Our crack team of editors takes a closer look at the hottest trends on Yahoo! Buzz.
Nov 17, 2009
Nov 16, 2009
High definition, the final frontier. Where nerds can boldly go where no moviegoer has gone before. With the Blu-ray release of the "Star Trek" movie prequel, these brave fans can obsess over the film's tiny details, including whether or not a very famous robot had a cameo that nobody noticed.
Consumers of popular culture may remember the rumor. It stated that director J.J. Abrams had slid in a cameo appearance from everybody's favorite nearsighted scrap pile, R2-D2, somewhere within 2009's "Star Trek." But where, exactly? When the movie hit the big screen, folks flooded the theaters, hoping to catch a glimpse. Searches also soared on "R2-D2 star trek" and "where is R2-D2." Alas, near as we can tell, nobody was able to spot him. Until now.
The blog Gizmodo has located the brave droid's appearance, and frankly, it's no surprise that 99.999% of the world couldn't spot the "Star Wars" star. R2-D2 appears for about one microsecond during a huge battle scene. Floating across the screen from left to right, the droid appears to be enjoying himself, however briefly. And no, C-3PO doesn't scold him for being too adventurous (for once).
Though the movie still appears to be photoshopped, the site insists it's the real deal. Commenters have backed up the blog. Folks who say they've watched the movie in slo-mo can also see Artoo. This isn't the first time a cinematic alien has crossed franchises. Back in 1999, George Lucas snuck E.T. into "The Phantom Menace." If only he'd banished Jar Jar to a galaxy far, far away...
Nov 16, 2009
Neither snow nor sleet can stop our intrepid mail carriers. But a momentous loss might. The U.S. Postal Service lost a whopping $3.8 billion in 2009. And as part of their cost-cutting measures, they want to stop Saturday delivery.
Yes, we thought getting mail on the weekend was as sacred as apple pie and baseball — and holiday packages. But when you're out of cash, something's got to give. So all signs point to knocking off mail delivery from six days to five to save $3.5 billion a year. (Although to do that, Congress must give its OK.)
Already, the post office has slashed 40,000 jobs, reduced overtime, and raised the price of a first-class stamp. And still, the losses added up. Who is to blame for the big budget woes? The move to e-mail over snail mail sure didn't help. And the recession has cut down on junk mail (annoying to us but profitable to the P.O.). That double whammy caused the U.S. mail service to lose $1 billion more this year than last year.
But that's not the only change we may see. The USPS is also looking to close down some local branches and thinking up other money-making schemes. (To borrow from "Seinfeld," how about a fee to stop receiving mail. Or if all else fails, may we suggest a bake sale?)
There is good news: There are no plans to raise the rate of a first-class stamp next year. Now that's worth writing home about.
Nov 16, 2009
Our top picks from the day's hottest searches.
Nov 13, 2009
This week we didn't just get to read about some amazing and mysterious animal stories. We got to see them in action, thanks to some very cool video footage. Witness a swarm of birds in Denmark, swim along with the largest stingray ever discovered, and have your heart melt for the incredible journey of one very lucky bomb-sniffing dog. These stories and more in the Buzz Week in Review.
It's a bird! It's a cloud! It's a bird cloud
Apologies to Alfred Hitchcock and his creepy movie about evil birds, but sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction. This bizarre swarm of starlings isn't evil, but it's pretty astonishing. A really, really big flock of 300,000 birds created a wavelike cloud over Denmark. According to ornithologists, these feathered friends really do prefer to roost together, and the massive formations are a sort of pre-roost ritual that take on these odd shapes. Sort of like a Rorschach test in the air. Or a flying lava lamp. In short, mesmerizing. As long as they don't attack. Sorry, we just can't get "The Birds" out of our heads. See for yourself.
Gentle giant of the sea
From in the air to underwater, another video emerged that is a first glimpse of the giant smalleye stingray, the largest of its species and only seen alive off the coast of Mozambique. The cartilaginous fish are actually related to sharks. The one seen on the video, measuring about eight feet across, looks like a very slow-moving aqua-fish-spaceship, with fins jutting out from a hard shell ending in a long, pointy stinger that, trust us, you don't want to get anywhere near. (They say the thing is only used in self-defense, but who wants to test that theory?) From the safe distance of a video screen, it sure does look cool.
A doggone miracle
By now you may have heard the good-news story of the Australian bomb-sniffing dog that was found in Afghanistan after she had been missing in action for over a year. Still, the heart-warmer bears repeating. The black lab, Sabi, had been on a joint Aussie-Afghan patrol, sniffing for roadside bombs and explosive devices. She disappeared after a fierce firefight that left nine soldiers wounded, including the pooch's handler. Amazingly, the highly trained canine was discovered by an American soldier in an isolated base after 14 months missing. Sabi will probably return home to Australia and has already been given a hero's welcome — a personal pat on the head from Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. All we can say is "good dog!"
Also buzzing…
• Lou Dobbs left CNN, and will be replaced by John King.
• Sarah Palin's book is sparking lots of buzz.
• Blake Lively has the hot new hairstyle.
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