n0tWorthy writes "The Mythbusters tested the myth that you could be electrocuted by peeing on the 3rd rail. The myth was 'busted' as the stream would be broken up due to distance and there wouldn't be a continuous path for the electrical current to follow. This seems to be refuted by a Monsanto, Washington man that was found electrocuted after urinating into a ditch that had a downed power line."

crimeandpunishment writes "A Western New York man whose social networking skills were a little too social, and as a result is no longer a fugitive, is now on his way back to captivity. The man, who fled to Indiana before he could be sentenced for assault, was caught after he posted detailed information on his Facebook page, including where he worked and what hours he worked there."

The Islington Council issued a parking ticket to itself, then decided to pursue itself at the Parking Adjudicator and asked for costs against itself. From the article: "In 2007, an Islington officer ticketed an Islington vehicle, but the department that got the ticket appealed. Because the department is not a different entity, in legal terms the council was appealing a ticket it got from the council, and under the rules above, the council was hearing its own appeal. After the council rejected its appeal, it then appealed again to the Parking Adjudicator. But having appealed, it then presented no evidence, and the Adjudicator voided the ticket. Feeling its appeal had been an outrageous waste of time, the council asked for costs, thus accusing itself of having acted frivolously, vexatiously and/or wholly unreasonably toward itself. The Adjudicator declined to award costs, pointing out that '[t]he legal status of the two parties in this appeal amounted to one and the same.'"

Pharmboy writes "CNN is reporting that Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa at the the London School of Economics and Political Science correlated data on these behaviors with IQ from a large national US sample and found that, on average, people who identified as liberal and atheist had higher IQs. This applied also to sexual exclusivity in men, but not in women. The findings will be published in the March 2010 issue of Social Psychology Quarterly."

Why lift your own food like a sucker?

46-year-old Robert J. Ekas has filed a federal lawsuit to defend his First Amendment right to express himself by flipping off police officers. The trouble started in July 2007 when Ekas opened his sunroof and extended a middle finger to a deputy. The deputy turned on his flashing lights and pulled Ekas over. He was cited for an illegal lane change and improper display of license plates. He was acquitted of the charges. “I did it because I have the right to do it. We all have that right, and we all need to test it. Otherwise we’ll lose it," Ekas said. He claims the police have been harassing him ever since.

The Miami City Commission will consider a proposal next month that would make it illegal for "unauthorized people and groups" to feed the homeless. They say the ordinance will cut down on litter and ensure the safety of the food that the homeless eat. Anyone without formal training who is caught giving food away would first receive a warning and then fines up to $300 for subsequent food offerings. Without laws like this the homeless might start to associate people with food, and the only thing more inconvenient than having to look at a homeless person in the morning is having to run away from cannibals.

shewfig writes "The California legislature, which previously tried to ban incandescent light bulbs, just added to the list of banned things ... swear words! Fortunately, the measure only applies for the first week of March, and compliance is voluntary — although, apparently, there will be a 'swear jar' in the Assembly and the Governor's mansion. No word yet on whether the Governator intends to comply."

An appeals court in Minneapolis, Minnesota has overturned a lower court ruling, finding that a group of seven "zombies" had been wrongfully detained during a 2006 shopping mall protest. The decision allows the zombies to continue with their lawsuit against police who arrested them for disorderly conduct. "An objectively reasonable person would not think probable cause exists under the Minnesota disorderly conduct statue to arrest a group of peaceful people for engaging in an artistic protest by playing music, broadcasting statements (and) dressing as zombies," the appeals court ruled.

27-year-old Angie Jackson has decided that it isn't inappropriate or in any way distasteful to live-tweet about her experience taking RU-486, also known as the abortion pill. According to Jackson nothing is off-limits on Twitter. "I don't feel like I'm doing anything different from what I do every day," said Jackson. "But now I have people calling me a killer; it's surreal."

After an unpleasant experience at her local cinema, Sarah Kohl-Leaf wrote an email to the theater complaining about her experience. What she got back was a profanity-laced tirade from the company's vice president. Parts of the letter include such customer service gems as: "Drive to White Bear Lake and also go [expletive] yourself," and "If you don't have money for entertainment, get a better job, and don't pay for everything on your credit or check card."

An anonymous reader writes "Professor Andy Miah notes there's already international government policies taking hold on outer space — and a need for new ethical guidelines. 'For instance, what obligations do we owe to the various life forms we send there, or those we might discover? Can we develop a more considerate approach to colonizing outer space than we were able to achieve for various sectors of Earth?' And what rights do astronauts have? 'Could our inevitable public surveillance of their behavior become too much of an infringement on their personal privacy?' But more importantly, professor Miah notes that 'the goods of space exploration far exceed the symbolic value,' pointing out that 'A vast amount of research and development derives from space exploration ... For example, the United Kingdom's 2007 Space Policy inquiry indicated that the creation of space products contributes two to three times their value in GDP.'"

@VentureBeat writes "Youtube pulled the original 'Rickroll' video Wednesday night. Don't worry, after a lot of email about the loss of such an important piece of cultural history, Youtube put it back up, saying that they're never gonna say goodbye to the video that's had over 30 million views."

Tampa police have decided to finally crack down on one of the biggest threats to our society, clowns and the people who dress like them. Tuesday afternoon, deputies observed Matthew David Lopez, who was wearing a clown mask with a bright red-and-orange wig, and a couple other Bozos walking down the street. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, officers arrested Lopez on charges of wearing a mask or hood on a public road after the age of 16 and resisting arrest without violence. He was released on $750 bail and a promise to perform at no fewer than two birthday parties.

the digital nomad writes "If you've had enough of your neighbor stealing your Wi-Fi connection or letting his dog s#%t on your lawn, there is now a better solution than suffering in silence with your brooding anger: leave your neighbor 'a message!' Passive-Aggressive Wi-Fi Hotspots let your networks say what you cannot. And if you're looking for some great name for your Hotspot, make sure to read this post by Gizmodo."

You can buy and sell actor or movie "stock" for virtual cash on the website Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX). Starting in April the company plans on letting you turn those movie performance predictions into real dollars. HSX filed with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission for approval as an active trading site in November 2008 and has just entered the final phase of regulatory review. Richard Jaycobs, president of HSX's parent company, said, "The number of people who visit movie theaters each year and form opinions about a film's success is in the tens of millions. We believe that's the reason the public response to this product has been very positive."

Finally, a channel that's down with the clown.

pastababa writes "At Tokyo Auto Salon 2010, a Honda Odyssey with 70,000 carats of sparkling Kyoto Opal on its entire surface is on display. Kyoto Opal is a new material, based on the same quartz grains as natural opal. By coloring Kyoto Opal artificially, a diverse range of hues can be produced. In addition, a variety of cuts can be achieved, overcoming the cracking and chipping that occur in natural opal. Kyoto Opal has been combined with Jewel Paint, a new coating technology in sheet metal coating and car customization. The result is the world's first gemstone-coated car. The Jewel Paint on the Odyssey cost about US$88,690 (not including the car itself)."

A Surrey theme park is looking for just the right stench for a new attraction, and that's why they need your pee. The park is offering a £500 cash prize to the person with the most pungent urine sample. In addition to the money, the winner's stink will be recreated and pumped into the new live action horror attraction, Saw Alive. Smells like a winner to me.

If 29-year-old world pole dancing champion Mai Sato gets her wish, her sport will finally get the non-sweaty attention it deserves. Along with many other dancers, Sato would like to see pole dancing become an Olympic event. Ania Przeplasko, the founder of the International Pole Dancing Fitness Association, thinks it's only a matter of time before you'll be able to watch pole tricks from the comfort of your living room. She says, "There will be a day when the Olympics see pole dancing as a sport. The Olympic community needs to acknowledge the number of people doing pole fitness now. We're shooting for 2012."