For our 1996 book of future forecasts, Brad Wieners and I asked chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov when he thought a computer might beat him or another human chess master. Kasparov… Read the rest of the article: Daniel Dennett on chess, Kasparov, and Deep Blue

Smithsonian magazine looks at the history and tradition of hula and its reemergence from the 1950s and 60s Hawaiiana boom that threatened to turn the beautiful dance into a kitschy… Read the rest of the article: Hula renaissance

A two-headed calf was born at the Hamstra Dairy farm on Tuesday but was euthanized yesterday. The calf was named Blinky because all four of its blinked simultaneously. According to… Read the rest of the article: Blinky, the two-headed calf, RIP

Instructables contributor mcraghead posted a guide to carving an entire life-size skeleton from five pumpkins. From step #1, "Pumpkin Shopping": Finding the right pumpkins can be quite a challenge. You'll… Read the rest of the article: HOWTO carve a pumpkin skeleton

Duke University researchers have genetically engineered mice that exhibit symptoms similar to those associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and then successfully reversed the behaviors using antidepressants and gene therapy. At… Read the rest of the article: Creating and stopping OCD in mice

Zacharia Smith, 18, of Cincinnati, Ohio was hit by a train as he walked across the tracks on Monday, but fortunately survived. The gates were down. Witnesses report that Smith… Read the rest of the article: SMSer hit by train

Spectacle, by designers David Rockwell and Bruce Mau, is a photobook documenting massive communal experiences, from the Kumbh Mela in India (above right) to a NASCAR race (above). It came… Read the rest of the article: Spectacle: book of mass gatherings

Deputydog posted a great selection of "13 of the worst fake accents in film," including YouTube clips where available. Readers have suggested dozens of others in the comments, which is… Read the rest of the article: Worst fake accents in film

As South American rain forests are cleared away to make room for livestock pastures, vampire bats in the area are increasingly attacking cattle. The bovines are easier prey than the… Read the rest of the article: Vampire bats attacks on cattle rising

Bruce Gray is a sculptor in Los Angeles who has created everything from giant insects to model motorcycles to this massive hunk of Swiss cheese all from metal. From Gray's… Read the rest of the article: Giant hunk of metal cheese

The popular TV drama "Bones" is based on the novels of Kathy Reichs, a working forensic anthropologist and professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Reichs… Read the rest of the article: Interview with Bones inspiration and novelist Kathy Reichs

Researchers used a protein injection to wipe out a long-term memory in rats. The scientists at Insrael's Weizmann Institute of Science and the State University of New York conditioned the… Read the rest of the article: Erasing long-term memories in rats

MIT researchers have designed a software tool that measures "visual clutter." According to the scientists, the system could someday help designers create better displays, maps, and data visualizations and steer… Read the rest of the article: Visual clutter detection

Today's New York Times has a fascinating article about a recent scientific symposium on the "Magic of Consciousness." Organized by the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness and staged… Read the rest of the article: Magic and the brain

The cover story in the current issue of medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases (subscription only) is "The untapped potential of virtual game worlds to shed light on real world… Read the rest of the article: Virtual pandemics

Arm Spirit, a Japanese arm wrestling arcade game, has been recalled after breaking the arms of three players. From the Associated Press: "The machine isn't that strong, much less so… Read the rest of the article: Arm wrestling arcade game breaks limbs

My brother Rick Pescovitz just snapped this photo at a Shell gas station in Cincinnati, Ohio. Odd display: Skittles, Starburst, Reese's Pieces, and rubbers. Life is sweet. Click image to… Read the rest of the article: Candy and condoms

A new scientific study suggests that drinking caffeinated coffee or tea may protect memory and reasoning for women over 65 years old. Scientists from the French National Institute of Health… Read the rest of the article: Caffeine may keep elderly women sharp

Dominick Rao, a custodian at a Hackensack Fair Lawn, New Jersey school, is suing the school district claiming that his co-workers served him LSD-laced pizza at a party. He alleges… Read the rest of the article: Janitor sues for LSD dosing