Today is DOOM's birthday! Brace yourself: the grand old game is nine(!!) years old today. Wowser!

I managed to knock myself offline for a good bit yesterday when simply rewiring the LAN here at the Blue Tower... I think I may have some flakiness in my hub, there doesn't seem to be any other explanation consistent with what's been happening (basically I can't figure out why I was offline then but am back online now).

While I was acquiring some new cables for this rewiring project (if only I'd been prescient enough to pick up a new hub), I happened through a Target (pronounced, of course, tar-jay) and found the most amazing thing. They are selling a product called the "electrostorm," which is one of those globes that you plug in and the interior fills with little visible electric beams which will focus towards any portion of the globe that is touched from the outside. I'm not doing a great job of describing this, but if you saw it you'd recognize it from science class and science fiction movies as a pretty familiar sort of exotic prop. Anyway, the amazing thing here is just how much the prices have changed on some things over time, because this item, which assuredly would have cost hundreds of dollars in the not-too-distant past, was all of $19.99!! This is definitely worthwhile for those of us who can't seem to get the technique down for Creating a Plasma Ball with our hands (thanks Fletch).

Play Time:	The Hounds of Zeus's Soccer Ball Game. Thanks =Gambit=.
Link of the Day:	A Woman’s Guide on How to Pee Standing. Equal time from yesterday. Thanks -=(Maverick)=-.
Stories of the Day:	Marvel Comics to unveil gay gunslinger. Thanks [PIT]SlayerAODsk. Man saved by condiments. Thanks Keith.
Wild Science:	NASA: Water, water everywhere on Mars. Thanks Mike Martinez. GPS may provide early earthquake warning. Thanks [MP] Wolverine [MP].
Weird Science:	A Mighty Wind Against Waste. Thanks Severian.
Is it Science?	Genesis World Energy. Thanks Eric Rose. Related Cartoon: Dilbert.
Image of the Day:	Eeeek!! Thanks Ant.
Auction of the Day:	1988 Hovertechnics Hovercraft. Thanks Chris Johnson. Eels not included.