The disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant continues to be mismanaged. Incompetence and corruption abound and give a giant black eye to nuclear power in general.

healthcare.gov is a great example of corruption in government contracts and the cost of rolling out something that isn't done. Maybe nerds around the world will now have another line for over-eager managers: "Do you want another healthcare.gov?"

- Jasen.

That's an interesting statistic.

If you get in an accident in a gas powered car the likelihood of it catching fire (and presumably doing extensive damage to the vehicle) is low. But in the Tesla the chances of your car burning up are much higher?

But that assumes the amount of damage caused by a fire is catastrophic. Now we need stats on how much damage is done by fires to know how bad catching fire really is.

- Jasen.

The negative stories in financial press are designed to drive down the stock price. Then the buddies of the press - or the people the analysts really work for - can pick up shares on the dip. Or they can warn their buddies that a negative story is coming out and work the options angle.

- Jasen.

I suggest Denver. Huge open area where people are herded into a giant square of snaking lines. And the queue of people is separated from the totally uncontrolled space by a few flimsy mobile walls.

It's a ridiculously soft target. To think that any real terrorist would risk getting on a plane rather than hit the juicy target the security screening line presents is stupid.

If I recall correctly less than 50% of the eligible electorate bother to vote. So all those people are not "voting for them anyway".

They should be. But for not voting. However their choices have been severely limited by the two major parties that have rigged the system so that third parties don't have a chance.

- Jasen.

A friend of mine and the group of guys he works with on a nearby Army base got fired on Tuesday. They MIGHT all get hired back once the government turns on again. For now, they collect state unemployment and look for other work.

If you read the original source, they did start with a different platform.
"I started building a small Mini ITX PC and put it inside a metal frame. Using some parts from a low mode cage from an elderly Glidecam V20, I mounted the camera with odds and ends into a basic camera shape. It was magnificently sucky; The computer heat failed within a week!"
The Mac mini can also run on "unregulated 12V power when the power supply was removed; this was a huge discovery! It removed the need to add any voltage regulation into the camera design." - Jasen.

The story is about the coming rise in contract workers. With lots of semi-retired baby-boomers around, companies will need to hire far fewer full-time employees. All the geezers will be happy to put in 10-20 hours a week with no expectation of benefits or a high wage - If they've planned properly, they have retirement income. Contract work should be a nice supplement, not their entire income.

If I'm a hiring manager, I can choose a full-time employee with required health, retirement, etc. benefits, or I can contract some old-guy who knows his way around and pay him more hourly but much less when the entire compensation package is computed.

I am left handed. That is not "normal". I am not offended.

You mean like Bandcamp? - Jasen.

So both have telephone support then?

Exactly. I hope history will look back at this time period and mock us for the over-use of CGI to make over the top explosions, giant robots/aliens/monsters, etc. CGI can be used very effectively to add just that little bit extra without screaming in your face.

But then you have to examine the demographic the movie targets. Teenagers love big, over the top explosions, etc. Sci-fi noir, not so much. A "great" movie may not make as much money as a "terrible" FX laden turd. Hollywood would rather make the latter.

"Hurd was fired as Hewlett Packard's CEO in 2010 for alleged sexual misconduct involving an outside consultant named Jodie Fisher."

As I recall, Hurd was not fired only for the sexual misconduct, but the falsifying of expense reports and other misuse of corporate money to cover up the affair. Sleep with whoever you want, but when you steal company money, you're gone.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/06/hp-ceo-mark-hurd-resigns-_n_673858.html

That's code for not enforcing net neutrality.

"Revolutionary it is not."

I think you have a very short memory. Or are extremely jaded. The Wiimote was and is a revolutionary controller. Swinging the controller for golf, tennis, baseball, frisbee, sword fighting, etc. was revolutionary.

You need to read this. Sony and Microsoft were offered the technology that powers the Wiimote. They turned it down. Nintendo now controls the patent on the technology. So yes, it is a niche. But not because it is a gimmick - because Nintendo owns it, and uses it as a competitive differentiator.

- Jasen.