The Probability That a Real-Estate Agent Is Cheating You (and Other Riddles of Modern Life): "While negotiating to buy old houses, he found that the seller's agent often encouraged him, albeit cagily, to underbid. This seemed odd: didn't the agent represent the seller's best interest? Then he thought more about the agent's role. Like many other 'experts' (auto mechanics and stockbrokers come to mind), a real-estate agent is thought to know his field far better than a lay person. A homeowner is encouraged to trust the agent's information. So if the agent brings in a low offer and says it might just be the best the homeowner can expect, the homeowner tends to believe him. But the key, Levitt determined, lay in the fact that agents 'receive only a small share of the incremental profit when a house sells for a higher value.' Like a stockbroker churning commissions or a bookie grabbing his vig, an agent was simply looking to make a deal, any deal. So he would push homeowners to sell too fast and too cheap. "

Breastfeeding Women to Defend Guinness World Record: "Breastfeeding women from all over the Bay Area will gather together in Berkeley on Saturday, August 9, 2003 to defend their phenomenal Guinness World Record of 1,130 mothers and babies breastfeeding at the same time in the same place." My wife asked that I include that I'm not a pervert, rather I will be attending this event to support my wife and son. :)

Inventor develops 'talking glove' for deaf: "An electronic glove that can turn American Sign Language gestures into spoken words or text, designed to help the deaf communicate more easily with the hearing world, is under development. Researcher Jose Hernandez-Rebollar of George Washington University has demonstrated that his "AcceleGlove" can translate the rapid hand movements used to make the alphabet and some of the words and phrases of sign language."

Google Weblog: "Today, Google introduced a new advanced search feature that enables users to search not only for a particular keyword, but also for its synonyms. This is accomplished by placing a ~ character directly in front of the keyword in the search box." Compare, this search weblog help to this search weblog ~help. See how the second search finds better information related to the general topic of "weblog help"?

Over on the 360Photos Weblog, I've started a Panoramic of the Week category. The first entry in that series is of The Midway (or carnival rides) at the 2003 Stanislaus County Fair. The panoramic photograph was the first that I've taken without a tripod, by just holding the camera above my head and shooting. What do you think? My wife Angie and friend James are visible, while Emerson is sleeping inside James's backpack.

I'm excited to announce that I've started a panoramic photography business. 360Photos is now available to take 360 degree digital panoramic photographs in Central California. Please check out some of our demo photographs, and keep me in mind if you want photos taken of your wedding reception or company picnic. If you're a real estate agent, contact me -- we should talk, I have a great deal for you.

Mothers lose anti-MMR battle: "Two mothers yesterday lost their battle to stop their children from being forced to have the controversial MMR vaccination, in a ruling which branded their medical expert's evidence 'junk science.' The case was taken to the high court by the fathers of the two girls, aged five and 10, who want their daughters to have the full range of vaccinations. The judgment will not directly affect the pending compensation fight on behalf of more than 1,000 children with brain damage whose parents blame the vaccine, but it raises questions about how easy it will be to muster scientific evidence to support their claim."

Polar Bear Turns Purple After Medication: "A female polar bear named Pelusa turned purple after she was given a special treatment to clear up a skin condition. "

On an average day, about 72 million American adults go online. Here are the kinds of things they do on a typical day.

Fair Witness Wearable Escrow Video: "There is no viewfinder in Fair Witness. There is no local playback. The lens is wide angle. The video created by fair Witness is not highly produced - it might not be very pleasant to watch, but it would be veridical. And it would be non-alterable, with a provable chain of evidence."