name.

Corpus: It's a very cool name, thank you.

Obama: I'm going to write, "To Kennedy's teacher.." okay go ahead I'm
listening to your question.

Obama: Here you go Kennedy, here's your note..there you go, you got it.

Kennedy: He wrote..to Kennedy's teacher. Please excuse Kennedy's absence..
she's with me. Barack Obama.

Kennedy described the whole thing as "like, really
awesome."

So, the next time you want to play hooky, you know where to get a note.

The Most Expensive Suburbs

Congratulations, residents of Atherton, CA. You live in the country's most expensive suburb -- according to a list published by Business Week. Home prices in Atherton are at about $3.8 million (even in this economy, apparently) and the cost of living is 206% above the State average.

But still, there are some relative bargains in the U.S.'s Most Expensive Suburbs. For example, median home prices in Broadview, MT (near Billings) are $107,000; cost of living in West Fargo, ND is only 10% above the average in that state.

image: http://sanfranciscostuff.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/suburb.jpg

Fish Abuse in Seattle

How does one measure fish abuse? PETA seems to know the answer. That's why they're trying to stop workers of Seattle's Pike Place Market from demonstrating their fish tossing skills for the American Veterinary Medical Association.

PETA says why not use rubber fish. I hope someone talks to the fish and see what they think.

Auction of 'Unabomber's' Posessions

CNN is reporting that Ted Kaczynski, better known as the 'Unabomber,' is trying to stop the sale of his personal possession.

What does he own? More than I realized. The most famous items, the hooded jacket and sunglass (now back in style) and the more than 40,000 pages of Kaczynski's writings.

There are the degrees from Harvard and the University of Michigan, tools, typewriters, knives and a hatchet.
Speaking of burying the hatchet, Kaczynski owes some of his victims $15 million.
The 'Unabomber' is hoping the U.S Supreme Court will hear his case and rule that his items cannot be auctioned off to pay his victims.

On a side note, Ted Kaczynski still refers to himself as 'K.' Wow, what an interesting case study.

By the way, you can find the 'Unabomber's' manifesto here.

Laughing Matter?

Regina Barecca, a teacher of English at University of Connecticut, wants to know: is the following joke funny? Why, or why not? You can post your opinion here.

A husband and wife were having dinner at a very fine restaurant when this absolutely stunning young woman comes over to their table, gives the husband a big french kiss, then says she'll see him later and walks away.

The wife glares at her husband and says, "Who the hell was that?"

"Oh," replies the husband, "she's my mistress."

"Well, that's the last straw," says the wife. "I've had enough. I want a divorce!"

I can understand that," replies her husband, "but remember, if we get a divorce it will mean no more shopping trips to Paris, no more wintering in Barbados, no more summers in Tuscany, no more Infiniti or Lexus in the garage and no more yacht club. But the decision is yours."

Just then, a mutual friend enters the restaurant with a gorgeous babe on his arm.

"Who's that woman with Jim?" asks the wife.

"That's his mistress," says her husband.

"Ours is prettier," she replies.

image: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/376588066_ae1f1f8363.jpg

It's Bathing Suit Season, I hope you're in shape

This man is showing off his shape. For days now, Kevin Lee Miller has been running up to women in his one piece bathing suit asking women how do I look.

Police caught up with the bathing suit bandit. He was wearing a green one piece swimsuit with a bra underneath. The bra was stuffed with suits to fill out his figure.



You go girl!

Now... Where Did I Put My...

It has been said that the term "smartphone" is really something of a misnomer for the little computers that we carry around in our pockets (which also happen to be able to make and receive calls).

With more and more information and data being stored on these little devices, the stakes are becoming higher and higher if you are prone to losing or misplacing them.

This week at WWDC, the Apple Developer's Conference, Apple introduced a new app that's an almost-perfect solution for those who lose their iPhones (if they run iPhone 3.0 OS and subscribe to MobileMe). It's called "Find My iPhone" and allows you, from your computer, to locate your iPhone on a map like a GPS target, make it ring, or wipe all data from it.

Of course, if your iPhone was stolen, you could just wait for the thief to take a picture of himself and use your account to send it. Then you'd have a photo of the thief which you could give to the police, as one woman in New York did.

image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26532187@N00/1844560026

Making a shitload from toilets

I am stealing 'shitload' from Chris for this update on Ryanair charging you to use the bathroom on its flights. The CEO of Ryanair confirmed he's really going to charge for toilet privileges.

How much does a trip cost? About $1.65. I presume you get toilet paper with that.
The company is also thinking about removing 2 of the bathrooms on its Boeing 737 to make room for 6 seats.



How much would you pay if you really had to go? Someone asked the CEO of Ryanair if he'd charge 5 pounds. Here is my favorite quote from him.

"If someone wanted to pay £5 to go to the toilet I would carry them myself. I would wipe their bums for a fiver."

I like a CEO who doesn't mind doing his own dirty work.