JC Penney withdraws "I'm too pretty to do homework" t-shirt

Click on this link to read a Slate posting about a controversial J.C. Penney t-shirt (pictured) that privileged beauty over intelligence. The retailer received a score of petitions and angry letters claiming that the shirt was sexist (or just stupid). Or was it "cute and sassy" as the original ad claimed?

PETA creates porn site

Click on this link to read a Slate blog posting (8-29-11) about PETA's new porn site. PETA has never hesitated to shock audiences to get it's point across; the new strategy plays off alleged similarities between sexual objectification and the way we regard "meat products." Critics complain about PETA going too far, but they seem to be successful in keeping their topics in public discussion. Other than perhaps finding them distasteful, what do you think about their tactics (including this latest approach)?

Drone submarines join drone airplanes

Click on this link to read a Sarasota Herald-Tribune article (8-20-11) about the Navy's recent attempts to operate submarine drones. Drone airplanes have already become a major weapon in the U.S. military's arsenal. Are submarines a natural extension of this technology, or are there unique challenges (and worries) about pilotless boats stealthily sliding through the ocean deep?

IBM seeks to replicate human brain with new chip

Click on this link to read a BBC story (8-19-11) about a new chip developed by IBM that seeks to replicate human brain functioning by reverse engineering synapses. It is suggested that the chips will have the capacity to learn.

"Bigger bang" created for U.S. military

Click on this link to read a BBC story (8-19-11) about new forms of explosives that promise to deliver a 4-5 times greater punch while, potentially, reducing collateral damage. While such (expensive) technologies could deliver a temporary advantage to the U.S. military, should we worry about the proliferation of such materials? Are there weapons that should never be operationalized because of the danger, should they spread? Or is the "if we don't do it, someone else will, so we might as well be first" principle applicable here?

"Pre-crime" software reducing crime?

Click on this link to watch an ABC News story (8-18-11) about technology being used by California police to predict criminal activity. The software has resulted in a number of arrests and a measurable drop in the crime rate. Is this the first step towards Minority Report forms of "pre-cognition"? What does it say about human nature if criminal behavior can, apparently, be successfully predicted in this way?

Metering car usage to save the environment?

Click on this link to read a NY Times story about a Dutch pilot project metering car actual usage as a basis for taxation. Rather than charging citizens a tax when buying petrol for their cars, the meter would track, in a very detailed way, how the person actually uses their car (and how much). Gas hogs who waste gas would be taxed at a higher rate. Participants in the project were able to see the tax meter rising and immediately changed their driving habits. Critics worry about privacy concerns, since the meter uses GPS technology to track drivers' travel. GPS units have already played a role in a number of criminal cases and trials, providing valuable evidence of the accused's activities. If this new meter technology caused people to drive less and more efficiently, would it we worth the intrusion to save our climate and roads?

Breast implants for senior citizens?

Click on this link to read a NY Times story (8-8-11) about an 83 year old woman who received a breast implant to improve her looks. Is it "age-ism" to reject this as a bad idea or is a ridiculous waste of money? Note: no one is proposing that there should be any legal obstacles to such procedures, but some are raising ethical questions about the expense and its purpose.

What could possibly go wrong?

Click on this link for another article from the February, 2011 Popular Science magazine.  This one explores a number of potentially bad technological ideas that are receiving attention from the government and corporations.   If you take a look at the archives of this blog, you'll recognize some themes from earlier blog posts.

Starbucks to offer 31 ounce coffee

Click on this link to read a Washington Post article about Starbucks' move to selling coffee in huge 31 ounce cups.  Convenience stores have long served soft drinks in huge sizes; Starbucks is apparently joining the "super-size me" movement.  Will this add to level of caffeine jitters/caffeine rage in society?  Will we all be talking faster and sleeping less?

Fourth Amendment underclothes?

"Now there's a way to protest those intrusive TSA X-ray scanners without saying a word."

4th Amendment Wear makes undergarments printed with the fourth amendment to the U. S. Constitution on them. What's clever is that the text, printed in metallic ink, and is readable on your airport security scan. 


View the site here.

Gay birds?

Click on this link to read a Fox News story about the alleged effects of mercury upon avian species and their sexual preferences.  [thanks, Alex, for this link!]

Knife rights?

We've heard plenty about the right to bear arms, but a new controversy concerns the right to carry a knife.  If a knife can be used for self-defense, then wouldn't the same rights that extend to guns also extend to knives?  Click on this link to read a Sarasota Herald Tribune article about this Arizona controversy.

Robots rodeo

Given that we are already employing drone planes to conduct surveillance and drop bombs, it seems like a logical next step to replace front line infantry with robots.  Click on this link to read a Sarasota Herald Tribune story (11-28-10) about the military's "Robotics Rodeo.".  Is this the first step towards a Terminator-friendly world?  (note: the robot featured in the article was only 15" tall)

Supreme Court OKs guns for 18 year olds

If you are 18, you are old enough to fight for your country.  Are you also old enough to carry a gun in that country?  A recent state Supreme Court decision says, "yes, you are."  Click on this link to read an article (from a gun rights website) summarizing last year's decision.  Some applaud this as a step towards fairness and consistency while others worry about whether teenagers are yet ready to carry personal weapons.  Another link leads to a story about two young Texas men challenging in Federal court their state's prohibition of gun ownership for teenagers under age 21.

Should state funds be used to build a new Noah's Ark?

Should the state government of Kentucky commit taxpayer funds to the creation of a theme park modelled around the story of Noah's Ark?  Click on this link to read a Sarasota Herald Tribune story (12-6-10) that describes the controversy.  On the one hand, it is hoped that the park would create lots of jobs.  On the other hand, the for-profit group proposing to build it is allied to an overtly evangelical cause.  Does this violate the principle of the separation of church and state?

Beheading of Indonesian woman in Saudi Arabia provokes protests

Click on this link to read a Washington Post article (8-9-11) regarding protests that have erupted in Indonesia (the world's largest Muslim population) against Saudi Arabia after an Indonesian worker in Saudi Arabia was beheaded for killing an allegedly abusive employer.  The beheading has raised questions in Indonesia about the conservative Wahabi form of Islam that has been exported worldwide from Saudi Arabia.

Can hackers shut off patients' insulin pumps?

Click on this link to read a ZDNet article about a new form of hacking that can shut down via wifi a patents' insulin pump (and hence shut down the patient). As implanted medical devices become more technologically sophisticated and networked, will a new sport evolve of hacking into them and disrupting peoples' bodies? Will the new teenage prank be stopping someone's heart for 2 minutes or shutting down their morphine pump until they start screaming?

Man tried to split atoms in kitchen

Stockholm (from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 8-4-11)

A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said Wednesday he was doing it as a hobby.

Richard Handl told The Associated Press that he had the radioactive elemtns radium, americum and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorized possession of nuclear material.

The 31-year-old Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove. Only later did he realize it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden'ts Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.