http://www.10zenmonkeys.com Your source for technology culture, internet phenomena, politics, interviews and entertainment Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:57:03 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en We're starting to brush up against real robots, real nanotech, and maybe even the first real artificial intelligence. But will emerging technologies destroy humankind — or will humankind be saved by an emerging transhumanism? And which answer is more liberating? If anybody knows, it's R.U. Sirius. The former editor in chief at ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2009/06/30/transhumanist-salvation-or-judgment-day/ reddit_url='' reddit_title='[TITLE]' It been nearly three years, but one victim has finally successfully sued an infamous Craigslist prankster who published the private emails received in response to a fake sex ad. Now for the first time, the court's "John Doe" has agreed to tell his own side of the story. "The message is ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2009/05/07/how-i-sued-a-craigslist-sex-troll/ His blog at RFJason.com disappeared, and one anonymous Livejournal comment claims that "he hasn't made contact with anyone for weeks. Even his accomplices don't know what's going on." (Though his personal blog at LiveJournal is still up — with its old tagline "Getting away with everything you can only ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2009/05/07/20-funniest-reactions-to-the-jason-fortuny-verdict/ reddit_url='' reddit_title='[TITLE]' There's a problem with sexual information from the top medical web sites. It's wrong. "Even widely trusted sites like WebMD are not that accurate when it comes to adolescent reproductive health," says Dr. Sophia Yen, a Stanford University Med School instructor in Adolescent Medicine. She conducted an online review last summer and ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2009/05/06/researcher-finds-bad-sex-information-online/ Dr. Sophia Yen, a Stanford University Medical School instructor, believes the following six medical facts about sex are the ones most often overlooked or reported incorrectly by medical sites on the web. 1. Emergency Contraception is available over the counter. In most states that's for women over the age of 18, ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2009/05/06/top-six-inaccurate-sex-facts-on-the-web/ Hardcore Lord of the Rings nerds will get a little somethin'-somethin' on Sunday to help them through the Middle Earth drought until Jackson's production of The Hobbit is released. But let's be real. This internet-only production isn't a "fan film." Rather, it's a vehicle for a crew of young, talented ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2009/05/01/will-the-hunt-for-gollum-satisfy-true-fans/ reddit_url='' reddit_title='[TITLE]' The following is an excerpt from Everybody Must Get Stoned: Rock Stars on Drugs. The book was inspired by Paul McCartney on Drugs, an article I wrote for 10 Zen Monkeys in January of 2007. In researching this particular section, I relied heavily upon two great sources: Please Kill Me: The Uncensored ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2009/04/21/eight-druggiest-rock-star-stories/ reddit_url='' reddit_title='[TITLE]' It's been over a year since cartoonist Nicholas Gurewitch entered semi-retirement. But he's working on a movie, a TV show — and he even made a surreal appearance on a Fox News interview show. And he's left behind a message for his fans, tucked away in plain sight in the ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2009/03/30/what-happened-to-the-perry-bible-fellowship/ Did the woman who sang "Unpack Your Adjectives" ever get together with the guy who sang "I'm Just a Bill"? It turns out the answer is yes! Sort of... Blossom Dearie was an occasional singer on Schoolhouse Rock, and so was Jack Sheldon, who sang the gravelly-voiced conductor song Conjunction Junction. ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2009/02/09/blossom-dearies-conjunction-junction-romance/ Super Bowl ads were always violent, but Sunday's game cracked the mold. Men were exploding, electrocuting, and — in one unaired spot — buying porn at gunpoint. PETA wanted to broadcast sexy models performing near-fellatio with vegetables, but the day belonged to the dudes. Some were big, some were stupid — but ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2009/02/02/five-most-violent-super-bowl-ads/ "For 15 minutes, America turned its gaze from the guy who landed the plane in the river to the guy who landed the country in the ditch," joked Jimmy Kimmel — adding that “White House decorators are busy right now peeling the glow-in-the-dark stars off the ceiling in the presidential bedroom.” ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2009/01/21/bushs-last-day-10-ways-america-celebrated/ reddit_url='' reddit_title='[TITLE]' What was Christmas like with Hitler? The answer comes from a Michigan communications professor, who's created a disturbing web collection showing the Third Reich's attempt to convert the holiday into military propaganda. But Christmas of 2008 also finds authentic reminders of the Nazi era turning up on eBay and ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/12/23/christmas-with-hitler/ He's the biggest kid, with the biggest toys, and he loved Christmas like he loved life — a little too much. Maybe Elvis will wander into a truck stop this Christmas Eve, toting his gun and demanding a peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich. But if not, we can celebrate the holiday sharing six ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/12/22/elvis-presleys-strangest-christmases/ reddit_url='' reddit_title='[TITLE]' It's easy to hate Christmas: the endless forced good cheer, the media-driven consumer frenzy, the It's a Wonderful Life fantasy dissolving into a Married... with Children reality. But no matter how bad your holiday is, rest assured that it could have been far worse. 1. Family Discord. Home was definitely not ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/12/19/death-at-christmas/ digg_url = \''; reddit_url='' reddit_title='[TITLE]' I always sort of liked Timothy Leary, but I never took many drugs and never really read any of his work. I've sat through a few videos in which he came off as a good-natured eccentric — spaced out, but with a sharp sense of humor. This book ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/12/17/timothy-learys-new-book-on-drugs/ reddit_url='' reddit_title='[TITLE]' Susie Bright screamed naked. The Santa Cruz-based author belonged to a Facebook group called "I will walk out my front door naked as soon as Obama wins!" America went a little crazy on Tuesday night, finding a diversity of wild and wonderful ways to celebrate or to protest Obama's historic ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/11/10/20-wildest-reactions-to-obamas-victory/ A 20-something reporter from Tennessee said she teared up after voting today. She said she was proud of our president — finally, for the first time in her adult life. And as I drove to Oakland, it was obvious she wasn't the only one. One city over, a crowd of ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/11/05/oakland-celebrates-obamas-victory/ The web has resurrected a rare alternate ending to a 1986 musical about a monstrous, blood-sucking plant. The spectacular 24-minute sequence shows an army of giant plants rampaging past city skyscrapers, overturning cars, swallowing railroads, and demolishing New York City, Godzilla-style. The U.S. army discovers the plants are bulletproof, and as helicopters flee, the plants swarm ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/10/31/lost-horrors-ending-found-on-youtube/ Thursday Google unveiled a new design for its iGoogle homepage service. Unfortunately (according to one geek), it's "a big unwanted piece of crap." In an email interview today, Google defended the changes. But Google won't let users switch their home pages back to the way they used to be, which has ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/10/19/the-great-google-rebellion/ A lot of people have said "I don't know if it's fair to look at Sarah Palin's sexuality the way people are — I just don't know if it's sexist or appropriate. Why can't we just treat her like a human being?" Okay, I'm going to tell you why ... http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/10/02/why-palins-sex-life-matters/