The Burlington Free Press has reported that for some time now, State Police in Vermont have unwittingly been driving around with a surreptitious insult adorning their official vehicles. When an inmate was given the job of modifying the logo used on trooper cars, he took the chance to stick it to the man, and his jab went unnoticed for several years. The updated logo, seen below, was installed on dozens of cars throughout the Green Mountain State:

Spot the Swine

While some people might find humor in the news story, Sheets and Pallito said, it comes at the expense of Vermont taxpayers.

First, if the police get duped and then feel the need to pay to correct their mistake, it seems like they should somehow cover that cost themselves. But second, at a replacement cost of $780, the bill comes to about 1/10 of a cent per resident. That's actually quite a bargain.

When homeopathy isn't the dumbest part of a story, you know there's a real problem.

A New York airport screener who removed two pipes from a traveler's bag and set them aside Monday morning prompted a security scare six hours later when the next shift saw the pipes and feared they might be pipe bombs, local and federal officials said.

…

Several law enforcement sources told CNN the objects were determined to be homeopathic medical devices.

If we're really being fair to the TSA though, a lone pipe is just a highly diluted form of a bomb.

As Super Bowl 46 approaches, Chitwood & Hobbs recounts the story of Dion Rich, gate-crasher extraordinaire. Rich has snuck into dozens, perhaps hundreds, of events, all without a ticket. Back in 2002, Rick Reilly watched the man work for a fascinating Sports Illustrated piece.

Who knew that one, bankers can be knighted, and two, that it's possible to be stripped of a knighthood?

Apparently, TomTom GPS units and apps are now offering voices from The Simpsons to help guide you in your travels, including Montgomery Burns.

According to a company release, Springfield Nuclear Power Plant owner Mr. Burns is “as bold and direct as one would expect.” Example: “Take the third right. Do it, driving monkey!”

Also available are the Simpson parents. It doesn't seem like a great idea to have Homer Simpson telling you where to go, but Marge is pretty dependable.

A rather fascinating, if somewhat cruel, experiment has indicated that rats are capable of feeling empathy.

Empty cages didn’t inspire rats to learn how to open the door nearly as well as those who were motivated to rescue a trapped rat. By the end of the experiment, only five of 40 rats learned to open an empty cage, while 23 of 30 rats learned to open the cage to free an occupant. (And trapped stuffed animals fared no better than empty cages.)

Kim Dotcom's life is going to make one hell of a movie some day. The New Zealand Herald has a recounting of the computer entrepreneur/hacker's recent arrest related to massive copyright infringement, as well as his insanely lavish lifestyle.

For more insanity, Gizmodo has a gallery of many pictures of Dotcom, including several detailing the places where he hammer-timed.

It would seem that like drugs or any other large-scale crime, copyright theft pays, at least for a time. It's also worth noting that this case seems like a pretty good reason why SOPA/PIPA simply aren't needed. To wit, law enforcement agencies already have many effective tools to combat online piracy.

…And when you're dry and ready, a scam I will…perpetrate.

Apparently, a number of customers in Canada have purchased iPads from legitimate retail stores like Best Buy, only to find that instead they've received a lump of clay shaped like an iPad. When Mark Sandhu and his wife opened their iPad box on Christmas Eve, they were left to utter a Charlie Brown-esqe "I got a rock". Ultimately though, it seems to have turned out alright.

Sandhu and his wife have received an apology from the company plus a full refund. They also received a new iPad 2 as compensation for their troubles.

Last week, an Italian cruise ship wrecked and ultimately sank after hitting a reef off the coast of Italy. At least eleven people perished in the disaster, but the captain didn't go down with his ship. Instead, he wound up in a lifeboat, and then safely on shore. His excuse?

“…I tripped and I ended up in one of the boats. That's how I found myself in the lifeboat.”

If you find the captain's story hard to believe, you're not alone. Even more unbelievable, however, is the ship's choice of music.

If you were curious why North Koreans were wailing and gnashing their teeth during the funeral for deceased dictator Kim Jong-Il, here's your answer.