A woman gave birth to octuplets in California on Monday. Seven of the babies are breathing on their own, and all are expected to survive. The mother already had six children, the oldest only seven years old!

Although the successful births at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Bellflower have received worldwide attention, they also have prompted disapproval from some medical ethicists and fertility specialists, who argue that high-number multiple births endanger the mother and also frequently lead to long-term health and developmental problems for the children.

Under the guidelines of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, U.S. doctors normally would not implant more than two embryos at a time in a woman under the age of 35. After that age it is more difficult to become pregnant. The mother of the octuplets is believed to be 33, based on available public records.

Doctors were surprised by the eighth child, as they only knew about seven of them. Link

This handy flow chart explains how Star Trek (The Original Series) adventures were written. Looks like a lot of them were based on budgetary restraints! Above you see just a small part of the huge flow chart at io9. Link -via Gorilla Mask

Has it really been twenty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall? An architect in Leipzig, Germany opened an apartment to prepare for renovations and found it had been virtually untouched since at least 1989!

It appears the inhabitant of the humble flat fled in a hurry and shrivelled bread rolls still lay in a string bag.

Grocery brands from the Socialist state filled the kitchen.

"When we opened the door we felt like Howard Carter when he found the grave of Tutankhamun," Mark Aretz told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

"Everything was a mess but it was like a historic treasure trove, a portal into an age long gone."

Documents show the flat had been occupied by a 24-year-man who had been in some trouble with East German authorities, and must have fled before the Berlin Wall came down in November of 1989. A wall calendar was turned to August 1988. Link -Thanks, Paul!

Electric rock-and-roll meets Victorian technology in this steampunk guitar!

Built for the 2008 Jersey City Artists Studio Tour by Mark Dalzell, the Steampunk guitar, Organum Insolitus features a television with Fresnel lens magnifier, onboard phaser, an amplifier and uses clockwork gears, hand hammered brass, cloth wire and wood for its making. The freakin’ guitar can also be attached to an external amp via a standard ¼-inch cable, setting up the beastly guitar as game to steam some endless music.

http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/steampunk-guitar-with-clockwork-gears-and-a-lot-more/ -Thanks, Samiksha!

28-year-old Brett Kerr attempted to rob a home in Christchurch, New Zealand, but messed the job up in so many ways. The victim's son, Greg Kitson, was amazed at the incompetence of the caper.

Mr Kitson sped over to his parents' house after his wife noticed a fire in the kitchen. When he got there, he did not know who to call first. “We had a fire, we had a burglary and we had someone injured so it was like an all-play.”

He believes it all went wrong for Kerr when he tripped taking a drum set down a narrow spiral staircase, and apparently knocked himself out.

“This might be where he done himself in, then he thinks, 'Ah! It's a good time to get the plasma TV when I’m knocked out and totally out of it.'”

Bleeding profusely, it seems Kerr then set fire to the kitchen before deciding it was time for a lie-down.

The burglar’s actions puzzled Mr Kitson.
“Why would someone come in, light a fire, go upstairs and fall asleep?”

Link -via Arbroath

The lineup of the Justice League of America has changed many times over the years. Can you name the original founding members that debuted in comic books in 1960? In today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss, you have four minutes to name all seven. I got six of them right off. I had to wait until the four minutes were up to find out the seventh -one I would have never thought of! http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/22148

The Pittsburgh Steelers face the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl this Sunday. At Endless Simmer, Pittsburgh is up against Arizona to see who had the best game day food. Read about local sandwiches, beer, pizza, and hot dogs, and place your vote. Shown is a bacon and cheddar dog from D's Six Pack and Dogs in Pittsburgh. Link -Thanks, Brendan!

The story of where the desk in the Oval Office came from is more intricate and exciting than you ever imagined.

In 1845, famed explorer Sir John Franklin set out in the Terror and Erebus to discover the Northwest Passage, thought to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by a water route above Canada. Last seen by a whaling ship in Baffin Bay, the Franklin expedition disappeared into the Arctic wilderness.

Years passed and, despite the ample stores the expedition had laid in, concern grew. The British Admiralty launched a rescue mission in 1852, led by Captain Belcher, aboard the Resolute, Pioneer, Assistance, North Star and Intrepid. Captain Belcher, a scientist, circumnavigator, war hero, venereal wife-suer, and controversially well-loved or hated explorer, bottled some beer for this cruise which resulted in the biggest and most expensive ebay mistake ever made.

You might wonder what any of this quote has to do with the Oval Office. For this to make sense, you'll have to read the whole story. And then follow the many links for more information. Link

Sure, you can buy plenty of Obama souvenirs, but you can make your own, too! WhipUp has indexed a wide variety of Obama craft projects found on the internet, from Obama crochet portraits to Obama knitted sweaters, even Obama dishcloths! Link -Thanks, Kathreen!

Beauty is very subjective, and what someone will find beautiful someone else will find ugly, or just "meh". There's nothing scientific about it, or even very serious, but here are some eco-cars that we might like in some way or another, but that look like they fell off the ugly tree. Why does this matter? To some it doesn't, but to a mainstream audience, it does more often than not, and if we want greener alternatives to replace dirty ones, they need to be at least as attractive (if not more!).

Then again, I wouldn't mind driving around in this car if George Clooney were an accessory! Link -Thanks, chris tackett!

The clash between Chinese and Swedish table manners highlights how different cultures define politeness and intimacy. Dr. Martin Rundkvist of Aardvarchaeology is married to a Chinese immigrant to Sweden. Her life entails switching back and forth between being polite to those with whom you are familiar and reserving formal manners to those to whom you are not particularly close. This shows how much more there is to learn about a culture than just the language! Commenters at the post add their experiences in how other cultures would react. Link

53-year-old Eddie House of San Carlos, California recycles, composts, and finds homes for his discarded items. He reduced his household waste to the point that he cancelled his garbage pickup service last year. His reward is a lawsuit from the city!

The lawsuit, filed by San Carlos Deputy City Attorney Linda Noeske in San Mateo Superior Court on Jan. 22, seeks a permanent injunction forcing House to maintain garbage service. City officials are also seeking to recoup from House the costs of the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims House broke the city’s municipal code requiring all residential, commercial and industrial properties to contract with Allied Waste for pickup at least once a week — a standard requirement in most cities, San Carlos Deputy City Manager Brian Moura said.

Moura said the suit was the result of complaints from neighbors about House burning garbage. House says he only burns wood. http://www.examiner.com/a-1187195~City_sues_man_for_canceling_trash_service.html -via Geek Like Me

(image credit: Juan Carlos Pometta Betancourt/The Examiner)

The annual Edwardian Ball in San Francisco pays homage to author Edward Gorey. SF Weekly has photos from the ball held Saturday, with commentary in rhyming alphabet, Gorey-style! Link -Thanks, Janine Kahn!

Police are investigating how a 14-year old boy passed himself off as a Chicago police officer for an entire shift. When he showed up for work in uniform, the teen was assigned a patrol in a squad car. He never drove or handled a gun, but the deception was not noticed until his shift was over.

Assistant Superintendent James Jackson said the ruse was discovered only after the boy's patrol with an actual officer ended Saturday. Officers noticed his uniform lacked a star that is part of the regulation uniform.

Police said they were investigating how the deception went undetected for so long in what they described as a serious security breach.

Police didn't identify the boy because of his age. He has been charged as a juvenile with impersonating an officer.

Link -via J-Walk Blog

Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss deals with a character from The Simpsons.

Of all the brilliant characters the writers of The Simpsons have gifted to popular culture over the years, Ralph Wiggum is one of the few who make me giddily happy to the point of embarrassment. Something about his absurdist oddballism speaks to everything fundamentally great about inspired comedy writing.

How much do you know about Ralph Wiggum? Since I don't watch TV, I didn't even try the quiz. You, no doubt, will do better. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/22058