Quick Links: Why Does Laughing Feel So Good?; Secrets of a Hotel Minibar

Wednesday, 14 September 2011 | by Pat's Picks

Why Does Laughing Feel So Good? Scientists say the “simple muscular exertions involved in producing the familiar ha, ha, ha” produce a rush of endorphins. New York Times.

Emmy Preview: Who Should Win vs. Who Will Win. Category: Best Comedy Actor. Should Win: Louis CK. Will Win: Steve Carrell. New York Post.

Missoni Madness Crashes Target Website. The debut of the Italian design house’s low-cost line for Target caused pandemonium around the country. Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Facebook Installs Custom Servers at its Portland Offices. The trend towards “do-it-yourself servers” at Internet companies has computer manufacturers like HP and Dell running scared. Oregonian.

TSA to Lighten Up on Airport Pat-Downs for Those 12 and Under. If you can eat off the kids menu, then you probably don’t pose a security threat to the nation. USA Today.

Opinion: Stupid Things Men Say to Pregnant Women. Columnist John Kass became number five on his pregnant assistant’s list of idiocy after taking her out for oysters. Chicago Tribune.

Bummer Summer. This is depressing: Gardeners in the Twin Cities are readying for the year’s first frost, which could happen this weekend—about a week before summer officially ends. Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Consider the Fig. The fruit exists deliciously outside the confines of a Newton—here are some recipes to prove it. Oregonian.

Opinion: Death of the Newspaper? Not in Small Town, USA. Listen up broadsheet doomsayers: “8,000 weekly papers still hit the front porches and mailboxes in small towns across America every week.” LA Times.

Secrets of a Hotel Minibar. Hotels are taking their snacks out of the minibar, hoping it will “be harder to resist that chocolate bar if it’s staring at you from the TV stand.” Wall Street Journal.

Can You Spare a Bathroom, Brother? Out in public and need to pee? There is, of course, an app for that. LA Times.

Get Out of Jail, For Free. The mother of a Florida cop accused of trafficking methamphetamines used her house as collateral to post his bond. Only problem? She doesn’t own the house. Sun Sentinel.