@lloydchristmas1391: I like that Russian Roulette analogy! As far as I know from reading about similar ones, these type studies are done exactly as you describe.

@Greetings-I-come-from-afar: If you haven't been watching the news today, they have been engaged in a cross border artillery duel.

@Darius_Roberti: Keep the TV, you can always use it as a bigger monitor for your computer.

@HK-47: Have you ever seen the movie The Arrival starring Charlie Sheen? It's very much like that, the aliens are here, and they are encouraging/enhancing global warming because they like it hot. Not sure if they are reptilian, but they are weird. Here's some further info:

@Honu Harry: Good point! Let's not forget that said sky being made mortal is also schizophrenic. One of his personalities is made mortal to die as a sacrifice to his other two personalities (one of which is incorporeal) to absolve the beings he created from the guilt they acquired shortly after they were created. …

@Abraham Song: Funny, it seems people have such different opinions of worst episodes. I personally do not hate the "Daleks in Manhatten" episodes, I don't like them a lot either. Meh . .

@Zelyre: Good one! He desrves to be able to say that to her at least once.

@Harlot: I think Matt Smith does a great job of nailing the role. I didn't watch any Tennant episodes prior to Smith so I wasn't biased. I've since watched two season of Tennant, and I have to agree he did a great job as well.

What really isn't clear from either this posting, nor the Orbit article, is can one download the novel? If so, in what format(s)? If not, this promotion isn't really that enticing except for serious Starbucks regulars. I mean most people are unlikely to sit in a Starbucks long enough to read a 300+ page book between…

@tovette: From what I've read, we still are actually somewhat uncertain about the existence of a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, but the evidence is mounting. Keep in mind that we are midway out from the center of our galaxy in a spiral arm. There are a lot of stars, nebula, and distance between…

@lavardera: Agreed, in the US, home heat pumps (as they are called) are the exception. However, they can be used in many more areas than most people imagine. I'm aware of several in the coastal plains of south Louisiana. I think these were more popular in the "Energy Crisis" of the late '70's early '80s. Maybe there…

@InfiniteMonkey: I'm hoping it's a fad that will pass when this season of The Walking Dead goes into remission.

@Adam-H: I'm not sure I would be able to kill myself by those means. Maybe by means of gun, pills, explosives, etc. Cutting myself is one of my phobias. Also, joining with an alien being might not be a fate worse than death, or might be, one way to find out I guess.

@Adam-H: Yeah, I had considered that. I guess one would do the wrists first, then the throat quickly before blood loss or shock set in. Grim situation, but I guess he would rather go quickly before he became part of an alien monster.

@king_saberhawk: I had thought the screen would be too small, hard on the eyes, etc. I found that with the right e-reader app, you can adjust text size, color, and brightness to make it just right. Sadly, I don't think my favorite, Stanza, is available for Android. However, I think the Nook App is, I'm sure there are…

@Batmanuel: Were else would such folk hang out after all?

@Mrugby08: I have to agree it would take some serious dedication, and/or planning, to commit such a thorough form of suicide. Huummm . . .

@truthtellah: Good point. Plant tissues regulate growth and differentiation, follow day length, react to insults and mount countermeasures, and even warn other plants of attack. This is all done chemically. Plants have no nerves nor processing ability at all.

@king_saberhawk: Golem100 has a good point. There are various e-reader Apps for most smartphones. Amazon has a Kindle App, Barnes & Noble has a Nook App, etc.

Since this article will no doubt attract those interested in things Lovecraftian, I thought I would share an audio fiction podcast from Psuedopod.org. It's called "The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft" and it has some great mythos themes and the voices are really well done IMO.