In these tough times, homeowners with difficulties paying their mortgage dread receiving that letter from the bank informing them that their loan is in default. Except for Consumerist reader Ryan, who recently got some certified mail from CitiMortgages telling him his home was at risk of foreclosure, unless he immediately forked over $0.00

The letter (see closeup below) begins by informing Ryan, in all caps, that his LOAN IS IN DEFAULT and that "To cure the default you must pay the the past due amount of $0.00, including $0.00 in late charges and $0.00 in delinquency related expenses."

Asks a flustered Ryan, "I need some good advice. Should I send a check for $0? Perhaps a money order or wire transfer would be more proper??!? Please help!!"

We suggest sending them the entire amount... in pennies.

While Google was busy plotting the beginnings of SkyNet on one front, they simultaneously launched their full-frontal attack on Facebook with the debut of Google Buzz, their new social networking tool that puts status updates right on your Gmail page. And, just like Facebook, Google Buzz managed to completely overstep the bounds of personal privacy.

When launched, Buzz automatically makes you a follower of the people you contact and chat with most frequently via Gmail. But the rub is this — anyone who follows you can see all the people you follow.

So, imagine you've been looking for a new job and you've been e-mailing Marcie at the new company with your resume and references and whatnot. If Buzz makes you a follower of Marcie, all your friends from your current job who automatically follow you can see you've been chatting with the enemy. Now imagine this situation expanded to the even more risky (and potentially risque) realm of personal and romantic relationships. Yeah, you're getting the picture.

You can go into Buzz and selectively follow/unfollow certain people to avoid this kind of incident, but the best evasive maneuver is to scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click "Turn off Buzz."

WARNING: Google Buzz Has A Huge Privacy Flaw [Silicon Alley Insider]

Rick bought a light bulb at Home Depot that turned into more of a geography test. The question it poses: is there anywhere in the world that has an average of three hours of darkness year-round? The answer: no. Which means that the claims on the front of this light bulb package contradict each other.

He wrote:

Hi, I purchased this Phillips CFL bulb at Home Depot. It says on the front, “Energy Saver Automatic Postlight” “Turns on at Dusk, off at Dawn” and “Last 7 Years (see back for details)”.

On the back it says “based on 3 hours average use per day/7 days per week”. I’d like Phillips to show me on a map a place where nighttime is an average of 3 hours per day. Please!

The 3 hours use claim is perfectly rational for an outdoor light that doesn't use its awesome photosensor abilities as a selling point. Either the bulb lasts 7 years, or you're supposed to leave it on all night. Pick a side, Philips.

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Blizzard’s WOW cinematics have certainly evolved over the last two decades, but with the turn of the 21st century, the changes have become less and less significant. Check it out:

Related posts:

1. World of Warcraft: 1; Moderation: 0
2. The Long Arm of the Law Reaches into World of Warcraft
3. New Warcraft Add-on Lets Gamers Play A Character Playing WOW

At Stanford University, primatologist Robert Sapolsky offers a fascinating and funny look at human behaviors which the rest of the animal kingdom would consider bizarre. A few of the topics he speaks on include aggression, theory of mind, the golden rule and pleasure.

Related posts:

1. Debunking the Big Brain Myth
2. Humans!: A Global Awareness PSA
3. Physics Professor Builds Time Machine to Save Dead Father

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If you’re in trouble with the law, fleeing to Canada is making a pretty good go of it. But now one criminal has learned the hard way that if you’re going to leave your real world behind to escape prosecution, you’d better leave your virtual world behind, too.

At the tail end of a two-year manhunt, an Indiana sheriff’s deputy started thinking outside the box, and managed to pinpoint the fugitive’s virtual whereabouts – inside World of Warcraft, which the man was still playing. The deputy sent a subpoena to Blizzard, who responded without hesitation – sending all of his account information, including his IP and billing address. Oh, and his character – a level 80 shaman, I guess in case the deputy wanted to try to take him out via PVP first.

Thanks to Google Earth, they were able to zero in on the IP address and take the fugitive into custody, which was apparently the first time the sheriff had ever tracked someone down in Canada. I’m guessing they don’t let you play WoW in jail.

Of course, the most amusing part of this story to me is that the only reason the deputy knew where to look for the man was that he played WoW himself and guessed it as the fugitive’s virtual vice from vague descriptions of an online game. I wonder if he’s a paladin?

[Via Sphere]

Related posts:

1. Virtual World gets tough on law & order
2. World of Warcraft: 1; Moderation: 0
3. World of Warcraft hits 9M players

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It's like watching a slow-motion video of cirrhosis of the lung.

The Decline: Geography of a Recession, by Latoya Egwuekwe [American Observer via Boing Boing]

Hey here's a cab. You know, come to think of it, maybe I'll walk instead.

Thanks to Soo!