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What you get when you type "something strange and different" into Google Am I the only person who bangs random words into Google to see what comes back? In this case I feel rewarded - bizarre patents from around the world. What's your favourite Google query string?
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:27 PM PST - 47 comments

A Novel idea. "Remote Sensing...provide service on remote sensing and its application to the satellite imagery map, as a core service system of remote sensing in Korea." This is just .01% viewing area of most countries' spying capabilities.
posted by wantwit at 10:20 PM PST - 2 comments

When The Lord of the Rings series rolls around to Xmas 2002, will they have to change the name of the second episode from The Two Towers? Will Hollywood have settled down by then? Maybe it won't be a sensitive problem anymore. But what would be a good alternate title?
posted by crunchburger at 10:17 PM PST - 37 comments

Software as conceptual art... And a critique of current affairs? Or maybe you're just looking to play around with it... Need help?
posted by j.edwards at 9:50 PM PST - 3 comments

Will it work? No, but don't let that stop you... ...And you thought air guitar was silly or maybe you didn't, but this is a bit much... ...There's been a lot of well-intentioned people in the world who came up with some pretty stupid ideas. What are your favorite, fun, stupid ideas?
posted by ZachsMind at 8:49 PM PST - 21 comments

Environmentalism faces a values test as genetically engineered pigs produce less polluting excrement. My advice: Why not just leave it up to these guys?
posted by Zbobo at 7:58 PM PST - 5 comments

Based on handwriting the geniuses at the United States government have figured out the letters might be from the same source. I'm sure everyone has seen these letters... Isn't that a bit "duh." If everything is figured out at this lightning fast speed we will never find these people.

This reminds me a bit of those psychologists who report very obvious things... many times I have heard on MSNBC: "According to psychologists, the nation is in a state of shock. For some it may take weeks to escape this feeling, for others months." Is that really something we couldn't figure out by ourselves?
posted by yevge at 7:32 PM PST - 15 comments

Lockheed Martin beat out Boeing for a $200 Billion contract to build the new F-35 fighters jets earlier today. Missile defense, planes that can take off vertically, bombs that fry electronics...military technology is accelerating at a really frightening pace.
posted by catatonic at 6:41 PM PST - 36 comments

Solve Terrorism Quick in one to twelve pages. The Department of Defense wants quick solutions. Where are my crayons?
posted by SEWilco at 4:22 PM PST - 5 comments

The world just got a little bit scarier, according to The Times of London: Bin Ladin has nuclear materials for possible use against the US(source: little green footballs). Sorry to add another "Current Situation" link, but this is pee-in-your-pants frightening.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 3:51 PM PST - 43 comments

ASCII art storytelling about ASCII art. Very soothing in the middle of a hectic work day. Make sure to follow the calibration instructions. (Found it via the 5k ref logs; we should make those public.)
posted by sylloge at 2:21 PM PST - 14 comments

Bummed out because you missed the Concert for New York City? Well, if you live in the Chicago area, you can still catch Polkas for America this Sunday evening. All proceeds go to the Tribune Disaster Relief Fund.
posted by JohnBigBoots at 2:00 PM PST - 5 comments

Enzensberger on terrorists' self-sacrifice. "Labels such as left or right, nation or sect, religion or liberation all lead to exactly the same patterns of behavior, and their only common denominator is paranoia." Here's another article dealing with the use of one's death.
posted by mmarcos at 1:34 PM PST - 5 comments

The Apple G5 SPHERE! SPHERE! It's Round! It's hella'fast. Get to the page before Apple sics the lawyers on them and makes this great page vanish. If someone has already posted this sorry, I haven't seen it, but I'm pretty new...so there you go.
posted by Dome-O-Rama at 1:10 PM PST - 48 comments

Oops. So, the governor of Texas appoints you as the new point-man for domestic safety in the state. Some say it's pay-back for staying out of the Republican Senate primary (where the governor's friend is running) and deciding to run for Lt. Governor. Despite some criticism, you run a four-page glossy ad in a Texas magazine touting your qualifications for Lt. Governor, including your recent appointment as the Texas anti-terrorism czar. The ad features a waving American flag and a patriotic soldier. Only one problem: it's a German soldier.
posted by conquistador at 12:24 PM PST - 15 comments

Is this funny or Do I just have bad taste? via halcyon.
posted by thekorruptor at 11:51 AM PST - 52 comments

Lanterns of Liberty. (via refdesk)
posted by aflakete at 11:36 AM PST - 10 comments

Whilst churning through the latest am i hot or not clone: How old do i look, guess who i bumped into, does an inacurate offensive guess get u banned??
posted by monkeyJuice at 10:23 AM PST - 35 comments

Show your openmindedness! In our extended discussion of the war, the (un)fairness of war, etc., it's been incredible how many MetaFilter regulars have changed their mind or reconsidered their opinions! (wink, wink) Here's something for those former pacifists. Now we need to find something for all those former hawks. [via Instapundit]
posted by prodigal at 9:55 AM PST - 9 comments

Trooper overcome by fumes Is this another attack or did the driver just have incredibly bad BO
posted by Lanternjmk at 9:50 AM PST - 5 comments

Red Cross warehouses hit. Again. Note to the British and American military: the red crosses painted on the tops of those buildings are not meant to be bullseyes. Thank you.
posted by shylock at 9:34 AM PST - 22 comments

Tourist Jailed for Oral Sex A German tourist who pleaded guilty to having oral sex in Zambia was sentenced on Thursday to six years in jail with hard labor, court officials said. Note to self: cancel Zambia honeymoon plans.
posted by arielmeadow at 9:31 AM PST - 35 comments

The American Declaration of Independence. Given the debate over whether the US can or should try to do nation-building in Afghanistan, I wonder if revisiting our own Declaration of Independence would clarify things. It strikes me that this document (especially the preamble) would apply to anyone, anywhere. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...
posted by mrmanley at 8:59 AM PST - 39 comments

Oh no, it's another dinner invitation from the Chomskys...
posted by gimonca at 8:27 AM PST - 10 comments

You... are... all... in....my ...thrall.... soon my pretty ones, soon.
posted by Spoon at 7:40 AM PST - 54 comments

This case makes the new anti-terrorism bill seem not unreasonable.
posted by subpixel at 7:06 AM PST - 20 comments

Curly and Motly are kinda cute, but Luncheon and Lambchop look might tasty. The children from St Canices school in Westport New Zealand welcome you to Lambs Online, where ten of our students are ‘fostering’ 10 lambs which have been ‘adopted’ by a group of Japanese school children from their sister city in Amagese Japan. Each lamb has its own personal website and we invite you to follow their progress through the eyes of our students by clicking on the photos and links below.
posted by adampsyche at 6:49 AM PST - 6 comments

The U.S. Department of Justice issued a revised memorandum for how to treat requests received under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that establishing a "sound legal basis" rather than the existing "foreseeable harm" standard for defending FOIA request refusals in court, John Ashcroft FOIA Memorandum, October 12, 2001. This was part of the EFF link below, but it's probably disturbing enough to have it's own discussion.
posted by rhyax at 6:18 AM PST - 5 comments

The New War on Terror Noam Chomsky has written a book called 9-11. He analyses the situation in a long essay published in Counterpunch. Quote: We certainly want to reduce the level of terror, certainly not escalate it. There is one easy way to do that and therefore it is never discussed. Namely stop participating in it.
posted by alex63 at 4:19 AM PST - 62 comments

Game 6 - 1986 was pretty memorable for Astros fans as well
posted by poodlemouthe at 1:46 AM PST - 11 comments