Archive for September, 2012
Pentagon Buying Chevy Volts to ‘Green Up’ Military
September 11th, 2012In other news: Government Motors Losing As Much As $49,000 On Each Volt It Builds. Via: The Washington Free Beacon: The Pentagon is buying Chevrolet Volts to help “green up” the military—while propping up sales of the bailed-out automaker’s most politicized car. The Department of Defense began purchasing the struggling luxury electric car, which retails […]
Step Right Up and Take a Ride on Thomas Friedman’s Hamster Wheel to the Good Life
September 10th, 2012The truth is, if you want a decent life, make sure that you’re engaged in lifelong learning about how to avoid the hellish circle jerk described in this New York Times piece. Check out the comments at the link if you need some comedy gold. Most people are telling Friedman where to insert it. Via: […]
You Might Be a Terrosist If You Prepare for The Zombie Apocalypse
September 10th, 2012*chortle* One for your Mixed Signals file folder. Via: Network World: Homeland Security warned, “The zombies are coming!” FEMA says get your emergency preparedness kit ready, but the LAPD adopted 15 of the DOJ’s ridiculous lists regarding ‘Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities.’ The question morphs from how will we survive the zombie apocalypse, to how […]
Government Motors’ Volt: The Ugly Math of Low Sales, High Costs
September 10th, 2012Via: Reuters: General Motors Co sold a record number of Chevrolet Volt sedans in August — but that probably isn’t a good thing for the automaker’s bottom line. Nearly two years after the introduction of the path-breaking plug-in hybrid, GM is still losing as much as $49,000 on each Volt it builds, according to estimates […]
IVF: Grandma Gives Birth To Her Own Grandchild
September 10th, 2012Via: Daily Mail: A woman in her 50s has given birth to her own grandchild after becoming a surrogate mother for her infertile daughter. Cindy Reutzel, 53, gave birth to a healthy baby girl a week ago who will now be brought up by her 32-year-old daughter Emily Jordan.
Shark Knives – Hand Made in New Zealand
September 10th, 2012Knives are VERY popular with Cryptogon readers, so I thought I’d let you guys know about my friend, Peter Griffiths. He makes a range of knives at his workshop and gallery out in Takahue: shark-knives.com. I have the Big Chef and it’s awesome. Don’t miss the Parang. Pete doesn’t use the computer much, but if […]
China Buys Australia’s Largest Cotton Producer
September 10th, 2012Via: Sydney Morning Herald: CHINESE investment in Australia almost doubled last year as the world’s second-largest economy flexed its economic muscles abroad, according to new data from the Ministry of Commerce. Recent Chinese investment in Australia includes the sale of Australia’s largest cotton producer, Cubbie Station, to a Chinese-led consortium, approved by the Foreign Investment […]
U.S. Jobless Rate Drops for the Worst of All Reasons
September 10th, 2012Via: Bloomberg: The unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent from 8.3 percent, but that was only because 368,000 people left the labor force. The share of working-age people who are either working or looking for work—known as the labor-force participation rate—fell to its lowest level since September 1981. Related: Real Unemployment Rate: 20+%
Even Government Admits Fracking Mess in Wyoming
September 10th, 2012“The one—and only—place in the nation where fracking is causing water contamination…” Mmm hmm. Via: Bloomberg: Louis Meeks, a hay farmer in Pavillion, Wyo., holds a mason jar under a faucet in his house and turns on the water. It’s a demonstration he’s given to a slew of neighbors and government officials. The water, drawn […]
Sniffing Open WiFi Networks Is Not Wiretapping
September 9th, 2012I don’t know why anyone would use unencrypted wi-fi at this point, but it’s the privacy equivalent of standing on a soap box with a bullhorn. Via: Ars Technica: A federal judge in Illinois has ruled that intercepting traffic on unencrypted WiFi networks is not wiretapping. The decision runs counter to a 2011 decision that […]
