According to a new survey you can add Beethoven to the list of things that college freshmen should know about, but don't. In addition to thinking that the great composer was a dog, the class of 2014 can't write in cursive, thinks email is too slow, and is sure Michelangelo is a computer virus.

Lanxon writes "An architecture and design firm called Choi+Shine has submitted a design for the Icelandic High-Voltage Electrical Pylon International Design Competition which proposes giant human-shaped pylons carrying electricity cables across the country's landscape, reports Wired. The enormous figures would only require slight alterations to existing pylon designs, says the firm, which was awarded an Honorable mention for its design by the competition's judging board. It also won an award from the Boston Society of Architects Unbuilt Architecture competition."

The locals of such seaside French towns as Cannes and St. Tropez are sick of looking at the pasty white skin and hairy chests or tourists who invade their towns every year. If you walk around shirtless you now face a $48 fine. From the article: "The tough laws came into force after locals were shocked by a group of British rugby fans who took off their shirts while watching a match. 'We're not saying there has been a general moral decline, but some people have complained,' Perpignan security chief Pierre Parrat said."

Visitors who hog the benches at Yantai Park in Shangdong province, eastern China will get a sharp surprise. The park benches have been fitted with steel spikes on a coin operated timer. A park official is quoted as saying: "We have to make sure the facilities are shared out evenly and this seems like a fair way to stop people grabbing a bench at dawn and staying there all day."

tekgoblin writes "Christopher Sun of Hong Kong is directing a new porn movie that will actually be in 3-D. The movie is being called 3-D Sex & Zen: Extreme Ecstasy and will be the first 3-D IMAX porn movie. From the article: 'First out of the gates, the soft porn Hong Kong film comes as the stricken industry, hit hard by free Internet porn in recent years, turns to 3-D as a potential money-spinner, following on from the success of Hollywood blockbusters such as James Cameron's Avatar.'"

An anonymous reader writes "And you thought software patents were going to far? How about geography patents? Apparently, as a part of the weird fight over what place in Europe represents the 'geophysical center of Europe,' the Austrian town of Frauenkirchen has received a patent (Austrian patent AM 7738/2003) declaring it the center of Europe. Not clear how one 'infringes' on such a patent, but then again, it's not clear why anyone's patenting this either."

Across the country schools are asking students to bring in supplies to help offset budget cuts. Kids in Moody, Alaska received a must bring list for the start of the school year including: two double rolls of paper towels, three packages of Clorox wipes, three boxes of baby wipes, two boxes of garbage bags, liquid soap, Kleenex and Ziplocs. Pre-kindergartners at McClendon Elementary in Nevada, Tex. must bring: a package of cotton balls, two containers of facial tissue, rolls of paper towels, sheaves of manila and construction paper, and a package of paper sandwich bags. From the article: "'Some of the things that have been historically provided by schools, we’re not able to provide at this point,' said Barbara A. Chester, president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals."

An anonymous reader writes "A Wisconsin priest has God on his car but Best Buy's lawyers on his back. Father Luke Strand at the Holy Family Parish in Fond Du Lac says he has received a cease-and-desist letter from the electronics retailer. From the article: 'At issue is Strand's black Volkswagen Beetle with door stickers bearing the name "God Squad" in a logo similar to that of Best Buy's Geek Squad, a group of electronics troubleshooters. Strand told the Fond du Lac Reporter that the car is a creative way to spur discussion and bring his faith to others. Best Buy Co. tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that it appreciates what Strand is trying to do, but it's bad precedent to let groups violate its trademarks.'"

An anonymous reader writes "Tired of newspapers reprinting press releases as if they're articles? Or reporters writing about stuff they obviously know nothing about? Now someone's put together a nice set of newspaper warning labels you can place on newspapers, including such gems as: 'Warning: This article is basically just a press release, copied and pasted' and 'Warning: Journalist does not understand the subject they are writing about.' Perhaps best of all: 'Warning: To ensure future interview with subject, important questions were not asked.'"

thecarchik writes "America loves to complain about gas mileage and the cost of gasoline. As it turns out, part of the problem is us. How much does it really matter? A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found a 1.1 percent increase in self-reported obesity, which translates into extra weight that your vehicle has to haul around. The study estimates that 1 billion extra gallons of fuel were needed to compensate for passenger weight gained between 1960 and 2002."

Peter and Joe Hill, John Drew, and Karl Bradley have spent the last 26 years drinking themselves into the Guinness World Records. The beer guzzling team have had a drink in 15,000 different pubs covering every county in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. "We have so many stories to tell I can't remember them all," said Hill, a 54-year-old engineer. "We have slept in fields, barns, stables and even graveyards and still do occasionally."

RockDoctor writes "'A Massachusetts man who was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung came home with an unusual diagnosis: a pea plant was growing in his lung.' Just that summary should tell you enough to work out most of the rest of the details, but it does raise a number of questions unaddressed by the article: How did the pea roots deal with the patient's immune system? What would have happened if the situation had continued un-treated? I bet the guy has a career awaiting him in PR for a pea-growing company."

Crudely_Indecent writes "Not content to own just news stories, Rupert Murdoch is now going after individual words! His BSkyB is fighting a legal battle with Skype, claiming that it owns the 'Sky' in 'Skype.' From the article: 'A spokesman for Sky confirmed that the company has been involved in a "five-year dispute with Skype" over trademark applications filed by the telecomms company. These are, the spokesman added: "including, but not limited to, television-related goods and services."'"

Prosecutors have worked out an unusual deal with a Albuquerque stockbroker who admitted to stealing from clients to support a gambling habit. Samuel McMaster, Jr. will have his sentencing delayed six months so he can enter poker tournaments and try to win the money back. From the article: "He must make payments of $7,500 a month. If he misses two payments he will face immediate sentencing of up to 12 years in prison."

disco_tracy writes "A California inventor has filed a patent for a coffin that screws into the ground vertically. The reason? It greatly reduces excavation labor and burial costs, decreases land use, and opens up more space for burials in unused areas of a cemetery. Writer Clark Boyd also lists 5 other unconventional burial options, including lye, ecopods, GPS devices that track bodies buried without headstones, cryogenics and — my favorite — getting buried in the sky."

BigSes writes "A judge will take a few days to decide upon approving the name change of a Pittsburgh area man. The man would like to change his name to 'Boomer the Dog' after the short lived television series. He is also a strong supporter of the anthropomorphic movement. Should a name change be such an issue?"

j0ris writes "The Klingon are passionate opera-lovers, but little is known about their highly evolved form of musical expression. Floris Schonfeld is the initiator and director of 'u', the first authentic Klingon opera on earth. He studied Klingon music theory for over a year, and together with several experts developed various indigenous Klingon instruments. The Terran Klingon Research Ensemble has been set up to further develop a coherent Klingon musical practice amongst human musicians. 'u' premieres on September 9 in The Hague, Netherlands. An invitation by Klingon language expert Marc Okrand has been sent to Kronos, home planet of the Klingons, via radio telescope."

crimeandpunishment writes "College students who expect to get good grades can get a good payoff, if they're willing to put their money where their mouse is. A website is taking wagers on grades from students at 36 American colleges. Students have to register, upload their schedule, and give the site access to official school records. The site, called Ultrinsic, then calculates odds and the students decide whether to place their bets. Ultrinsic's CEO Steven Woldf insists it's not online gambling, since these wagers involve skill. He says 'The students have 100 percent control over it, over how they do. Other people's stuff you bet on — your own stuff you invest in.'"

An anonymous reader writes "Apparently, if you even have been *thinking* about bootlegging the Mile High Music Festival this coming weekend in Denver you've already been sued. No joke. Event producer AEG has already filed trademark infringement claims against 100 John Does and 100 Jane Does in anticipation that they're going to bootleg the event. Since none of the sued parties have actually done anything yet, no one's showing up in court to protest the lawsuit either, so it moves forward... meaning that AEG can use it to get all sorts of law enforcement officials (US Marshals, local and state police and even off-duty officers) to go seize bootleg material."

An anonymous reader writes "According to OK Cupid's survey of 552,000 user pictures iPhone users have more sexual partners than BlackBerry or Android owners. By age 30, the average male iPhone user has had about 10 partners while female iPhone users have had 12. By contrast, BlackBerry users hover around 8 partners and Android users have a mere 6. As the blog's author's wryly observe: 'Finally, statistical proof that iPhone users aren't just getting f*@ked by Apple.'"