Hey guys, here’s a scientific kick to the nuts. Turns out our premium man seed loses octane over time and we now have a biological expiration date, sort of. Researchers at deCODE, the Icelandic global leader in analyzing and understanding the human genome, reported today that a father’s age, not a mother’s, at the time a child is conceived is the single largest contributor to the passing of new hereditary mutations to offspring.

To better understand the cause of new hereditary mutations, the deCODE team sequenced the genomes of 78 Icelandic families with offspring who had a diagnosis of autism or schizophrenia. The team also sequenced the genomes of an additional 1,859 Icelanders, providing a larger comparative population.

Iceland, huh.

Ohhh “LOST”, I can’t quit you. Apparently, neither can Monica and Joao from Portugal. This husband and wife collecting duo have some unique items and aren’t afraid to show it. Their blog, m-and-j-collection.blogspot.pt, features an amazing collection that they are both passionate about.

There are photos of everything you could possibly imagine. Some of my favorites include a Terminator 2 T-800 Endoskull, a 1996 bootleg of Nine Inch Nails – Soundquakes: Quake Soundtrack, an authentic special collector’s edition Top Gun U.S. Navy G-1 Jacket and a special edition Borat DVD with Mankini from Australia. If you want to see a room filled with most of their collection, there’s even a 3D overview.

Their home is literally a museum for everything they love… and they’re weeks away from bringing home their greatest love of all.

This is a cute little story of a 5-year-old girl named Genevieve writing a letter to another Genevieve she has never met… simply because she has the same first name. Her dad helped typed the letter for his daughter so that she could just say thanks for the inspiration. “Now I know that a girl with my same name can do something special and not be afraid.”

*Dad swoon*

It’s really great (and sad at the same time) amidst today’s fast paced medium of technology, where toddlers run around with iPods and iPads, when a parent can say, ‘let’s type out a letter together, we’ll send it with some drawings in the mail to this person.’

It’s really difficult for me to write this. Not that I have a problem sharing this story but it’s physically impossible to see my screen through the tears.

It’s amazing to think that someone you’ve never met, now thousands of miles away, can impact your life in a way that can make you sob alone in front of a computer screen. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I have a daughter, but this is just one of those stories.

Twitter is kind of amazing. Yah, I’m one of those people. Not the fanatic every-second-of-the-day tweeps, but I can proudly admit that I have my moments. I do my best with the @8BitDads to connect with other parents on the Twitter. I enjoy sharing powerful stories that might not ever make it to major news outlets or go viral. I am thankful for anyone who can poke at my emotional bad-ass-man-fabric long enough until salty tears dissipate.

Today, I’m thankful for @dad_or_alive.

Mike Massé, talented musician and Louis CK stunt double, is from Utah and has a flawless voice. He’s been recording some really solid performances at Salt Lake City’s Pie Pizzeria and uploading those videos to his YouTube channel. He’s been doing this for a couple of years now, where each video gets an average of 100-200k hits (my personal favorites, which give me chills, are the Radiohead covers). As a musician, I can respect the amount of talent it takes to perform a good song live and do it flawlessly.

His most recent solo performance is quite possibly the most important one he has done and will ever do.

Before the music even starts, the video begins with a heart-wrenching intro where Mike briefly explains his 1-year-old son’s condition. On July 5th, 2012, his 11-month-old son, Noah, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Two weeks later he recorded this video.

It’s a powerful and simple introduction that emotionally resonates in your soul as you hear the audible pain of his speaking voice. His two-camera performance of the Beatles’ “Let It Be” is beautifully haunting. Check it out and download the song to donate.

Episode 040: We’re Going Vegan!

This week’s episode covers the following stories on 8BitDad.com and around the internets for the week leading up to August 14th, 2012: What’s Your Kid’s Favorite Olympic Event? / Conversations From the Possible Future: You’re Gay, and We’re Okay / Got Dad? / Kids Are From Space