Twitter has become such an integral part of receiving and reporting information in real-time that the debates are a breeding ground for active users to voice their opinions, point out political gaffes and generally participate in the ongoing political conversation. While intuitive, but not particularly creative, twitter elected tonight's official hashtag to be: #debates. It's simple, short and sweet, but not nearly as colorful or descriptive as some would like.

When Curiosity touched down on Mars, joy erupted at NASA's lab in Pasadena, Calif., and national pride swelled. America the Demoralized had briefly vanished. Our research instruments were going where no research instruments had gone before. America was back at its game.

The Mars landing cost a cool $2.5 billion. No doubt, the folks at NASA wanted this voyage to drum up interest in the space program at a time when budgets everywhere are under attack. They've done a good, convincing job of it.