I learned today it's a good thing I don't teach elementary school. One hour volunteering in Sara's classroom during "centers" and I was ready to blow. They do. not. shut. up

Bwahahahaha! I tell Owen's teacher every week when I volunteer in the classroom that they do not pay her enough for what she does.

Creepy but interesting: A pinhole camera made from an old human skull.

B&N just called to tell me that they have the new color Nook available. i put my name on the waiting list on tuesday and was told it would probably be three weeks, which i was okay with since i really technically don't have the money for it. now it's available and i'm all grabby hands. to be fair though, i wouldn't really have any more money in three weeks than i do now. i was planning on using Christmas money to buy it. so...do i charge it? or do i wait and act like a responsible adult? *siiiiiiiiiigh*

Native Americans visited Europe 1000 years ago

Five centuries before Columbus reached the Americas, Vikings briefly settled on the northern tip of Newfoundland. Now the DNA of four Icelandic families reveals it wasn't just Europeans traveling to the Americas...at least one Native American went back with them.

Eleven modern Icelanders carry an unusual variant of mitochondrial DNA known as C1e. This particular variant is very closely related to those found in Native Americans but practically unheard of in Europe. Mitochondrial DNA is only passed down by the mother, so the common ancestor who originally possessed the C1e must have been a woman.

Research shows all these people are descended from generations of Icelanders, meaning the mitochonidrial DNA can't have come from a relatively recent immigrant. Indeed, based on Iceland's centuries of isolation, the only real way to account for this finding is that a Native American woman lived and had children on Iceland about 1000 years ago.

Of course, that fits perfectly with the known Viking expeditions in the Americas, but until now it was thought it was only Europeans who made the voyage across the Atlantic. Now we know at least one Native American woman made the trip, and it's possible future DNA research will reveal more Amerindians came with her.

Now I wish we knew this woman's story - it'd be fascinating....

Oh, man, tommyrot, I'm going to be dreaming about that woman tonight.

Is Scola still around? Because, {{{{{Scola}}}}}

That is such an interesting story!

I'm sorry, Tom, and I hope that the long-term effect is a positive one, even though right now, it is anything but.

I don't know if things immediately jump to "stopping" -- I assumed it's more "let's talk to that person a little more and doublecheck their ID," or something else that 1) is still part of SOP and 2) isn't humiliating and invasive. Because the same thing would also happen to people acting oddly because they're afraid of flying, or they're tired, or whatever. That's fine.

I know that it happens in US airports often enough (as it's happened to my brother) that I doubt it's any worse there, as well.

Interesting book review: Book Reveals Ninja Way of War, From Throwing Stars to ‘Hearts and Minds’

Were Japan’s legendary ninjas the world’s first Special Forces? Seems so, based on the vignettes in the snappy new nonfiction book Ninja Attack!, written by husband-and-wife team Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt, with illustrations by Yutaka Kondo. Like today’s commandos, Japan’s ninjas were skilled warriors, clever tacticians and, most importantly, subtle when they needed to be and culturally savvy all the time.

Forget the black masks, throwing stars and obscure martial arts of Hollywood ninjas, the authors stress. The real deal — a class of stealthy fighters that dominated Japanese warfare for a thousand years starting in the 7th century — would do “whatever it takes to get the job done.” If ninjas were still around today, “it’s hard to imagine them sticking with a vintage sword and chainmail instead of, say, an assault rifle and a bulletproof vest.”

Tom, I hope that your therapy session helped, even though it was tough.

Laura, have you ever lived in France?