Sometimes it makes you think (and Link Roundup)

So I've been playing around on OKCupid recently[1]. And I came across this question on a test:

27. Which of the following have you done?

• I have cheated on a significant other.
• I have been in more than three physical fights.
• I have done something unimportant to me, knowing that it would devastate someone else.
• None of the above.

That third answer gave me pause, trying to think about who could do that, what it would mean about their personality. At first I just couldn't comprehend it, the sentence itself was simply unintelligible. But, slowly, an image began to form in my mind. And despite the warm room, I shivered.

...

Once again, some of these have been sitting around too long and may be old news by now, but so it goes. So in most recent order:

A Miracle of Science

A webcomic set in the far distant future where mankind has colonized the solar system and where Mad Scientists strike fear into the hearts of all. All save the hard-boiled detective whose job it is to bring them in.

For those familiar with the setting, MoS seems to borrow wholehandedly from Transhuman Space— not it's entirety by any stretch, just enough for a backdrop. I first ran into this comic a long time ago care of The Daily Illuminator. At the time it didn't really strike my fancy. The artwork is a bit simple—especially compared to my normal fare of MegaTokyo—but don't confuse simple with unskilled. In fact, don't follow the link I gave above; start from the beginning; read through the prologue; then decide if it suits your fancy.

Secrecy Power Sinks Patent Case

Guy invents a new device, works with Lucent to get it developed. They are using it as part of a "black" project for the Department of Defense and say they don't need to pay the inventors since it's a matter of "national security". The case is quashed under an obscure state protection clause.

( Pledge-a-picket, life on Titan, Katrina: the Gathering, legislation drives clubbing underground in NYC, world's smallest mobile robot, SUV tax deduction, no paradox for time travellers?, photosynthesis sans sunlight, electric bullets, and more! )

[1] I got the account a long time ago for fun and time killing. But I heeded their advice about complete honesty and, since there may be/is stuff I wouldn't want getting back to prospective employers or the like, I've set it up to be unconnected to my other online presence.