So I've got some nasty cold-like thing which has settled into my chest and is making it hard to breathe and harder to concentrate. I'm afraid I don't have any coherent contribution for my blog today.

Lost Submarine found, a sad tale of the war and its costs.

Tea in war? My first thought was, "there's hope for the human race yet," but then I read about the reaction of Lebanon and Hezbollah, including the arrest of the base commander who allowed the tea to be served. *sigh*

Bad working conditions for iPod manufacturers... but Apple is doing something about it.

Holy Chocolate!

Wow, yet another use for eBay.

Slashdot reports that the ruling about warrantless spying by the NSA being unconstitutional could cause a lot of grief for the telecoms who went along with the program. Good. There's a perfectly legal way to spy on terrorists, which involves getting a warrant from a secret court (FISA). If companies don't get served a warrant, they shouldn't give away our private information to the government. Period. They deserve massive penalties if they did give up data without a warrant.

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #64.

Mary Worth vs the Annoying Aldo.

Marvel and DC on digital piracy.

The new War on the CAPS LOCK key. For a less dramatic solution, you can just disable it (I just did on my computer, and now I have two left shift keys).

New definition of "planet" is just odd. Maybe. Be sure to read Bad Astronomy's take, as he explains things very well.

The Dorothy folks have learned that their book is going to be featured in a TV commercial that hopefully will air during Smallville.

Gen Con fun, including a flood, which has now been immortalized in Full Frontal Nerdity. Also check out the Invisible Board Video he links to.

Even Ken Jennings agrees that Garfield is dead.

Pay it Forward. Via Garrett.

Artist Trading Cards. Neat idea. Via MetaFilter.

Earthsea Animated.

Gee, airport security really works, doesn't it? Maybe, just maybe, putting massive restrictions on people doesn't help at all. Maybe it's real policework that actually finds terrorists. You know, like the police work done to stop the latest batch of wannabe suiciders?

Animaniacs Volume 2 already. That was quick.

Russia vs Japanese fishermen.

50 Coolest Websites according to Time Magazine.

I don't feel secure, do you?

I was about to buy Devin Grayson's controversial novel Inheritance when it suddenly occurred to me to look it up in the local library system first, so I could read it before buying. Especially since the discussion on it has me a little... wary.

Then I was thinking about buying DMZ by Brian Wood, but since the library doesn't have it, I put it on inter-library loan instead (since they usually buy books I put on inter-library loan for some reason).

When the new Harry Potter book comes out, I'll be on top of the list for getting it from the library (for the last book, they had them ready for people who put holds on them the day the books officially shipped, and I was one of the first to read the Harry Potter from the library). I've got the last Lemony Snicket book on hold, too.

Hubby-Eric and I get most of our movies from the library system. We sometimes have to wait a few months, but the price can't be beat and you can keep the movies out a full week. I usually check out books before I buy them now, which hasn't reduced clutter, but it has saved us money.

I hope we don't end up moving too far away. I really like the King County Library System. Give me high-speed internet and a good library nearby, and I'm happy.

First Sony puts illegal rootkits on people's computers in the name of DRM. Then we find out that they made the exploding batteries that forced Dell into a massive recall (and other companies, too, Dell wasn't the only company affected by Sony's bad batteries).

Think it's time to stop supporting Sony?

Castle Waiting Hardcover has Great Sales.

Robin Williams as Jon Stewart.

RIAA stops suing dead man. The RIAA vs People Blog weighs in.

Google is not a verb. Unless you are a computer user. Is this a fight Google can win?

A complete listing with reviews of William Sleator's books. William Sleator was one of the first authors I ever met. He had just turned in Singularity to his publisher when he came to my school, and he read some bits for us, and told us about a phrase he would have changed. I highly recommend reading a few Sleator books, just for his slightly twisted view of the world. The ones the reviewer likes are the ones I enjoyed, overall. I really need to read most of the rest.

Blogger is updating. I'm not sure I like what I see, but since the service is free I'll deal with it.

Cool Crop Circle! I tend to believe crop circles are manmade, and whoever made this one deserves some applause. See also the pig circle. Via Museum of Hoaxes. And, as long as we're on the subject, there's a Firefox Crop Circle, but this one is definitely manmade, as there is a journal of how they didn't in the links.

And lastly, if you have any spare luck, please send it to my husband, who has a small handful of job interviews over the next week. Fingers crossed and prayer weasels are spinning...

The Great Dell Battery Recall is on. My battery isn't on this list, so I'm hoping that I'll be fine.

Yup, I guess they are. This is yet another reason I hate to drive.

Dorothy gets a display at a local library.

Oh, I can't wait to get a good look at this book, which I ordered through our comic shop. I hope it hits the shops soon...

Poor Advertising.

The Tick vs Season One will be missing one episode.

Getting around airport security with a book to read.

Read the pirate comic embedded in The Watchmen without reading The Watchmen. Graeme tells you how.

Wizard fires convention staffers. Hmmm.

15 Websites that Changed the World.

A philosophical snark about the portrayal of men vs women in comic books.

Layne Toth's Wizard World Chicago Report.

The Wilhelm Scream. I'm mildy surprised at all the places it is heard. Even in a TARDISode.