RendonWI writes "Nutritionists have long warned of the perils of hot dogs: fat, sodium and preservatives to name a few. Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics wants foods like hot dogs to come with a warning label not because of their nutritional risks but because they pose a choking hazard to babies and children."

Shaneco writes "The hero and the villain. It's the age-old formula that pervades today's reality TV showdowns, the shenanigans of professional wrestling and cinematic classics like Star Wars. Tech is no different, with its passionate heroes who balance profit with innovation and social responsibility, and the money-mad, egomaniac villains who simply cannot be trusted. Here's a slideshow of tech's good guys and bad guys."

Hugh Pickens writes "The Telegraph reports that an an 'obsessed' American couple, Josh and Ting Li, have become the first to marry inside one of the technology giant's stores saying "iDo" at the city's Apple store on Fifth Avenue, at 12.01 on Valentine's Day in a ceremony dominated with the company's products and references to them. A video shows that the pair, who met in the Apple store, had their priest, dressed as Steve Jobs, read their vows from their iPhones while the rings were tied to a ribbon wrapped around a first generation iPod. Mrs Ling, dressed in a strapless wedding dress, had her vows written on a card that said 'I love you more than this' followed by a picture of an iPhone. 'We got to know each other because Ting was looking to buy an iPod and I managed to strike up a conversation that way,' says Mr. Ting. 'I used to joke that the Apple Store is my church because I am not religious, and I loved everything Apple.' No word on where the couple honeymooned although some say they may have remained in The Big Apple."

Being unable to pay your bills is a terrible feeling, but it could be worse. You could be in debt in Spain. Instead of harassing phone calls or threatening letters, Spanish debt collectors are using public shaming to get their money. Some of the things the debt collectors have tried include: sending a man in a tuxedo and top hat who follows you around everywhere, and men dressed up like superheroes who ask your neighbors to help you out of your bad financial situation. One of the biggest collection agencies, El Cobrador del Frac, which translates to "The Debt Collector in Top Hat and Tails," employs more than 250 shame collectors. Mr. Granda El Cobrador del Frac's manager says, "The government and justice system don't do anything ... and people think they can get away with anything. We are here to do public justice. I see us as sort of Robin Hoods. We are helping honest clients get their rightful money back. I do not feel sorry for these professional debtors. I feel sorry for our clients who have to close their businesses and whose families might go hungry because these bad people don't pay."

xkcd really hit the nail on the head today.

jasper_amsterdam writes "The Daily Mail has a story about a study looking into women's preference for men. More specifically, about how women say they want one kind of man, but really want another. From the article: 'Most women claim to be attracted to tall, dark and handsome men, but a new study has revealed that facial stubble and a geeky personality are their biggest secret turn-ons. Despite complaining that it looks unkempt and feels rough to touch, the unshaven look on a man is actually a turn-on for 41 per cent of women. A slightly geeky personality came second, proving that women really do like a guy who knows their stuff when it comes to technology. A hairy chest was voted third, followed by a man who loves to read or cries at a soppy film.'"

In a screw up so big it could only be brought to you by the government or a famous athlete, 243 guns were lost by Homeland Security agencies between 2006 and 2008. 179 guns, were lost "because officers did not properly secure them," an inspector general report said. One of the worst examples of carelessness cites a customs officer who left a firearm in an idling vehicle in the parking lot of a convenience store. The vehicle was stolen while the officer was inside. "A local law enforcement officer later recovered the firearm from a suspected gang member and drug smuggler," the report said.

The state of Florida has delayed Rusty Cole's tax return for back child support of a child that was born in 1995. The problem is Mr. Cole was born in late 1987, making him seven years old at the time of the child's birth. Phone calls and office visits to state officials yielded no results, but an email to Governor Charlie Crist has led to a promise of straightening the records out. Just in case the allegations are true, let me be the first to say, that-a-boy Rusty!

The greatest action movie ever made. Written by a 5-year-old boy.

paiute writes "Matt Karolian, a Marketing Communications major at Emerson College in Boston 'won' a netbook in a Microsoft re-tweet competition (whatever that is). Then the prize arrived, and it was not exactly the high-quality major award he had expected from Microsoft."

astroengine writes "In 1965, the first manned Gemini mission launched, carrying Gus Grissom and John Young into space. Obviously unimpressed with the NASA rations they had in the spaceship, Young whipped out a fresh deli-bought corned beef sandwich while in orbit. Although surprised, Commander Grissom had a bite of the sandwich and both astronauts commented on how strong it smelled. This high-jinx landed Young in some hot water however, annoying NASA, Congress and the media. But the pair did learn something valuable from the experience: deli sandwiches fall apart in the absence of gravity."

beefsprocket writes "RFID tags are not new to libraries. Neither is 3M as one of the larger providers of the Checkpoint circulation and self-checkout system. What is new is a library discarding their current working system used for over 500,000 items because the vendor refuses to submit a required Nuclear Free Disclosure Form (PDF). The specific form is required for anyone wishing to do business with the City of Berkeley per the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act of 1986. This reverses a 2008 exemption that the Library applied for to be able to work with 3M."

Swiss men with weak hearts don't have to worry about visiting brothels anymore. Prostitutes in Switzerland are being trained to use defibrillators in case their clients give out while they're giving it up. There have been so many heart attacks at brothels in the Lugano area recently that owners say defibrillators, and people trained in their use, are needed. The owner of one sex club said: "Having customers die on us isn't exactly good publicity."

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft has revealed that it RickRolled users that were killing its TechEd conference Wi-Fi network last year by torrenting large files. Network administrators at the event quickly built a list of all of the top torrent trackers around and got the nod to add them all to the local DNS resolver and point them at a local Web server containing some Rick Roll scripts. According to the admin: 'It killed me that I didn't see anyone getting done by this first hand, but there were hundreds of impressions in the server logs containing the Rick Roll scripts so I did get a fair amount of satisfaction at least. It was the most evil of evil Rick Roll scripts too — worse than any that anyone has used to get me in the past.' Fun and games aside, it looks like the leechers will force quotas and traffic shaping for the first time in the event's history."

Jonathan Springston, a longtime writer for Atlanta Progressive News was recently fired because his vision of fact-based reporting didn't match his boss's. A statement released by his editor, Matthew Cardinale, said Springston was asked to leave, “because he held on to the notion that there was an objective reality that could be reported objectively, despite the fact that that was not our editorial policy at Atlanta Progressive News.” While I appreciate the editor's honesty, I have to wonder about the wisdom of guiding your news organization into the philosophical position that objective reality does not exist. Talk amongst yourselves.

State Sen. Chris Buttars has a great idea to cut Utah's $700 million deficit, make senior year optional. The senator told the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee that many students just waste time during their senior year and that getting rid of it would save $102 million. "You're spending a whole lot of money for a whole bunch of kids who aren't getting anything out of that grade," he said. "It comes down to the best use of money."

kkleiner writes "Terri Carlson is willing to marry you for your healthcare. This 45-year-old woman suffers from a genetic condition, C4 Complement Deficiency, which causes her body to attack itself (similar to Lupus). Faced with skyrocketing health costs, and unable to get insurance (she's currently on COBRA), Terri did the only thing she could do: she built a website and got on YouTube. Carlson's situation challenges the courts under a statute already on the books: GINA. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 keeps insurance companies from using genetic data to deny you coverage."

Cytotoxic writes "What to do with all of those leftover Valentine's Day chocolates? — a common problem for the Slashdot crowd. The folks over at Wired magazine have an answer for you in a nice article showing how to measure the speed of light with a microwave and some chocolate. A simple yet surprisingly accurate method that can be used to introduce the scientific method to children and others in need of a scientific education."

Alton Towers theme park has officially banned a squirrel from riding one of its roller coasters. In addition to loving the rides, the thrill-seeking rodent, nicknamed "Sonic," is also accused of stealing food from workers. Morwenna Angove, sales and marketing director at the Alton Towers resort, said: ''Unfortunately Sonic's behavior is a danger both to our guests and himself and so we're doing all we can to ensure that he stays away from the ride." The company is also considering a ban on crocodiles riding the log flume, and ending its popular porcupine bumper car night.

Have you heard the one about the airport security screener who made a handicapped and developmentally delayed 4-year-old take off his leg braces and lurch through the metal detector? It's hilarious! The kid has malformed ankles and very low muscle tone in his legs due to being born 16 weeks prematurely. His parents thought he would like to visit Disney World for his birthday, but the kid's custom-made leg braces made the metal detector go off at the airport. The TSA agent refused to let the kid pass until he took off the braces and walked through the machine unaided. This is a joke, right?