How to Smoke Cigars: A GP Primer - via GearPatrol.com - OK, I may have quit smoking cigarettes recently but that doesn't mean I can't have a nice stogie after a steak dinner.  We're not savages, after all.  Check out this link...lots of info for the budding cigar enthusiast.

The 10 Essential Elements of Design - via TechnologyReview.com - A short, effective list of "10 essential elements or aspects of good design that transcend context, industry, and geography."

'Ums' and 'ers' help children learn - via NewScientist.com - An interesting study...It seems to indicate that disfluencies in speech have an unexpected benefit.  They help children learn by calling attention to when something important is said.  Saying "like" every other word still makes you sound retarded, though.
 
Carry Conditions and Firearm Safety - via ITSTactical.com - ITS Tactical is one of my favourite sites that I visit almost every day.  It's actually a little strange, now that I think of it, that I haven't linked to more of their articles in the past.  Anyway...check it out.
 
And last but not least, today there are two posts over at CoolMaterial.com that are particularly, well, cool...
Red Oak Burger Grilling Planks - Because meat cooked outside with fire just tastes better.
and...
Automatic Maratac Pilot Watch - Because sometimes the new hotness comes in a plain package.  Unfortunately they're sold out already.

Chemistry Kit Chemophobia - via Chemical & Engineering News - Meet the Chemistry 60: 60 Fun Activities With No Chemicals.  That's right.  It's a chemistry set.  With no chemicals.  The article says it best - "chalk up another victory for mass hysteria".

Obama sees no magic bullet to push down gas prices - via Reuters.com - Well, let's see...It's easy to TALK about energy independence, but where will the money come from?  Oh, I know!  Stop spending HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS fighting multiple wars and invest a bit into infrastructure, education, and research into domestic energy sources.
 
Washington teen fakes pregnancy as school project - via Yahoo! News - Not only is this a great prank, it also must have taken a lot of courage for this girl to voluntarily subject herself to the social stigma that goes along with teen pregnancy, all for a social experiment.  I hope she got an "A" on her project.
 
Why You Should Care About the iPhone Location-Tracking Issue - via Wired Gadget Lab - While this issue is being somewhat blown out of proportion, I still feel it's necessary to call attention to it.  If you use a cell phone at all, you need to be aware that data about your location could be collected.  Whether or not you're interesting enough for anybody to give a shit where you go and when you're there is dabatable, but that doesn't change the fact that this data is immensely valuable.  It boils down to this:  Never assume you are invisible or anonymous.
Now, storing a database with your whole location history in an unencrypted file right on the mobile device AND the computer you connect it to is not only bad data management, it's also a horrible practice from a security standpoint as well.  At a minimum I expect Apple will cover their ass and add an option to opt out of the location tracking, or at least add an option to wipe the data every so often.

Drawspace.com - If you want to learn to draw or brush up on some skills, heres a great library of tutorials.  Several lessons for Beginner, Intermidiate, and Advanced skill levels.

No Hit Pinatas: The Key to Raising Psycopathic Kids - via thestir.cafemom.com - Ladies and Gentlemen, you are raising a generation of sheltered pussies.  Congratulations.

 Here's two links on the same story.
Police Pepper Spray 8-Year-Old in Colorado Elementary School - via AOL News
and,
Colorado police pepper-spray misbehaving boy, 8 - via Yahoo! News
When I first heard about this story but before I learned any details, my first reaction was to think this was another case of law enforcement using excessive force.  After hearing the details, I think this was probably one of the safer courses of action the police could have taken.  There easily could have been much more severe injuries to either the boy or the police officers if they had chosen to physically disarm him instead of using pepper spray.  I still think it presents a potentially dangerous precedent and could serve to desensitize the public to this kind of actions in our schools, but in this case it was warranted.
 
Non-Lethal Weapons That Still Hurt Like Hell - via ModernMan.com - Since we're talking about pepper spray, let's take a look at some of the other less-lethal weapons that are available.