Archive for January, 2008
World’s Most Powerful Rail Gun Delivered to Navy
January 29th, 2008Via: military.com: For true sci-fi fans, any mention of a real-world rail gun will draw an instant, slightly audible gasp. Instead of relying on chemical propellants — such as gunpowder — a rail gun uses magnetic “rails” to launch a solid, nonexplosive projectile at incredible speed. Theoretically, rail guns would be able to precisely strike […]
The Global Battle for Food, Oil and Water
January 29th, 2008Via: Financial Times: The costs of food and energy are rising fast. The availability of water is also becoming an issue, from Australia to Africa. The struggle for these three basic commodities – food, energy and water – came up repeatedly in Davos. Globalisation – in particular the rise of China and India – is […]
Cryptogon Reader Signs Up for Hosting with Blue Host
January 29th, 2008Thanks to the owner of Honest Knave for signing up for hosting with Blue Host. Cryptogon received $65.
New Home Sales Fall by Record Amount
January 28th, 2008Come on, Ben. You can do it, buddy. Via: AP: Sales of new homes plunged by a record amount in 2007 while prices posted the weakest showing in 16 years, demonstrating the troubles builders are facing with a huge backlog of unsold homes. The Commerce Department reported that sales of new homes dropped by 26.4 […]
Microchips Everywhere: a Future Vision
January 28th, 2008Via: AP: —Microchips with antennas will be embedded in virtually everything you buy, wear, drive and read, allowing retailers and law enforcement to track consumer items — and, by extension, consumers — wherever they go, from a distance. —A seamless, global network of electronic “sniffers” will scan radio tags in myriad public settings, identifying people […]
Raytheon Sells Oil Shale Extraction Technology to Schlumberger
January 28th, 2008“For years, I wanted to believe that Peak Oil could bring this horror show down. My problem, of course, was that I couldn’t ignore simple, observable realities and the fact that evil people have many plans up their sleeves. Some of you view collapse due to Peak Oil as a given. I understand that desire. […]
Anyone Thinking of Buying Properties at Auction: Hold Your Fire
January 28th, 2008WARNING: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial instrument. I saw a post about a large auction of foreclosed properties coming up in California over on Global Economic Analysis. I agree with the opinion over there: hold off. We haven’t seen anything yet. If you’re considering one of those properties, […]
French Bank Says Trader Hacked Computers
January 28th, 2008Well, well, well… I’m glad I included the BS option in my initial post on this incident. Please see, Unloading Toxic Waste Mortgage Backed Securities: “We Americans Were Very Clever,” and pay close attention to the part about the timing: We’ll see how clever they are when the Good Fellas show up to collect. At […]
Disgraced and Vilified, Indonesia’s Ex-Dictator Suharto Dies Aged 86
January 28th, 2008I’m surprised Suharto’s likeness hasn’t already been added to Mt. Rushmore. Via: The Canadian Free Press: Former Indonesian president Suharto, a Cold War ally of the United States whose brutal military regime killed hundreds of thousands of left-wing political opponents, died Sunday. He was 86. Although he oversaw some of the worst bloodshed of the […]
Margaret Thatcher Told Navy to Raid Swedish Coast
January 27th, 2008Via: Times Online: MARGARET THATCHER ordered the Royal Navy to land Special Boat Service (SBS) frogmen on the coast of Sweden from British submarines pretending to be Soviet vessels, a new book has claimed. The deception involved numerous incursions by British forces into Swedish territorial waters in the 1980s and early 1990s, designed to heighten […]
