I was perusing the back-to-school sales in the Sunday papers and saw some new Android tablets listed for $59. I think they were the early 7" models 8GB and Android 4.2. I see such models even cheaper online.

I wonder if any are commercially viable.

The investors who gamble huge sums on huge risks are ones thrilled by drugs. They are attracted to SVs risk culture.

A few radical republicans fantasize about impeachment. But when they realize who'd replace Barak, they'll come to their senses.

1) Very similar to previous USGS hazard maps.
2) Nearly every high risk zone has an associated large historic earthquake and continuing microseismicity. Seattle's 1700 M9 is just outside of historic memory. Eastern Tennesse has not had a quake.

3) Few seismic building laws in Eastern US, despite sizeable risk.

No historic large quake there, but lots of microseismicity.
Western Tennesee is in the New Madrid tectonic zone with a large 1811 quake. But that is a dfferent tectonic zone.

M7 off Cape Ann in 1755 caused damage to young Boston.
Several alrge faults in NYC area.
The Saint Lawrence Seaway is a large fault and has quakes periodically.

1) near Rifle due to injecting irrigation waste water (too salty for river)
2) near Trinadad, mine waters
3) near Greeley, oil drilling waste.

Right now they are frantically searching for a second Kuiper Belt target within the range of the nuclear generator lifetime (+5 years?). But they have not found one yet. They would hope to set the course shortly after leaving Pluto.

Some of the the mind blowing chapters consider an infinite universe in space and time. Our local area could exactly repeat on the average of 10^150 light years, Brian calculates. And there could many more variants than exact repeats.

Imagine an infinite number of exct copies of yourself, each sparated by immense distances. Image even more variants of yourslef, living slightly to greatly different lives.

I remmeber US Star Wars detractors said the system would be considered a failure if it allowed a single nuclear missile to strike the US. On the other hand supporters said it would be a success if it created uncertainty in the attacker and was partially succesful. Well, seeing Iron Dome in action after a couple couple battles now, it seems to be pyschologically beneficial to the Israeli population. This is whether you belive it has been 25% or 90% successful in knocking out rockets. Then I would say the "hal-full" side has won the debate.

As a long term opponent of US Star Wars expensive & mediocre results, Postol may fear the succes of Iron Dome could revitalize US efforts. Star Wars is still a multi-billion dollar annual project a quarter century after its inception. I do have to compliment Postol for poking holes in the over optimistic propaganda of both systems, even if I think he is too skeptical.

Mositure and temprature variations causes bending of GPS wavepaths and small delays. Geophysicists ave been studying the "noise" in large scale GPS data to measure atmospheric conditions. Right now this mostly from dedicated high frequency tectonics GPS stations like Earthscope. There could be a way to "crowdsource" smartphone users for more data.

Its interesting how much technology they pack into a small device - 1 GHz CPU and 4GB flash, camera, gyro. The screen is 320 x 320 or about 6x20 characters. Google glass is same height, but twice the width. mini-Linux, Android and Java.

Overall I see good potential as a basic messaging receiving device. I am dubious about the camera, because it is hard to aim unlike a smartphone or glass.

The basic user interface follows smartphone conventions- touch activated and scrolling cardlets. The positive is that you can write a similar applet for both a phone and watch. I personally dont think the long term future of a smart watch is as a small smartphone. Other user interfaces such as voice and wrist guestures will be more efficient.

The first two generations tether with smartphone for internet access. Ditto google glass. Battery life is about 3 days if you dont use the camera or video.

Samsumgs million dollar smart watch app contest (top prize 100K) ends this week.

You wouldnt create content on a smart watch. But most of the time I look on the computer to read mail/texts, news and weather. I dont need to sit a desk or pull a lump out of pocket to do this.