The Ten Most Absurd Time Magazine Covers shows the kind of idiotic scare-mongering that most of the media moguls love. This is well worth reading.

This page has some good, basic financial advice from Yahoo.
For example, change your oil every 5000 to 7500 miles instead of every 3000. That is what most engines are designed for and you will save $60 to $100 a year.

Imagine this...
The year is 1909. One hundred years ago. Here are some statistics for the Year 1909 :

The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower
The average wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.
Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard.'
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhoea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !
I am now sharing this with others and it can be seen all over the WORLD - all in a matter of seconds!
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

This is an incredible find in Vero Beach Florida.
An ancient bone with carvings means humans were active in south Florida right at the end of the last ice age.

And here's another little taste of ancient history:
Space Pilots by Willy Ley
There are just a few scans to show the lovely format and graphics of this bit of late 50s nostalgia.

Some of my favorite reading during my formative years were Big Little Books. I have a dozen left in my collection and decided to scan and share the cover art.

I think some of us might enjoy the memories.

My good friend, Anthony Stevens attended BaltiCon this weekend and just sent me some pix and a short video clip.
Take a look at the neat costumes.

There has been an interesting gathering of security people including politicians, police, military and homeland security people this past week. They gathered on capital hill to discuss the possible future of security and what sort of tools might be useful.
The Washington Post has an article on it.

There was a young lady named Bright
who could travel much faster than light
She went out one day
In a relative way
And returned on the previous night.

Real soldiers are becoming very attached to their robot warrior brothers. And this surprises people why?

How's this for a remarkable idea? Concrete that is flexible and able to heal itself after being bent or damaged has been developed and is undergoing trials for structural use.

Gas Powered La-Z-Boy At Oshkosh Flyin 2005 from Hafast on Vimeo.

It looks like the Chinese are going to take the lead in stem cell research. A new company is offering treatments for a lot of afflictions that are considered untreatable here in the US.
There is a comment about extending life expectancy to 120 years plus. Although most of us would welcome that, it does bring up a lot of questions as to where we're going to put all those extra people.
More info here:

This unmanned helicopter system uses a sniper rifle in a turret and is controlled with an XBox360.