http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/38437817#38437817

You just swipe your boarding pass and it gets scanned-no flight personnel required.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-erskine-20100729,0,2825908.column

To a few stubborn holdouts, it's almost unthinkable to attend a game without a scorebook. But their numbers seem to be dropping.

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/outdoorliving/gardeningandlandscaping/article/841491--how-to-wet-your-plants-using-human-urine-as-fertilizer

Toronto master gardener Lynne Sullivan has a secret she’s reluctant to share with her neighbors.

She’s one of a growing number of gardeners and environmentalists recycling their own urine as fertilizer for plants.

http://www.slate.com/id/2262069/

Electric cars like Chevy's new Volt are too expensive today, but they won't be for long.

General Motors has announced that the bottom-end version of the Chevy Volt, its new electric car, will cost $41,000. Even after a generous federal rebate, it's still pricey. In 2008, median household income in the United States was $50,303. And so it's bound to generate loads of skepticism. How can this electric vehicle, which has "a gas powered range-extending engine/generator," compete with gas-powered sedans that cost half as much? The Chevrolet Malibu starts at about $21,000. Why would anyone switch? How can we save the planet if U.S. companies are pitching these products only to the rich?

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66Q4BJ20100728

An updated edition of a mental health bible for doctors may include diagnoses for "disorders" such as toddler tantrums and binge eating, experts say, and could mean that soon no-one will be classed as normal.

Leading mental health experts gave a briefing on Tuesday to warn that a new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which is being revised now for publication in 2013, could devalue the seriousness of mental illness and label almost everyone as having some kind of disorder.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66S0JP20100729

Foreclosures rose in 3 of every four large U.S. metro areas in this year's first half, likely ruling out sustained home price gains until 2013, real estate data company RealtyTrac said.

Unemployment was the main culprit driving foreclosure actions on more than 1.6 million properties, the company said.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/07/28/pm-take-a-free-book-but-pay-it-forward/

The publishing industry is suffering from growing pains, especially in the advent of e-books. One Masschussetts publisher is trying something new: Giving away books for free.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/07/26/pm-data-mining-pushes-marketing-to-a-new-level/

Every time you swipe one a rewards card at a store, that data goes somewhere to get analyzed. Marketplace's Stacey Vanek-Smith takes a look at the multi-billion dollar data mining industry -- how it has evolved and where it will go.

http://www.ted.com/talks/tan_le_a_headset_that_reads_your_brainwaves.html

Tan Le's astonishing new computer interface reads its user's brainwaves, making it possible to control virtual objects, and even physical electronics, with mere thoughts (and a little concentration). She demos the headset, and talks about its far-reaching applications.

http://online.barrons.com/article/SB50001424052970203986404575394871082041504.html?mod=BOL_hpp_popview

While Dow Theory says buy, leading indicators flash warnings.

IT'S SUMMER, the time for amusement parks and roller-coaster rides. So, too, it seems for the stock market as July is turning out to be fun after the second quarter's scary slide.