Hugh Pickens writes writes "The Denver Post Reports that a biologist at Colorado State University has re-engineered plants so that they can detect explosives, air pollution and toxic chemicals, signaling the presence of potentially deadly vapors by turning from green to white. 'If you take something into Denver International Airport, like an explosive for a plane, my plants are going to turn white,' says June Medford, who developed the system. 'That's going to get the security guys on you.' Military and Homeland Security research directors say they envision wide applications for the genetically modified plants positioned in buildings, war zones and cities where terrorists could set up covert bomb-making factories and add that strategic placement of the plants could help reach a goal of deploying a decentralized, nationwide system for detecting explosives. 'Our hope is if these plants could be located ubiquitously, we might be able to detect explosives at the point they are being assembled,' says Doug Bauer, the Homeland Security explosives research program manager. 'You would have a much greater opportunity for first-responders to interdict and disrupt that activity.'"

Hugh Pickens writes "A suicide bomber's plan to detonate explosives in Central Moscow on New Year's Eve was foiled when she received an unexpected spam text message that caused her deadly payload to blow up too early. A message wishing her a happy new year came hours before the unnamed woman was to set off her suicide belt near Red Square, an act of terrorism that could have killed hundreds of people. Islamist terrorists in Russia often use mobile phones as detonators. The bomber's handler, who is usually watching his charge, sends the bomber a text message to set off the explosive belt at the moment when it is thought they can inflict maximum casualties."

suraj.sun writes "According to a Fox News report: 'Drug smugglers trying to get marijuana across the Arizona-Mexico border apparently are trying a new approach — a medieval catapult, capable of launching 4.4 pounds of marijuana at a time. National Guard troops operating a remote video surveillance system at the Naco Border Patrol Station say they observed several people preparing a catapult and launching packages over the International Border fence last Friday evening. The 3-yard tall catapult was found about 20 yards from the US border on a flatbed towed by a sports utility vehicle, according to a Mexican army officer with the 45th military zone in the border state of Sonora.'"

KermodeBear writes "Dungeons and Dragons — originally Satan's Game — has now been found to encourage gang-like behavior. In a finding by a three judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, D&D 'can mimic the organization of gangs and lead to the actual development thereof.' From the ruling: 'during D&D games, one player is denoted the "Dungeon Master." 'The Dungeon Master is tasked with giving directions to other players, which Muraski testified mimics the organization of a gang.'"

talljamesnixon writes "Fancy starting up your own secure ISP? A bomb-proof Cold War nuclear bunker like the ones that hosted The Pirate Bay and WikiLeaks has come on the market for just £400,000 ($635,000). Situated several metres under the rolling hills of Scotland, the Cultybraggan bunker cost £30 million to build, has space for 150 staff and includes its own BBC studio, canteen, telephone exchange and dormitories."

dbune writes "Two Tennessee men were arrested after they allegedly kidnapped one of the men's son-in-law over some stolen jewelry. The victim was beaten and finally freed him in exchange for a neighbor's Xbox 360. The victim was able to reach his mother-in-law and she spoke to a neighbor who suggested they trade his Xbox 360 valued between $400 and $500 in return for the release of the kidnapped victim."

siliconbits writes "According to ITProPortal: 'Semiconductor giant Intel has announced that it has hired music artist Will.i.am as Director of Creative Innovation, which is a new post as far as we know. Will.i.am is one third of the popular music group, the Black Eyed Peas, and emulates the like of Lady Gaga, who is partnering with Polaroid to produce some groovy products.'"

24-year-old Cal Walsh has put his aerospace engineering degree to good use by becoming the Lego Czar at The Legoland Discovery Center in Texas. Walsh beat out over 100 other Lego lovers for the $37,500 starting salary, and the chance to play with blocks for a living. From the article: "The 15 finalists were given an hour to design something that defined them and their interests. Walsh applied his engineering skills to build a spaceship, a unicycle and a running shoe that spelled out his first name. He gave credit to the children spectators at the event, who offered suggestions on what pieces to add to make the designs more interesting."

An anonymous reader writes "A woman in her 60s was recently apprehended by Israeli airport security when she tried to smuggle 44 iPhone 4s into Israel by hiding them in her stockings under traditional Georgian garb. From the article: 'Upon being approached by security personnel, the woman claimed she wasn’t feeling well whereupon airport security offered to accompany her. But first, she had to pass through a full body scanner. It was then the authorities found buried underneath layers of traditional garb that the woman was carrying at least 44 iPhones on her person.'"

An anonymous reader writes "Dubai's dubious building boom has spawned a new architecture of unparalleled excess — one needn't look further than the desert region's ski slope, refrigerated beach and proposed ice cube lodge to find proof. However as of late the emirate's blustery building pace has lost its muster, and the latest mega-project to go south is The World, an archipelago of manmade islands modeled after the seven continents that seems to have sprung a leak. According to a new report issued by a property tribunal, the crumbling series of ill-fated isles is sinking like Atlantis into the sea."

If the strain of constantly typing emoticons is killing your fingers, and you've been reprimanded at work for typing :-( when you meant :-) the Emoticon Keyboard may be the answer to your prayers. The tiny keyboard connects via USB and ensures you'll never type the wrong emotion again. The only flaw I see is the lack of a giant LOL key.

The Redditch Borough Council has come up with a brilliant plan to save money heating the public swimming pool. They plan to let the local crematorium do it. If the proposal goes through, the Abbey Stadium Sports Centre will be heated from the furnaces of Redditch Cemeteries & Crematorium. From the article: "But local people have expressed concerns at the proposals, branding them 'eerie'. Simon Thomas, of Thomas Brothers Funeral Directors, said: 'I don't know how comfortable people would feel about the swimming pool being heated due to the death of a loved one, I think it's a bit strange and eerie. I'm not comfortable with it at all and I think trying to save money due to the death of someone's family member or friend is a bit sick. I think it will cause uproar and may even put people off using the facilities which would lose the council money." I guess this is one way to get the goth kids swimming.

angry tapir writes "Pope Benedict XVI Monday gave his blessing to social networking, urging Catholic Internet users to adopt a respectful Christian netiquette when spreading the Gospel online. The pope said new technologies were creating unprecedented opportunities for establishing relationships and building fellowship but warned against creating false online profiles out of vanity or diluting the Christian message to achieve popularity."

New research suggests that in addition to being one of history's cruelest conquerors, Genghis Khan may have been the greenest. It is estimated that the Mongol leader's invasions unintentionally scrubbed almost 700 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere. From the article: "Over the course of the century and a half run of the Mongol Empire, about 22 percent of the world's total land area had been conquered and an estimated 40 million people were slaughtered by the horse-driven, bow-wielding hordes. Depopulation over such a large swathe of land meant that countless numbers of cultivated fields eventually returned to forests. In other words, one effect of Genghis Khan's unrelenting invasion was widespread reforestation, and the re-growth of those forests meant that more carbon could be absorbed from the atmosphere." I guess everyone has their good points.

20 years after the fall of communism the United Russia party wants to ask the Russian people if they think Vladimir Lenin should be buried. Unlike the US, where we would put the body in a house with other famous dead people, and let the TV audience vote on who gets buried, they've decided to put up a poll. From the article: "It is not clear whether the government intends to abide by the outcome of the United Russia party's poll, but Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said that the fate of Lenin's body will in the end be decided by the Russian people."

The USDA demands that something labeled "ground beef" contain at least 70% beef, and if you're going to call something "taco filling," it must contain "at least 40 percent fresh meat." The Beasley Allen law firm claims that Taco Bell doesn't follow these guidelines, and has filed a class action suit against the restaurant chain. According to the firm, what Taco Bell is marketing as beef only contains 36% meat. Sadly, the firm made no comment on the actual composition of Nachos Bellgrande.

wdef writes "From the Wall Street Journal: 'Chariot, a 1,500-pound, single-humped camel with spittle hanging from his lips and pompoms in his tail, just won the first-ever beauty contest at Turkey's annual camel fighting competition. According to the pageant's four stony-faced judges, Chariot had better muscle tone, prettier adornments and a more elegant tail wag as he strutted along a catwalk of rugs to the sound of Turkish pipes and drums last weekend. Plus, they said, he had exceptionally good teeth.'"

iadude writes "Gena, a 14-year-old crocodile at an aquarium in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk, has been refusing food and acting listless after eating a cell phone dropped by a woman as she tried to photograph him. From the article: 'Aquarium workers initially didn't believe Rimma Golovko, a new mother in her 20s, when she complained that the crocodile had swallowed her phone. "But then the phone started ringing and the sound was coming from inside our Gena's stomach and we understood she wasn't lying," said Alexandra, an employee who declined to give her last name as she wasn't authorized to speak publicly.'" Things just got twice as dangerous for Captain Hook.

dbune writes "Young people who argue with their parents over wearing the same pair of smelly jeans can now cite the work of a 20-year old University of Alberta student who wore the same jeans for 15 months straight. From the article: 'Josh Le wore the same pair of jeans to break in the raw denim, so it would wrap the contours of his body, leaving distinct wear lines. He had his textile professor test the jeans for bacteria before washing them for the first time. The results showed high counts of five different kinds of bacteria, but nothing in the range of being considered a health hazard."

cylonlover writes "At this week's SHOT Show in Las Vegas, TASER introduced its TASER Wildlife Electronic Control Device (ECD) that has been developed as an alternative tool for less effective methods of animal control used by wildlife professionals like chemical or acoustic repellents. The wildlife specific model is a three-shot, semi-automatic that can deliver a pulse from up to 35 feet (10.6 m) away and is designed for use on large animals like bears and elk."