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Online Dating...for Apes

Farmers have their own. As do tech geeks and inmates. And now, finally, apes get what they've been waiting for (even if they didn't realize it). I'm talking about an online dating service. According to an AP article that I just read on LiveScience: Zookeepers in the Netherlands are planning to hook up Dutch and Indonesian orangutans over the Internet and believe the link could at some stage be used as an online dating service where apes could get to know one another and keepers could work out whether... READ ON

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Eau, those celebrities!

What do Britney Spears and Derek Jeter have in common, besides earning more per year than you and I will in our lifetimes? (And if that isn't true of you, please consider donating to my struggling artist fund, won't you?) Two-word hint: eau de. That's right, they've both got their own scents on the market (actually, Jeter's is coming out in November.) And they're not alone. Celebrity perfumes and colognes are all the rage with new products either out, or in... READ ON

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I Dream of Steam

I was cruising the Presurfer blog this morning, when I saw a post about steam-powered tractors. I know this sounds dim-witted, but somehow it had never occurred to me that steam-powered tractors were ever popular. According to Wikipedia, between the late 1800's and early 1900's "traction engines" were a big deal, and even played a role in establishing more cooperative farming (the machines were so valued that neighbors would join together to farm each other's land and make... READ ON

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Does this make anyone else sad?

Introducing the Treadmill Bike. Ok, I like treadmills; I like bikes. But I don't really understand the point of combining the two. I mean, I guess it could really come in handy if you desperately want to take your treadmill out for a spin, but aside from the fresh air you'd be giving your treadmill, I don't see the value. Still, the idea of it made me laugh enough that I figured it was worth a post. Speaking of laughing about treadmills, if you haven't seen this Treadmill music... READ ON

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Digging for Answers

Remember when you were a kid and you thought that if you dug deep enough straight down into your backyard that you'd end up in China? Well, before you get out the old shovel and pail, you might want to double-check your tunneling route on Digholes.com (a site that AdFreak has cleverly dubbed "pretty much the only child-safe site with the word hole in the address"). Simply pick your starting point on the map, click the link, and it'll plot where you'll end up! Personally, I... READ ON

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Watercooler Ammo: Is Karr the killer?

Remember how we said that August 16 was an excellent day for arresting murderers? We swear, we didn't have any inside information. Although, now that we look at the facts, we should have known something was up three years ago, when two judges declared that JonBenet Ramsey was probably killed by an intruder, and -- more significantly, perhaps -- scientists sequenced crime-scene DNA belonging to an "unknown male." Now investigators have to figure out whether John Mark Karr's confession to Thai... READ ON

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Fun Ticker Symbols

Yesterday's USA Today had an interesting article by Matt Krantz about companies getting cute with their stock market ticker symbols. Earlier this week, Harley-Davidson began trading under the symbol "HOG," instead of their old "HDI." Some others mentioned in the article: BID - Sotheby's BUD - Anheuser-Busch CAKE - Cheesecake Factory DISH - Echostar DNA - Genentech LUV - Southwest Airlines YUM - Yum Brands (Pizza Hut holding company) ZEUS - Olympic Steel The Southwest symbol, LUV, has been... READ ON

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A bunch of hot air?

Here at mental_floss, we're interested in all things smart, especially when it comes to automobile advancements. A while ago, we wrote about the Smart Car (aka "the Swatchmobile"), and the exciting news that you'll be able to buy one here in the States as early as 2008. We've also written about an electric sports car called the DarkStar featuring an engine with virtually no moving parts that goes 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds and is powered by lithium ion laptop batteries.... READ ON