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."

But she'd been using it for a year and a half.

An anonymous reader writes "Homeopathic remedies work no better than placebos, and so should no longer be paid for by the UK National Health Service, a committee of British members of parliament has concluded. In preparing its report, the committee, which scrutinizes the evidence behind government policies, took evidence from scientists and homeopaths, and reviewed numerous reports and scientific investigations into homeopathy. It found no evidence that such treatments work beyond providing a placebo effect." Updated 201025 19:40 GMT by timothy: This recommendation has some people up in arms.

An anonymous reader writes "Hundreds of Star Wars fans descended on a shopping center in Bristol, UK for what has been dubbed 'the world's largest lightsaber fight.' Bristolian Jedis brought their imitation weapons to the shopping center to take part in a 'flashmob,' a seemingly spontaneous event that was organized over the internet."

I want it to recognize the sound of one hand clapping.

mobileworker writes "If you don't like your bags being out of your sight and it makes you uncomfortable to think that airline workers are rifling through your stuff, you should read this article by Jason Fitzpatrick of Lifehacker who explains how you can take advantage of the TSA's own security rules by — eek — packing a gun. You can alternatively decide to have your luggage shipped to your destination by FedEx, UPS or US Postal Service ground shipping. It's cheaper than having them checked with the airline, and you can be sure that you'll have them delivered, and on time!"

At the end of every week Michael Hanley leaves his job in Kansas and starts his 530 mile trip back to his home in Wisconsin. After the local GM plant closed down, his family couldn't afford to go without his $28 an hour job or his health insurance. Now Hanley drives over 1,000 miles round-trip weekly with his brother and two brothers-in-law who find themselves in the same situation. "I like to say I gave up an eight-minute commute for an eight-hour commute," he says.

Instead of lining up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat, Florida officials have decided to open a season for hunting pythons. Anyone who has a hunting license and gets a $26 permit can kill the snakes from March 8 to April 17 on state-managed lands around the Everglades in South Florida. In addition to the non-native pythons, hunters are encouraged to kill any green anacondas and Nile monitor lizards they might find.

When residents at the Bethesda Retirement Center asked the Life Enrichment Director if they could all take a trip to the Evil Olive, a local biker bar, she did what any responsible person would. She got hairstylists, make-up artists, a professional costumer and a tattoo artist to help make the residents look tougher, and drove them to the bar. “These women were serious, man,” said Evil Olive General Manager Eric Bollard. “They showed up with pink hair and skull caps. It was for real. One woman walked straight up to the bar and ordered a Dirty Martini. It was great.”