Happy bissextile day, Houston. If you're reading this from jail — we're actually not even sure if you can use the Internet in jail — well, don't feel alone: According to a new report from the Pew Center on the States, 1 of every 100 American adults are behind bars today. Good lord. The good news: Texas is one of the states that has tried to slow the growth of its inmate population through......

Pack your bags, grab your passport, check your visa. We're taking you outside the loop for a taste of Japan, folks. Houstonist, on the wise recommendation of the Fearless Critic, recently made the trek out to Westheimer and Fondren to dine at Sasaki. The restaurant is incognito in a dumpy strip center, nestled right next to your typical shady cell phone store, an insurance office and a hair salon (with 100% real human hair extensions!).......

Rice junior Matthew Wilson, 20, is still missing, and while authorities are not treating the case as foul play, concern is growing. Wilson, whose car is gone but who left his cell phone in the apartment he shares with a roommate, often goes into near-isolation around finals period, say those who know him. His roommate, upon not seeing him for several days, assumed he had merely missed him on his way to or from the......

Need to know just a little bit about something? Ask a dilettante. Why do some people talk on the phone when they're walking/jogging at Memorial Park? Can they not go 30 minutes without their cell phone? The jogging trail seems like the one place you should be able to go without hearing cell phones and people's annoying chatter. What can I do to solve this annoyance? -- Eric W., Houston There are a few options......

"Creative Crowdsourcing Through Mobile Technolgy" We couldn't have said it better ourselves, and you'll have to see this to believe the awesomeness of it. This has been on our radar for quite some time and we are so excited it's finally here. The Houston Center for Photography and Aurora Picture Show band together this summer to present the 3rd annual summer SPIN Party and Exhibition Txt Me L8r on August 24 from 8-11pm. On July......

One more reason to avoid the Marq*E Entertainment Center: You might get stuck in a bathroom and be forced to climb into a ceiling to escape. Couldn't happen, you say? Tell that to 16-year-old Shelby Moore. Moore and some friends went to the Marq*E on Wednesday to see a movie. On the way to the theater, Moore stopped at a restroom; when he tried to leave, he discovered that the door was jammed. His friends......

We've covered a few distinctive thieves in the last few months: the cell phone bandit, the bicycle bandit, the dapper bandit, the bad hair bandit — and now there's a new one: the bossy bandit, who was reportedly quite rude when he knocked over a west Houston bank last week. According to FBI officials, the man walked into the Wells Fargo branch on the Katy Freeway near Highway 6 at around 5 p.m. last Tuesday;......

Houstonist likes volunteering for good causes. We also like concerts that are free. Boost Mobile RockCorps is offering both, with the pay off being a ticket to see Taking Back Sunday next month at Warehouse Live. RockCorps was founded less than 5 years ago, in hopes to inspire volunteerism in young adults, encouraging them to be active in local community activities. Since the non-profit group also believed in the power of music, they teamed up......

There are no new traffic laws and no new laws concerning cell phone use in cars according to the Texas DPS. A recent email hoax is being forwarded to inboxes across Texas as fast as those drivers in the left lane. That is, until they reach someone driving the speed limit, of course. The hoax email states that improper use of the HOV lane will result in a fine in excess of $1,000, doubling and......

Houston now has a "cell phone bandit" bank robber on the lose. Well, that's what authorities are calling her at least. A woman casually walked into the Wells Fargo off the North Freeway, wearing a red wig, and talking on her cell phone as she walked up to the teller and handed her a note demanding money. There's no word of a gun being present at the time. The robber continued her conversation as the......

Police are still investigating some of the details behind a tragic story that unfolded this morning: at about four AM, a stolen SUV carrying several teenagers hit a stalled train near Baytown, leaving four of the young passengers dead. Police reported that the driver of the Jeep Cherokee did not see the train and ran right into a tanker car. The four backseat passengers were killed instantly. The driver was taken by helicopter to Memorial......

Good morning, Houston. So, did you hear about the guy who accidentally shot himself during a gun show at the George R. Brown Convention Center? Nope, not a joke: The guy was apparently trying to disassemble his Glock .40-caliber handgun while shopping for a part for the gun when he shot himself Saturday afternoon — but the real kicker is that it looks like he was carrying the gun illegally. "We have signs posted......

We guess Jacquelyn Woods has learned a lesson or two: She was arrested last week after trying to use a stolen credit card to buy some rims — and then making a really ill-fated attempt to run from the cops. According to KTRK, Woods showed up Monday at Cartronix, an auto accessory shop, wanting to buy some expensive rims. Red flags went up with the store staff when Woods wanted to pay using a credit......

From the "Aren't Teachers Supposed to Be Marginally More Mature Than Their Students?" file comes the story of the Northwest Preparatory Academy teacher who is in hot water because he allegedly borrowed a student's camera phone, used it to take some inappropriate photos of himself and then gave the phone back to the student. Really smart move there. It happened last week at Northwest Prep, a charter school on Lyons Avenue in northwest Houston. "The......

Good morning, Houston. Have a roach problem? How about turning it into a windfall? The Houston Museum of Natural Science is offering 25 cents per roach for the first 1,000 live, healthy American cockroaches people bring in. No kidding: a whole quarter for trapping and transporting a roach! The roaches will be used for a museum display on insect sanitary engineers — seems the critters, which are often associated with filth, are actually known......

This week we'd like to congratulate the -ist network's Mother Hen, Gothamist's Jen Chung, who found herself a recipient of Wired Magazine's Wired Rave Award. If that doesn't sound terribly exciting, keep in mind another recipient was J.K. Rowling. Yep, that's right, the -ist network and Harry Potter now have something in common. Go us. Austinist has a chat with the ever-fashionable Golden Girl Rue McClanahan, and managed to catch some local fashionistas making......

Knock it off, morons. Listing a Missed Connection doesn't improve your karma, make your lottery numbers come up nor does it make the hottie from Accounts Payable dig your chili. However, driving a Volkswagen may get you noticed. Ah, fahrvergnügen. The hottie cop just may pull you over if you're lucky. Desperately seeking Ruth . - m4wWhy won't you talk to me? I have called your parents many times and left my number time......

Spring is when we get busy here in the Ist-A-Verse. Very busy. But, after staying bundled-up indoors all winter, it's nice for us to be out, about, and collecting things to write about for you. Here's a glimpse at what's been keeping your favorite citybloggers busily away from home and out of bed. For LAist, strong winds attacked LA on the same day the Feds raided the Crips. Not to fear, though: the Japanese version......

Local tech news in a compact, digital format. Feel Good Recycling Techs & Trainers is a non-profit organization that recycles old computer equipment, rebuilds systems and then offers them for a nominal fee to those with special needs. You can help by donating your unwanted computers and accessories or volunteering your own specialized assistance. HTC Blood Drive The Houston Technology Center is having a blood drive on April 13 from 7-11am. Get out from......

Looks like Houstonian Bobby Knight is going to have some 'splaining to do: Police say Knight, whose wife reported him missing March 14 after finding a ransom note in her mailbox demanding $50,000 for his return, staged his kidnapping in an attempt to get away from his spouse. According to KHOU, when Harris County sheriff's investigators began looking into the case, they traced one of Knight's credit card receipts to a Radio Shack store in......

The ex-boyfriend of missing Texas A&M student Tynesha Stewart was charged with murder this morning after he led police investigators to a dumpster where he said he put Stewart's body. The ex, 27-year-old Timothy Wayne Shepherd, hasn't made a formal confession and reportedly isn't cooperating with police now, but activist Quanell X said he did confess to him. Stewart disappeared a week ago while she was spending Spring Break at her mother's apartment. She left......

A woman had to be rescued from her car Thursday morning after she drove into a lake, apparently because she was talking on her cell phone and didn't notice the road had ended. It happened around 9:30 a.m. at Oregold and Sunbright, just off Eldridge Parkway in northwest Harris County; police say the woman, Yu Hee Kim, drove her 2001 Lexus over a curb, across a grassy expanse and into one of the manmade lakes......

Two people died early this morning when an SUV going the wrong way on the North Freeway hit a box truck head-on. The accident happened around 3:15 a.m. near I-45 and Little York; according to police, a Ford Explorer was heading south in the northbound lanes of the freeway when it struck a small Isuzu truck at high speed. "The speedometer of the Ford Explorer was stuck at 75 when we got there," HPD accident......

Good morning, Houston! Sure, you might have had some bad experiences on the bus when you were in school, but we're willing to bet your bus driver never passed out at the wheel like one did in Magnolia yesterday. The driver had just dropped a student off on FM 1488 when she passed out; fortunately, a 9-year-old passenger called 911 on his cell phone and got help. Looks like the driver had a heart......

Good morning, Houston. Let's be frank with each other, shall we: Haven't you ever thought of yourself as a superhero? Yeah, we thought so. You'll be happy to know that it's your lucky day — or weekend, whatever — because the Sci Fi channel's Who Wants to Be a Superhero? is casting. Candidates have to have their identities set, show up in costume and explain "the true nature of their superhuman abilities and invoking the......

This week's Missed Connections are brought to you by the letter 'E' for 'Eavesdropping.' Seriously people, is this the best way to court someone? By listening to one side of their phone calls? Pappadeux on Richmond about 9 pm Tuesday night you were a distinguished older gentlemen in a starched shirt, silver hair, handsome, eating alone. You made a couple of cell phone calls, and I thought I overheard you saying something about "Baptist."......

Sadists known as distance runners are expected to crowd the streets near George R. Brown Convention Center this Sunday morning to take part in the Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Half-Marathon and Houston Press/Smart Financial 5K. The race has grown-up quite a bit since the initial event in 1972 when the first race was run by 113 runners on a five mile loop. 2007's 35th incarnation of the event will feature 15,000 registered runners between......

What's better than being the first one to see a new release (we actually wait to avoid the crowds and the cell phone toting people)? Why, seeing a new IMAX release, of course! This Friday evening, you may, if you wish, check out the opening of Night at the Museum, at the museum! Specifially, the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The ticket purchase, $12/adult or $9/member, also gets you a free pass to the rest......

If you're hiking, consider charging up your iPod, as Seattlest finds out that a man lost during a hike was found by the glow of his iPod. That cleverness seems to be devoid in cops who were using police cruiser instant messaging clients - although we imagine IMs "so are you nakie" to be included in cop shows, just for realism. If only the cops were busting the Hummer-driving jerk who made a poor......

Nine people, including a mother and two of her sons, have been arrested in connection with 22 robberies of bar customers in the Heights and Second Ward, KPRC reports today. The group staged a number of holdups in bars between June and October: They would enter a bar with guns or knives, tell everyone to hit the floor and then steal patrons' wallets, cash and jewelry, money from the cash register and, in some cases,......