It's (almost) official: Futurama in talks to return to TV

Variety is reporting that 20th Century Fox is in talks to bring Futurama back to the air. The DVDs came out a few months back and sold like hotcakes. Then Futurama became of one the top rated shows in reruns on the Cartoon Network. Then, when Comedy Central snapped up the next round of syndication, 20th Century Fox could not longer ignore the evidence - the demand for Futurama is there and the fans are asking for more!

Taking on 9/11 Conspiracy Theorists

Popular Mechanics has up a GREAT article which answers all of the conspiracy theorists who have sprung up around the events of 9/11. If you have not heard from some of these folks, then chances are you have not been on the Net or turned on a radio since that fateful day. Many claim the events were in service of an attempted military coup, others that the "planes" were actually missiles, and still others that the WTC was taken down by controlled explosions. This article answers each conspiracy with the testimony of experts who have studied the events... and in some cases with the words of the actual people that conspiracy experts claim gave them their "exclusive information."

No GooglePC, Not at Wal-Mart

This report indicates that both Google and Wal-Mart have denied rumors of a dirt-cheap Google PC to be announced this week at CES. That just about clinches it... but it doesn't mean I don't hope it is true.

We learned yesterday it is easy to find two identical slush pellets

Unexpected Katrina Side-Effect: Puppy Baby Boom

Apparently, the unexpected consequences of Hurricane Katrina continue to surprise residents returning to the storm-torn area. The newest discovery? All those pets left behind after the storm did not die. Instead, with fences blown away and no one around to say "No," they rediscovered the joys of doggy marriage.

Puppies are popping up everywhere amid the rubble left by Hurricane Katrina — and animal welfare workers on the northern Gulf Coast fear it is only the start of a big boom in dog births...About 300 animals had to be euthanized in November at the shelter, High said, but all were too old, sick or aggressive to be adopted. New owners have adopted 378 other dogs and cats.
As many as 75 new animals arrive daily, and there's no immediate end in sight.
"It's frustrating," said High, who has worked every day but Thanksgiving since Katrina. "The phone does not stop ringing."

Another reminder to spay or neuter your pets. At the moment, this baby boom is producing much cuteness and adoptability. But in a few months, these puppies will be old enough to begin having to fend for themselves. And those are the conditions that lead to packs of wild dogs.

Search Flickr by Sketch

It is no secret that I am a big fan of Flickr and its ability to allow you to share pictures with the whole world (and especially the part of the world that includes your friends and family). But the problem is, when you want to find a certain picture, if it should be one without a useful title or tags, there may be no way to locate it. Well, enter Retrievr -- a tool that lets you SKETCH the picture you are looking for, and it will find matching pictures for you in the Flickr database.

Of course, I am hampered by a COMPLETE lack of drawing skill. But it is still fun to play with.

Free up space on your Mac with Freeware

This is a great collection of applications that can help to free up space on your Mac laptop or desktop. Apple computers tend to keep their value much longer than Windows PCs - especially if you max out the RAM - but a major limiting factor for future growth can be the hard drives. Programs seem to bloat much faster than ever these days, and while you can pick up a cheap external HD to help with desktops, it is hardly convenient for an on-the-go laptop. These may help squeeze out an extra year or two from your old laptop. (Even your new laptop if you want to pack it to the gills with encoded movies for a trip.)