The Native Americans shot first.

Hmm, if I'd just acquired a couple of hotshot Nazi engineers capable of turning out an aircraft with "technology more advanced than anything the U.S. Army Air Forces had ever seen", obviously the first thing I'd do would be to crash the prototype in New Mexico as part of a subtle plot to destabilize the US by scaring…

It's not unusual for new species to come to the attention of scientists by showing up in the local market. The Annamite Striped Rabbit [en.wikipedia.org] and the large-antlered muntjac are two recent discoveries that were first seen on the menu.

On the downside, those temperature-sensitive teeth mean that sharks can never enjoy ice cream straight out of the freezer.

$10 billion sounds like a bargain: anyone want to set up a Kickstarter project?

I fiercely loathed "Starship Troopers" the first time I saw it, because it just seemed loud and dumb. Then I watched it again by chance as part of an all-night Verhoeven-fest, and suddenly noticed that there was a lot more going on, particularly in the form of the running wry commentary on authoritarianism and…

Now I have to go back to my copy of "Discipline & Punish" to find out whether Foucault had anything to say on the subject: given that bedwetting apparently touches on so many issues that he discusses, including control, boundaries and discipline of the body, it practically deserves a chapter all of its own.

Isn't there a danger that people may further contract the money supply by taking BitCoins out of circulation, hiding them in a BitSock under their BitBed?

"We have reason to believe that man first walked upright to free his hands for masturbation." — Lily Tomlin

Please note: despite the similarities, snake venom should not be used as a substitute for ketchup. It will not make your burger taste better, and - unlike real ketchup bottles - the containers tend to get all cranky when you shake them or hit them.

"Zombie Mona. She's back ... and she's not smiling any more. At a cinema near you from Friday."

For more on this subject, see: [www.penny-arcade.com]

Misread that as Bartertown. Interest diminished once I realized my mistake.

From the article: "Camping incorrectly identified 1994 as the year that the world would end"

Strictly speaking, only 294 years are missing. Starting in late 614AD, the whole of humanity got massively drunk on cheap mead and spent the next year doing a lot of things they later regretted. The subsequent hangover and cleaning up phases lasted until almost 617AD, after which everyone agreed that they couldn't go…

There are a growing number of sites of this kind. My own favorite is currently My Web of Trust ([www.mywot.com] which seems well thought-out and already has a large number of reviews. Other contenders are McAfee's SiteAdvisor ([www.siteadvisor.com] and Norton's Safeweb ([safeweb.norton.com]

I suspect that the core problem - large numbers of autonomous programs each guided by highly localized self-interest - may spread to more parts of our world than just the stock market. The potential for positive feedback loops generated by unanticipated interactions is considerable. In the market, the more…

You wrote: "There could be just a few active simulation inhabitants, with the rest of the world filled with "non-actor" or NPC characters controlled by the computer."

Fine summary. In my view, "Pitch Black" is much the best of the movies, not just for the psychology of the characters but for its use of light and dark (literal, not metaphorical). When the characters emerge from the darkness of the wrecked ship into the glare of the sunlight, your eyes narrow reflexively. It's tricks…

This artist's impression of Vesta illustrates some other unusual properties of the planetoid: [upload.wikimedia.org]