Counter Intelligence: Tomb Raider, Fries' Scent & McCafe

Check out our daily list of must-reads that will have you chatting at the lunch counter, over instant message or wherever it is that people actually talk these days.

  • Researchers claim to have unlocked the secret to what makes the aroma of french fries so appealing: they smell like butterscotch, onions and ironing boards. An analysis of a fry scent through a process known as gas chromatography mass spectrometry detected traces of cocoa, butterscotch, onion flowers, cheese and ironing boards. Yes, ironing boards.
     
  • The hottest new accessory on the catwalk this season may be a McDonalds coffee. The fast food chain will debut its new McCafe products as the official drink of  Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week where the company hopes to grab the attention of tab-reading women who are clamoring to mimic the coffee-sipping celebs in the front row.
     
  • Ever wonder what jerk is behind the pervasive "25  Random Things About Me" chain letter on facebook? Slate.com tries to nail down the culprit of the letter that encourages users to list 25 facts about themselves and tag 25 of their facebook friends, etc. and that has spread like wildfire across the networking site.  
     
  • Who could be the next Lara Croft? Angelina Jolie played the original sizzling, gun-toting archaeologist who pores over ancient ruins and slays villains in film version of the popular video game, which grossed $275 million worldwide. It's a tough act to follow, but Wired has nominated five actresses they think could pull it off. Our fave? Evangeline Lilly from "Lost."
     
  • Americans are apparently horrific spellers when compared with Brits, a new survey shows. Sixty-two percent of Americans surveyed spelled "embarrassed" incorrectly compared to 54 percent of Brits. Adults in the U.S. also bombed the test when asked to spell "millennium" and "accommodation."
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