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An "ethereal" 10 second clip of a woman singing a French folk song has been played for the first time in 150 years.

The recording of "Au Clair de la Lune", recorded in 1860, is thought to be the oldest known recorded human voice. A phonograph of Thomas Edison singing a children's song in 1877 was previously thought to be the oldest record. The new "phonautograph", created by etching soot-covered paper, has now been played by US scientists using a "virtual stylus" to read the lines. "When I first heard the recording as you hear it ... it was magical, so ethereal," audio historian David Giovannoni, who found the recording, told AP. "The fact is it's recorded in smoke. The voice is coming out from behind this screen of aural smoke."

via Auntie Beeb

The article has a link to the audio

Obama bowls a 37 in campaign stop

Stay the course on the strategy yielding a score of 37! Maybe he's just not good under pressure?

"My economic plan is better than my bowling," Obama told fellow bowlers Saturday. "It has to be," a man called out.

LOL this is great. Maybe his campaign gurus should have him attempt to juggle knives-- in order to attract the carny votes. Never mind that he's fucking terrible at it and he'd look stupid, turn- off serious jugglers & potentially hurt himself in the process.

DON'T EVEN SAY THAT BOWLING SKILLS ARE IRRELEVANT!!