Call them “Quake Catchers.” The LA Times says seismologists are pushing the idea that personal laptops are a powerful tool for predicting and combating the devastation caused by earthquakes. They say the same technology that allows a Wii controller to function as a tennis racket could be used to “build a system that links ordinary computers into a seismic network.”

In Florida, they’re sipping Google-tinis. America is “gaga for Google” says the San Jose Mercury News. The paper prints a roundup of all the crazy things cities across the country have done in a bid to get the Internet giant to chose them as the testing grounds of its new high-speed broadband service.  VIDEO

Talk about shaking your confidence. There’s a remarkable photo on the front page of the New York Times of a scary moment as an aftershock hits Chile. The tremors happened just moments before the country’s new president was to be sworn into office. The Times says an hour after Sebastián Piñera’s inauguration, he was headed to the quake zone.

It’s the United States of Chicken. The Chicago Tribune reports that new research from the USDA reveals Americans are cutting back on beef in favor of chicken. But that doesn’t mean we’re getting any healthier. Also on the uptick are consumption levels for cheese and soft drinks.

Paul Krugman’s column in the New York Times this morning is worth reading. Not saying you have to agree with it - but it’s good for discussion. He outlines what he believes are the “three myths” that are clouding the health care debate. Krugman says claims that “Obamacare”  doesn’t control costs and is “fiscally irresponsible” overshadow the fact that it is a “reasonable, responsible plan.”

It’s called onshoring. Caterpillar is the latest company to bring some of its production back from overseas says the Wall Street Journal. It’s not so much a gesture of support for US jobs as it is a recognition that it makes financial sense to use US factories when the dollar is weak overseas.

Your refund check may take longer than usual this year. USA Today says states across the country are delaying payments as they continue to deal with impending budget crises. In New York, almost $500 million in returns will be delayed because of a cash flow problem. And residents of Hawaii were recently told they might have to wait up to five months to see their refunds.

On the 60th anniversary of the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted’ poster, the Washington Post takes a look a some of the most interesting and notorious ones. The list was started in 1949 after a reporter asked who the “toughest guys” the agency was pursuing were.

You see it all the time on the playground - moms and dads with their toddler placed safely in their lap as they whiz down the slide. But a firsthand account in the Oregonian says sliding with your kids isn’t as safe as it seems. Actually, it can be quite dangerous. Experts say children are especially prone to broken bones until their fifth birthday.

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. And the Chicago Tribune has 12 reasons why drinking a Guinness, instead of green beer, is a good strategy. Guinness reportedly has the ability to lower your risk of blood clots and heart attacks, has lots of iron and can double as a meal. And then there’s the simple fact that it just “makes you look manly.”

A guest column in the Wall Street Journal introduces us to the battle of the men’s body washes. Forbes editor Melanie Wells looks at the marketing pitches for the products. She believes the winning formula may belong to Old Spice, which is encouraging women to buy its product to help their man “smell like a man.”

A woman is suing the producers of “Couple’s Retreat” after realizing she was the woman in a picture that Jon Favreau’s character used as a “masturbatory prop.” The New York Post says the former model wants NBC Universal to pay her $10 million, even though she does not hold the rights to the photo, saying the movie scene in question “would be a crime if Mr. Favreau attempted it on a New York City subway.”

There’s a nice preview in USA Today this morning about the next big collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. It’s another World War II project, a ten-part miniseries that will air on HBO, but this time, the action is set in the Pacific. Spielberg and Hanks say the overwhelming response to their other top-selling collaboration, “Band of Brothers” inspired them to revisit the topic from a different angle.

There’s a new statistic in the world of golf and it has nothing to do with how many mistresses you have. The Wall Street Journal summarizes some ground breaking MIT research on putting in today’s paper. The scientists looked at statistics for the PGA tour to come up with a stat called “putts gained.”  Luke Donald is the best putter in pro golf, followed by Tiger Woods.