Wounded S.A. vet gets ‘bionic' hand

A wounded San Antonio veteran has been outfitted with the first-ever “bionic” hand, a $65,000 device that's a quantum leap over previous prosthetic limbs. While old artificial hands used a single motor and transmission that allowed only the hand to close, the new hand has motors that power each finger, creating a new level of dexterity.

The 210 take: The device is so futuristic it doesn't even make that “Six Million Dollar Man” baw-wa-wa-wa sound effect.
 

A YouTube twist on the old campaign debate

Video questions submitted to YouTube added an Internet age update to the usual campaign debate. The questions, most of them coming from young people, were blunt and earnest, yet sometimes bizarre. Because the questions were asked differently, candidates normally loath to stray from talking points had to answer differently, a Democratic consultant said.

The 210 take: The real surprise was that YouTube star The Dramatic Chipmunk now leads in the polls.
 

Love a homeless shelter in an area near you

The city's plan for a 22-acre homeless campus just northwest of downtown has drawn opposition from nearby homeowners. Officials said the 700-bed campus will have increased police patrols and private security. They said when residents have more information, they'll embrace the project.

The 210 take: City officials have embraced the project so much, they offered to place the homeless campus in their own neighborhoods. Or not.

 
‘Harry Potter and the Piles of Cash'

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the seventh and final volume of J.K. Rowling's fantasy series, sold a record 8.3 million copies in its first 24 hours on sale in the U.S., according to publisher Scholastic. The book was released around the world July 23 in a carefully orchestrated operation that saw midnight bookstore openings and long lines of Potter-maniacs.

The 210 take: Because nothing says “magic” like 500 people hopped up on Frappuccinos standing in line for hours at a bookstore.

Soggy mess turns into stinky, soggy mess

Storm water inundated an already overwhelmed utility system, forcing a backflow of human waste into the lawns and living rooms of six homes on the city's Northwest Side, leaving behind a stinky, ruinous mess. Normally, storm water runoff is not supposed to get into sewer lines, but with a July that's seen four times as much rain as last year, the water system's infrastructure has been stressed.

The 210 take: And you thought you had to put up with a lot of crap.

With staff and wire reports