Google is celebrating Pac-Man's 30th birthday with an awesome playable version of the game for their logo. Hit insert coin, which is usually the I Feel Lucky button, and you'll get a name. My youngest reports if you hit it three times you can play multi player and there's a Ms. Pac-Man option. Fun times!

Google blog today announced the introduction of Google TV, which combines your television with the awesomeness of the internet.

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-google-tv-tv-meets-web...

There are a lot of questions this raises like what happens when you end up on a terrible page in error - it's not so bad on a small phone screen but yuck if it's on your giant wall sized television....

Writers on the Verge submissions open next week. This is a great opportunity for aspiring television writers. It takes place over twelve weeks and classes focus on a great spec script and the skills you need to sell it and yourself. From the website:

Classes concentrate on creating an exceptional spec script and understanding the dynamics of pitching oneself in the television industry. Writers are given the chance to interact with industry players ranging from network executives to showrunners to agents and receive valuable feedback on their work and pitch style. Writing assignments on a NBC television show may be available after successful completion of the program but are not a guarantee. Past participants have gone on to series including Community, Burn Notice, White Collar, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Friday Night Lights and Chuck.

http://www.nbcunicareers.com/earlycareerprograms/writersontheverge.shtml

Not only can you get five free books but the first one is The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, which was made into a terrific cable series. You do have to be prepared to go to the actual brick and mortar Barnes and Noble to take advantage of this offer.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Free-ebooks-bestelling-authors/379002210

I'm super sick and my hands are shaking when I try and type, so you're going to have to click through to get almost all the information regarding this opportunity. Shortest story - game company letting you pay what you like for a bundle of games and pay who you like. You can pay the game developers or pick between two charities.

http://www.wolfire.com/humble

Tomorrow, May fifteenth, SERC is having its annual open house which is a great opportunity to do loads of fun things. From the website:

The free event features family-friendly activities on land and water. Participate in hands-on science demonstrations, cruise the Rhode River by boat or canoe, go on a hayride, view work by local artists, hike through the woods, discuss colonial life with historic re-enactors, see live animals, learn how to milk a cow and more.

Admission is free but food and drinks cost, although you can bring a picnic lunch if you like. Enjoy!

http://serc.si.edu/public_programs/open_house.aspx

Valve/Steam's terrific game Portal is absolutely free for the next few days, until May 24th. In case you're not familiar with it Portal is a fantastic game that introduced catch phrases like "The cake is a lie" and a chilling character called GLADOS, a diabolical computer mind that is both hilarious and murderous. A sample comment from GLADOS, "That thing you burnt up isn't important to me. It's the fluid catalytic cracking unit. It made shoes for orphans. Nice job breaking it, hero."

The portal in the name refers to your ability as a player to make a hole in a surface which will port you to another location. This game is an awful lot of fun and won meg awards the year it came out, as well as enrapturing everyone who played it in my house. With Portal two in the works Steam/Valve is releasing version one for free, because they apparently don't have quite enough addicted souls.

You can get all the details and sign up for your Steam account here: http://store.steampowered.com/freeportal

If you're my county and you have some free time on Wednesdays you can get free advice on a variety of subjects from volunteer attorneys. You get up to 20 free minutes so you'll want to be ultra organized so as to make the best use of your time. You can find more advice and all the details here:

http://www.circuitcourt.org/component/content/article/113

Anne Arundel County Schools are having a health fair this weekend. From their email:

free Health and Wellness fair on Saturday, May 15, 2010, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at Severna Park High School. A 5K run for adults and high school students will begin at 8:00 a.m., with registration beginning at 7:00 a.m. A 5K run for elementary and middle school students begins at 9:00 a.m., with registration for that event starting at 8:00 a.m. There will also be a fun fitness walk around the high school track. Participants will receive a free pedometer, T-shirt, and Frisbee, while supplies last. Free health screenings, refreshments, drawings, favors, literature, and information from a variety of community resources will be available in the gymnasium. There will also be activities for children. For more information, visit our Web site at www.aacps.org/healthfair.

If you're looking for a health fair in a different area you might be able to find one by checking the websites of your local county health clinic or hospital.

Here's an interesting, albeit depressing article, about 25 jobs that pay more than a thousand dollars per week. It's depressing because women are still making less than men for doing the same job, sometimes quite a bit less. There is a lot of squabbling and negativity in the comments so steer clear if you aren't in the mood for that sort of thing.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/05/10/cb.25best.paying.jobs.4wom...