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In short: Get ready for tonight’s debate, listen to the Earth’s strange song

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Enjoy these fascinating reads from across the internet:

  • Tonight brings the first U.S. presidential debate of the 2012 election season, and Jim Lehrer has instituted new rules to make it more of a group discussion and less like a series of disjointed monologues. [Christian Science Monitor] Read the TED Blog’s Q&A with nonverbal communication expert Amy Cuddy, so you can note how the candidate’s body language speaks volumes.
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  • What, exactly, does the Earth sound like? Thanks to data from NASA’s Storm Probes mission, we now know that the Earth “sings” and sounds a bit like a whale. [Mashable]
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  • Cambodian monk Luon Sovath, sometimes called the “multimedia monk” has won the most prestigious award out there for human rights activists, the Martin Ennals Award. Sovath is known for sharing videos of his work in poor communities, where people’s homes are being forcibly taken by the government. [Witness.org]
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  • Why don’t Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear and George Jetson have necks? Apparently, this is a trick animators use to save themselves time. [Netted]
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  • The Seattle Police Department has taken to Twitter. The law enforcement agency has launched a bold new program called Tweets-by-beat, through which 51 micro-neighborhood Twitter accounts will give constant crime reports. [New York Times]
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  • Here, 10 films which you may be surprised to discover were created without any CGI. [Flavorwire] Rob Legato, who gave the TEDTalk “The art of creating awe,” would no doubt be proud.
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  • According to author Samuel Arbesman, facts have a half-life and much that is commonly accepted as true has already been disproven. Here, a look at why you might not know as much as you think you do. [Reason.com]