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Thursday various

“Due to strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this game in no way endorses a belief in the occult.” A History of Zombies in Video Games [via]
Restaurant Workers Donâ€™t Stay Home When Sick, Study Finds. Not too surprising, but still: yuck.
Tens Of Thousands Of Walruses Crowd Ashore In Alaska Due To Melting Sea Ice. How far south do they have to get before we accept there’s global warming? Utah?
You know, Katherine Heigl’s reputation as a shrill diva probably is overrated, if not unwarranted, but I suspect most of her movies have bombed at the box office simply because they’re really, really bad.
And finally, Unicorn vs. Narwhal [via]

Roger Ebert: No Longer an Eater, Still a Cook
I’ve been told that the best thing to do when you get an earworm is to sing or hum “The Girl from Ipanema.” Of course, then you get that stuck in your head. Unhear It seems to work along similar reasoning. [via]
Worried about full-body scans at the airport? Okay, now imagine that technology deployed in street-roving vans. [via]
Mysterious full-size Dalek replica left anonymously at English school.
And finally, herding cats in IKEA [via]:

The United States of Star Wars. I apprently live in/on Coruscant, or at least in its suburbs.
The strange and sad life of science fiction author F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre. [via]
Corn syrup manufacturers want to change the name to corn sugar. This is actually a pretty canny (if cynical) move, trying to capitalize on the mistaken belief that lots of sugar is okay for you, in whatever quantity, as long as it’s not that nasty, unhealthy high fructose corn syrup. If nothing else, this would confuse the issue for consumers even more. [via]
And yet where, might I ask, are the actual Dalek blueprints in question?
And finally, it’s Zombie Week at Tor.com! Though it is possible to take this whole zombie thing too far…

Five Philippines inmates escape while guard plays Plants vs. Zombies. In his defense, it is a very addictive game. (I just downloaded it again on my iPad.) [via]
Childrenâ€™s Pop-Up Books Flop as Learning Tool:

Those exposed to the book with the photographic images were able to correctly identify their bird nearly 80 percent of the time. Those who saw the book with the drawings did so around 70 percent of the time. But those who were entertained by the pop-ups did so only 50 percent of the time â€” no better than chance. [via]
I’ve only read the first of Douglas Adams’ Dirk Gently books, and I wasn’t exactly wowed by it, but I do know there are fans who love the novels, maybe even more than his more famous Hitchhiker’s Guide books. And I’ll admit, the idea of a television series is quite intriguing. [via]
Three words: Alien Pez dispenser. “They’re coming outta the walls! They’re coming outta the goddamn walls!” [via]
And finally, hispter dinosaurs [via]

Online acquaintance (and fellow capper) Reynard is participating in Bike MS: Express Scripts Gateway Getaway Ride to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. (As well as to support another fellow capper who was recently diagnosed.) I know you don’t know him from Adam, but if you’re so inclined, I hope you’ll consider donating to help him meet his goal by September 11.
I hadn’t heard this tragic story about the suicide at a recent Swell Season concert, but it’s hard not to be impressed by the band’s official statement. They’re making free counseling available to anyone who attended the show and witnessed the event. [via]
Moving on to a happier note: Jerry Stiller visits the real Costanza house from Seinfeld. [via]
Doctor Who police box appears on top of MIT building.
And finally, The Call of Cthulhu in Under 2 Minutes [via]