Queensland, Australia is looking for someone to live on Hamilton Island of the Great Barrier Reef for six months and keep a blog telling the world why they should visit.

There’s so much to see and do, so you’ll have plenty to write about in your weekly blog. And with so much life above and below the water, you’re sure to capture some entertaining moments for your video diary and photo gallery. To keep you busy, Tourism Queensland will organise a schedule of travel and events on the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. Your schedule could include sampling a new luxury spa treatment at qualia on Hamilton Island, trying out new snorkelling gear on Heron Island, or bushwalking on Hinchinbrook Island.

The job includes use of a three-bedroom home near the beach with a pool, and pays $150,000 Australian. You must send a video to apply for the position. Watch videos of other applicants at the website. Link -via Metafilter

Paul and Caragh Brooks spent a total of about $200 on their wedding, in front of family and friends at a Taco Bell restaurant in Normal, Illinois.

With several dozen invited guests in the room, the couple sat in a decorated booth with Ryan Green of Normal, a friend of theirs who became an ordained minister online. As Green, dressed in a T-shirt, officiated, they said the same vows.

“I promise to honor your life’s choices, comfort you in sorrow, celebrate in your joy and support your endeavors…,” they said. “Whatever the world brings, I take you as my partner.”

Business went on as usual in the front area of Taco Bell, and some customers in the Friday night supper rush stopped to watch.

Shortly before the ceremony, Kathy Brooks, the groom’s mother, said, “This is the way to go — there’s no stress.”

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2009/01/10/news/doc49681e80735c5391961609.txt -via Gorilla Mask

(image credit: The Pantagraph/B MOSHER)

Was it a case of drug smuggling or not? First, closed circuit cameras picked up the image of a tiny helicopter flying into the compound at Elmley Prison in Sheerness, Kent, England. The next night, guards saw the flying object.

However, staff could not find any trace of either the helicopter or the package which it appeared to be carrying underneath it when they searched the Category C jail.

'Using a mini-helicopter to get contraband into jails is unprecedented. When officers spotted it they nearly fell off their chairs', a prison source told the Sun.

'It could have been drugs or a mobile phone in the package. It is possible it was a dummy run.'

Maybe the helicopter flew out as well. Link -via Unique Daily

Watch this guy's moustache dance! A short stop-motion film by Bo Henry, art director for the movie Coraline. Link

If you remember (or still play) the board game Clue, you know there are nine possible crime scenes. Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss challenges you to name them all in under two minutes. No fair pulling the game out! I didn't even try, since I've never played the game. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/21643

A 20-pound lobster named George will be returned to the sea after a stay in a New York restaurant. From his size, the lobster is estimated to be around 140 years old. George was caught off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada and was on bought by City Crab and Seafood for $100. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent the restaurant a request to set George free.

Restaurant manager Keith Valenti said there was never any intent to harm the lobster, and the decision to keep it in the tank was made to offer customers a little something extra.

"We bought a big lobster, started taking pictures with kids and it worked out real well," Mr Valenti told Reuters news agency.

But it was a "no brainer", he added, to agree to the request to return George to the ocean.

"We never intended him to be sold, just draw attention to the restaurant, and he did."

George was scheduled to be released in the waters off Kennebunkport, where lobster trapping is prohibited. Link -Thanks, Geekazoid!

Milk at the this Wal*Mart store is $2.25 a gallon, or 2 for $5. A half-gallon of milk is $2.47. What would your purchase be? Link -via Bits and Pieces

A group of tough-looking tattooed tattoo enthusiasts rescued 180 abandoned cats and kittens from a foreclosed home last week. They say it will take about a week to rescue and rehabilitate the cats found in Moriches, New York. The group Rescue Ink is dedicated to the welfare of animals. Link -via Fark

(Vimeo link)
A time-lapse video by Till Credner. -Thanks Kiltak!

Just what the internet needs: more bacon! You can add a strip of bacon to any website at Bacolicio.us. Just add a URL to the end of theirs, Neatorama for example, and make any page more delicious. Link -Thanks, Nestor!

However you feel about snails, they come in such a wide variety that you're sure to find at least one in this article you can enjoy! See giant snails, tiny snails, colorful snails, and snails on a plate. Also learn a bit about the life cycle of the snail. Link -Thanks RJ Evans!

(image credit: Flickr user tillwe)

What a cute little guy! This potato, with arms, legs, and a nose, was harvested in Huon, Tasmania, where it's summer now. http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2009/01/09/48825_tasmania-news.html -Thanks, Vit Peyr!

See what happens to various foods and a variety of other materials when you microwave them for as long as it takes to destroy them. The videos are sped up, with timers to let you know how long it takes. The Christmas lights were pretty, the eggs were a real show, and I don't know what kind of "foam" they used, but it sure acted weirdly! Link -Thanks, GA!

The Canadian team of Ray Zahab, Kevin Vallely and Richard Weber have completed a 680 mile journey across Antarctica to the South Pole on foot in just under 34 days. This beats the previous Antarctic speed record by five days! They traveled on foot, skis, and snowshoes while pulling a sled with their equipment.

They endured altitude sickness, vertigo and massive, painful blisters.

They kept themselves fuelled with a 7,000-calorie-a-day diet of deep-fried bacon, cheese and huge chunks of butter.

"I'm dying for some pizza," said Mr Zahab, who added he was too excited to sleep.

Link to story. Link to website. -via Fark

The Recently Deflowered Girl is a 1965 etiquette book for those awkward moments you hadn't planned for, written by Edward Gorey under the name Hyacinthe Phyppe, an expert in such matters. In each "deflowerment" situation, the proper thing to do apparently is to provide a witty comeback. The entire scanned book is online with Gorey illustrations. This is SFW, unless you have a child nearby who knows what the archaic word "deflowerment" means. Link -Thanks, luke!

Update: The original post has been deleted, but I found another copy. Link