Spare Room Be our guest…

Sexuality as strategy in the US presidential race; Shoulder pads making a comeback; Lincoln University research challenges the idea of food miles in the NYT; How does your height measure up against other lofty nations?; Human bowling in Japan; Advanced emoticons; Military hand signals; and find out why you can’t get a raise…

This video has been dubbed the ‘Top Ten Rescue Videos of All-Time’ by the US Coast Guard, who have got down with the web-lingo, compiled their footage and uploaded it to YouTube themselves. The clips are rated both on the significance of each particular case, as well as the dramatic footage of the rescues…

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Ryan Adams, and a lot of that has to do with his prolific output. When his debut, the Ethan Johns-produced Heartbreaker, came out back in 2000, it made the former Whiskeytown frontman pretty damn well-known. It’s an album I still listen to frequently, and for me it has become something of a yardstick…

Full transcript of John Key’s coming out speech; DVD for kids called Doggy Poo; How far did you run? A site for joggers; the world drinking age map; A cracker Toyota ad; ‘Chocolate Rain’ is just as bad live; TV economist goes off about US interest rates; and proof the circus is cruel…

As co-owner of the hard as nails Australian rugby league team the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Hollywood star Russell Crowe brings a little green room warmth to the players with this man-love pep talk. Here’s the clip from a six-part reality series called South Side Story, starting on Australian TV this week. We’ve never seen so many arms folded in one room…