Employees of a few energy companies in Colorado had become fond of a big horn sheep that had peeled off its herd and made a home in De Beque Canyon. Local residents and employees of the energy company that use a road near the animal had taken to seeing it on a daily basis and shooting pictures of the animal. On October 30th, a person found the animal dead with a single shot to its neck. They contacted authorities who put the word out in the neighborhood to try to find the poacher. The energy company found out about the poaching and has offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who turns in or helps catch the poacher.

Man, energy companies are like the mob. The guy who shot and left this animal has a price on his head. We're so accustomed to hearing about energy companies screwing us over, and the one time they do something cool they're motivated only by their sense of vindictiveness. Anyone who can turn the poacher in can collect the cash through Colorado's Division of Wildlife.

I'm on the fence about the Helmet Flag (music link warning). I can't decide if it's the work of a laid-off web developer keeping his skills fresh by creating an outrageous parody website; or rather it's the work of a Utah family trying to keep their 15 kids safe. Either way, the Helmet Flag is insanely awesome. Short people could wear it at work when they have to walk around cubicle farms, and people who work on golf ball driving ranges could attach the flag to their helmet. It sells for $25 without a helmet attached. Cyclists who fear they'll look like a loser if they wear a helmet will likely have a seizure if they see someone wearing a Helmet Flag. Become the 25th fan on their Facebook page and be part of "the next Big Idea."

A recent study found that despite widespread attention to the importance of helmet use, not only has helmet use not gone up, but the severity of cycling injuries has greatly increased. The researchers looked at cyclists admitted to a trauma center in Denver over 11 years. During that time, the severity of injuries and the length of stay for rundown cyclists dramatically increased. The obvious answer is that more people are riding their bikes, which is great, but the bad news is that the cycling infrastructure can't handle all the new riders. Inexperienced people are getting on their bikes to be healthy and avoid oil wars, and more of them are getting run over.

The Freakonomics blog on NY Times ran a similar article that posed the questions, "Will Bicycling to Work Get you Killed?" They found that bikers are 12 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than car drivers, but also that drivers have a 39% higher mortality rate. Basically, if you can survive the bike ride to work, you'll live a longer life.