NASA's Moon Bomb a Bust

We first heard about NASA's plan to bomb the moon back in February of 2008. No, there weren't any intelligence reports of hidden WMD. The object of the mission was to slam a probe into a permanently shadowed region of the lunar surface in order to kick up enough dust that could then be analyzed to see if water ice might be present. (Can you think of a better way to spend our tax dollars?)

If that wasn't exciting enough, we were even going to get to see live photos of the event! But that didn't pan out exactly as NASA scientists had hoped.

Here's an update from the AP:

First a 2.2-ton empty rocket hull smacked the moon's south pole at 7:31 a.m. EDT Friday. Then four minutes later the camera-and-instrument laden space probe made its death plunge.

The smaller probe had five cameras and four other scientific instruments and NASA had touted live photos on its web site. But those images didn't occur. NASA officials say they are sure the two probes crashed and looking to see what happened to the pictures. Pictures were live until seconds before impact.

Oh, sure. They can land a man on the moon...

How You Can Tell You're Watching High School Football on ESPN

When you learn strange, non-football-related facts about the players...

It's the End of the World as We Know It...and I Feel Fine

By now you've probably heard of the new movie 2012. This is the latest corny disaster flick from director Roland Emmerich, who also brought us such gems as Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Day After Tomorrow.

The movie is based on the theory that "something" will happen in 2012 because the Mesoamerican (or Mayan) Long Count calendar just ends on December 21 of that year. Many think this is significant. Despite the fact that the Mayans couldn't even predict their own demise, some people believe they had special insight into the future and foresaw the end of the world.

If that premise isn't laughable enough, the movie seeks to make it downright hilarious. Take a look at the trailer see if there is a single disaster the film's creators may have missed:



Oh, yeah. The feel-good movie of the year.

The movie is set to be released in November of this year. I suppose that shouldn't come as a surprise. If the end of the world really does correspond to the end of the Mayan calendar, then a 2012 Christmas release wouldn't make much sense.

My theory as to why the Mayan calendar ends in 2012: the guy writing it simply got writer's cramp.

Texas State Fair-Goers Introduced to Deep-Fried Butter

Abel Gonzales Jr., the same guy who brought you deep-fried Coke, has introduced a new artery-clogging oddity to the state fair culinary lineup: deep-fried butter.

To make this greasy concoction, real butter is whipped until fluffy, frozen, dipped in batter, then dropped into a fryer. It's such a simple concept, I'm surprised no one has thought of this before.

For the more health-conscious fair-goer, Gonzales does offer a plain-butter version. The butter nuggets are also available in three additional flavors: garlic, grape, and cherry.

Maybe deep-fried butter isn't so strange after all, especially for Texans. Here are just a few of the other "foods" featured at the fair:

• Green Goblins: Cherry peppers stuffed with spicy shredded chicken and guacamole, battered, deep-fried and topped with queso.
  
  
• Twisted Yam on a Stick: A spiral-cut sweet potato, fried on a skewer, then rolled in butter and dusted with cinnamon and sugar.
  
  
• Fernie's Deep Fried Peaches & Cream: Served with a side of vanilla buttercream icing for dipping.
  
  
• Texas Fried Pecan Pie: A mini-pecan pie battered, deep fried and served with caramel sauce, whipping cream and chopped candied pecans.
  
  
• Country Fried Pork Chips: Battered, thin-sliced pork loin deep fried and served with sides of ketchup or cream gravy.
  
  
• Sweet Jalapeno Corn Dog Shrimp: Shrimp on a stick, coated with a sweet and spicy cornmeal batter, deep fried and served with a spicy glaze.
  
  
• Fried Peanut Butter Cup Macaroon: A peanut butter cup wrapped inside a coconut macaroon, fried and then dusted with powdered sugar.

Hack Your Life

Looking to make your complicated life a little easier? Check out LifeHacker.com.

This nifty site offers all sorts of "tips and downloads for getting things done" and covers just about everything. Want to eliminate that chaotic cluster of computer cords? Mix your own chalkboard paint? Make an inexpensive pair of noise-isolating ear buds for your iPod? Order secret menu items at fast food restaurants? You'll find the answers at LifeHacker.com.

Google Introduces New "Opt Out" Feature

"The Birds" Barbie Doll

Now this is a doll even little boys would want to play with. Introducing the Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds Barbie Collector's Doll.



Shipping begins Sunday August 30, 2009, but you can pre-order yours today from MonstersInMotion.com.

AMC to Air Remake of "The Prisoner"

I loved watching reruns of the 1960s series The Prisoner as a kid. Naturally, I'm very excited to see the miniseries remake, starring Ian McKellen and Jim Caviezel.



Looks interesting!

The Robot Revolution

The prospect of super-intelligent machines posing a threat to humanity's existence has always been a popular theme in science fiction. But some experts fear it may actually be more science than fiction. From the New York Times:

Impressed and alarmed by advances in artificial intelligence, a group of computer scientists is debating whether there should be limits on research that might lead to loss of human control over computer-based systems that carry a growing share of society's workload, from waging war to chatting with customers on the phone.

Their concern is that further advances could create profound social disruptions and even have dangerous consequences.

So, might we expect a robot revolution in the near future? It seems to have already begun in Sweden according to this report:

The incident took place in June 2007 at a factory in Bålsta, north of Stockholm, when the industrial worker was trying to carry out maintenance on a defective machine generally used to lift heavy rocks. Thinking he had cut off the power supply, the man approached the robot with no sense of trepidation.

But the robot suddenly came to life and grabbed a tight hold of the victim's head. The man succeeded in defending himself but not before suffering serious injuries.

The bright side to this report is that it appears the revolution is only in the Maximum Overdrive stage. It will probably take several years before it reaches Terminator or Matrix proportions. After that, watch out.

Ants Take Over the World!

That's what scientists are saying:

A single mega-colony of ants has colonised much of the world, scientists have discovered.

Argentine ants living in vast numbers across Europe, the US and Japan belong to the same inter-related colony, and will refuse to fight one another.

The colony may be the largest of its type ever known for any insect species, and could rival humans in the scale of its world domination.

What's more, people are unwittingly helping the mega-colony stick together.

Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) were once native to South America. But people have unintentionally introduced the ants to all continents except Antarctica.

These introduced Argentine ants are renowned for forming large colonies, and for becoming a significant pest, attacking native animals and crops.

In Europe, one vast colony of Argentine ants is thought to stretch for 6,000km (3,700 miles) along the Mediterranean coast, while another in the US, known as the "Californian large", extends over 900km (560 miles) along the coast of California. A third huge colony exists on the west coast of Japan.

To borrow from Kent Brockman, I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted online personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves.