Bad singing - it's in fashion again!

William Hung is a plucky 21-year-old U.C. Berkeley engineering student who tried out for American Idol and was kicked off halfway through his audition. His first album was released last Tuesday:

William Hung: Racism, Or Magic?

Here's Wing (sorry, not Wings). For your own protection, limit yourself to one of any of the following songs:

Photoshop of the week:

The Tao Te Ching - an updated translation for the 21st century. "If you can talk about it, it ain't Tao. If it has a name, it's just another thing."

Wooden-cone speakers will be hitting the market - they have a wider and smoother frequency response than conventional speaker technology. Here's the story of how this breakthrough was achieved after 20 years of work, thanks to sake!

"NEC Develops Fastest Rechargeable Battery"

This sucker recharges fully in 30 seconds!

"The share of the economic pie going to wages and salaries has plummeted to just over 50%, its lowest level in at least the past 50 years, and perhaps longer."

And the top 50% of families own 95% of assets:

"Americans are increasingly resorting to stomach-shrinking surgery so much so that health experts and insurance companies are becoming alarmed":

"Dodgy Patents Rile Tech Industry"

A rundown on the more questionable patents granted of late:

"For the IRS There's No EZ Fix"

The story behind the IRS' $8 billion modernization project, which has chewed up three CIOs in seven years:

The McCollough Effect

You're more adaptable than you think. Check it out! This visual effect basically reprograms your neurotransmitters. Don't worry, the effects shouldn't last longer than a day...

Kids can now pretend they're hunting shoe bombers with the Playmobil Security Check-In set:

Is this true? The radiation in Iraq (via depleted uranium bombs) is now equal to 250,000 Nagasaki bombs?

Last month saw the first arrest made possible by routine U.S. monitoring of email traffic:

Aspiring filmmaker? Make your own Steadycam (camera stabilizer) for $14:

A good review of a new book that refuses to take sides - it's about David Chain, the first casualty in the war between environmentalists and the timber industry in Northern California:

"Scotts Testing Genetically Modified Grass"

Bioengineered weed-killer resistant grass is being tested on golf courses. Unless trimmed regularly, it may flower and spread to public areas:

"Disaster looms if Greenland's ice cap melts"

Scientists say that ice may begin to melt before the end of this century:

"Easy-to-use unit converts scrap wood to electricity"

Studies show that Guinness is actually very healthy for you!