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September is here, and it signals the start of a new television season.

Besides cable, satellite, DVRs, DVDs and now Hulu, there's a different way to watch TV: Take your favorite show and "reverse engineer" it into constituent parts.

TV Tropes is a Wiki that shows how a program is built together out of "atoms" of character, dialogue and plot devices -- some plausible, others mostly serviceable for the sake of getting on with the show.

On the main page, it says "tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations."

For instance, take any episode from the "Law & Order" franchise. Every week, buddy cops go on a reverse whodunit to find the freak of the week based on a true crime story. In the hour, the squad must connect the deaths while being hampered by the suspect's amoral attorney and jurisdiction friction. The shows then end with variants on courtroom antics.

Click on each link to go to TV Tropes and find out what they mean and where and when they are used. Warning: Some entries contain obscenities.

By The Associated Press
The mid-movie dash to the restroom can turn us into calculating Hussein Usain Bolt wannabes: Ah, this looks like a lull -- time to dash.
When we return to our seats, we pray the answer to "What did I miss?" isn't "Darth Vader is really Luke's father" or "the girlfriend is really a guy."
The Web site RunPee.com can help with such anxious guesswork.
The site provides recommended opportunities to race to the restroom. It tells you when the action or romance wanes, and gives you a cue ("Baby O.J. is taken from Bruno") for your exit.
The site tells you how long you've got and even summarizes what you missed. Since early July, RunPee.com is available as an iPhone app, too.
Launched in August 2008, RunPee took off earlier this summer. It's been one of the season's runaway hits -- a clever idea that has spawned a lot of word-of-mouth from moviegoers.
"Helping your bladder enjoy going to the movies as much as you do," the site boasts.
It was created by Dan Florio, a 42-year-old Flash developer who got the idea during the three-hour-plus "King Kong" remake in 2005.
Florio, who lives in Orlando, Fla., with his wife, does everything for the site, though he gets some help from his wife and his mother. He's become a regular opening day attendee of movies, busily taking notes in the back row.
Friday, he sat through a double feature of "Funny People" -- which runs nearly 2½ hours -- and "Aliens in the Attic."
"I never intended to refocus my energies on this," says Florio. "And I never thought that I'd be seeing every single movie that comes out, either."
The site averages 3,000-6,000 visitors a day, Florio says. The iPhone app is available on iTunes for $1. It's not a huge moneymaker (Florio estimates he'll make $800 this month) but is providing him a little extra cash.
He believes that not only do moviegoers benefit from the service, but theater owners do, too.
"Lots and lots of people comment: 'Ah! I can get that 64-ounce drink now!'" Florio says.
Florio designed the site to be wiki-based with break times submitted by users, but it has turned out that he has done most of the work. Finding the right moments and recording the correct time is more work than it might sound -- most moviegoers leave their stopwatches at home.
"It's not fun," says Florio. "I would literally have to pay someone to do this."
Generally, the better the movie is, the harder it is to find a break.
There are, of course, limits to the usefulness of RunPee. But it has also found friends in cyberspace like WhereToWee.com, a site in the works that tells you where the nearest restroom is.

Thinking of taking a road trip down to San Diego to check out your favorite characters at Comic-Con 2009? Check the searchable schedule their Web site to find out when Stan Lee, Ludacris, Freddy Kruger and the Wonder Pets will appear at the convention.

The Iranian government has placed tight controls on media organizations as protests over the recent presidential election have grown. But this has not stopped news and images from emerging out of Iran.

Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are providing up-to-the-second news. Though, as Foreign Policy magazine warns, there are fakers and provocateurs out there.

Even Wikipedia had to lock its entry on the June 12 elections, citing vandalism.

Still images are constantly surfacing on Flickr, Picasa and Photobucket of events in Iran and sympathetic protests worldwide.

The international journalists association Reporters Without Borders provides news on press crackdowns and the whereabouts of journalists on its Iran page.

YouTube is teeming with videos, but one in particular may well emerge as the iconic image of the election protests.

In what's tagged the "Neda video," a young woman lays dying after reportedly being gunned down by a government militia member. However, The Associated Press said it could not verify the location, date or the content of the video, which is explicit.

The recession is clearly fueling the popularity of mother-oriented blogs that focus on penny pinching. But it's difficult to estimate how many there are because many female bloggers who used to limit themselves to such areas as gardening and weddings now include money-saving tips.
Jessica Hogue, research director of Nielsen Online, which has studied more than 10,000 parenting and mother-oriented blogs, believes about two dozen mother-oriented blogs that focus on frugality are influential. She ranks them based on how much chatter they garner, their volume of followers on Twitter.com and the number of times consumers link to them from other blogs, among other criteria.
Here are the top five mom-oriented blogs with a frugal focus Nielsen found most influential.

1. www.commonsensewithmoney.com:
Founder: Mercedes Levy, 34, mother of two boys, ages 4, 18 months.
Based: Sheboygan, Wis.
Background: Certified Public Accountant, holds an MBA. Stay-at-home mother. Started blog October 2007.
Focus: Rock-bottom deals.
Philosophy: "I wanted people to see that you can not only make it on one income but you can thrive on one."

2. www.5dollardinners.com
Founder: Erin Chase, 31, mother of two boys, ages 4 and 2.
Based: Dayton, Ohio
Background: Former high school math and science teacher. Started blog summer 2008.
Focus: Cooking and planning nutritious family dinners for less than $5.
Philosophy: "I buy EVERYTHING on sale and most non-produce/meat items with a coupon."

3. www.couponmom.com
Founder: Stephanie Nelson, 45, mother of two boys ages, 13 and 16.
Based: Atlanta
Background: Bachelor's degree in finance, 10 years' experience in sales and marketing with Procter & Gamble Co. and MarriottZZTO International Inc. Left corporate world 1995. Started blog 2001.
Focus: Slashing your grocery bill in half.
Philosophy: "Strategic shopping is not about changing the way you eat; it is about changing the way you buy the food you like."

4. www.moneyssavingmom.com
Founder: Crystal Paine, 27, mother of two girls, ages 4, 23 months and a boy, 3 weeks old.
Based: Kansas
Background: Stay-at-home mom, learned to live on "beans and rice budget" when husband was in law school. Started blog in late 2007.
Focus: Living on less than you make by using coupons and finding other deals.
Philosophy: "After years of scrimping and sacrifice, we're reaping the benefits now of being able to live significantly below our means because we don't have any payments."

5. www.freebies4mom.blogspot.com:
Founder: Heather Hernandez, 33, mother of two boys, ages 4,2.
Based: Houston
Background: Civil engineer. Stay-at-home mom. Started blog October 2007.
Focus: Free samples, freebies on products that families use daily.
Philosophy: "Moms deserve to be spoiled, and I help them by sharing the hottest freebies as a fun way to save money."

-- The Associated Press

Do your kids use your iPhone as much as you do? Want to load up before your summer vacation? If so, you may want to check out the list of child-friendly apps ranked by Internetsafety.com, the developer of software called Safe Eyes, which blocks inappropriate Internet content for children.
The top 10 titles are listed below with Apple's App store prices. Full descriptions and links for purchase are listed at http://blog.internetsafety.com/2009/05/12/kid-friendly-apps.

Games

• Memory Match Kids by Jirbo, $.99 (animal-based memory game, 4+)


• Wheels on the Bus by Duck Duck Moose $.99 (sing-along game, 4+)


• Baloonimals by Ideo Soft Lab $1.99 (interactive balloon animals, 4+)


• DisneyZZTO Fairies Fly by Walt DisneyZZTO $4.99 (Neverland exploration, 4+)

Education

• Kid's Math Fun by NSC Partners LLC $1.99 (different versions for


• grades K-4)


• Kindle for iPhone by Reinke LLC free (reader for ebooks from Amazon, all ages)

Creative

• Comic Touch by Plasq $2.99 (funny photo manipulation, all ages)


• Karma Art by Stylem Media $.99 (cut-and-paste drawing assembly, all ages)


• Kids Finger Painter by Third Frame Mobile $.99 (painting program, 4+)


• Ocarina by Smule $.99 (turns iPhone into a flute, all ages)

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With summer on the horizon, it's time to prepare that poolside or beach reading list.

Two Web sites that can give you some suggestions are Goodreads and This One Next.

Goodreads.com has a social networking feature. It lets you know what your friends are reading, have read or would like to read. It also alerts you to what are the most popular books — at least among members of Goodreads.

Currently, President Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" is being read by 2,651 members, and it's No. 10 on the reading list.

But Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" is No. 2 on the reading list, and other books in the series are Nos. 4, Number6 and Number 7. "The Host," the first book of her newest series, is No. 11.

The site also includes videos of author interviews and a database of upcoming literary events. Enter your zip code and the type of event and the results pop up in a list and on a map.

Goodreads also maintains several user groups to discuss literature by genre, geography or common interest.

The name of This One Next says it all. Type in the title and author of book and ask for suggestions. However, just a cursory check of the site found that the less popular the title, the more likely it will return an error message.

The site also will recommend CDs and videos, although its choices can seem a little odd — "The Sound of Music" draws a recommendation of "The River Wild" with Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon.

Both sites will link you to Amazon, so you can order a book, CD, DVD or an electronic download if you have a Kindle.

The Associated Press reports:

On Twitter, messages of 140 characters may seem confining. Mike Massimino is finding a different type of space even more limiting -- outer space.

The astronaut is sending messages to the social networking site from 350 miles above Earth on the space shuttle Atlantis -- and what's cramping his "tweets" is time, not the character limit.

Massimino, 46, averaged about four tweets a day before launch. Now that he's in orbit, it's down to one a day.

Still, Astro_Mike, which is Massimino's Twitter name, did make history.

He's the first person to tweet from space: "From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!"

There are 36 NASA Twitter accounts, including Massimino's. NASA also has 24 Facebook accounts, 13 YouTube channels, eight Flickr photo accounts and five MySpace sites.

More than 270,000 people have signed up to follow Massimino's tweets.

He tweeted Wednesday from orbit about chasing down Hubble: "From orbit: Getting more accustomed to living in space today and getting ready for our big rendezvous with Hubble."

And on Thursday, about grabbing Hubble the previous day: "From orbit: Rendezvous and grapple were great, getting ready for our first spacewalk."

The tweets may get more scarce. Massimino, 46, is spacewalking today and Sunday.

Astronaut Mark Polansky -- whose Twitter name is astro_127 -- also tweets, as does NASA, which also maintains a list of social media sites (such as Facebook) that it and its affiliates use.

Last week, Chicago learned that its iconic Sears Tower -- the tallest building in the United States, is losing its name. Blair Kamin, at ChicagoTribune.com, said "The Sears name isn't just a tack-on. It stands for something.... The building's architecture reflects that past: It is strong, solid, democratic."

London-based insurer the Willis Group moved into the tower, and the investment firm that owns the skyscraper threw in a name change at no extra charge. It shall now be known as Willis Tower. Plus, Sears left the tower as its headquarters back in 1992.

The name change shows how skyscrapers stoke the imaginations and passions of both detractors and admirers. If you fall into the admirers camp, SkyscraperPage.com is for you. The site features an extensive database of building statistics and very well-drawn diagrams.

Locally, El Segundo has five buildings represented in the database. Several more near LAX are categorized within Los Angeles, which boasts 559 high-rises.

Register for the page and you can join in discussions on architecture and urbanism on the active forums.

Happy birthday to you! Now blow out the candles and make a wish.

If your wish happens to be getting more free stuff, FreeBirthdayTreats.com will make it come true.

The site was created by people interested in finding out which restaurants and other companies share in your celebration by offering gratis goodies.

The online database has categories for adults, kids and even pets.

Narrow down your search by entering the state, type of business and if you're looking for discounts, freebies or both.

You can also submit your own treats to the database or sign up for new offers to be delivered via e-mail.