Getting baked before shooting AKs at the Taliban: a bad idea.

Wired defense technology blogger Noah Shachtman says, Smoking weed can improve your performance in all sorts of activities -- from playing reggae music to watching Battlestar Galactica to writing blog posts.

If you're an already ill-trained, semi-motivated soldier in the Afghan Army, however, spliffs are a particularly poor way to prepare for battle, as this little clip illustrates.. Link to post, which includes more happy fun stoner warfare video goodness. Hey, how do you say, "Duuuuuude... what?" in Pashto? Your answers welcomed in the comments.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/277798848/getting-baked-before.html

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Why we're powerless to resist grazing on endless web data

Lee Gomes of the Wall Street Journal writes that recent research shows that a brain rewards itself with a squirt of natural opiates when it comes across new information that requires interpretation. That's why, he concludes, people stay on the Web for long periods of time. What is it about a Web site that might make it literally irresistible? Clues are offered by research conducted by Irving Biederman, a neuroscientist at the University of Southern California, who is interested in the evolutionary and biological basis of the human need for information.

Dr. Biederman first showed a collection of photographs to volunteer test subjects, and found they said they preferred certain kinds of pictures (monkeys in a tree or a group of houses along a river) over others (an empty parking lot or a pile of old paint cans).

The preferred pictures had certain common features, including a good vantage on a landscape and an element of mystery. In one way or another, said Dr. Biederman, they all presented new information that somehow needed to be interpreted.

When he hooked up volunteers to a brain-scanning machine, the preferred pictures were shown to generate much more brain activity than the unpreferred shots. While researchers don't yet know what exactly these brain scans signify, a likely possibility involves increased production of the brain's pleasure-enhancing neurotransmitters called opioids.
Link

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/250380263/why-were-powerless-t.html

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Hairstylist shoots complaining customer

Lauren Newton, 28, of Washington, Pennsylvania, was getting her haircut at her stylist's home on Thursday when she complained about the way it looked. So the hairstylist shot her. Newton is apparently doing OK while the hairstylist, Monique Reed, is in jail on charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. From the Associated Press: Lauren Newton, 28, was getting her hair cut Thursday at the home of Monique Reed when the two began to argue about the style, police said. "She (Reed) went to the bedroom, got a gun, fired a shot in the ceiling," Police Chief James Blyth said. Newton, who was trying to flee with her sister, was then shot in the lower back, he said. Link (via Fortean Times)

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/248992993/hairstylist-shoots-c.html

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Zombies in TX on Night of the Living Dead's 40th

Man, it took me long enough to clean up the code that got transmitted along with this post from my mobile phone. Guess I won't do that again any time soon.

This one goes out to all my zombie-loving medieval-beast-fan friends.

Amy Cottrell says,


I just taped a large "zombie walk" yesterday in north Texas. It was in honor of the 40th anniversary of Night of the Living Dead. There were over 100 people dressed as zombies walking down a busy street in front of a mall. I got some great pics and a video, which I posted here. They were actually walking up to a local horror con, which had George Romero and the entire Living Dead cast as guests. A good time was had by all.

BlackBerry Desktop Manager Coming to Mac? Let's Hope!

OK, so we have to mark this as pure speculation and rumor right now, but when I read the following forum post I just couldnt help but get warm and fuzzy feelings inside (and Im sure all you other Mac users will feel the same way!) and just had to share it in the blogs:

"RIM working on a program for Mac users
Hi all. Spoke to a T-mobile BB rep yesterday and he told me that the BB rep was just in there and let them know that RIM is working on a new Desktop Manager for Mac. Finally!! Also, he doesnt know when it will be ready, but RIM feels that more people are going toward the Mac and so they feel its worth it to come up with a DM for the Mac. Lets hope its for real!!"

I hope this rumor turns out to be fact, and sooner than later. Its one of those things you just know someone at RIM MUST be working on. CTIA is coming up at the end of March...man o man would that be a great announcement from RIM - BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac. My fingers are crossed, though Im guessing its more likely to be announced at CTIA 2009 vs. 2008. :-)

http://crackberry.com/blackberry-desktop-manager-coming-mac-lets-hope

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Kansas high school official: woman "cannot be put in a position of authority over boys"

St. Mary's Academy (25 miles northwest of Topeka) won't let women referee boys basketball games. The Kansas State High School Activities Association said referees reported that Michelle Campbell was preparing to officiate at St. Mary's Academy near Topeka on Feb. 2 when a school official insisted that Campbell could not call the game.

The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy's beliefs.
Link

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/235107745/kansas-high-school-o.html

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Wiener poopie ransom note for Jesus

Jean Mansel of Kent County, Michigan called the news media last month after an 80-pound cement Jesus statue was swiped from her front yard and a ransom note left in her mailbox. The ransom note read, "We are holding Jesus ransom until you clean up the poopie from your wieners and trust us we see you take your wieners for long walks without picking up their poopie in our yards. This has upset us dearly so please clean up all the weiner poopie, if you want to see Jesus unharmed. Sincerely, Lindy Lane Residents." The story was featured on CNN. The statue has since been returned. Apparently, it was not taken by a neighbor, but rather a family member. From WZZM13: "It has to be a young person because they put these lines around Jesus, no adult is going to waste their time doing that," (Mansel said before the statue was returned). "And referring to weiner poopie…my gosh."

Jean has four wiener dogs and admits there was a complaint last year about their leavings. But she says she's cleaned up every pile since.

"I take my dogs for walks; I carry a plastic bag with me and pick up anything that they do. I thought something like that would be safe in our yard, it wasn't, it wasn't."
Link to YouTube video, Link to WZZM13 article (Thanks, Naomi Pescovitz!)

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/231085682/wiener-poopie-ransom.html

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