Another Lotus blossom.

What do you think of it? Sexy? Boring? Whatever the case may be, it is the first new Lotus in 13 years.

Thank you!

A major Thank You to all of our readers and contributors! In a short time, our readership will have surpassed 20,000! Thanks so much, and here’s to many more!

こんいちは！

My Intensive Japanese class starts tomorrow for Summer Session. I’ve got 30 Hiragana under my belt… and much more to come. Wish me luck!

Soon.

Top Gear Series 11… yes, it’s really happening.

Good ol’ Andy Wilman (Top Gear’s producer) sent me (and millions of others) an email this morning, and it’s primarily about the Top Gear gang getting together to brainstorm for new ideas.

At 10.30, half an hour after the appointed start time, James rang and said he was lost, going round in circles in Watford. Jeremy meanwhile, in honour of the brainstorm, had brought along a laser pointer for the power point presentation, with which he managed to blind the waitress bringing in the tea and coffee facilities.

Humor aside, there are several juicy details concerning the upcoming season.

Wesley Snipes goes to prison.

The famed Wesley Snipes has been sentenced to prison, and for once, it’s no Paris Hilton-esque stint: he’s going for 3 years.

It was Denzel Washington and not Wesley Snipes who recently played the “American Gangster,” but perhaps it should have been the other way around; Snipes was sentenced to prison on 3 counts of misdemeanor Tax Evasion… in other words, he didn’t file 3 returns. Interestingly, 3 years is the maximum sentence for such a crime.

“The Sims” sells the most.

It was always one of my favorite computer games. And now, 8 years after its original release, “The Sims” has sold 100,000,000 copies. That’s a whole lot of CDs.

AP writes of “The Sims:”

It has been published in 60 countries and 22 languages. Its creator, Will Wright, is one of the video game industry’s best regarded brains — though he’s no longer involved with the title.

Of course, the 100 million mark is only reached if console versions of the game are included in the count. This puts it in second place for the best selling video game franchise of all time. Who’s number one, you ask?

Explosives found at UC Davis.

Upon waking up this morning, I was greeted by the news that some Freshman had been caught with explosives at my school.

Apparently Mark Woods, a 19-year-old from Southern California, had two pipe bombs and a supply of several explosives-making chemicals in his dorm room. He resided in Tercero, the Freshman dorm, which was quickly evacuated when the guy was arrested.

No similar incident has happened at any other UC, at least not in recent years. When we Aggies say we want to be #1, this isn’t exactly what we have in mind.

A short article on the subject can be found from the AP.

Woz speaks… again.

Steve Wozniak isn’t known for playing nice with the company he co-founded, Apple Computer.

In fact, the Woz has said some downright upsetting things about Apple and Apple products in the past; amazingly, however, he’s still regarded as a veritable god by the Cult of Mac, a title that’s decidedly hard to keep when you’ve been known to criticize the Macintosh. Still, Wozniak is known for his old-school tech savvy (he designed the Apple I & II - the latter of which was extremely popular in the 1980s and still holds a cult following) and his down-to-earth, honest mentality - qualities which allow him to speak frankly about Apple and Apple products without being demonized by the Mac faithful.

He’s got some things to say about two of Apple’s newer products, the Macbook Air and the iPhone, and… well, they aren’t exactly kind words.

Straight from the source.

Addicted to international relations? World news junkie?

Many of you may be surprised to know that the United Nations Daily Briefing is available everyday, online, at no cost.

Surely, it’s the finest way to keep abreast of world affairs, without relying on AP!

And for all of you who are really particular about getting authentic reports… it’s also available in French (une langue officielle de l’Organisation des Nations unies)!