The Scanner: Wasting time on the internet so you don’t get caught by your boss.

Remember, if you got a website, video or otherwise bizarre phenomenon on the Internet, send it my way it’ll end up in the Scanner.

Someone’s got some explaining to do If you remember for most of the last school year the University of Southern Maine was under siege from regular bomb threats. Scary, stressing and annoying, and finally a break. At least two (now former?) students have been indicted in the case, but unfortunately its only for one of nine cases. It’s a start.

The Sun Journal asks – which real life beer is most like Homer Simpson’s standby, Duff? Why didn’t I think of this? I like beer, I like "The Simpsons!" My money’s on High Life.

We’re the best! Maybe. Apparently Outside Magazine is set to release their annual list of best towns, and Portland is going to get best East Coast town. Outside may have a thing for us, they’ve listed Portland as one of its Top 10 American Dream Towns.
(Hat tip: Portland Observer)

Money makin' The federal minimum wage ($5.15 an hour) got its first boost in 10 years yesterday, up 70 cents. This is good news to summer job holding high school and college students everywhere. The goal is to get the federal minimum wage up to $7 an hour by 2009. Fortunately, if you live in Maine, that $7 an hour paycheck comes sooner. Last year the Legislature and governor approved an increase to $7 an hour by this fall.

Nerds stealing from other nerds? Joking aside, the founder of Facebook has had this lawsuit challenging whether he stole the idea for the social networking site at his back for a while.The case is finally going before a judge and the company has to be wondering why this guy did not settle before now.

Meanwhile at the "other" social network site, the race is on to keep kids and predators away from each other. But here’s something interesting kids – if your hopping on MySpace from home, you parents may be able to track you! Enjoy!

At the same time, more sex offenders have been discovered on MySpace, A LOT more. Attorneys general from different states - including Maine - have been pressing the site to do more to weed out sexual predators. Maine officials received a list of offenders in-state last week and are waiting to find out how many names may have been listed incorrectly.

If you’re a fan of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, and like me, a fan of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, you were sad to see it end this past Sunday. But fear not, you can catch the final episode online over at the Network’s video page.
(Hat Tip: Pop Candy)

Drew Carey is the new host of "The Price is Right," which, I gotta say, seems like a good fit. For anyone who ever saw the Americanized "Whose Line is it Anyway," he was great with a crowd.
Personally, I like him even more after reading how he first got the offer:

"Carey found out that he was in the running for the job while he was eating at a Cracker Barrel in North Carolina with his girlfriend. His agent called to say he met with CBS about the show."

Gotta respect the Cracker Barrel.

Don’t call her "Blo-han"Oh Lindsay, we all have troubles staying sober and not doing Scrooge McDuck-style dives into cocaine, so we can all empathize. So can Rob Schneider. Deuce Bigalow filled in for Lindsay on the Tonight Show last night.

When will mankind learn that we should not teach machines to do things for us? It will only result in an uprising that will overthrow the human race…unless TV and movies have lied to me. This development – a computer that took on two poker pros – is just the beginning people.

Fun With Geography! Here’s a great time killer, and a learning tool kids! What happens when you combine the addictive nature of Tetris with the nagging idea that you know the names and locations on a map of all the states? You get "Statetris" a fun and strangely engrossing online game. Give it a try. (Hat Tip: Best Week Ever)

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