Google is attempting to do their part in tracking flu outbreaks by keeping tabs on where folks are entering searches for ‘flu symptoms’ and other key phrases into their search engine.

According to The New York Times, Google may be able to better track outbreaks . . .

“In early February, for example, the C.D.C. reported that the flu had recently spiked in the mid-Atlantic states. But Google says its search data show a spike in queries about flu symptoms two weeks before that report came out. Its new service at google.org/flutrends analyzes those searches as they come in, creating graphs and maps of the country that, ideally, will show where the flu is spreading.”

Read the whole article by clicking here, or check out Google’s Flu Trends page by clicking here.

A Florida teenager who used his grandmother in a gangsta rap video has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for, among other things, abusing the elderly.

The teen apparently convinced his grandmother to brandish a gun and make threats to the camera.

You can check out the whole story over at the BBC by clicking here.

Downtown Dallas recently had the world’s largest beach ball dropped from a building onto the street.

The event was part of Carnival Cruise Line’s attempt to break the world record for largest beach ball.

You can check out the full story by clicking here, and yes, there is wonderful video of the ball being dropped and bouncing on the street.

According to the BBC, a Wisconsin man has carved a giant pumpkin into a boat and is planning on rowing the unusual craft 150 miles in eight days to raise money for children with special needs.

Check out video of the pumpkin-boat in action by clicking here.

I really want to go to this Japanese restaurant where they have a pair of monkey waiters. Maybe it’s just me. Anyone interested in finding out more about this odd idea can go to Reuters where they have the story and video, just by clicking here.

So a horse walks into a bar in England, and until very recently, got served a pint and some crisps, right along with his owner. Sadly, Peggy (that’s the horse) is no longer to be allowed into the local pub now that the pub has been refurbished.

You can read the whole story over at the BBC, complete with video of the horse in the bar and a delightful interview with her owner, which I’m about to watch a few more times to see if I can wade through a very thick accent and figure out exactly what he’s talking about.

You can check out the story for yourself by clicking here.

Very nice little piece of mixed-media animation, with the animator’s hand and drawing implements coming into play with the day of a small stick-figure.

Check it out.

Ok, so this is a fun little piece of interactive animation to while away a good couple of minutes that you probably weren’t going to be doing anything with anyway. The first time I played with ‘Screamin’ Beans’ I laughed so hard I could hardly contain my sides from splitting.

Of course, we’re all different, and I’ve heard tell of one woman who simply refused to continue with the experiment, and saw with my own eyes another who was on the verge of feeling too sorry for the little animated beans to continue; luckily someone was there to take the computer away and hand it off to someone less sensitive. But I’m a guy, and these are animated beans, so as far as I’m concerned, ‘Screamin’ Beans’ is a lot of fun.

But don’t take my word for it, check it out and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Go to Screamin’ Beans

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.

I would love to be driving along a highway that sang like this, not constantly of course, but every ten minutes or so would be great. I would imagine it would also do wonders to keep drivers awake and alert, provided of course that the road didn’t sing lullabies to you.

Sadly, I only learned about the existence of this road today from the BBC, where they have an article about how the musical stretch of road is about to be paved over because residents have been complaining about the noise.

You can check out the story over at the BBC, complete with another video of the musical road, by clicking here.

One town in Israel have started compiling a database of doggie DNA. But before you start thinking of cloned dogs or returning lost dogs to missing owners, think again. This database is going to be used to identify the owners of dogs who fail to scoop the poop.

The BBC has the article with a somewhat surreal video attatched to it, you can check out the whole ’scoop’ here.