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Put this one down in the “con” column when Big Brother offers to LoJack you for your own protection: Apparently, radio frequency identification (RFID) chips can interfere with vital hospital equipment.

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My teenage son came home from school yesterday with a lava lamp. Yes, a lava lamp. No, he wasn’t reeking of patchouli. He made it himself.

His science class was studying the densities of different liquids.

I dug up a video from About.com that shows how easy it is to do this project at home with your Little Einsteins. All you’ll need is a bottle, vegetable or mineral oil, food coloring, water and Alka Seltzer. And don’t forget to place the finished product near some light for a funky-cool effect. Groovy!

Feel the Force. Feel the burn.

Time was you had to be a scholar and visit Cambridge University to study Charles Darwin’s manuscripts.

Now you can just click your way to them, for free: http://darwin-online.org.uk.

In addition to the naturalist’s notes and books, such as the PDF version of his On the Origin of Species, first edition, you’ll even find his wife’s recipes — perfect for when you need feed your strict creationist friends some humble pie!

The day the site went live it got more than 7 million hits and crashed.

2009 will be the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species and will mark 200 years since Darwin’s birth.

Okay, this is one of those internet rumors that’s been kicking around forever, but it appears like it’s finally coming true: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The classic arcade beat-’em-up franchise is crossing over and going toe-to-toe with some of the world’s most recognizable and popular superheroes. Only a handful of characters have been announced. Superman and Batman will represent the DCU, while Sub-Zero and Scorpion will carry the banner for MK. However, with the extensive rosters on both sides, I’m sure we’ll see plenty more favorites included before it hits next-gen consoles this fall. (more…)

Every April 22 is Earth Day, a global observance of our terrestrial home. And at such a time, let us not wonder why so many forces across the galaxy have chosen to pick on our pitiful little planet — the Klingons, the Borg, the Independence Day aliens, the Daleks, the Skrulls, the Terminators, the Egyptian gods … and ourselves.

Let’s just save it.

All you need to be the envy of your cubiclemates is a printer, a sheet of letter-size paper and this URL: http://home.comcast.net/~kymcat3/.

You can print out Cubeecraft paper toy versions of characters like Dr. Venture, a Stormtrooper, Super Mario and Mr. Stay Puft (pictured), just to name a few. There’s even a Super Mario Bros. coin brick.

And the best part? They’re free. But don’t waste time, because some of the downloads are limited edition.

A fandom phenomenon that’s near and dear to my heart is the collecting of Star Wars posters and book covers - specifically, when possible, the Japanese versions. OK, so I don’t have any yet but it’s a goal.

With the Star Wars Celebration conventions here in the U.S. in ruins due to litigation, the people from the Galaxy Far, Far Away are trying again elsewhere, this time in the Land of the Rising Sun with Star Wars Celebration Japan. And the folks at StarWars.com are taking the opportunity to showcase the Far East’s sometimes wildly fantastic visual take on Star Wars. You can check out Part I of their feature on Japanese cover art here, Part II here and Part III here. (The U.S. cover art is included in the lower right corner of each example.)

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Apparently, there really is such as thing as a born gamer. It’s called a man.

Gaming is hardwired into the male gender. So it would seem after reading about a Stanford University School of Medicine study that found guys become addicted to computer and video games more easily than the fairer sex do.

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• WoW! The ubiquitous MMORPG is getting physical. Upper Deck (take that, jocks!) will produce a miniatures game based on World of Warcraft. It’s due out in the fall.
• There are rumors that the new animated series Clone Wars will premiere in UK theaters before its small-screen debut. George Lucas has betrayed America for the last time!
• After just one season as a regular cast member on Stargate Atlantis, Amanda Tapping is leaving the show to focus on a series called Sanctuary that she has sold to the Sci-Fi Channel. She’ll be replaced as commander of the Atlantis base by Robert Picardo, who played the annoying Coach Cutlip on The Wonder Years and the equally annoying holographic doctor on Star Trek: Voyager.

Looking into the crystal ball:

• It’s the bomb! The post-apocalyptic drama Jericho returns to television Tuesday. Fans went all Star Trek on the network and brought it back from the brink of annihilation. I’ll stop with the nuclear jokes now. (Boom!)
• Finally! The first teaser trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will debut in theaters this week with The Spiderwick Chronicles, according to Variety. It will, of course, hit the Web shortly thereafter. UPDATE: Early risers can catch the teaser first on the Valentine’s Day edition of Good Morning America.
• The CGI phenom Beowulf will be available on DVD Feb. 26.