Hero computer devours school grades

Students at four Indiana schools got a report card reprieve when a computer crash erased all grading records for a month's worth of work. An IBM engineer says the data loss resulted from "an unfortunate and very rare combination of hardware problems and backup configuration settings." We dare you IT pros to run that one through your BS-o-meter. ...read more

Sonic devices chase kids away

Tired of teens loitering around your store? Just buy the "mosquito" -- a gadget that emits a noise at the upper edge of human hearing, in a range audible (and annoying) to those under 20 but generally harmless to old fogeys. Then watch your next generation of customers leave the premises, never to return with their money! Unsurprisingly, the gadget has caused a bit of controversy. ...read more

Woman charged after killer Craigslist ad

A Michigan woman has been charged with using the Craigslist classified-advertisement Web site to find a killer for a romantic rival. ...continue reading 'Woman charged after killer Craigslist ad'

Mayor faces recall over sexy MySpace pics

Carmen Kontur-Gronquis, mayor of a small Oregon town, caused quite a stir when she posted pics of herself on her (public) MySpace account posing on the town's fire engine wearing nothing but her bra and panties. Now she's facing a recall election -- though most observers think the real motivation has less to do with Internet naughtiness and more to do with boring political questions like water issues and the town golf course. ...read more

Weird science: Giant rats, musical seizures

In their continuing quest to make the world a weirder place, scientists announced the discovery of an extinct species of rodent that weighed in at more than 1,500 pounds. Proving that they aim to prevent weirdness when it might interfere with someone's life, though, they successfully cured a woman who was sent into seizures by the reggae stylings of Sean Paul. ...read more