ZODIAC

We're back from our four-day weekend despite yesterday's gloomy celebration of Blue Monday, the "holiday" psychologists deem the most miserable day of the year.

Blue Monday is the result of a questionable formula written by psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2005, who calculated that the third Monday of January based on seven variables including weather, debt, monthly salary, time since Christmas, time since failed quitting attempt, low motivational levels, and the need to take action.

The formula seems dubious, especially since Arnall was employed by a PR company at its recognition, but it also happened to fall on my 27th birthday, so it might hold water after all.

Speaking of B.S., tune into today's episode for a skeptical discussion about astrology based on a random astrologer correctly guessing my birthday yesterday in a coffee shop. Wilson and I don't take astrology very seriously, but the coincidence is enough to make us wonder about its legitimacy. Plus Jeff's daily Aries horoscope is spot-on today!

Also, don't worry about your zodiac sign changing, as some media outlets are calling a red herring, and Ophiuchus is old news!

In other news, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced his second medical leave of absence in the last two years. Jobs will remain CEO of the company, but Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook will take responsibility of the day-to-day operations.

The company's stocks are already taking a hit with a 4 percent slide just an hour and a half into today's Nasdaq exchange, but we're deferring to our Apple expert Wilson Tang to predict the future of Apple once again.

Will Courtney Love's lawyers argue that Twitter is just so fun and awesome that she can't be held responsible for defamatory crazy talk she types on it? If so, we're about to go crazy on Twitter. Also, Apple and News Corp may have pushed back their launch date for the Daily, BBC says no to Smart TV fragmentation, and why can't Samsung just give us our dang Froyo already? --Molly

I hope you're sitting down, because I have some information that might be earth-shattering for some of you. Others will give a collective "meh," and nobody would really blame you. But here it is: due to one scientist's offhanded comments, the Internet says you might no longer be the astrological sign you always thought you were.

You see, the ancient Babylonians made up the first zodiac systems thousands of years ago, and astrologically minded people have been using the same systems, more or less unchanged, since then. The problem, though, is that the Earth's tilt on its axis has shifted significantly since then. If you remap the zodiac using Earth's current position, you get a different telling of who's an Aries, Leo, and so on--including a newish sign called Ophiuchus.

Imagine it like this: If you spin something, the direction of the axis tends to wobble. The Earth's axis in its orbit does the same thing because of a phenomenon called precession, and is now facing a different star than it did 5,000 years ago. That means that the constellations that made up the Babylonian zodiac are not the constellations the sun currently passes through. So, according to many stories online today, a new zodiac could be devised. And that has believers in a frenzy. … Read more

New Age spirituality has a hard time being taken seriously to begin with, and programs like MB Chakras Astrology, like most other software from Mystic Board, don't help matters. Mystic Board programs tend to be heavy on advertising and light on content, and Chakras Astrology is no exception.

The program's interface is plain, with a box for users to enter their name and drop-down menus for the user's birth date. With that information entered, the program produces a list of "astro chakra details," including the user's sun sign, the associated chakra, and the chakra'… Read more

Dynamic Biorhythms provides a tracking tool for monitoring the body's biorhythms. While its layout verges on overload, the program provides some interesting information about yourself.

The program's interface was terribly cluttered, trying to include several monitoring tools on a single screen. However, a visit to the incredibly insightful Help file, with its definitions of functionality and terminology, set us straight. The only thing that was not clear to us, and therefore kept us skeptical, was what source this biorhythm information comes from. Regardless, entering our birthday and sex revealed an incredible amount of detail. We were able to … Read more

Dr. Regener Sun-Moon-Calendar provides an all-inclusive view at what's happening on your calendar and in the sky above. Simple and easy to use, this is a great tool for anyone interested in the sun and moon.

We were initially disappointed this program had no Help file, but were immediately put at ease since the program's interface is laid out in a logical, navigable, and professional manner. All the major components were laid out in a way that even astronomical novices like us could understand. The actual calendar was a small part of the program, while a chart showing … Read more

LavClock is a clock, an alarm, and much more. With its simple operation and extensive options, this is a fantastic choice for people who want more than just a clock.

We were able to avoid the program's simple topic-related Help file because its interface felt instantly familiar. The actual clock didn't really impress us, as it made itself at home in the tray and didn't improve upon Windows' time teller. However, things improved once we realized we were able to set an alarm through a basic menu and customize the sound. We opened up the Options menu … Read more

This is a fun little piece of freeware that uses some basic personal information to predict the compatibility of two people based on their Chinese zodiac signs. The simple interface could not be easier to navigate, and the layout of the compatibility reports is easy to read.

There aren't too many bells and whistles with MB Chinese Zodiac Compatibility, but its reports are fairly comprehensive. Each partner is analyzed separately based on his or her birthday, and the couple's overall compatibility is rated and explained. There's plenty of detail about the various birth years; we especially liked … Read more

MB Gemini Astrology is a simple bit of freeware that offers users a variety of reports related to people born under the astrological sign of Gemini. There's very little in the way of interaction, but the information is presented in clear, easy-to-understand fashion.

After passing a jumbled introductory screen, the user is presented with a single, bare-bones interface. Certain elements that seem changeable are actually fixed--the zodiac quality, the symbol, the element, and the birth dates for Gemini don't change--but you can select from a variety of reports about different aspects of this star sign's particular traits. … Read more