Peter Jackson has signed on for a two film deal to adapt The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien's introduction to Middle Earth and a "prequel" to The Lord of the Rings. tjc

For everyone hoping to travel more in the new year, Jessica Hagy indexed what you need as simple as possible. If you ask me 'gumption' is probably the most difficult to come by for most people. glc

British scientists have uncovered a clue that will help produce drugs to prevent the spreading of cancer throughout the body, making cancer more treatable. The London Research Institute's work is published in the latest edition of the journal Molecular Cell. jmj


Before the Modern Age, most households had two distinct intervals of slumber, known as "first" and "second" sleep, bridged by an hour or more of quiet wakefulness. From the sounds of it, this period of "quiet wakefulness" was perhaps the most peaceful, thought proviking, and passionate time of ones day. It is believed to have disappeared from cultures when artificial lighting came into existense. glc

As somewhat of an unwritten rule we try not to link to things that kottke has linked to recently. But this is a must. Watch and Listen. Benazir Bhutto's final moments. glc

Here's one leftover from Christmas: The 10 Least Loved Rankin/Bass Characters from Kindertrauma. tjc Tingler is just flat-out creepy! jmj

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More author Chris Anderson talks about his upcoming book, Free: The Past and Future of a Radical Price, detailing the tendency for products and services to evolve into a zero-cost to the consumer state. tjc

The Library of Congress has chosen 25 more films for the national registry and be preserved for future generations. Among this year's selections are Back To The Future, Dances With Wolves, and Oklahoma! jmj

Checking back in with Good Magazine's Big Ideas! A-Z. tjc

Large Hadron Collider - When the LHC opens this spring, protons inside it will be accelerated to nearly the speed of light before crashing into each other in a subatomic head-on collision. The studies of the resulting explosions may help physicists dramatically increase their understanding of the most basic levels of the universe, including the possible observation of "the God particle," the thing that gives all other particles mass, and which physicists theoretically know exists but have never seen.

X Prize - The Ansari X Prize experiment worked, just like when Charles Lindbergh won the Orteig Prize for his transatlantic flight 80 years ago. We are genetically programmed to compete, and we do our best work, and take the highest risks when we go head-to-head for fame, fortune, or honor. I have become very passionate about rewarding the folks who pull off these crazy ideas. Not those who try, but those who actually make it happen. We are hoping to launch about $300 million in purses over the next five years, in areas such as education, global poverty, cancer, and health care, because we think X Prizes are one way to combat the risk-averse society that has developed over the last 40 years.

A list of the most popular website by country. A few comparisons: tjc

1. Russia - Google, Canada - Microsoft, China - Yahoo.

2. Libya - Friendster, Saudi Arabia - Facebook

3. Antarctica - Wikipedia, Uganda - About.com, Guatemala - Information.com, Ireland - Ask.com, Liechtenstein - Answers.com

4. Croatia - NBA.com, Guam - MLB.com

5. New Zealand - YouPorn.com, Armenia - BangBros1.com, El Salvador - PornoTube.com

The Warner Music Group has signed a deal with Amazon.com to have their music available in mp3 format. Sony BMG is the last major recording group yet to sign with iTunes' largest competitor. jmj

A review of some online brainstorming applications from MakeUseOf.com. tjc