Mars Curiosity Drills Down

Curiosity Rover Drills Into Mars Rock, Finds Water...and, in that same sample, the first discovery of organic compounds. The Mars Curiosity Rover as arrived on the red planet and is motoring around discovering. One of the attachments to the vehicle include a drill. The Rover has successfully drill the core sample and within evidence of water and the first discovery of organic compounds. This should make all the space and science nerds freak out. For more on the news release: http://news.yahoo.com/curiosity-rover-drills-mars-rock-finds-water-122321635.html

Earth to Israel, You should know better

There's a stigma in the US where supporting Gaza in the recent conflict amounts to terrorism. Unfortunately, human empathy dictates that the injustice on civilians on both sides needs to stop. America, however, eats out of the palm of the Israelis and their American supporters (who somehow are Israelis first, then Americans.....) Any attempt to reprimand the alleged atrocities committed by IDF is met with rebuke from the Israeli government. Republicans would love to save Israel, since for many, their constituents have a false belief that the nation of Israel has a roll in return of the Christian Messiah. The issues at hand are complex. Yes, Hamas is terrorism and they cannot rule in Gaza. But no, they are no solely to blame as many Conservatives would have you believe. If you enjoy shooting fish in a barrel then shelling Gaza is your thing. But if you're human, and if you're a Jew ,fo all peope, you should know better what it means to systematically annihilate a people group.

Tesla opens all their patents to open source

It's a stunning move. A corporation moving away from the hoarding of patents, and instead, opening them up for all. A corporation rather than stifling innovation, working hard to move it forward in their industry. THat's what Tesla continues to do--move the electric car market forward. There is pushback from nearly every possible walk of life in their industry. Car manufacturers dont want them to succeed, car dealers don't want to sell their cars. The industry itself is set to reinvent itself, and this move will spur that along. http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you Of course, there are ulterior motives. If companies us their patents Tesla essentially controls the entire electric market because everyone will use their stuff, like their batteries..... It's a risk and the only payoff is in the long long run. We'll see if Tesla survives until then.

World Cup 2014 Brazil opens to fanfare and controversy

It seems nowadays few countries can pull off large sporting events. Olympics or World Cups lead to heavy debt loads. That doesn't bode well for countries with significant social issues. Brazil is one. they will do both (WC and Olympics) in the next two years. Today the WC opened to much fanfare. This is, after all, the largest sporting event the world sees. So many countries, so many participants, so much attention. It's exciting, but it comes at a cost that the average Brazillian laments in between games.

FCC and Net Neutrality

It's back. Why would there be a problem with net neutrality? Well think of your internet now. There are only a handful of pipes that actually deliver the internet to your computer. Those providers are ISP's internet service providers. Think of them as the railway. We don't have railways like we have roads. The railways (ISPs) want to limit how fast you can travel along them. Who would that be? Mostly the cable companies. Why is that a problem? Because it limits your choice, your freedom, your reality that we've assumed was normative (and is) when it comes to using the web. The big companies online don't want any part of it, and consumers are demanding better too. What are you going to do about it?

Built Tesla Tough

Wanna be a part of the American engine? What's more American than a Ford Truck? Well turns out Tesla, the electric car that every manufacturer other than Tesla doesn't want on the market, is now becoming the most American-made vehicle. http://qz.com/197241/the-future-of-made-in-america-could-be-tesla-not-ford/

Olympic Woes for the US

There's an interesting graphic online at Washington Post that shows how the Winter Olympics tends to be a race for medals by rich nations. Certainly, it's the colder nations that show up, but with the cold comes expense for some, if not all, of the sports. You can't just run and be a good cross-country skier. Rather, you have to train, have facilities, compete. With, let's say, marathon, Ethiopians can run on the street to train (which they do). Which goes to say, what's with the US? The likes of Canada, Norway, Netherlands, and Germany, are making hay. They're turning in gold medals despite their relative smaller population. It's an Olympics that will force the US Olympic committee to re-evaluate what's happening with the program. Or perhaps athletes only have a certain level of excellence to achieve, and the rest of the world is catching up.

Net Neutrality is Dead....

For now, the net neutrality debate has faced the US Court of Appeals and was struck down. The FCC 2010 order that would impose net neutrality regulations was all but killed. That doesn't mean the fight is over. Far rom, there will be iterations of the bill to come. The question is how big is your lobby compared to mine? However, this may be a rare case when the people speak loud enough that lobbying won't run the normal course of action. http://bgr.com/2014/01/14/net-neutrality-court-ruling/

Colorado Pot Sales Massive

All other States ready to legalize marijuana for personal use take not, lots of people smoke pot, and lots of people want to buy it legally. Colorado practically ran out within a week. http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2014/01/pot_sales_denver_5_million_five_days.php The sale of pot topped 5 million. Now, everyone is wondering to watch extent does pot sale price differ than street? It's more expansive for sure (the coffers are certainly going to cash in), but the expense appears to be manageable enough for smokers as they're willing to pay higher prices for legal weed.