• 57M number of people that got swine flu in the U.S. since the outbreak began last April
• 257k number of people that had to be hospitalized as a result of a strong swine flu case
• 12k number of people that died as a result of getting swine flu, which isn’t really that bad

A little perspective on H1N1:

• 35,000 people usually die from the flu yearly

• » Demographic changes: H1N1 is an odd outbreak, because while it has killed far fewer people than a traditional outbreak, many of those people are younger than 65, a change from traditional influenza, which is often deadlier for the elderly.
• » Did swine flu replace the normal flu? One of the things that researchers found was that most people who they tested with flu symptoms had swine flu, not a normal strain. Which suggests that the swine flu outbreak may have neutered a normal flu season.
• » More’s still on the way: We’re still not out of the woods yet. Flu activity, whether H1N1 or traditional, is still expected for several more months. As long as we don’t have to pull Dustin Hoffman to save the day again. source

• I was not sure whether I should tell the world who I am mainly because of the fact that I am under age. Now I think that it would be better to reveal myself.
• Andrey Ternovskiy • Describing the popularity of his insane webcam-plus-anonymity service, which has taken off in recent weeks, enough that it gets featured in New York Magazine, Good Morning America and The New York Times. We still think it’s a fad, but it’s pretty cool that the Russian student came up with it. Regarding the use that’s become most prevalent – perverts showing off their junk – he notes that while he’s very against it, other people are doing “really unbelievable things I could never think of.” (In a good way.) He has more features planned, which is probably a good thing to extend its pop-culture currency. source

• Google’s got a LOT of PR problems right now. Some of them are legitimate (see Google Buzz), others are simply a side effect of the company’s size. But the fact of the matter is, this hoax, plotted last week while we were complaining about the snow, is pretty dang funny. The car is fake. So is the rage. But the undercurrent is definitely real. source

• Obviously, it isn’t completely clean but, for me, it doesn’t change my appraisal of the text. I believe it’s part of the concept of the book.
• Book critic Volker Weidermann • Regarding the fate of 17-year-old Helene Hegemann’s “Axolotl Roadkill,” a highly-praised German book. The problem with the book? Many passages are apparently plagiarized by another author. However, she claims it wasn’t plagiarism, but a remix of old ideas made new. Despite the controversy brought on by the blogosphere, the Leipzig Book Fair put the book up for a $20,000 prize, knowing about the plagiarism. Kaavya Viswanathan should’ve used that excuse back in 2006. source

• 50% of overweight teens were overweight by 24 months of age
• 90% of overweight teens were overweight by 5 years of age source

• He was in training mode, and rocked it. Lacey, Wash. 911 dispatcher Chris Scott got a chance to practice being cool under pressure when his wife, Janna, came on the other line because his 6-month-old son, Jacob, was choking. One thing that helped was that Chris didn’t completely realize it was his wife. Even so, the Marine reservist just back from Iraq successfully guided Janna through the process. Not bad. source

• Actually, the resistance is not there. Based on our intelligence reports, some of the Taliban have left the area. But we still expected there to be several hundred in the area. Just yesterday, we received reports that reinforcements had arrived from neighboring provinces.
• Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak • Regarding the Taliban’s stranglehold on Marja, which turned out to be much smaller than anticipated. As a result, the U.S. had an easy time occupying the city. Among Afghan troops, none were killed and only a handful were wounded. Apparently, the U.S.’ early call that they were coming was successful in scaring the Talban away. Or they’re hiding. One of the two. source

• 8,000 Tacomas recalled due to drive shafts source

• This song is like seven minutes long. It’s like they couldn’t fit all the celebrities that wanted to help in a three-minute tune so they just made it longer and added lots of breakdowns. Including creepy appearances by a deceased Michael Jackson, who we’re sure would be helping if he were still alive (since he co-wrote the song). But that said, however misguided, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help Haiti. So donate. Anyway, our recap of the video:

• » Best moment: Lil’ Wayne busting out the autotune because he can’t sing at all. There was a rap breakdown, man. Why didn’t you bust out a couple of rhymes on that?
• » Second best moment: Wyclef Jean throwing some vitality into that second chorus. He’s pretty much the most welcome voice on the whole production.
• » Second worst moment: Teen super-heartthrob Justin Bieber singing the intro like a 12-year-old girl. Downright awful replacement for Lionel Richie.
• » Worst moment: The rap breakdown, which we’re sure wasn’t in the original version. It wasn’t necessary for any other reason but to get more people on the record.
• » Oddest celebrity cameo: Barbara Streisand, who barely – just barely – took this mantle from Tony Bennett. She was simply a downright strange choice.