Octopuses have recently been observed carrying coconut shells and using them as portable hiding places. It's said that this is the first recorded case of tool use among invertebrates.
It wasn't so very long ago that we thought tool use was what separated us from the animals, but it turns out there's quite a bit of it out there. Plenty of species stand poised and ready to fill our shoes when we finally screw everything up for good. Which is sort of grimly encouraging.
Even back in the day, when people really did send around e-mail chain letters, I generally declined to participate. But I'll have to make a sort-of exception here, because the penalties for not participating in Ze Frank's video chain letter are so very severe.
I don't know for how long, but for the moment, the short film Validation can be watched online in its entirety (flash video). "Its entirety" in this case being only 15 minutes or so. Try and watch the whole thing without smiling. I dare you.
Clay Shirky gives an interesting talk on just how much brainpower is frittered away every day, and how the internet may, by tempting people into donating even a little of it, produce some astonishing projects.
World Of Goo is an inexpensive indie game for the Nintendo Wii and the PC that has recently been released to ecstatic reviews. There's a free demo for the PC available. I tried it and I really liked it. So this this guy:
If I'm lucky, someone will get me the full game for me for Christmas this year. Hint hint, my broodlings.
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WIDGETIZE