Your totally glossing over the fact that 90% of the 90% of Americans spending 47+ hours/week at work spend 50% of that work time surfing the internet. During that time we are all actively engaged in politics (like this discussion) and flirting with people we think (hope) are women.

See? Were not distracted, were fully engaged in society.

Im curious... Did you have a cover without the light?

I had one of those and was having a problem with locking up and sudden battery drain nearly once a week.
It turns out that the hooks that hold the cover on ALSO provide power to the light in the cover with the light. If the plastic coating on the hook of the lightless cover wears off, it makes some kind of connection that shorts the Kindle out.
From the time that I replaced that cover about 6 months ago with a cover with a light it has not happened again.

I wonder if an airport scanner can induce a charge which increases the chance of this happening?

In principle I agree. The problem is when the contractors KNOW this they can milk the system for more money.
So we need to work with contracts that that bind both parties. Set an upper limit for what the government will pay, a minimum for what the government will receive and logical gates that lock down WHEN each party will walk away.

Even then the system will be gamed, but at least there would be limits.

No, were 5 years behind schedule because the governments response to that situation in the past has been "Oh. Well here's some more money. Let see if that helps."

... the zombie apocalypse.

With normal solar panels you have to pay someone nearly as much as they cost to install them. These you can install yourself. That can cut the true total cost in half right there.
TFA also states that it takes less sunlight to power these than traditional cells, so while they are less efficient, they will generate power for more of the day and on more days.

I cant disagree with anything you say, but where the hell did the corn come in? I reread the article looking for what I missed, but the OP didnt mention corn once, and yet you disagree with his stance on corn. Do you know something I dont?

Surely your not assuming corn is the most harmful ingredient in Doritos, because my permanently orange stained fingers would argue otherwise.

<quote><p>Let's let the let the guys with the PhDs in science, math, and engineering figure out energy policy.</p></quote>

Clearly you have no experience with how Democracies work....

<quote>And how are they going to handle multiple viewers wanting to operate the camera at the same time?</quote>

No Worries. Google already figured it out.
I mean, Im already able to zoom in the satellite cameras for Google Earth.

Whats that? software? digital image? ...
Enough with your crazy techno babel!

Yes.
And in an ironic twist, it can also make baseballs.