Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Going Geek-dot-com /Caught in the Web:

You may have noticed that fewer people are making calls now --and more people are texting.
   And it's official: the wireless industry association, CTIA, says the number of text messages increased by nearly 50 percent nationwide last year, enough to make the data minutes pass the voice minutes for cellphone users in the US.
   Another sign of the switch: cellphones with full "qwerty" keypads --instead of just number keys-- are selling better and industry execs say within the next couple of years, cellphone users will likely be charged by the data they used, not by their voice minutes.

Guilty Pleasures:

Talk about an extracurricular activity.
   Thousands cheered as 16-year-old JESSICA WATSON brought her 34-foot pink yacht home to Sydney Harbor Saturday, ending a 210-day trip around the world.
   She is the youngest person ever to make the journey alone. Taking her first steps on land in almost seven months, Watson told the crowd, "People don't think you're capable of these things --they don't realize what young people, what 16-year-olds and girls are capable of."
   The family was widely criticized for letting their daughter go solo, nonstop and unassisted. (Maiman)

Fast Food:

Heinz is the latest manufacturer to jump on the low-salt bandwagon. The company announced last week that they were making a new formulation for their famous ketchup with 15 percent less salt.
   That's a big deal, since Heinz ketchup has 60 percent of the market share. The new ketchup will be in stores early this summer.

Sucking the life out of the wire services:

It's possible that BRITNEY SPEARS could overtake ASHTON KUTCHER as the person with the most followers on Twitter. As of Sunday night, Ashton had 4-million, 899-thousand and change, while Britney had 4-million, 890-thousand and some. The big difference between the two is that Ashton updates his account several times a day, while Britney only updates hers sporadically. But it could happen.

Locked Up for their own good:

Two men in Everett, Nebraska, have been arrested for allegedly hunting squirrels in city limits.
   The Lincoln Journal Star says 54-year-old ROBERT TOBIN and 45-year-old ROBERT ZIMMERMAN are charged with firing dangerous weapons as they chased the animals through town. Cops say the weapons in question were blow darts and a bow and arrow.
   Neighbors called police after they saw the men firing the weapons while children played nearby.
   The two men claim it all started when they caught the squirrels chewing through the brake lines on one of their cars.
   No squirrels --or people-- were injured. (Still)

The Reel Deal:

You could own the baseball field from the 1988 KEVIN COSTNER movie, "Field of Dreams." The Des Moines Register says the field itself, along with a 193-acre farm located near Dyersville, Iowa, is up for $5.4 million. The property includes seven buildings, including the 24-hundred-square-foot, two-story house with a bath and a half and that famous front porch. It's more than 100 years old.
   The field itself is a tourist draw, but a new owner would still have to pay Universal Studios rights fees to use the name or images from the movie used on any souvenirs. Or, they could plow it under, like the bankers advised Ray Kinsella to do in the movie.
   But owner BECKY LANSING says "It's only about 3.5 acres. It's hard to imagine an owner wanting to do away with the field." She told the Register that she and her husband (quote) "are getting up there in years, and it is time to think about retirement."