"Al Gore's new plan for alternative fuels receives it's first public demonstration".

OK - over to you guys.

As was stated earlier, Indiana Jones may be one of, if not THE, greatest hero of all time. But people fail to recognize the general awesomeness of several of the supporting characters under Indy's tall shadow. So, my question is this dear YBNBY readers: which of the following was the 2nd Greatest character in the Indiana Jones franchise? (Not having seen Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I haven't included characters from that film on this poll.)

Sallah: The greatest digger in Cairo and devoted sidekick to Indiana. He's the rotund guy you want on your side, if for no other reason than to quickly identify various species of North African snakes.
Marion Ravenwood: She throws punches like she throws back drinks; strong and fast. While she is often in distress, this damsel can go toe-to-toe with Nazis and Egyptian mercenaries any day.
Short Round: Need someone to drive through the crowded streets of Shanghai while in a gun fight? Possessed by mind-controlling poison? Shorty can take care of all of it. Not bad for a 10 year-old.
Henry Jones Sr.: He was played by Sean Connery. Need I say more?
René Belloq: Classy, ruthless, and a ladies man. Belloq knew how to wine and dine women like he knew how to kiss up to Hovitos. Nothing was unattainable, even if it meant having his head explode.
Mola Ram: Looking like Yul Brynner, ripping still-beating hearts out of men's chests, and knowing all the good chants in the Kali Ma hymnal, it would take a fleet of crocodiles to take this cult leader down.

I got my strange mail today. The envelope itself was so pretty I had to take a picture before I broke the wax seal. The text on the card is same as the second image from the left at the link Bairman provided earlier. I'm starting to wonder what kind of viral marketing we are all pushing. They really need to pay us for this. Hey, if we collect all four, do we get a decoder ring?

Earlier: Strange Mail and Strange Mail Update.

You may say - what's the point of going to all this trouble to get a Guitar Hero controller to play Smells Like Teen Spirit when you can just go buy a real guitar?

And the homebrew hackers would reply "Dude, you just totally missed the point". Coolness.

On the manliness spectrum, I'm far below Ernest Hemingway and only slightly above Clay Aiken. Esquire Magazine has released a list of 75 Skills Every Man Should Master. So while I'm completely capable of jump starting a car, breaking up a fight, and throwing a football, I definitely need some work on holding babies, playing craps, and making a bed.

Based on their list, how manly are you?

I just saw a banner on Gizmodo that looked like the card I got. Link took me here. There's more puzzles like this one. And, as I thought, I'm not the only one trying to find the answer.

I'm still clueless but at least there's a destination. Read the first Strange Mail post.

While I wasn't paying attention, modern engineering has been busy addressing the problems of undergarments. Various body types and outwear fashions call for extraordinary measures, but designers are up to the task. Continue reading to take a tour of some innovations in underthings.

Is this story from Salem Massachusetts in the 1690's or Kenya in 2008? It's a little hard to tell.

From Reuters, believe it or not.

NAIROBI - A mob has burned to death at least 11 people accused of witchcraft in an area of west Kenya where traditional beliefs run deep, police said on Wednesday. "Their houses were torched. Eight women and three men suspected of being witches died," Kenya's deputy police spokesman Charles Owino said.

Kisii district residents confirmed the killings, saying an enraged crowd had gone house-to-house on Tuesday night, using a list of supposed witches in the region. "They burned them alive in their homes," one resident said, asking not to be named.

About 30 houses were torched.

Police drafted extra personnel into the area to prevent revenge attacks in a region already reeling from tribal killings during Kenya's post-election crisis.

Traditional African beliefs, Christianity and Islam co-exist peacefully in Kenya. But there is widespread suspicion of sorcery, particularly in west Kenya, which has a long tradition of witch doctors and faith healers.Owino said almost all the victims were elderly Kenyans, aged between 70 and 90, although one was nearer 40.

In 1993, eight elderly people from Kisii were also accused of witchcraft and burned to death in their huts by a mob.

Hard to believe innit? This is what I think witches are really like.

I saw Lizzie Proctor speaking with the Devil!

Props to Activision for this TV spot last night. After watching Ford's abysmal commercials using the Idol stars all season (and David Cook is SO going to regret that Matador outfit in the coming months), this one was timely, cool, and made perfect sense. There was also a version featuring Archuletta, but I bought the Cook one much more.

And SO glad he won :)

A French radio station ran this ad featuring these cavorting music notes to promote their tribute to musician, composer, personality, director, self-promoter, alcoholic and erotic lover Serge Gainsbourg. I know nothing about this guy but anyone who goes on a live TV show with Whitney Houston (when she was young and a rising star) and tells the host, "I want to fuck her" is genius in my book.

My latest Anatomy of a Panel column is up over at RescuedByNerds.com. This time I talk with the creators of the Prohibition-era demon comic, The Damned: Prodigal Sons.

Speaking of comics, Wednesday is New Comics Day took a brief hiatus but will return next week.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" *** (out of four): It may be a little battered and dusty, but Indiana Jones' fedora still fits.

After an extended absence, Harrison Ford returns to one of his most enduring roles: Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. Led by director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is the fourth installment of one of the most popular series in film history. "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" catches up with Indy in 1957, during the height of the Cold War. While the previous films ("Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade") were inspired by films of the 30s and 40s, the fourth episode places us smack dab in the Atomic Age -- a time where nuclear bombs, creepy monsters and alien invasions infiltrated every suburban movie screen.

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