Gibson says it was the original ‘Guitar Hero'

Gibson Guitar is suing MTV Networks and several retailers, claiming the popular “Guitar Hero” games violate a virtual-reality patent the guitar maker holds. The 1999 patent describes a device that lets a user “simulate participation in a concert by playing a musical instrument and wearing a head-mounted 3-D display that includes stereo speakers.”

The 210 take: Look, if “simulating participation in a concert” were illegal, Miley Cyrus would already be in jail.
 

Fossilized skin studied; Joan Rivers OK

Museum workers in North Dakota are meticulously uncovering a nearly complete dinosaur, skin and all. Unlike almost every other dinosaur fossil, the Edmontosaurus — a duckbilled dinosaur unearthed in 2004 — is covered by fossilized skin as hard as iron.

The 210 take: In a bid to make himself appear younger, John McCain quickly chose the dinosaur as his running mate. And since dinosaurs co-existed with humans, his constituency didn't bat an eye.
µWith staff and wire reports
 

Huge star explodes; Kirstie Alley OK

The explosion of a star halfway across the universe was so huge it set a record for the most distant object that could be seen on Earth by the naked eye. The aging star, in a previously unknown galaxy, exploded in a gamma ray burst 7.5 billion light years away. The explosion would have vaporized any planet nearby, a NASA spokesman said.

The 210 take: President Bush told NASA that all the star needed was a good troop surge to put things right again.

 
Council does hit-and-run on its pact with Toyota

Mayor Phil Hardberger is seeking to reverse a move by City Councilman Philip Cortez to grant a developer's rezoning request to build a subdivision near Toyota's pickup plant on the South Side. The rezoning ran afoul of the city's 2003 pact with Toyota. Councilmembers said they were just following Cortez's lead in their 8-0 rezoning vote because the development was in his district.

The 210 take: The councilmembers then followed Cortez as he jumped off a bridge. 
 

Braker, braker: Truckers are slowing down

With diesel fuel around $4 a gallon, big-rig drivers are backing off their accelerators to conserve fuel. Truckers and industry officials say slowing a tractor-trailer rig from 75 mph to 65 mph increases fuel mileage by more than a mile a gallon, a significant bump for machines that get less than 10 miles per gallon hauling thousands of pounds of freight.

The 210 take: Truckers' other apparent fuel-saving measure: Riding my ass while I'm driving down I-35.