Michael Bolton's waiting with his baseball bat...

Tesla was right on many things, but relativity theory was not one of them: "Moreover, Tesla completely rejected the theory of relativity. He insisted that mass and energy were not equivalent and told the New York Times in 1935 that "Einstein's relativity work is a magnificent mathematical garb which fascinates, dazzles and makes people blind to the underlying errors. The theory is like a beggar clothed in purple whom ignorant people take for a king..." -- Forbes Magazine, 9/26/11... Einstein 1, Tesla 0

As The Jetsons showed us on many occasions, a machine sporting multiple robot arms is not usually a good thing...

They say it's dead, but you can still download a free, fully functional 32-bit version of XP encased in a virtual machine (Windows Virtual PC) from Microsoft's web site! It's called "Windows XP Mode."

All of the incredible theories being floated, such as cyber-attacks and "electromagnetic attacks," whatever they are (EMP? not likely) are far less likely than key grid components being mismanaged or sabotaged. It's far easier to sneak into a facility and trip some breakers or drain transformer oil than to mount a concerted cyber-attack, which requires extensive research into, or knowledge of, the grid's network and physical infrastructure. The most disturbing photo in the article, though it appears to be at a distribution sub and therefore affects a small area, is the one of burned-out transformers, one of which is missing a couple of its radiators. Even if the fire was external, if the inside was compromised it will be costly to fix and the device may even require replacement. Transformers are one of the most difficult things to repair/replace in an electrical system - most are not made until they are ordered so power could be out for months. And one that gets contaminated internally could "blow up" due to dielectric failure if not properly reconditioned by somebody that really knows what he is doing (usually the manufacturer.) That's why the US is so worried about a possible follow-up to the "Metcalf Substation Sniper Attack" near San Jose, CA in 2013.

Who could ignore the plaintive, "No disassemble Johnny Five!" ?

This phenomenal six-part documentary series by the Science Channel, now available on YouTube and Daily Motion, interviews many engineers who worked on Apollo. There is one episode dedicated to the space suit, for which the contract was awarded to none other than Playtex.

Why do law-enforcement agencies feel the need to come up with a cheesy acronym or smarmy rhyme for everything they do? Does some government drone feel a real sense of accomplishment every time they perpetuate this annoying practice?

No one's forcing you to buy beef... and besides, beef is vastly UNDERpriced in relation to the energy required for its production and that production's impact on the environment.

The first thing I thought after reading the article was, What a self-centered, money-hungry idiot! To amass an amazing collection like that and then sell it at auction is unconscionable. If he didn't want to donate it to a museum outright, he could at least put it on loan. I for one would pay good money for a chance to see even a portion of a collection like that. Now, once sold at auction, these priceless items will go into the hands of other private collectors, where they will not only remain outside of public view for the most part, they will now be scattered all over the world. That said, since this was the largest PRIVATE collection of early technology in the world, does anyone know of any good public collections, preferably in museums where they are visible to the public?

Most grid control systems are on private (192.168 style) networks not connected to the general Internet for obvious reasons, and "smart-grid" meter-reading systems that are currently implemented or planned use other methods of addressing (packet-radio protocols, etc.) So, the "smart grid" argument in the article is misguided at best.

The seat belt complaint is kind of an unfair jab, as Star Wars was released before the seat belt hysteria of the 1980s-present, where thanks to the seat-belt nazis getting their way and forcing laws mandating seat belt use in cars throughout the US, it has become politically correct and almost compulsory for TV shows, advertisements, and movies to show any character in a vehicle wearing a seat belt. Look at any other movie pre-80s (actually, most movies before the 90s) and you'll never see a seat belt being used.

Another reason why seat belts may be absent: According to several biographical accounts of George Lucas posted online, Lucas dabbled in racing as a teenager, and one of the race cars he built had a half-ass seat belt system installed. The car went out of control one day and plowed into a tree at 60mph. The belt system failed and he was thrown free, only sustaining minor injuries. Had the seat belt worked, he would have almost certainly died, and we wouldn't have the Star Wars universe today.

I remember how amazed I was when I got a hold of Robotron for the Apple. I had never seen so many objects move at one time on the Apple, and they even did a halfway-decent job with the sound on a machine that was only designed to play one simple sound at a time. And, the two-joystick control was faithfully reproduced on the keyboard. Another game that made great use of independent control was the original Castle Wolfenstein (and, if I recall correctly, it predated Robotron by a year or two.)

The day they start bulldozing the hideous, ticky-tacky boxes 10 feet apart that are defiling mountains and alluvial fans all around southern California, I'd love to sit in the cab of the bulldozer and just mow down a row of those eyesores. That would SO make my day. Seems like everything comes full circle...

Ever since I learned to drive, something about traffic lights has been glaringly obvious: The yellow light simply isn't sufficient warning of a light change. It may be okay if you're a long ways off, but I'm sure all of us have, on numerous occasions, experienced a "sour spot" (play on words of "sweet spot") where you are almost at an intersection, get the yellow, and have to make a split-second decision to "gun it" and try to make the light, or slam on your brakes to stop at it. Human nature is to "gun it" -- it's even a part of pop culture, the Starman "red = stop, green = go, yellow = go very fast" -- hence the type of red-light running that these cameras are tuned to maximize revenue from.

What I propose to all municipalities in states that have made the cameras illegal, as well as manufacturers of traffic-signal equipment:

Create a standardizable device which will let motorists know at a glance how much time is left on the green. It could be a numeric countdown such as the one on many pedestrian signals, a border of blue LEDs around the signal heads that extinguishes light by light as the yellow draws near, or (like in parts of Canada) a green light that flashes during the early part of the cycle, then goes to solid green 5-10 seconds before the yellow. Whatever the mechanism, it should give at least 15 seconds' warning of a light change, and do so in a manner understandable to most drivers of standard aptitude.

(I feel that a numeric countdown would be the best, as virtually everyone is familiar with countdowns [New Year's Eve, microwave oven timers, etc.])

Next, install this extra signaling scheme on busy intersections that formerly would have rated the installation of red-light cameras. Then trend the red-light-running and accident rates at these intersections for a few months (before and after).

I'd almost bet money that the red-light-running rate would drop precipitously.

Another way to improve traffic flow and cut down on light running, of course, is to synchronize signals on a city-wide basis, simply decreasing the number of opportunities to run a red. The technology exists for smart traffic control systems. It's time to implement them!

The thing that disgusts me the most about red-light cameras is the amount of manpower and technological muscle wasted to create and install these systems that could have been used instead to implement solutions like I outlined above. Red-light cameras are simply a profitable, Band-Aid solution for a real problem that has plagued traffic signals since their introduction. We must get rid of the Band-Aid and use the right tools to fix the issue.