The Readers Fight Back

Interaction between publisher and reader: That was the dream the Web was built on. But most of today's Web is just like old media, with the publishers having all the say. Thanks to the magic of Net Disaster , though, the reader can strike back. Didn't like our recent piece on the Pope ? Send in the aliens to attack . A parody site called The Dialectizer , meanwhile, lets you see translate your favorite Web site into "dialects" like Redneck, Jive, Moron, Elmer Fudd and Swedish Chef, among others. Go forth and conquer!

A How-To Guide for Shroud Making

It's an argument that has been raging for centuries. Is the Shroud of Turin the genuine burial cloth placed over Jesus' body following his crucifixion? Or, is it an elaborate fake? The debate is not one just pursued in the world's academic hallways. The shroud has been prodded, poked and otherwise analyzed for centuries -- testing that has become more and more sophisticated the better science has become. But the one question that has long plagued naysayers is how the shroud, imprinted as it is with the shadowy yet clearly identifiable image of a man's face, could have been produced.

A college English teacher from the northwest United States now thinks he has the answer. The 26-year-old Nathan Wilson, who has no scientific training, believes that the shroud is essentially a photographic negative . And his theory, which appeared in the Christian intellectual magazine Books and Culture, is causing quite a stir among Shroud enthusiasts; his Web site received more than 100,000 hits in the first week after the article appeared. He argues that the shroud could have been made simply by painting the image on a pane of glass and placing the pane on top of a piece of cloth. The sun, by fading the cloth around the image, would take care of the rest.

Dan Porter, a shroud expert who runs an in depth Web site on the shroud , isn't so sure. Arguing that Wilson's idea, while ingenious, doesn't produce an image identical to the one on the shroud. "It is not adequate to produce something that looks like the shroud in two or three ways," he told AP. "One must produce an image that meets all of the criteria."

Rent Boy Klaus

If you have ever had problems finding enough shades of black or Kraftwerk records to spice up your party, then Rent-a-German  is just the site for you. With prices starting at 750 euros per day, you can hire "the German of your choice for an exclusive lifetime experience" for parties, family events or just hanging out together at the shopping center. The service even offers a special business package, just in case you need an added bit of seriousness for that crucial meeting.