The Fount of Useless Information
Your place for useless information that just might possibly be interesting.
Tax reform proposals to be secret for 50 years
http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/25/pf/taxes/tax-reform/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
Taking a page from the Obama (“our rationale for killing US citizens has to remain secret so the terrorists can’t take advantage of it”) playbook now the Senate is going …
The Vitamin Myth: Why We Think We Need Supplements
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/the-vitamin-myth-why-we-think-we-need-supplements/277947/
I guess I was too young to appreciate Pauling in his prime. By the time I was old enough to form lasting impressions he was already starting to be considered …
A Shuffle of Aluminum, but to Banks, Pure Gold
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/business/a-shuffle-of-aluminum-but-to-banks-pure-gold.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
A very interesting read on how the great USofA now works. In addition to the direct tax payer transfer from the govt to special interests (no less than sixteen _trillion_ …
The Pixar Theory: Every Character Lives in the Same Universe
http://mashable.com/2013/07/12/the-pixar-theory/
A pleasant diversion, this article, and I highly recommend it to those who have enjoyed Pixar movies (note to those of you who haven’t seen them: they are, for …
SEC lifts ban on hedge fund ads
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/07/10/hedge-fund-ads/2505463/
There appeared to be a brief period where, after costing the US economy at least $22 trillion dollars and probably no less than twice that in the global economy, where some regulation …
Forensic Fly Moves North
Insects can aid death investigations, but non-native species complicate matters.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130710-fly-blowfly-forensic-time-of-death-climate-science/
Kinda gross, but interesting to me since I have been interested in forensics since a teenager (I was _extremely_ skeptical of the original CSI because …
Keep states’ hands off your right to vote
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/10/opinion/pocan-voting-rights/index.html?hpt=hp_t4
In the list of things-that-ain’t-gonna-happen this has to rank near the top. Our government only agrees on two things: reducing privacy and giving massive taxpayer handouts to millionaires and billionaires. Other …
Diet soda may do more harm than good
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/10/diet-soda-may-do-more-harm-than-good/?hpt=hp_c3
I have talk about the dangers of diet soda before, this report is about a meta analysis of a variety of other studies. Meta analysis can sometimes really bring something …
Federal agency spent $3 million fighting non-existent malware
http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/09/technology/security/commerce-malware/index.html?source=cnn_bin
Even more interesting than the $3 million thrown away was that the agency wanted to toss another almost $30 million after it:
…The report has a silver lining: Government watchdogs eventually
Once a Joke, Battery-Powered Airplanes Are Nearing Reality
Aerospace companies are working on hybrid electric airplanes, and the earliest versions will likely arrive before the end of the decade.
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/516576/once-a-joke-battery-powered-airplanes-are-nearing-reality/
To get a 25% decrease in fuel usage is quite …