We're all guinea pigs in Google's search experiment | News Blog - CNET News

We're all guinea pigs in Google's search experiment | News Blog - CNET News: "'As Google gets faster, people search more, and as it gets slower, people search less,' she said.
The same effect happened with Google Maps. When the company trimmed the 120KB page size down by about 30 percent, the company started getting about 30 percent more map requests. 'It was almost proportional. If you make a product faster, you get that back in terms of increased usage,' she said."

Senator Proposes Bill to Rescue Newspapers - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com

Senator Proposes Bill to Rescue Newspapers - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com: "Speaking on the Senate floor, Cardin added, 'As local papers are closing, we're losing a valuable tradition in America — critically important to our communities, critically important to our democracy.'"

Just because newspapers are dying doesn't mean that the press is being reduced.  There is still plenty of journalism -- it is just taking a different form.

Senator Proposes Bill to Rescue Newspapers - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com

Senator Proposes Bill to Rescue Newspapers - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com: "'We are losing our newspaper industry,' said Cardin. 'The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.'"

If the business model doesn't work anymore then let it die!  With the internet we have more efficient ways of getting the news.

Change and Hope on Drug Policy?

Change and Hope on Drug Policy?: "Brookhiser, a staid senior editor at National Review, hardly resembles the stereotypical pot smoker. But in 1992, he contracted a particularly virulent form of cancer and found that only marijuana would allow him to hold down enough food to survive the treatment.

'God forbid that anyone in this room should ever need chemotherapy,' Brookhiser testified, but if you do, 'Let me assure you that whatever you think now, or however you vote, if that moment comes to you, you will turn to marijuana. Extend that liberty to your fellow citizens.'"

FOXNews.com - French Strikers Release 3M Exec Hostage - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

FOXNews.com - French Strikers Release 3M Exec Hostage - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News: "The workers locked Rousselet in an office Tuesday, demanding better severance packages for those laid off and better conditions for those who keep their jobs."

They are now taking hostages to demand better job benefits?!?

Bioethics Forum - Federal Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Bioethics Forum - Federal Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research: "On March 9, President Obama removed restrictions on federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines derived by means that destroy human embryos. Although members of the President’s Council on Bioethics have been divided on this question and some of our colleagues disagree with us, we think it may be useful and clarifying to set the president’s action in three ways into the context of work the council has done over the past seven years."

Tesla Motors - Tesla Leadership

Tesla Motors - Tesla Leadership: "Despite the many electric concept cars, validation prototypes, and design studies seen at auto shows and in the media, Tesla is still the only car maker with a highway capable fully electric car that customers can actually buy."

Wild Wisconsin: Tony Evers Bashes Homeschoolers

Wild Wisconsin: Tony Evers Bashes Homeschoolers: "While homeschoolers are saving the state $198 million per year with better educational results, he knocks them for having an 'agenda'."

The Tragedy of the Commons: Fishing

Since fishing rights are shared overfishing can easily happen.  What if fishing rights were sold to specific areas of the ocean like mineral rights.  Then each fishing organization would buy fishing rights and have the incentive to keep the fish polulations sustainable.

This may initially be easiest to do inside each nation's territorial waters.  This would a good way for the government to initally make some cash.  But once the rights are sold the government would stay out because the owner would be able to sell his rights and therefore would have an incentive to keep the value of his rights high.

Realtime electricity changes

Why doesn't the electric company support billing me at a rate that can change often each day(hourly?) instead of quarterly?

This would work by them sending a signal with the current rate over the power line and each house would have a box (by the thermostat?) that shows the current rate.  That info could also be sent to any automatic electric appliances (heater, water heater, air conditioner, etc) so that they would automatically adjust to the current rate.  The heater thermostat temp would decrease as the rate increases and vice versa.  Then I could also quickly check the current rate if I need to run a high usage appliance (arc welder, or even possibly microwave).

Right now the only way they can affect usage is by cycling or turning off certain appliances but that is like having a car with only a go and stop button instead of a brake and accelerator pedal.

Realtime market pricing would give people the info needed to use the correct amount of electricity. This would greatly reduce the need for using expensive methods for generating electricity (that are probably also less energy efficient).