This New York Times article outlines how the store Target learns about (and tracks) your shopping habits, and uses this information to try to change them (encouraging you, naturally, to shop at Target more often).

The link I found to this article clearly indicated that I ought to find it all a bit creepy. And I wanted to. I wanted to believe that this showed how evil and manipulative corporations are. Instead, it’s all a bit fascinating.

It’s about statistics, trends, human behaviour and careful observation. Rather than thinking that Target is doing something awful, I just feel … fascinated.

I’m going to hell, aren’t I?

Photo by Theo Gosselin. Found at Illusion 360.
Webcomic is Sleep draw, by Anne.

It turns out that attractive female passengers get singled out to go through those body scanners at airports. Colour us at the Big Bad Blog surprised – we could never imagine airport security agents abusing their power like that.

No, wait. This is exactly what we thought would happen. Instead, we would like to congratulate America’s TSA on meeting our extremely pathetic expectations.

Photo found at FFFFound. Origin unknown.
Webcomic is Three Word Phrase, by Ryan Pequin

First photo is from Flying Mouse 2007 on Flickr.
Second photo is from Junkculture, and is one of a set of images where Alex Gross converts old photos into pictures of superheroes.
Webcomic is The Magnificent Whatever, by Jeff Hencz.

Caffeine is good. Caffeine is great.

In caffeine we trust.

Owl tattoo found at The Lumberjack Special, by Cornelis 7.
Webcomic is Martin, angry owl, by Amy.

MIT has long been pretty awesome. They post course materials online, allowing anybody (in effect) to virtually audit a large number of their courses.

This year, it’s set to get better. MIT is unveiling MITx, designed to improve this experience, adding interactivity, online laboratories, grading of completed work, and certificates of completion (amongst other things).

All of this will continue to be free.

Bravo, MIT.

Image is sunlight in her eyes, by Masha Sardari.
Webcomic is Buttersafe.

While I absolutely love and adore my Kindle, there is an associated moment of dread.

OK, it’s a moment of annoyance.

It’s that moment when, prior to takeoff, a flight attendant taps me on the shoulder and asks me to turn the thing off. Not just the wireless, but the whole damn device, as though it’s going to bring down the airplane if left on. The claim always seems ridiculous — the amount of power being used by a Kindle is miniscule; there’s no way it creates enough interference to cause any problems on the airplane.

Or so I believe. Lacking any of that stuff that we call proof, all I can do is meekly turn the thing off and stare sadly out the window.

Until now. Tests have been carried out, and there is no way my Kindle could cause the airplane to malfunction. In fact, it is even less dangerous than devices that are allowed. (Those devices are allowed because they are not dangerous at all).

So, next time I am asked to turn off my Kindle, prior to meekly turning it off, I will ask why. And jot down the answer, and plot the letter I will later write while staring sadly out the window.

Never cross a flight attendant on an airplane. That’s just bad news.

Photo of Corsair fighter firing on Okinawa, from Wikipedia. By U.S. Marine Corps, 1945.
Webcomic is Scenes From a Multiverse, by Jonathan Rosenberg.

We have new candidates for “worst criminal of the year”.

In this case, the thieves accidentally dialed 911 while the phone was in their pocket, and then proceeded to discuss what they had stolen, what car they were driving, and where they were going to sell it.

Well done, gentlemen. With only five days left in the year, you’ve got the inside track for the prize!

Photo credit unknown. Found at The Lumberjack Special.
Webcomic is Gods of the Moon, by Jesse Tahirali.

What would you do if you were hit by a car, and a guy in a Superman costume came to your rescue?

Tell him to fuck off, right?

Wrong. He’s a doctor.

Superman Facebook image origin unknown. Found at FFFFound.
Webcomic is Wondermark.

Robots are, at this moment, swimming across the Pacific Ocean. I’m not sure how this figures into their plans for world domination.

Photo from the Underwater Mermaids Show at Weeki Watchee Springs Florida, in 1966, found at Vintage Gal.
Webcomic is Robbie + Bobby, by Jason Poland.

As far as crimes go “Amish beard-cutting attacks” stands out there pretty well as the sort of thing that finds itself covered in the Morning Coffee.

Throw in the fact that the Amish beard-cutting attacks were (allegedly) perpetrated by the Mullet family, and we can hardly be expected to ignore it.

Photo of women being arrested for wearing one-piece swimsuits found at half a bubble off plumb.
Webcomic is Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.