Three really good sites to keep an eye on at the moment are www.newscientist.com, www.popsci.com and www.ted.com

They're all bursting with really really interesting stuff, the sort of stuff that's a little bit hard to make yourself watch without checking your facebook in the middle but its worth it, really. (the internet has definitely shortened my attention span...)

Here are a few choice articles and videos that I've enjoyed the most:

British Amputee Cat First to Get Bone-Grafter Exoprosthetic Paws


this is so cute.. and, frankly, should have been done years ago. I caught a program about pioneering vetenary surgery on pets that is using artificial knee joints and stuff, but they were saying how been doing it to humans for decades, why not animals? e.g. RACEHORSES?

(I'm leaving out the whole ethical business here but in terms of pushing boundaries its all hunkydory)

Chatroulette Plans Penis-Recognition Algorithm to Block Pervy Users




so so so funny. This is best appreciated if you have spent an evening on chatroulette, where you will discover that 3 out of 4 people just turn out to be a guy having a wank. Penis recognition software?? seriously? I loved the comment of one guy who said

‎"Why do I get the impression that these same wierdos will start to dress up their penis in odd costumes to bypass the software?"

Incidentally the picture is from possibly the best south park episode ever, which deserves a blog in itself.

Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world



this is a good'un, its about all the faffing we do on the internet in our spare time and what it can be used for. It's also interesting because he basically explains how we are more generous in a social contract than in a monetary one.
It's nice to hear people talking positively about the internet for a change. He says how all our new technology has revealed how generous we are as a race and how much we enjoy sharing.

Dan Gilbert asks, Why are we happy?



This one really got me thinking. Its basically about how we have two types of happiness, synthesised and natural, and how in society we PERCEIVE synthesised happiness to be inferior to natural - BUT IT ISN'T!!! Because when we 'make do' we are actually happier than when we get what we 'want'... I found it really relaxing cos it was like, you'll be happy no matter what happens to you.. But sabine said it made her all nervous like if you understand this video you will be happy

Jonathan Harris: the Web's secret stories



Last one from TED. Another corker about the internet. It's not that great but what I love about it is the visualisation of information, which is something cropping up an awful lot at the moment with google maps and iphones and stuff.

Time Lords discovered in California




OKAY so it's not really about time lords, its about synaesthesia and I LOVE SYNAESTHESIA, I do kind of wish I had it.. I'm always on the look out for new combinations of senses to check whether I have any of my own wacky little eccentricities.. 'even numbers ARE warm coloured!!!' and so on
So these people see time, mostly in circular shapes like one woman has a calendar thats a circle around her body. I get that, because in my head the yearly calendar is like a clock layed flat.
But anyway imagine being able to see time!? reminds me of Donnie Darko with the tube coming out of his stomach.

There's tonnes of other stuff but to be honest the best place to find this sorta thing is on Derren Brown's blog or his twitter - sounds mental but he is ridiculously busy finding interesting articles, I can't keep up with him.
I'm going to sleep now, got a horrible cold but a day off tomorrow and its set to be a scorcher. Toodles!