Las Vegas man sues attorney for $38 quadrillion.

Highway jam in China enters its 9th day, spans 100km. [Thanks Michael] More: 10th day.

A couple in France, who were attending a family burial, were horrified when they stumbled across the grave of their son they thought to be alive and well.

A man went about his business for about five years without noticing he had been shot in the head because he was drunk when it happened.

British pop singer commits suicide at Belgian music festival after playing in front of a sell-out crowd.

Man solves Rubik’s cube skydiving in inflatable boat.

1-in-4 grown men travel with a stuffed animal.

The Department of Justice is seeking to hire linguists fluent in Ebonics to help monitor, translate, and transcribe the secretly recorded conversations of subjects of narcotics investigations, according to federal records. Ebonics is listed as a “common language” spoken solely in the United States.

Child abuse declines nationally in spite of economic deterioration.

Two hundred members of a Chinese family are reportedly changing surname because the character used to write it is so rare computers do not recognise it.

Venezuela, more deadly than Iraq, wonders why.

Neuroscience of Murder and Aggression.

When it comes to our own pleasure, we like having a choice, but when it comes to utilitarian goals, we’re just as happy being told what to do, according to a new study.

Do new neurons go through a critical period and then retire, never to be used again?

Ketamine, a general anesthetic usually administered to children and pets, is also highly effective in low doses as an anti-depressant, according a recent study. “It’s like a magic drug - one dose can work rapidly and last for seven to 10 days,” said Ronald Duman, senior author of the study.

The Mystery of the Tainted Cocaine. What’s a drug used to deworm livestock—a drug that can obliterate your immune system—doing in your cocaine? Nobody knows.

Optical illusions fool us because they violate our assumptions about what we see. Cognitive Inferences and Optical Illusions.

Chances of E.T.s Increase: Remote Solar System Found, a Bit Like Ours. Related: Why have UFOs changed speed over the years?

Solar system older than estimated.

The Moon is shrinking and crinkling, say astronomers. Related: Photo of the Earth and Moon taken from 114 million miles away.

Tetsuro Matsuzawa has spent 30 years studying our closest primate relative to better understand the human mind. Related: Observations of chimpanzees and dolphins strengthen the notion that humanlike intelligence may not be uniquely human.

‘Zombie ants’ controlled by parasitic fungus for 48m years.

Anticipation of pain makes it hurt more, even days later.

Unusual Foreign Bodies Removed From Patients.

It’s the most common gynecological surgical procedure in the US: Over 600,000 hysterectomies are performed annually.

Are Mammograms Safe?

Who are you calling ‘hipster’? Consumers defy labels and stereotypes.

Rembrandt Aging and Sickness. 8 self portraits were analyzed and assessed medically and artistically with modern techniques such as graphic software. An objective and subjective description of the artist’s aging physiognomy was performed and published.

Infidelity Has Different Meanings In Different Cultures.

Walking to school doesn’t just build character. A group of researchers conclude that even a one-mile walk to school reduces stress levels and blood pressure in students, compared to sitting on a school bus or being squired by Mom.

Predicting when the crushing forces in crowds are likely to become dangerous is a task that looks beyond current techniques.

In order to be competitive, companies can go overboard in trying to come up with creative designs for the loyalty reward programs. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, some of these designs can lead to unintended consequences.

Patterns of Individual Shopping Behavior.

Why do consumers disclose sensitive information to shady-looking websites?

The online disinhibition effect has cost people their jobs, their income and their relationships, yet many are still oblivious to it.

Psychological research on Twitter reveals who tweets, how much, what they talk about and why.

The Future of Internet Search.

What’s It Like to Be a Tourist in North Korea?

Mozambique is being ravaged by an epidemic of spirit possession.

Americans, plugged in and on the move, are confiding in their pets, their computers, and their spouses. What they need is to rediscover the value of friendship. The poet Kenneth Koch laid out the problem in verse: You want a social life, with friends. A passionate love life and as well To work hard every day. What’s true Is of these three you may have two.

If you think that your favorite coffee shop is a great gathering place for discussion, you should have been around in the Ottoman Empire starting in the 1550s. Patrons engaged in gambling, taking drugs, meeting with “young beautiful boys,” as well as performing or watching entertainments such as puppet theatres, storytellers, and musical and dance performances.

How to cook a bolognese sauce.

What’s the origin of the suit designations on playing cards?

Nerds want to show off their non-social skills, and so require social games so that there are others who can observe their impressive performance.

David McCandless turns complex data sets (like worldwide military spending, media buzz, Facebook status updates) into beautiful, simple diagrams that tease out unseen patterns and connections. [TED video]

How much is left? The limits of Earth’s resources.

Janelle Ward studies the last statements from those on death row.

Every minute, diarrhea kills three more children.

Black and White People Furniture - Red House Commercial. [Thanks Glenn]

latfh.com [Thanks Tim]

every day the same again | August 24th, 2010