Just how could the body be improved, if we humans had actually been designed? New Scientist readers tell. And YAY for a US judge, kicking the latest ID twits back to where they came from. Great discussion here at Slashdot.

Oh, and here’s a moment of weirdness. Back in 1997, I took a trip around the world for 7 months. In San Francisco, I stumbled across Robot Wars, then new and unknown. I didn’t have the entry fee, so I volunteered to help put together the arena in exchange for entry. Helped to paint the arena black, etc. Then I got to watch the whole thing from the rafters.

There was a fantastic robot called Blendo which ripped the crap out of everything else. Instantly. It looked like an unturned wok with blades underneath, was started with an electric drill with a nut-head, and stayed upright with a built-in gyroscope. Genius. Also, too dangerous to compete. It sent flying metal across the arena to be caught by nets above the audience, and so was disqualified.

Just read on this Mythbusters question-answering-session from Slashdot that those guys made Blendo. That’s how they were found by the producer (from Beyond 2000!) who created the show. Freaky, huh?

Enjoy your Xmas and New Year, everyone!