Archive for February, 2012
Debt Doomsday May Come Sooner Than Expected
February 25th, 2012Via: Politico: The federal government could hit the debt ceiling sooner than expected — and possibly around the November election — according to a report out Friday. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill had hoped that last summer’s deal to end the nasty fight over lifting the debt ceiling would ensure the issue wouldn’t resurface until at […]
Windows 8: Millions of PCs Will Get Kill Switches for the First Time
February 24th, 2012Via: Bloomberg: Janne Kytömäki, a Finnish software developer, was cruising Google’s (GOOG) Android Market for smartphone apps last year when he noticed something strange. Dozens of best-selling applications suddenly listed the same wrong publisher. It was as if Stephen King’s name had vanished from the covers of his books, replaced by an unknown author. Kytömäki […]
Oil Continues to Close the Gap
February 24th, 2012Warning: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial instrument. We’re looking at a break higher out of a triangle formed by the monthly interval candles on WTI. My guess is that it will see the resistance at around $114.80, but that it will continue higher after consolidating. If it clears […]
America’s Per Capita Government Debt Worse Than Greece
February 24th, 2012Via: Weekly Standard: The office of Senator Jeff Sessions, ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, sends along this chart, showing that ‘America’s Per Capita Government Debt Worse Than Greece,’ as well as Ireland, Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain…
Red License Plate in Nevada Means the Driver Is a Robot
February 23rd, 2012Via: Singularity Hub: An extended campaign in Nevada by Google has led to a new host of provisions which will allow automated cars to legally drive in the state. Starting March 1st, 2012 innovators like Google can officially apply for a new kind of robot driver’s license that will give them permission to openly test […]
Million-Dollar Foreclosures Rise as Rich Walk Away
February 23rd, 2012Via: CNN: Five years after the housing bubble burst, America’s wealthiest families are now losing their homes to foreclosure at a faster rate than the rest of the country — and many of them are doing so voluntarily. Over 36,000 homes valued at $1 million or more were foreclosed on — or at least served […]
Corrections Corporation of America Wants to Buy State Owned Prisons and Then Get States to Commit to Keeping Them Full of Prisoners
February 23rd, 2012Via: ACLU: Recently we learned that the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the largest private prison company in the country, sent a letter to 48 state governors offering to buy up their state-owned and operated prisons and put them under CCA control. If offering cash-strapped states a quick infusion of money by taking control of […]
Fed Writes Sweeping Rules From Behind Closed Doors
February 23rd, 2012Via: Wall Street Journal: The Federal Reserve has operated almost entirely behind closed doors as it rewrites the rule book governing the U.S. financial system, a stark contrast with its push for transparency in its interest-rate policies and emergency-lending programs. While many Americans may not realize it, the Fed has taken on a much larger […]
Tesla Roadsters Parked Without Being Plugged in Brick Themselves (In as Little as One Week)
February 22nd, 2012Check this out: As a second Roadster owner discovered, the Tesla battery system can completely discharge even when the vehicle is plugged in. This owner’s car was plugged into a 100-foot long extension cord for an extended period. The length of this extension cord evidently reduced the electric current to a level insufficient to charge […]
France Asks EU to Suspend GM Crop Authorisation
February 22nd, 2012Does anyone know what the French government means by, “Significant risks for the environment”? Via: AFP: France’s ecology ministry said Monday it had asked European regulators to suspend authorisation for the use of genetically modified MON 810 maize crops from US company Monsanto based on new studies. The request is “based on the latest scientific […]
