I used to read Scientific American with interest and wonder. My favorite column was The Amateur Scientist because it had so many neat experiments and projects. Now, it is mostly with sadness and incredulity that I occasionally glance at it on the newsstand. I don’t bother subscribing or even buying it for an interesting article TAS article anymore. They’ve lost their way.
I’m shaking my head as I watch this SciAm video, they have an animated musclebound synthetic person as the spokesman wearing a SciAm t-shirt. Yes, it’s that bad. They seem to forget where they came from and who they cater to.
The governor is pitching new ways to decrease the state's deficit without raising taxes. One of his ideas is rigging cameras along Pennsylvania roads to catch uninsured drivers.
The next time you're driving down the highway, imagine a camera taking a picture of your license plate and checking to see if you have auto insurance.
If Governor Ed Rendell gets his way, it could happen in the next year.
"Instead of taxpayers paying for unlawful people, they'll pay for themselves," said Joe Kane of Downingtown. He said he's got insurance so the cameras wouldn't bother him.
The cameras would be part of Rendell's plan to generate money for the state to fill the $472 million hole in the budget, left empty when plans for tolling on Interstate 80 were shot down.
Rendell said the cameras placed on highways would make the state more than $100 million a year.
"I understand why they would do it because it does cost money for people that do have insurance if they get into an accident with someone who doesn't," said Sean Coleman from Lake Harmony.
Newswatch 16 found people who don't like the idea, like Jim Calvin from Carbondale.
"I don't particularly like the fact of somebody being able to just take a picture of you and know exactly, not just your whereabouts, but your personal business," said Calvin.
Police in the Northwest are considering a new tool for law enforcement. It's called the "Dazer Laser" and is being hailed as a relatively safe method of neutralizing a suspect by temporarily blinding them, Seattle's King 5 reports.
While guns, tasers and pepper spray--all of which are used by police--can cause physical pain and damage, the Dazer Laser emits a "modulating pool of green light" that "temporarily blind[s] and disorient[s] a suspect." According to King 5, the weapon does not cause damage to the eyes, even at close range.
Those promoting the Dazer Laser claim that it is effective from as close as three feet and as far away as a mile-and-a-half.
The potential police tool would not be sold to the public and would "require a security code to activate," explains King 5.
Check out the video (below) for more details. Or click here for the full story.
Steve Wynn, a casino resort/real-estate developer who has been credited with spearheading the dramatic resurgence and expansion of the Las Vegas Strip, talks about the Fall of America.
Should there be a "gatekeeper" regulating internet bloggers? In the aftermath of the Shirley Sherrod incident, that's what CNN promoted on July 23.
Anchors Kyra Phillips and John Roberts discussed the "mixed blessing of the internet," and agreed that there should be a crackdown on anonymous bloggers who disparage others on the internet.
"There are so many great things that the internet does and has to offer, but at the same time, Kyra, as you know, there is this dark side," Roberts said. "Imagine what would have happened if we hadn't taken a look at what happened with Shirley Sherrod and plumbed the depths further and found out that what had been posted on the internet was not in fact reflective of what she said."
Warren Pollock reports on a rather troubling development which we can only attribute to various cost cutting measures by near-bankrupt states, as anything beyond that would be far too macabre even for us. It appears that "several drugs are in severe shortfall, drugs used to treat emergency patients that might be transported by ambulance to emergency rooms, the drugs include heart attack drugs, epinephrine, lidocain, as well as drugs used to treat shock and other conditions. These emergency care drugs are now in shortfall with alternate protocols going out to emergency services in various parts of the nation. This means that if you need emergency services, the drugs you rely upon to save your life may not be there." As WEP asks, "where have these drugs gone? It is unrealistic to suggest that a whole variety of emergency treatment drugs would go missing from the inventory all at the same time, and areas around the country all at the same time." Pollock highlights the states of TN, PA and CA may have already seen the incorporation of the "alternate protocol." Once again, we hope this is merely an interim shortage and not a widespread effort to impair the traditional operation of emergency technicians across the country.
Binge drinking is on the rise, according to a new study of the nation's drinking habits. The trend seems to be consistent for all adults. Binge drinking is consuming five or more drinks in one day.
Researchers using NASA's fleet of five THEMIS spacecraft have discovered a form of space weather that packs the punch of an earthquake and plays a key role in sparking bright Northern Lights. They call it "the spacequake."
A spacequake is a temblor in Earth's magnetic field. It is felt most strongly in Earth orbit, but is not exclusive to space. The effects can reach all the way down to the surface of Earth itself.
"Magnetic reverberations have been detected at ground stations all around the globe, much like seismic detectors measure a large earthquake," says THEMIS principal investigator Vassilis Angelopoulos of UCLA.
Goldman Sachs sent $4.3 billion in federal tax money to 32 entities, including many overseas banks, hedge funds and pensions, according to information made public Friday night.
Goldman Sachs disclosed the list of companies to the Senate Finance Committee after a threat of subpoena from Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Ia.
Asked the significance of the list, Grassley said, "I hope it's as simple as taxpayers deserve to know what happened to their
He added, "We thought originally we were bailing out AIG. Then later on ... we learned that the money flowed through AIG to a few big banks, and now we know that the money went from these few big banks to dozens of financial institutions all around the world."
Grassley said he was reserving judgment on the appropriateness of U.S. taxpayer money ending up overseas until he learns more about the 32 entities.
Many actors and producers have talked about adapting Ayn Rand's classic Atlas Shrugged for the big screen, but 53 years after its publication no one has dared tackle the ambitious project—until now.
Reason.tv heads to the set of Atlas Shrugged Part One to offer viewers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of this most anticipated film.
Director Paul Johansson (One Tree Hill) and Grant Bowler (Lost, True Blood, Ugly Betty), who plays Henry Rearden, discuss the perils, pressures, and pleasure involved in telling the epic tale of a society where the "men of the mind" go on strike and refuse to contribute to a collectivist world.
Produced by Ted Balaker and Hawk Jensen. Camera by Austin Bragg and Hawk Jensen. Production support by Sam Corcos.
Music: "Eu Nao Sabia" by Anamar available from Magnatune Records.
Approximately 5.3 minutes.
Go to http://reason.tv for downloadable HD, iPod, and audio versions of this and all our videos and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.
This spill involves a well in a portion of Barataria Bay known as Mud Lake, near Bayou St. Dennis about 10 miles south of Lafitte, Louisiana.
Although this latest spill is unrelated to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, it's blocking vessels of opportunity based in Lafitte from accessing the Gulf, as officials assess air quality and other health and safety issues at the site. (Boats staged in other areas are unaffected).
"It's apparent that some type of vessel has hit the well head, has laid it over," said Donald Nalty, COO of oil spill cleanup contractor ES&H, who just returned from a flyover of the site in single engine seaplane. "It's probably about a four inch casing and it's spewing out oil and natural gas."
