Take things apart Apr 10, 2006
I've been finding recently that the best way to fix things is to simply take them apart.  I'm not sure why this works, but it's worked twice in the past month or so. 

Our washing machine wasn't draining completely, so I *tried* to take it apart.  I took out some screws and figured out how the thing worked (a general idea).  I wasn't really sure how to fix it, so I put it back together.  And tada!  It worked great after that.  I think it was just the treat of being taken apart that caused it to fix itself.  It later broke and is unfixable, but that's beside the point. 

One of our toilets sounded like it was "running" recently.  So I took the lid off the back part and played around with a few things.  I didn't find anything that was broken, so I put it back together so that it would at least flush properly.  That's when the "running" sound stopped.  I am by no means a plumber, and I didn't actually fix anything.  Once again, I think it was just the threat of being taken apart that caused the toilet to fix itself. #psychology
Cancelled plans Apr 10, 2006
I'm a huge fan of cancelled plans.  I always have a bunch of things scheduled at night during the week, whether it's a Bible study or a class or something else.  But when they get cancelled, it's just such a great unexpected surprise.  I plan out my whole schedule based on something happening, and now that something isn't happening.  As long as it doesn't adversely affect me, I'm a huge fan.  It's great to go home at night thinking I have absolutely nothing planned.  It's a good feeling. #psychology
Mammatus clouds Apr 10, 2006
This University of Nebraska link has a bunch of pictures of mammatus clouds, which are defined as "a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud".  (via Digg) #technology
WunderKat Apr 10, 2006
WunderKat, a new method of energy production:
The novel approach is based on two common but previously unexploited natural laws.  One is a well-known form of Murphy's Law which states that when toast is dropped, it always lands buttered side down.  The other law states that when a cat falls, it always lands on its feet.  These two laws are set in opposition to each other by attaching a buttered piece of toast to a cat's back, buttered side up.  If the cat is then suspended in the air, the two laws cause the cat to perpetually rotate.  By building a device to hold the cat and capture this rotating energy, enough force is harnessed to drive an electric generator. 
(via Neatorama)

Update (2007-04-12 9:29am):  I've learned that this is called the Buttered Cat Paradox. #science