The Spy Factory

Watched Nova last night & they had  great piece regarding the NSA and the events of 9/11.  If you have the time, I encourage you to check it out online.  They have the episode broken up into 5 chapters.  I thought this was a really well produced show on the communication issues within the US government and how the breakdown contributed to the 9/11 disaster.

What Carriers Don’t Want You To Know About Texting

textingFrom Slashdot – What Carriers Don’t Want You To Know About Texting.  Nice to know how much they charge for something that costs so little!

I’ve read recently that texting is replacing email with the kids.  I was introduced to email in college it still seems like the best way for casual conversations.  I like being to reply on my own time & not being compelled to answer right away…

What’s your preference?  Email, texting, twittering, phone, or good old face-to-face?

Daylight Saving Time Increases Energy Use in Indiana?

The New York Times Freakonomics (opinion) section has an article saying Southern Indiana actually used 1% more electricity after DST was implemented.  I for one actually enjoy the extra hour of daylight in the summer & was happy Indiana finally passed the bill that was debated for the past 10 years.

Metals in Wine Linked to Cancer and Parkinson’s?

The Daily Mail Online in the UK had an article that goes against the current theory that a glass (or two) of wine a day can have benefits to your health.

The article sites a study claiming that some wines contain dangerously high levels of naturally occurring metals such as copper, zinc and nickel.  Risks are in order by country:

1. Hungarian, 2. Slovakian, 3. French, 4. Austrian, 5. Spanish, 6. German, 7. Portuguese, 8. Greek, 9. Czech, 10. Jordanian, 11. Macedonian, 12. Serbian

Other than the occasional bottle of French Bordeaux, German Reisling & Spanish Sauvignon Blanc I don’t recall having wine from the other countries listed so I feel a little better after reading the entire article.

Is there anything out there that won’t kill you?

Why Are We so Against Nuclear Power?

The March issue of GQ had a really intriguing article titled “Meltdown” that raises a lot of questions regarding the use of Nuclear power in the United States. Interesting takeaway: The Nuclear “waste” we’re so worried about disposing of contains Plutonium that we could be using to power the plants! It’s being recycled in other countries with great success…