Counter Intelligence: Chimps, Handshakes and Tramp Stamps

Read this and you'll look smart and have something to talk about..

Read this and you'll look smart. You don't have to be intelligent to impress people -- you just have to fake it. Here's a daily list of fascinating articles that will wow your friends, surprise your co-workers and make you seem sharp at a cocktail party or over the lunch counter....

  • For the first time, an NFL game will be aired on the small screen -- a cell phone. You'll be able to watch Brady Quinn make his start for the Browns in tonight's game against the Bronocs on a Sprint mobile phone as part of a $500 million partnership between the company and the league.
  • A new study shows that job applicants with firm handshakes have a better chance of being hired. Those with weak handshakes were perceived by their potential employer as introverted, shy and neurotic.
  • Scientists have decoded the DNA of a person with cancer and discovered a set of mutations that could have caused the disease. The approach to cancer research is a first that examines all the genes.
  • Pollsters mostly got it right this election  (eh, hem: New Hampshire) but as technology improves and fewer and fewer have land lines it will become more difficult to predict results accurately.
  • Holiday sales will be bolstered by the election of Barack Obama to the presidency, a survey revealed.  Consumer confidence and therefore spending will likely increase based on the election results.
  • The first tattoos date back to Paleolithic Japan -- but how did they eventually evolve into the trendy tramp stamp? Track the sad, journey of the tat here.
  • It's hard to handicap when there are no horses to bet on. The credit crunch has clamped down on world-wide yearling sales -- with many wealthy potential buyers unable to hoof the bill even as race horse prices fall. The result: poorer quality racehorses. 
  • Researchers have found one of the key genetic differences between humans and chimps linked to cell differentiation and immune response.
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