Some believe this ring-shaped cloud floating over Moscow last Wednesday was caused by pollution or some other natural phenomena. What do I think? Totally a UFO. Totally. [via Pig Jockey]

In Russia 15 to 20 teenagers commit suicide monthly. Surprisingly enough, a few of them do this secretly. All over Russia there are hundreds of websites that will gladly help you to lay hands on yourself. At first glance they seem to be nothing but somebody’s stupid game: more than a thousand peers of 11 to 25 years old spend hours discussing several ways to suicide themselves. This, however, is not a game: all these people are dead serious. They will not just advise you on how to die in a more sophisticated and pleasant way, they will also gladly help you to pop off. Read the whole article here.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of when the Soviet Union successfully launched the first satellite, Sputnik I, into space.  NASA has written a restrospective story of Sputnik, including photos and references, on how the satellite gave rise to the space age and the U.S. - U.S.S.R. space race.

Related:
Sputnik program [Wikipedia]
Sputnik 1 [Wikipedia]
Arthur C. Clarke on Sputnik [BoingBoing]
Richard "Ultima" Garriott owns a Sputnik [BoingBoing]
I-Reporters' dreams launched along with Sputnik 50 years ago [CNN]

A Russian governor is encouraging couples to skip work today, September 12, and have sex in order to help boost Russia's low birth-rate.  If you thought skipping working and having sex wasn't good enough, those women who give birth in exactly nine months on Russia's national day on June 12 will qualify for a winning a new home.

Russia wants to reverse a trend in which the population is shrinking by about 700,000 people a year as births fail to outpace a high death rate boosted by AIDS, alcoholism and suicide.

This is the third year Ulyanovsk region, famous as the birthplace of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin, has dedicated a day to encouraging couples to produce more babies.

Link

Over at Kottke, you can view the 2004 BBC documentary about the story of Tetris:

The following is a great 2004 BBC documentary about Tetris, the man who created it, and the lengths that several companies went to in order to procure the rights to distribute it. Tetris - From Russia With Love:

Alexey Pazhitnov, a computer programmer from Moscow, created Tetris in 1985 but as the Soviet Union was Communist and all, the state owned the game and any rights to it. Who procured the rights from whom on the other side of the Iron Curtain became the basis of legal wranglings and lawsuits; the Atari/Nintendo battle over Tetris wasn't settled until 1993. There's an abbreviated version of the story, but the documentary is a lot more fun. A rare copy of the Tengen version of Tetris, which was pulled from the shelves due to legal troubles, is available on eBay for $50.

Previously:
Reality video gaming,  Tetris Ice Cream Truck

In the Russian city of Ekaterinburg the locals have paid tribute to the keyboard gods by building a QWERTY keyboard stone monument.  The stones which make up the monument are each engraved with the letter, number and/or symbol which correspond to the keys on an actual keyboard. 

The site doesn't specify who built the monument (or it does, but I can't read Russian).  In case there really are keyboard gods, I wouldn't travel to Ekaterinburg if you are a geeky virgin -- Don't say I didn't warn you when you are on their sacrificial altar!

Click here for a full view of the keyboard.

National Geographic Portugal is promoting their Chernobyl issue with this 3-headed Russian doll ad. 

This ad was done by Foote Cone & Belding Lisbon sent to me by andre. Is a print campaign for the April edition of National Geographic Portugal, which speaks about chernobyl. The art director was Fabiano Bomfim, the copywriter was Augusto Barata, and the 3D was made by Claudio Jordão. Guys... keep up the good work.

[via]

Update:  Here are a couple links to an online diary a BBC News team has put together to "assess the legacy of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, 20 years after it spewed radiation across Europe."

Chernobyl diary - Part One
Chernobyl diary - Part Two