June 24, 2008

Be Like Lithuania

An interesting little side quiz just took place on CNBC.

What nation relies on nuclear energy the most?

My guess was France. That was wrong.

The correct answer is the former-Soviet republic of Lithuania.

Yes, little Lithuania relies on old Soviet engineering, the same kind that gave us the Chernobyl disaster, to power its microwave ovens and televisions showing re-runs of "Stalin loves Lenin" and "How Gorby Met Your Mother."

So, here's a question: Why can't the U.S. be more like Lithuania.

I know there is the argument that most people don't want a nuclear reactor in their backyard.

But is a nuclear reactor in your backyard better or worse than a coal power plant?

Business Week took "clean coal" to task in its latest issue. The obvious oxymoron of clean coal energy is broadcast all over the airwaves as the technology that will save the U.S. and end our dependence on oil.

Yeah, at the risk of giving us all lung cancer from the emissions. Oh, and there is that pesky global warming caused by the CO2 emissions that we still have no way to control.

I know there is a fear of a terrorist attack on a nuclear plant. I understand the concern. However, I also understand that we can't live our lives in fear of the worst. Modern nuclear plants are safe and have back-up control systems. To live in fear of a coordinated attack on a nuclear power plant is also ludicrous because it fits into what Bruce Schneier calls a "movie scenario."

It seems like a likely target, but the true risk of an attack would need something on the scale of a full suspension of disbelief that everything would work perfectly to pull it off.

Maybe its time we stepped back and looked indiscriminately at nuclear power as a real option.

After all, if little Lithuania can do it with decades-old Soviet technology, why can't we?

Posted by bmiraski at 9:41 AM | Comments (0)

June 19, 2008

Happy Birthday? That will be $12.50

I feel like a megaphone for boingboing today.

However, this post caught my eye.

Who knew there was a copyright issue with Happy Birthday? Apparently professor Robert Brauneis did.

Imagine if the royalty rates were the same as the AP is proposing for bloggers quoting its stories?

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Dirk, Happy Birthday to you." : $12.50

But don't do the second verse, or it will bump you into the second price band.

I first head about this controversy when the good professor was a guest on the very good Sound Opinions radio program that airs on NPR with the voices of Chicago music critics Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot. That aired a few weeks back. Good to see that the news is getting out there about this.

Posted by bmiraski at 4:57 PM | Comments (0)

June 9, 2008

TSA implements policy with massive loopholes

Shocker, I know.

It seems that the TSA has found yet another way to violate the rights of passengers as they attempt to navigate through the overly restrictive security procedures.

Yes, I know that sentence just opened an FBI file for myself.

However, having flown 6 years under the policies almost every week, I feel I have seen enough of the randomness and arbitrary focus to comment.

While there was a possibility to move through security by refusing to show ID if you subjected to additional screening, that is no more.

If you refuse to show your ID, you will not be admitted to the boarding area. Period.

However, claiming it was lost or misplaced is still ok, and subject to the extra screening which was once available to those who just refused.

As boingboing points out:

This new rule seems to only apply to terrorists that are unable to lie, while at the same time, massively cutting into the rights of passengers.

My personal favorite is how TSA fully asserts its right to set policy without thinking for five minutes about how ridiculous that policy happens to be.

Now back to sitting with my tin foil hat on.

Posted by bmiraski at 3:59 PM | Comments (0)