Our sister site LAist informs us, via the Mars Phoenix Lander's Twitter, that water ice has been found on the planet Mars today. At around 5:15 p.m., NASA folks exclaimed, "Are you ready to celebrate? Well, get ready: We have ICE!!!!! Yes, ICE, *WATER ICE* on Mars! w00t!!! Best day ever!!" Martian discoveries soon to follow. Presumably. Read more about today's icy, outer space discovery here.......

Thinking about going to the Maker Faire? You know, the adult science fair? You should. It's loads of fun. Don't believe us? Check out SFist's partner in binge drinking, the brilliant Nate Halverson over at the Press Democrat, who gives you a glimpse into the DIY science, technology, engineering, arts and crafts fun happening this weekend. So go. Now. The Makers Faire happens today and tomorrow at San Mateo Fairgrounds. Oh, and Mr. Beale......

After their American Idol hour was unforgivably interrupted by the San Francisco Police Department making an announcement last night, a reader writes to SFist asking: At about 8:55pm tonight, my viewing of American Idol was disrupted by the SFPD making an announcement in the middle of our street that there will be several rounds of LIVE AMMUNITION fired in the next few minutes as they test a new gun fire detection system. I live......

Beatropolis: Oh joy! Beatropolis has returned! (Not that they really went anywhere, but it always feels like forever when they're not around.) Anyway, Beatropolis' special brand of dance rock, live drum 'n' bass, and futuristic space pop will have you up until the wee hours of the morning. The Toy Soldiers (a heady nu-electrorawk mix of Flaming Lips, Justin Timberlake, and Hot Chip) and the Buttercream Gang (a local indie/post-punk/afro-beat band) also perform starting......

Cosco Busan Update: ...

Tickets, tickets, anyone want some tickets? We have two tickets to Friday's concert at Slim's featuring: Until June, Matt White and Melee. We've already told you that you don't want to be late to this show, because all three bands are equally as good. Until June, from sunny Phoenix, traveled to Los Angeles in hopes of a record deal. Obviously, at first, they got lost in the mix, but promised themselves that if they didn't......

-- Crime in Choir: CIC rocks it. Hard. For reals. Big time. One of the purest sounds coming out of SF these days, really. Brave the chill and head down to Potrero Hill to check them out. You won't regret it. Pink Mountain and Science of Yarba open at this anniversary party for Frenetic Records. The music starts at 10 p.m. at Bottom of the Hill; $10. -- It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine:......

What a perfect meeting of past, present, and future glories. Former Santana guitarist/now-and-forever Journey member Neal Schon is coming back to the North Bay (where he grew up and leaned how to strum) to help launch the first-ever Gibson Robot Guitar. Just what is the Gibson Robot Guitar, you ask? We have no idea. But let's go to the press release to find out! Ahem: it says that it's -- get this -- "the......

According to the Merc, "astronomers have discovered a fifth planet circling a star beyond our solar system -- a star that holds the record for the most orbiting extrasolar worlds." Using the Doppler technique -- the same technology, we think, that's used to predict sweater weather -- it took a little over 18 years to find the new locale. University of California-Berkeley astronomer Geoff Marcy chirps, "This discovery of the first quintuple planetary system......

For our tree-hugging, non-essential-light-extinguishing, green-bulb-using readers out there, now there's a new way to Google yourself and save energy at the same time. Well, it's new to us, anyway, and much easier on the eyes than the stark white background that we're repeatedly subjected to on the web. Australia's Heap Media created Blackle™, a Google-powered search engine that provides Internet users with an environmentally-friendly alternative to search engines that use an energy-hogging white background. Apparently,......

-- Gay Geeks Saturday Night Social: "Fucking faggots," you scream? Ah, correction: "fucking nerd faggots," is more like it. Queers (not just Marys) who like to "geek out on the arts or science, study old plane crashes,... the myth of the American cowboy or how to make graphs more efficient for displaying data," this is the night for you. Come! Starts at 8 p.m. at Muddy's Coffeehouse, 1304 Valencia; free. -- Lights Out SF:......

No longer just for cute Aryan stoners, Albert Fert of the Scientific Research National Center in Paris -- who just received the Nobel Prize for physics alongside Peter Gruenberg for their massive brainpower to help shrink hard drives so that they fit into your iPods, or whatever -- is a Dell user. We'll go one step further by suggesting that Fert has dabbled in Linux use when he was young, too. Shame on you,......

Sorry for the delay in getting SFist Tonight out. This afternoon was steeped in several fun-filled return trips to CompUSA, dealing with customer service. So much fun was had, folks, that we felt like putting our face through a window several times. Aaanyway, a few late-in-the-evening things to do at places where you can get as fucked-up as you want: -- Trannyshack's Pre-Folsom Street Fair Party: "Addicted to Porn": Famous SF midnight drag show,......

San Rafael-based Edutopia Magazine, which is brought to us by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, looks to the future in its latest issue, identifying 10 ideas or trends that its experts believe can improve K-12 education. We found them thought provoking, and hope you agree. ...

Servers aren't cheap, so we'd like to take a moment to thank the advertisers on SFist this week: Zipcar for letting those of us who don't have cars where we can rent them from without going to an airport. Cazadores for educating us about tequila - now we know more than just 'Sure, we'll take some tequila in a drink.' Fierce People for making our family seem so much less dysfunctional than the family in......

It's a day of relatively-unusual natural phenomena -- first the earthquake this morning and then, less than 24 hours later, there's going to be a total eclipse of the moon. The lunar eclipse will be visible throughout California, but only for those of you who are up from the hours of 1:51 a.m., when the partial eclipse will start, through 5:24 a.m., when dawn starts up. If you are up that late, the total......

-- Metropolis (1927): Set in 2027, "the thinkers" and "the workers" overlap, shooting off a million theses and dissertations for years to come. Fritz Lang's gorgeous, science-fiction masterpiece. Oh, and there's a sexy robot in it. Oh my. Film Screens at 4:30p.m., 7, 9:30 at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro (at Castro and Market Streets). -- Pete Yorn: American singer-songwriter and guitarist headlines along with reunited Australian rock outfit Crowded House and Liam Finn.......

When you're delivering 3 gallons of GHB (the “date rape drug”) from areas north to San Francisco, maybe you should stick to the speed limit. A fool from L.A. was pulled over for speeding in Sonoma County when cops found the offending liquid in the car. Homeboy probably would have gotten off with just a ticket, but instead decided to act all sketchy, causing the CHP to search his car. The GHB, worth around......

SFist interviews Jonn Herschend and Will Rogan, creators of The Thing, subscription art project. ...

A photo of a shooting star...

-- The jarring, devastating, Lohanesque Midgen-behind-the-wheel 911 tapes will shock you. Only not so much. [Chron] -- Randy Shaw has it that the glowing, science fiction-y Transbay Terminal choices aren't nominees at all, but simply glowing, science fiction-y lies. A tissues of lies. [Beyond Chron] -- Media-hungry Daly decides not to run. For now, anyway. [SFBG, Chris Daly] -- Truck kills cyclist in Oakland. [Indy Bay] -- Motorcycle race turns deadly. No kidding. [Chron]......

Submit your Bay Area finds to found [at] sfist [dot] com or tag them sfist and found on Flickr! Let us know where and when you found the item and any other helpful info. This deep philosophical exchange on a bathroom stall door at Crissy Field appears to be between three or four different people. It was captured by SFist reader Cassie, who was nice enough to transcribe it for us. (It's a little bit......

Street fashion sites like The Sartorialist -- whose frightening clarity made us weep after saying that the "idea of dark pattern mixing for summer at Prada was one of the best looks of the season,” because now dark prints are all that we can think about. Really, it consumes us -- are so popular, it only makes sense that San Francisco would soon have one of its own. And it does: SF Street Fashion. It......

Based on a Brothers Grimm tale,The Robber Bridegroom is a musical fable is full of puppetry, murder and curses. Put on by the Stars and Garters Theatre Co., the show runs through the 15th at the Voice Factory. 1519 Mission St. Tickets are available on a sliding scale, from $12-$20. Show starts at 8pm. Considered to be the largest underground hip-hop event in America, Scribble Jam kicks off at 9pm at Slim's. Come check......

The Asian Art Museum's monthly throwdown, Matcha, kicks off around 6pm with DJs, tours, workshops and cocktails. The Live Action Cartoonists, a performance troupe that combines comics and theatre, will perform highlights from Science (Fiction) an experimental production that re-interprets Tezuka Osamu’s Astro Boy. 200 Larkin St., SF. Dance away your Independence Day hangover at the Rickshaw Stop! Fleeting Joys(shimmery, Cocteau Twins-esque tunes out of SacTown) Christopher Willits (think Postal Service, but better) and......

Part of the flock of our famous red-masked parakeets flying above Telegraph Hill. By now, we're sure that you've heard of the San Francisco Board of Supervisor's vote to ban feeding these very cute wild parrots in Ferry Park and everywhere else in the city. It was national news last week. What you might have missed over the weekend was Chronicle photographer Frederic Larson's short video that really shows what it's like see these animals......

SFist Wendy and her buddy AG talk about vampire movies, comedy and horror, and the eternal question of your perfect vampiress. Well, it was no Blade or Lost Boys, but we did get a few laughs out of The Thirst this week at the Another Hole in the Head Indiefest film festival. The Thirst thrust shy hippie college student, Will, directly into the battlefront of a neverending war between the vampires and their sentry slayers.......

For those who can't wait until next Wednesday's "Top Chef" season three premiere, Bravo is offering you a tasty appetizer (or would it be considered an amuse bouche?) tonight at 10 p.m. with a season one versus season two cook-off called "4 Star All Stars". Season one winner Harold is back, as are Tiffani (!), Dave ("I'm not your bitch, bitch!"), and Stephen the sommelier. Season two's team includes winner Ilan, Sam (the guy......

There's been much ado about the rather large sea dwellers that have recently visited our general area. On KQED's blog, we saw that Amy Miller, a coordinating producer for QUEST, posted about a recent show about the smaller sea-dwelling visitors to our area....

Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and RiffTrax returned to the Bay Area this holiday weekend for two live shows. We went to the Sunday show at the Rafael Film Theater in San Rafael, (a much more comfortable place to see the guys than Cobb's, even if it is booze-free). Like their previous San Francisco engagement, the shows were sponsored by the San Francisco Sketchfest, and we hope......