If you decorate with weapons, or just wish you did, Swords Online is your friend.

The theme of this year’s ACM SIGGRAPH conference gallery is synaesthesia.

Not especially work-safe. Probably photoshopped, but it would be cool if it were forced perspective.

From “Norovirus strain strikes long-term care, cruises: a novel, highly transmissible strain emerges.” from Hospital Infection Control, March 2003 v30 i3 p34(2), one finds several alarming features of norovirus, the virus formerly known as Norwalk-like virus:
While most of the data on gastrointestinal disease outbreaks is gathered assuming that the pathogen is spread by food, other information indicates that norovirus may be more easily spread from person to person, as indicated by how common it is in closed settings like cruise ships and nursing homes. This means that information gathered so far may not be terribly useful in controlling the disease.
The virus has a low infectious dose, multiple modes of transmission, and persists in the environment. Experimental research has indicated that immunity to the virus does not persist very long.
A fact sheet from the CDC indicates that the disease is contagious from the first indication of illness to anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks from recovery.
The virus can survive freezing, temperatures of up to 60 degrees C. and levels of chlorine in water that are higher than most municipal water system levels.
And in an interesting twist, people with type O blood may be most suceptible to infection.

"The disease … strikes where there is inadequate sanitation – mostly in hospitals and schools or on cruise ships." I was initially just going to post this with an appropriate note of resignation about the cruise I’m destined to take next year. Then I actually read the quote. Inadequate sanitation in hospitals? What the?

Tiny motors. Neat. The article does not mention Eric Drexler or the Foresight Institute.

Oooooh! Gawker looks just about my speed for gossip, despite the fact that I neither live in NYC nor know anything about anybody current. But I can use the Internet in my cave, ya know.

It really is a small world after all. And who left the door open? ‘Cause all the dogs seem to be outside now. Bonus phrase: "Cognitive itch"

Someone I know has recently completed training in hair balancing, which (as anyone who has seen me in the past few months can attest) is exactly what I need. Apparently there’s a long tradition of people afraid to get their hair cut. So I’m not insane, just traditional.
(Thanks to Ursula, whose Google fu kicks the shit out of mine, for the links)

We might be able to see some aurora hereabouts soon. More satellites might blow up, too. Since I’ve never seen the aurora from the ground (and my view from the air was along a distant horizon through foggy airplane windows), I might consider it a reasonable trade. But only if I actually get to see it.
Late addition: The flare itself. <breathless>Priddy</breathless>.
Later addition: It arrived sooner than expected, so I missed it. It was also north-pointing, and therefore less damaging. Also, less spectacular, generally speaking.