I thought I would do this on a weekly basis, maybe call it my Freakend News Update.  But apparently I see a lot more out there than I ever knew . . .

The true story of the darkest exoplanet found (so far).  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811105115.htm

The GOP’s Ten New Commandments.  It’s nice to know that the American people come first, as usual.  Insert irony here ____.

My novel, The Enigma Club, is heavily influenced by the pulp magazines and stories from 1911-1953, primarily the tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs.  There are a lot of pulp resources on the Internet, but Coming Attractions keeps me informed every week of new books and products coming out — more than I was ever aware of before.  Check it out.  Buy something. 

Stupid people don’t realize they’re stupid.  Sure, that’s something a lot of us have thought about before, but where’s the proof?  And am I stupid for even thinking such a thing? 

Looks like I’m going to be busy this coming weekend.  Five great tiki cocktails to try! (Sorry, it’s a slideshow) 

Romney, Palin and Paul: complete, unadulterated, certified idiots. 

If you love creative nonfiction that’s as long as the story demands — I mean, the longer, the better — then longform is for you. 

Now, I LOVE me a good ghost story . . . but I’m smart enough to know that shows like “Ghost Adventures” stretch the truth a tad too much.  I mean, come on.  You knew that, too.  Right?  Right? 

This guy Paul Krugman is pretty smart.  Sound advice on why we should ignore the GOP-manufactured Debt Crisis and instead concentrate on solving the GOP-created Jobs Crisis. 

Eerie pictures of Six Flags in New Orleans, in the long aftermath of Katrina.  Spooky stuff.  “The pleasure of ruins . . .”

Three losers on a joy ride.  The chick’s a stripper.  They’re proud to be rednecks.  “Criminal behavior is a Dougherty family tradition. Ryan, the youngest at 21, has 14 felony arrests for everything from burglary to a hit-and-run to texting an 11-year-old girl more than 200 sexually explicit messages. Grace, the eldest at 29, is a perennial hit-and-run offender and perhaps as a hint of what was to come, she viciously fought police when arrested. Once she tried to bite a police officer, and another time she head-butted a state trooper—after she was handcuffed.”  Sweet girl. 

A bunch of reasons why I despise all homeowners’ associations — and the dumb asses who think they’re wonderful.  What a bunch of tools.