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It’s impressive to see somebody has the same viewpoint on the Japanese nuclear reactor disaster than I do. And he’s a self-proclaimed “green.”

You will not be surprised to hear that the events in Japan have changed my view of nuclear power. You will be surprised to hear how they have changed it. As a result of the disaster at Fukushima, I am no longer nuclear-neutral. I now support the technology.

One of the counter-intuitive conclusions that you should make from the Fukushima incident is that it was indirectly caused by the resistance to nuclear energy, not its adoption. The resistance to nuclear energy allowed an outdated reactor design to stay in operation without major overhaul or update, as well as the on-site storage of spent fuel rods (instead of safer off-site storage or –gasp!– reprocessing in a breeder reactor for more fuel and less waste). The resistance to nuclear energy led to the disaster’s scale. Also, they could have saved a lot of trouble by entombing the reactor as soon as they realized it wasn’t salvageable.

Jeff :: Mar.21.2011 :: News 'n' Commentary :: No Comments »

I came across an interesting story on Yahoo! Finance about job seekers having to consent to credit checks to prospective employers, sometimes just for the interview. Supposedly it’s under the guise of determining whether a prospective employee is responsible with their money.

But wait a second… what if you had awesome credit a year ago, then got laid off and can’t pay the bills? “You get in a Catch-22: You can’t pay your bills because you don’t have a job, and now you can’t get a job because you can’t pay your bills.”

That’s just wonderful.

Jeff :: Jul.22.2010 :: News 'n' Commentary :: No Comments »

I’m gonna have to start saving money.. for a car? Nope. For a house? Nope. For the Gibbs Aquada? Well, that too. But really I gotta save some money and get my hands on this:

It’s been a long time coming. While Arthur C. Clarke’s satellites have taken to space, and James Bond’s futuristic mobile technology has become common place, still the dream of sustained personal flight has eluded us. But the future is here! Finally we can all take flight as Martin Aircraft in New Zealand releases the first commercially-available jet pack!

Jeff :: Jun.21.2010 :: News 'n' Commentary :: No Comments »

Looks like what’s being passed for new at the E3 Expo is woefully unoriginal. I waste enough time already to waste even more on retreads of Halo, Metroid, or Goldeneye (they’re STILL making Goldeneye games? Sheesh). Nintendo 3DS sounds like the dumbest gadget ever. I’ll check it out for 5 minutes at a store and put it down.

Now here’s an idea for a game worth buying:

Jeff :: Jun.19.2010 :: News 'n' Commentary :: No Comments »

The folly of allowing ourselves to delay what we know cannot be fully escaped is one of the general weaknesses which, in spite of the instruction of moralists, and the remonstrances of reason, prevail to a greater or less degree in every mind.

-Samuel Johnson, 1751

Jeff :: Jun.16.2010 :: News 'n' Commentary :: No Comments »

Now everybody knows Detroit is decaying as a city, but have a look at these two pics with the GM HQ in the background:

Pretty spooky…

Jeff :: Mar.09.2010 :: News 'n' Commentary :: No Comments »

…could the mint misspell the name of their own country on a coin. Chile did that with their 50-peso coins (which by the way are worth under 10 cents US) minted in 2008, and somebody’s gonna pay for that kind of idiocy. That being said, coin collectors now have something to add to their wish-list!

Left: Misspelled coin, Right: Corrected coin.

Jeff :: Feb.12.2010 :: News 'n' Commentary :: No Comments »