The Off Beat

You have to prod to get most people to talk about how they want their bodies treated when they die. It's not the most fun topic, but ultimately, everyone does have a preference.

There are the two standards, burial and cremation, of course. Then more fringe groups such as the ash-spreaders, the watery graves, the space-shooters, etc. Lots of creative options, really.

Then there's the relatively new one of "eternal exhibition." Donating your body to science and allowing it to be put on display for educational purposes. Though it's a recent choice for only a handful of people, I predict it will soon become the preferred resting place for "Generation Me." After all, we're so used to sharing ourselves -- mobile immediacy, social networking, blogs -- that ending life with our bodies left on display seems like kind of a "duh" conclusion.

I regret that I haven't found the time to head out to the Los Angeles "Body Worlds" exhibit yet, but I've certainly been fascinated by the idea of it from the beginning. Real bodies, plastinated and on display, so that you can truly see what's going on and where. You'll be the perpetual teacher -- inspiring tour groups and school children for the rest of your after-life! Can it get any more unselfishly narcissistic? I don't think so!

As of now, only about 800 people in North America are on the donor list for Body Worlds, but I'm telling you, that list is gonna blow up faster than you can say TwitterMyDeadBody.com.

So...would you do this? Donate your body to be in museum perpetua? Leave a comment and let me know!

Reader Charles has sent a link to a very important message about water conservation.

Hey guys, a significant day has arrived for you!

Okay, okay, maybe not as momentous as us ladies getting to see those up-close and personal photos of our eggs dropping. Still, you'll be pleased. (And so will she! Wah wah wahhh..)

Germany has created spray-on condoms. Finally, a one-size-fits-all solution for safe sex! How it works is that you spray on liquid latex and within 25 seconds, it dries into a condom. When you're, uh, finished, you remove it the same way as with regular condoms.

So far, testers have been "up and down" about the spray-on sperm blockers -- some saying it's great for hard-to-fit types, and others wondering about whether the process hinders romance. Aw. Well, you be the judge. And remember, safety first, fun second!

Working late last night, I was nearing the end of my shift when we found out George Carlin had died. I'm a long-time fan of the comic and immediately, despite the shock/sadness, I thought, "I wonder how his death will be handled in the media."

Wouldn't it be amazing if as a tribute, various networks and shows did what Carlin thought they would never do -- broadcast those seven words during primetime television?

I doubt it'll happen, so as my own tribute, here are some stories:

Shitake Mushrooms

Workers Told To Use Urine Bags

Celebrity Sex Tape Slideshow

Thief Steals Jenna Jameson Vagina Model

Paris Hilton Swears Off Sex

'Team' Mom Had Sex With Teen Boy

Best Bosoms Slideshow

Ever been pulled over by the police and tried to come up with a reason why you shouldn't be cited? Then you'll appreciate this video sent in by reader Robert from Ohio.

As we say on the www, this woman got pwn3d!

Footypd

There are a lot of really great free music sites out there. No no, I'm not talking about stealing mp3s, torrents, that kinda thing, you big cheaters. But free radio sites, free streaming music sites, that sort of thing. I remember a few years ago when my mom found AccuRadio and I was so happy to have found a non-stop Broadway channel to listen to as much as I wanted.

Recently though, I've been sharing a very hot love affair with Pandora. Let me give you the lowdown.

Find basically any song/album/artist you can think of and listen whenever you want for FREE

Create channels of music that you can fill with whichever artists you want. Pandora will find similar sounding music and add it for you. You can either accept it or deny it, of course, but the technology that decides what you'd like was created by the Music Genome Project. Yes, musical DNA. So it's pretty spot-on when it suggests stuff that you'll probably like.

You can share your music channels with your friends -- social networking style -- and play each others channels, add strangers' channels, etc.

There's a mobile feature, too, for Sprint or AT&T people, where you can listen to all your channels from your cell. Love that.

Pandora isn't new, by any means. Folks have been geeking out over it for several years now. But for those of you who don't have iTunes on our work computers, it's absolutely the next -- if not better -- best thing.

Okay, you want more games. I get it. You're at work, need some break-time fun that doesn't involve spending money on eBay. It's completely understandable. Time to take a load off!

One of my favorites lately is the Jamestown Online Adventure. One side of my family are Mayflower descendents, so I figured this is as close as I'm ever gonna get to seeing what the ancestors went through. The game is a more sedentary version of Oregon Trail (you don't watch your wagon move and your friends don't die of exhaustion,) and at the end, you get to find out if the choices you made accurately mirror what the real Jamestown colonists did.

But maybe you're just an ignoramus who doesn't care about history. Fine. :) There are still lots of more competitive and challenging games out there.

Let's start locally. Did you know that the L.A. Times has all its crossword puzzles and Sudoku games up online and easily playable from your work computer? (Cause your company's internet blocking system thinks it's just a mere news site. Muaha!)  Check them out. The Times also has even more word puzzles, arcade and card games provided by Real Arcade.

Branching out a little, you'll find that next to hum-drum pornography, the internet has more game sites than just about anything else. And many of them are created by just your ordinary stay-at-home geek.

Just to give you a mini-list:

Addicting Games

Flash Games 247

New Grounds Games

Games Vine

FEMA even has a site filled with kid-friendly games about disaster preparedness. I find this mildly disturbing, though. What do you think?

Email me with any games you love that you think I should play!

Did you watch the Tonys on Sunday night? I always enjoy them, but this year in particular, getting to see Patti LuPone sing and see the original cast of 'Rent' reunited were my highlights.

Still, none of that could compare to this little news clip from The Onion. Four words: High School Tony Awards. SO dead on it almost makes me miss being a part of those painfully awkward performances.

Okay. Who am I kidding? I missed those days long before this. Still, check it out, and if you were a big high school theatre nerd, let those geek flags fly!

I have to say, this is probably one of the most exciting finds I've made recently online. Not only is it a subject that I have a natural interest in, it's just one of those perfect, all-around incredible medical stories that just leave you speechless.

A Belgian scientist has managed to capture the clearest pictures ever taken of human ovulation. That's right, for those who forget their 6th grade sex education, the process of an egg being released from the ovary and heading down into the uterus.

Observing this process has been extremely rare over the years, but this doctor just "got lucky," if you will. He was about to perform a partial hysterectomy on a woman when the egg emerged. Then he got to snapping these amazingly clear shots. (I like to think that next he uploaded them through Facebook mobile, but that's probably just my sick, "Generation Me" mind at work.")

In any case, visit the article and take a look at this photos and consider that at one point, that was you. Well, half, but still. WOW.

Creepy! The designer of the Pringles chip container has died, and his family has honored his wishes by having his ashes buried in one of his beloved tubes. Dr. Fredric J. Baur's daughter, Linda, told reporters that the packaging was her father's "proudest accomplishment."

I mean, okay, so it's kind of sweet. But mostly, um, ew. Also...betcha can't eat just one!!!!!!! (Takes on new meaning now, huh?)