I Didn’t Know Numbers Went That High
The Bank of England reported today that the global economy has lost $2,800,000,000,000 so far in this autumn’s financial crisis. If that number has too many zeros for you, let me help you: two trillion, eight hundred billion dollars. When you were a kid and you tried to imagine the biggest, hugest number you could possibly ever imagine in your wildest, crazy dreams, it was less than two trillion, eight hundred billion. For some perspective, the number is greater than the UK’s entire GDP and exceeds the dimensions of most standard calculators.
Filed Under Modern Life, Research, Uncategorized
The Prints Don’t Lie
UK police will soon carry portable fingerprinting devices with them everywhere. Experts say the current processing time of an arrest, which takes one hour on average, could be reduced to mere minutes with the use of this new technology. Faster arrests means cops are back on the beat faster which ideally makes us all safer. It’s great that the system is more efficient, but do we really need to spend tax money on more “Big Brother”-style technology? No one wants their fingerprints saved forever for driving 10 kilometers over the limit.
Filed Under Modern Life, Wondering
Father Nose Best
Parents in New Jersey and Ohio can now hire former police drug dogs to inspect their children’s rooms. The company Sniff Dogs hires out hounds with years of professional olfactory expertise for $200-per-hour. These astute pooches capitalize on parents’ paranoia and inability to confront children. The service could be a small price to pay to save the lives of drug-addled teens, but is it worth severing the ties of trust between parent and child? Either way, these veteran drug-busters are cute.
Filed Under History & traditions, Human Rights, Modern Life
Obama or McCain with That?
As of Monday, eager voters in Santa Ana, California can cast their ballots using a drive-thru voting booth. Vehicles can pull up to the polls at one of eight voting machines as they would to an automated fast-food window. At last, a viable alternative to the the red tape and general inconvenience of American polling places. Could this lazy, passive new method increase voter turnout? Only in America.
Filed Under Modern Life, Technology
Pigeoners of War!
Iranians apprehended two pigeons yesterday for allegedly spying on Natanz, Iran’s special weapons facility, where US espionage has already uncovered suspicious nuclear activity. And they were no stool pigeons. Read more
Filed Under History & traditions, Modern Life, Politics
It’s all in the name.
Jennifer Thornburg, 19 year old teenager in Asheville North America, legally changed her name as a means of revolt against animal dissections in school laboratories. She changed it to CUTOUTDISSECTION.COM. So every time she introduces herself to anybody they may be compelled to check out the website and perhaps protest with her against her chosen campaign.
It’d be great if it worked! We could all change our names so they proclaimed what we felt most strongly about and go about changing the world.
Check out her blog too.
Filed Under Media & Society, Modern Life
Rap judged by Bach.
Andrew Vactor was fined $150 for listening to rap music too loudly on his car stereo and therefore, ruining the peace and quiet. The sentence would be reduced if he could spend up to 20 hours listening to classical music. Was it simply to prove that music you don’t listen to can prove torturous or trying to prescribe a type of music as the standard? Rap vs. Classical, anyone? Read more
Filed Under Human Rights, Modern Life