May 30, 2007

Bomb squad disables suspect sex toy: Here's a top tip for those of you thinking of sending battery-operated sex toys via the Royal Mail: take out the power source before popping the package in the post, or you might enjoy a more explosive climax than anticipated.

This piece of advice comes via the BBC, which reports that Post Office staff in Hasland, Chesterfield, alerted the bomb squad after detecting a suspiciously-noisy parcel. The street was duly sealed off for an hour and a half during which the chaps disabled the offending device in a controlled explosion....full story from The Register

May 28, 2007

New Zealand scientists breed cows that produce low-fat milk: New Zealand scientists are breeding a herd of cows that produce lower-fat milk after the chance discovery of a natural gene mutation in one animal.

Milk from the cows is also high in health-boosting omega-3 fatty acids and makes butter that spreads as easily as margarine even when chilled, biotechnology company Vialactia said Monday....full story from The International Herald Tribune

May 26, 2007

Hunter, 11, bags a half-ton pig: An 11-year-old Alabama boy killed the King Kong of wild boars - bringing down a 1,051-pound pig after a three hour chase.

"It wasn't Wilbur," the junior hunter, Jamison Stone, told The Post....full story from The New York Post

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Water Torture: A top New York City official conceded for the first time yesterday that it might be necessary to shut off water to residents who don't pay their bills.

Budget Director Mark Page said the shut-offs - a power city officials have been reluctant to use - might be required, along with other stern measures, to force scofflaws to pay up....full story from The New York Post

May 23, 2007

Free computer virus finds willing victims: Computer specialist Didier Stevens put up a simple text advertisement on the Internet offering downloads of a computer virus for people who did not have any.

Surprisingly, he found as many as 409 people clicking on the ad saying "Is your PC virus-free? Get it infected here!" during a 6-month advertising campaign on Google's Adword, said the IT security expert....full story from Reuters

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German cops will track G8 crusties by their smell: German police are compiling a Stasi-style "scent bank" database of potentially violent crusty protesters against global capitalism, according to reports.

An article in today's Guardian, dated from Berlin, reports that federal prosecutors confirmed German media reports of the polizei B.O. files yesterday. Reportedly, the German feds are worried about known troublemakers creating havoc at next month's G8 summit meeting....full story from The Register

May 21, 2007

Exploding Curry Menaces 747: Forget binary liquid explosives, a British Airways stewardess has shown how it's really done by popping her curry ready meal into a 747's club class microwave, with explosive results.

The spicy blast - caused by the supermarket-bought nosh's inability to withstand the might of the double-strength airborne microwave - provoked crew on the Heathrow to Miami jaunt to deploy a fire extinguisher "to douse the blazing oven"....full story from The Register