Need a new source of book recommendations? The folks at StoryCode have an interesting approach. You "code" each book you read by answering a series of questions, all on sliding scales (Erotic or not? Scary or not? Character-driven or plot-driven? Many characters or few?), and providing an overall star rating (from 1 to 5). Based on your ratings, and on the collective wisdom of everyone who uses the site, you'll be given a list of recommendations; the more books you code, the better the advice should be. Probably not something I'll use -- my list of books to be read is long enough without having to actively seek out more titles -- but a neat idea.

The latest craze in the UK is a puzzle called Sudoku, according to the Associated Press. They've been in US puzzle magazines for at least the last twenty years -- though I've never heard the Japanese name before -- and they are lots of fun, though I'd never have expected them to be the next big fad. (You can try your hand at the puzzle here.)