Spanning the Web

Taking you around the internet for your afternoon enjoyment.

We don’t know what the problem is, but we’re ready to deal with it: Brookline’s town officials are in the dark as to why the FBI has been questioning Department of Public Works employees, but claim they’re ready to act if they ever find out what the hell is going on. [Brookline Tab]

Time to wean grandma off the bunny ears: The federal government has released millions of coupons to help households who still get their TV from rabbit ears buy a box that will convert the high-definition signal that broadcasters will switch to in February of next year. Nielsen estimates that 13 percent of households with televisions still use antennas to watch TV. But how do they get Project Runway on bunny ears? [Yahoo!]

Next you’ll tell us Columbus enslaved the natives he found in the Americas. Oh, wait: Local journalist Seth Shulman has cast doubt on whether Alexander Graham Bell actually invented the telephone. Shulman suspects that Bell caught a peek at a competitor’s model and stole the idea. Alexander, how could you? [Globe]

Pray for warm weather: Oil prices reached the record-breaking $100 a barrel for a time today, then slipped back to $99 and change. OPEC blames the usual war-weather combination. Start gathering kindling to burn in the fireplace—it’s gonna be an expensive winter. [WCVB]