Florida Man Paints American Flag on House to Protest City Citation

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Photo Credit: Steve Nesius / Reuters A Florida man who feels he is being unfairly treated by local code enforcement officials has mounted an unusual protest – he painted his house like the American flag.

“It’s just total government abuse. This is still America,” said Brent Greer, who lives in Bradenton, Florida.

Greer is upset that city code enforcement officers inspected his home in February after an anonymous complaint that a 15-foot(4.5-metre)-tall Christmas tree on his front porch had fallen over, he said.

A code enforcement officer came to inspect, and Greer said, “My wife gladly took it down.”

The officer went on to cite Greer for a list of violations including lack of screens on some windows, peeling house paint, yard debris, and some rotted and loose wood, according to a copy of the complaint provided by Greer.

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For the First Time Ever, a Computer Passed Turing Test for Artificial Intelligence

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Photo Credit: REUTERS / GLEB GARANICH
Yesterday, at the University of Reading in London, a computer convinced human judges that it was actually a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy. By convincing one-third of the judging panel of its humanity, it became the computer ever to pass the famous Turing Test.

The Turing Test is a controversial test invented by Alan Turing in 1950. Turing believed that if thirty percent of humans could not distinguish a human from a machine in conversation, that would mean the machine is capable of “thinking.” Until yesterday, a machine was never capable of convincing enough humans to be deemed artificially intelligent, though others have tried.

At the University of Reading, the test was a five-minute keyboard conversation with someone or something on the other side. The questions are a free-for-all — no script is applied and there are no topics assigned in advance. It’s meant to simulate a conversation with a complete stranger. The judges then determine if they believe they have been speaking to a machine or a human. As long as one-third of judges believe its human, the machine passes the test.

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Couples Now Demanding ‘Social Media Prenups’

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Photo Credit: Sky News A top US attorney says a third of her clients are now asking for social media clauses in prenuptial agreements.

Ann-Margaret Carrozza specialises in estate planning in New York and says each breach of an agreed social media rule can result in a fine of up to $50,000 (£29,700)

She said a typical clause will state couples cannot post nude photos, embarrassing photos or anything that is likely to harm a spouse’s professional reputation.

She told ABC News: “It’s a huge issue because we all know this stuff, once it’s out there, you can’t shake it.

Read more from this story HERE.

ABC Spends Twice As Much Time on Hedgehogs Than New EPA Regulations

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Photo Credit: MRCThe Environmental Protection Agency formally announced a slew of new regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions by coal plants by 30 percent over the next 15 years.

Despite the potential damaging impact the new regulations will have on the economy, ABC’s World News with Diane Sawyer spent twice as much time on hedgehogs becoming popular pets instead of providing a full report on the new EPA regulations.

In total, Sawyer provided a mere 45 seconds on the new EPA regulations and offered no quotes or soundbites from either side. The ABC News host did state the respective positions of environmental groups and the coal industry.

Despite the brevity of the report, Sawyer managed to complain that “The president tried to get climate change in his first term with legislation but Congress was deadlocked and the new regulations do not require a congressional vote.” Nowhere in the 45 seconds did the ABC anchor mention that much of the opposition for the new regulations came from President Obama’s fellow Democrats.

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The Cowbell Returns in Will Ferrell Drum-Off with Red Hot Chili Pepper Drummer Chad Smith (+video)

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Douglas Gorenstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty ImagesLast week, Will Ferrell told Rolling Stone that his feud with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith “could become the beginning of a rivalry that will go on until the end of time.” It appears that competition ended Thursday night on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon with the long-awaited drum-off between the actor and his doppelgänger…

“I think you can feel the crispiness in the air,” said Fallon. “You know what the audience wants. You know what I want. You guys ready to do this?”

The pair then engaged in a “traditional drum-off,” with Ferrell seemingly locking into unexpected grooves as Smith and Ferrell increased the intensity and complexity of the solos with each successive round. (It didn’t hurt, of course, that Questlove was right to the side of Ferrell, acting as ringer/ghost drummer). Last week, Ferrell lowered the bar on his actual skills, responded to Smith’s taunts with, “I have not been practicing. There’s no amount of practice that would help me become a good drummer.”

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Is your cellphone giving you premature wrinkles?

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Already, if you want ageless skin you can’t smile, frown, laugh, go in the sun, jog, smoke or sleep on your side. Now you can add another item to the I’m-worried-it-may-cause-wrinkles list: looking down at your iPhone.

So called “tech neck” — a phenomenon that happens when we look down at our laptops or iPhones too often — may cause etched lines, wrinkles, double chins and loose skin to occur, a plastic surgeon told Elle magazine. Put simply (and depressingly): your smartphone, tablet and laptop may be giving you the neck of a much older person.

While it’s unclear whether the technology is causing this “tech neck” or if we’re simply noticing our less-than-smooth necks more in this selfie-obsessed world, one thing is clear: more people than ever are demanding neck lifts.

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World’s Worst Employee Makes Dozens of Bomb Threats to Get Out of Work

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Photo Credit: Twitter The next time you find yourself crammed into your cubicle and fuming over all the god-awful people in your office, just be thankful you’ll never have to work with James Allen Bea.

A leading contender for the world’s worst colleague, the 21-year-old is facing felony charges for relentlessly terrorizing his fellow employees at a financial services firm in Seattle.

During his short-lived tenure at Jack Henry and Associates, Bea allegedly sent dozens of bomb threats to co-workers in texts and emails, usually filled with unsettling details about their personal lives. Prosecutors also allege that the disgruntled employee-from-hell circulated photographs of his deceased brother splayed out in a coffin. His campaign began just days after he started his job, and in what appears to be an elaborate ruse to avoid going to work (or to just provide himself cover), Bea also cast himself as one of the bomber’s primary targets.

“The defendant orchestrated a sophisticated, calculated scheme that delivered waves of terror for weeks, permeating a multi-state company and leaving many people fearful to come to work,” wrote King County deputy prosecutor Ian D. Ith in court papers.

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Wild Wyoming Cloud Wows Weatherwatchers

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Photo Credit: BasehuntersA phenomenal shot of a massive cloud Sunday near Clareton, Wyo., has been making the rounds on social media today.

The photo was taken by the Basehunters storm chasers group, who are “committed to capturing the most unique and close-up tornado footage on the market,” according to their Facebook page. It shows the rotating updraft of a supercell thunderstorm over eastern Wyoming, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Jon Erdman.

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Here’s Why The Pentagon Has A Plan For The Zombie Apocalypse

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Photo Credit: Gene Page / AMC

Photo Credit: Gene Page / AMC

The Defense Department, known for having a plan in place for any disaster scenario, has created a detailed strategy for a possible zombie apocalypse, Gordon Lubold reports for Foreign Policy.

The strategy, known as “CONPLAN 8888,” is an unclassified document that lays out how the military would best respond to a potential zombie apocalypse. The plan’s overall purpose is for the military to undertake operations to “preserve ‘non-zombie’ humans from the threats posed by a zombie horde.”

CONPLAN 8888 follows a three-step approach to ensuring these goals by 1) maintaining a defensive perimeter to protect human life; 2) conducting operations that will eradicate zombie threats; and 3) aiding civil authorities in restoring law and order.

Of course, the Pentagon does not actually believe in the likelihood of a zombie apocalypse…

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Pope Francis says He Would Baptize Aliens: ‘Who are We to Close Doors?’

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Photo Credit: Reuters

Photo Credit: Reuters

Pope Francis has said that he would be willing to baptize aliens if they came to the Vatican, asking “who are we to close doors” to anyone – even Martians.

In a homily yesterday dedicated to the concepts of acceptance and inclusion, Francis recalled a Bible story about the conversion of the first pagans to Christianity, according to reports on Vatican Radio.

He said Catholicism was a church of “open doors”, and that it was up to Christians to accept the Holy Spirit however “unthinkable” and “unimaginable” it appeared.

Describing how, according to the Bible, Peter was criticized by the Christians of Jerusalem for making contact with a community of “unclean” pagans, Francis said that at the time that too was “unthinkable”.

“If, for example, tomorrow an expedition of Martians came to us here and one said ‘I want to be baptised!’, what would happen?”

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