See who won the best job in the world and check out our list of must-reads that will have you chatting at the lunch counter, over IM or wherever it is that people actually talk these days.
- Tens of thousands applied for "the best job in the world," but only one was selected to be the caretaker of a private island in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. A 34-year-old British man will soon move into a three-bedroom beach villa, receive a decent salary and be the official overseer of the isle. More than 34,000 applicants were vying for the job that requires little more than posting a weekly blog entry.
- It is "flash mountain" no more. Now that the number of breast-bearing flashers on the Disney ride Splash Mountain has declined, the company has canned its photo editor -- the person who screens photos of the log flume ride to make sure females keep their tops on when they plummet down a waterfall.
- A Picasso painting estimated to bring in between $16 million and $24 million was left unsold during a disappointing auction at Sotheby's. The work was one of seven items that didn't find a buyer during the 36-items auction that tallied $61.3 -- significantly below the estimate of $81.5 million.
- Eastern tarantulas that can grow larger than the size of a palm are invading a small Australian town. The bird-eating spider with long fangs hisses when approached and has been spotted with increasing frequency roaming the Outback village. The rise in numbers is likely due to significant rainfall that has displaced the creatures from their natural habitat.
